Lee E. Gaskins III, son of noted Brandywine School master watercolorist Lee Gaskins Jr. is a resident of New Jersey, who is a full-time art teacher at Linden High School, and also works as an commercial illustrator, designer, fine artist, and game creator. His favorite medium is acrylic paints, but works in watercolor and pastel. Lee has fabricated digital illustration, 2D animation, etc.; for video games from the pioneering `old school' Amigas to the `new school' PCs. He has worked on such games as Simcity, Oil Baron and Wizard's Wheel. Lee has produced many works (and styles), of album art, from classic Progressive (Prog), Music to Death Metal. He has also done work for Colgate, Silver Burdett & Ginn Co, and Hughes Optical (the Hubble telescope). Lee has had art exhibits at `Village on the Green,' and the galleries of Watchung. He is presently working on large personal illustrations pertaining to the 1904 World's Fair. Lee also maintains a passion for creative progressive music.
Lee graduated the noted NYC art school- The School of Visual Arts, and later received his teaching credentials at Kean University.
In a prior life, Lee worked for Commodore Business Machines, demonstrationing the Amiga computers, including New Tek's Video Toaster, working with dealers, V.A.R.s, O.E.M.s and Fortune 500 companies. His tri-state area was number one region in sales, in the U.S.A. for 4 years in a row. Clients included: Dupont, Squibb, NBC, CBS, BET, HBO and Merrill Heater Productions (creator of Hollywood Squares).
Lee is presently an art teacher, illustrator, and novelist.
I have always loved history. As an illustrator, one of my favorite subjects (besides fantasy), is the detailed and textured Victorian Era ( I have created Victorian Christmas cards for my family and friends for a number of years, and the 1904 World's Fair showcased such an epic and Herculean scheme of artistry and magnificence; that simply took my breath away. I have never heard about the Fair until I saw the Vincente Minnelli endearing 1945 musical starring Judy Garland- "Meet Me In St. Louis." It peaked my interest into Victorian opulence and its grandeur. I am a lover of everything on a grand scale, so the hints about the Fair in the movie gave me the drive to start reading up on the Louisiana Exposition. I was astounded how huge this Historical Fair was! Later, after increasingly appreciating art, I was amazed at the Herculean artistry that permeated the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the majority of it's construction was accomplished with hard work, brains, aesthetic beauty, and the imagination, which towers over the works of today.
I have no idea! LOL. I guess I am simply trying to make a `cozy, old school' web site that is easy to view, simple to read, and that might look a bit different that some of the others. Also I want to actively promote the history and memory of the Fair; how people strived to showcase wonders and aesthetics without a highbrow aura. Initially, I conceived this as a 2 or 3 page site, but it grew into something more sizeable and I will continue upgrading as time and money allow. If you'd like to get involved and help, please do. I will NOT let this site get stagnant, it will grow as I learn more, as well as gather additional images and information. Another goal- to make this one of the premiere 1904 web sites on the net. Please note: due to the schol year (as well as teaching IB), I will be updating less than the summer months.
I have done much research on the Fair, utilizing many sources, rewriting others that were post-1904. All the information on this site except for my views is licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License. In other words, feel free to use this material for any paper or report, please credit this site. I am not a professional scholar, hence I do not acknowledge that all the pages of text are 100% fact. There are some discrepancies between reference, but for the most part, I believe at least 97.9% of the information is sound. Simply put, I tried my best. But again, if I have erroneous information, please correct me, but please be civil. Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone.
So feel free to take ANY of the sepia-toned and original untouched color images. WHAT IS COPYRIGHTED ARE MY PAINTINGS AND DIGITAL WORK ON THIS AND MY OTHER SITES. UNDER NO CONDITIONS ARE THESE ART WORKS TO BE DUPLICATED FOR ANY REASON. THEY WERE PAINTED BY MYSELF, AND AS I HAVE THE ORIGINALS, I HAVE PROOF.
If I have a picture or info. that you would either want removed or desire a credit, please contact me. I am VERY willing to give credit, and support others.
TEACHERS, PLEASE SIGN THE GUESTBOOK! Feel free to get involved. Showcasing an amazing time of grand ideas and wondrous feats might be reflected back to the students. If you have any additional information pertaining about the Fair, please submit, and I will add it. I would also like to create some contests within schools and the entire educational community. This will probably be `in the making' until this site is gets more attention (if it ever does).
Teachers, you can sent/post your 1904 Fair lesson plans! Don't forget the content core standards!
I would like to create a page or pages for school displays, thoughts and comments, about the 1904 World's Fair. I am a high school art teacher in New Jersey, so this project might take a bit more time to conceive, but it would be great to have information, reports, displays or field trip pictures about the Fair's history or even present day remembrances. Before you submit anything, educators should send me an email and what you might like to display. Then we can go from there. If you must submit photos, please make sure students' faces are not shown if they are minors (over the shoulder pix of the student's working is fine. Any pictures of artifacts or artwork is great. Please make sure images are not huge (my site space limit and is getting full). And of course, information about your school should be included. Thanks!
EDUCATION:
I made this website to help students, educate and hopefully provide a labor of love to a grand and amazing part of
American History this is neither a research site or an encyclopedia, just a fan web page.
TEACHERS, post your lesson plans! Create a contest! I can provide a prize or two.
