American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography, including The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography

13 stereoviews on yellow, buff, and salmon colored mounts, most with "Shaw's Instantaneous Views" labels applied to verso with subject line accomplished in pencil: "Sanitary fair Chicago." Specific booths and vendors captured include the Methodist booth and Wright's Restaurant. Other views include a street view capturing the opening day procession at Court House Square; a group portrait of men and women posed in a booth or float decorated with horse shoes and a wire sign above reading "Burden;" an interior view of one of the buildings lined with heavily decorated stalls and banners for each state; an exterior view of Union Hall; 2 interior views of people posed on a beautifully constructed footbridge; a group portrait of a trio of women dressed with large turbans on their heads on the steps of a gazebo; and others. -- Together, 13 stereoviews.

There were two sanitary fairs held in Chicago during the war, the first, officially named the Northwestern Soldier's Fair, being held in October of 1863, and the second, named the Great Northwestern Sanitary Fair, being held in the spring of 1865. One of the views included here features a printed caption with a date of 1865, and we can trace some of the other views to that particular fair, but we cannot state with certainty that all of the views were captured at the latter of the two fairs.