Please feel free to state YOUR opinion on the Fair, click on the rectangle to find out how:
If your society, web page, group, school, or business would love to link up with this site, simply email me.
If any person would like to COMMISSION 1904 WORLD'S FAIR ART, please email me at the address below.
Lee Gaskins' AT THE FAIR The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
Web Design and Art/Illustration copyrighted 2008
This Page Includes: Information about: CONTACT ME INFO. / ABOUT THE SITE CREATOR / MY VIEW ON THE 1904 WORLD'S FAIR / HOW I GOT INTERESTED / EDUCATION AND SCHOOLS / COPYRIGHTS / LINKING UP / GUESTBOOK / COMMISSIONED 1904 WF ART
Due to nasty ill-bred teenagers from St. Louis, I deleted the old guestbook with dozens of well-wishers, I am trying this again, in hope that the young morons who were submitting nasty, vile comments, because they had to do a report, will think better. I always thought that the Midwesterners were suposed to be the cream of the crop in the US. You can prove it by please being civil.
The Guest book is a generic guest book program, that displays your comments (if you choose to), for this site. It also has spaces for you to insert an email address. You do NOT have to submit ANY private information, though a state &/or country would be nice.
THIS IS A NON-PROFIT SITE- I pay for this site to have no ads.
I heartily welcome Fair-based organizations, schools, collectors, and any admirer(s) of the 1904 World's Fair, and encourage the exchanging of links. The banners to the right are free to take and use to link my site with yours. The one thing I will not condone is someone or group using my site as an advertisement for their business without having the courtesy of linking my site to theirs. In other words- fairness over selfishness.
Unfortunately, I have erased a few links that did not reciprocate or even replied. Sorry.
NOTE: THE GUESTBOOK HAS RETURNED.
(Nasty, and Inappropriate comments will immediately be deleted and
I WILL trace your IP address, and notify the authorities of your harassment.
Please be civil.
Please scroll down for more `At the Fair,' information, explainations, thoughts and ideas.
From time to time, I do original painting on the 1904 World's Fair. For commissions, I can do either traditional (preferred), or digital painted pieces for a set fee. A few can be seen here: http://lgaskins.homestead.com/1904WFarartGallery.html
If you would like to have YOU photoshopped in a 1904 WF picture as if- YOU WERE ACTUALLY THERE, I CAN do this for a donation to support this site. Contact me. lgaskins@optonline.net
It’s a shame that many people know (or care), nothing about the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. In an era full of selfish American 'youth' staring and texting mindlessly into 'smart' phones; overpaid, over-privileged rude athletes, and so-called celebrities void of class, gratefulness or common sense; with societies and individuals preaching hate and devolution; it truly was a better time that what we have today; full of extravagant art, an age of discovery and wonder, the epic stride of man’s dreams and the wonders of the imagination and the outrageous and the indescribably grand. This was the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in a nut shell. It was the largest, grandest Fair ever conceived. It was a time of growth, of America flexing its muscles, showcasing its vast agricultural power and new advancements in scientific research and technology. It marked the decline of the romanticism of the ornate Victorian Age, passing the baton to a growing era of industrialization.
Like all World’s Fairs, The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was far from perfect; racism was still prevalent; and, even though the Fair brought in a diverse multitude of different cultures, some were displayed as simple stereotypes. In less than 15 years, the First World War would ensue, pulling the world further apart.
With the exception of big computer-aided creations of assorted bridges, dams, or skyscrapers, a sense of grandness has been forgotten from today that was once prevalent in the Victorian Age World Fairs. Yes, we have larger machinery and tools, we can communicate, travel and build faster and sometimes bigger, but there is an underlining ugliness to much of today's achievments; which though modern, are not always better. Times were less complicated, people dressed in everyday finery (not common t-shirts, caps, and ripped clothes), and most citizens remained homebound, close to the family (many failed to travel 35 miles away from their birthplace in a lifetime). And yet, the thousands of people who conceived, built and operated the spectacle of 1904, knew that they were doing something quite extraordinary, as if they perpetuated the optimistic growth and grandeur of a Hudson River School masterpiece.
What would have happened if the Fair wasn’t built out of temporary staff, but in permanent marble and steel? Or if George Ferris’ 264-foot legacy, and the football field-sized Palaces still existed? The emphasis on intelligence and education, the gorgeous sculptures and prevailing multitude of aesthetic beauty; what would happen if they became important again? What about the Pike with its bizarre and entertaining attractions? Like sand art, the past wonders of our society are so easily forgotten or ignored, blown away into memories, or hollow shells created by popular culture and present-day superiority mind-sets, that attempt to make themselves more important than the past by erasing it; like a bad remake, desperately destroying what was original.
Though we can never go back to this time period, we can learn from the amazing accomplishments of others and embrace the risks of grand inspiration and wondrous schemes. Though many of society's sense of wonder has been replaced by sarcasm, vulgarities, swarms of the egocentric, wealthy greed, a general careless attitude, disillusion, and a pathetic-me, me, me mind-set, we can aspire to change our world towards a more ambitious and dare I say elegant future. Regardless, we can always dream.
We as an `intelligent' people can learn from history, and not always from the negative.
I hope that this humble web site allows the uninitiated a minute glimpse into the world of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Be welcome and enjoy.
----Lee Gaskins----
BANNERS:
Add them to your site!
Sorry, but I can NOT do your research for you if your relative or item isn't mentioned on my site. If you provide me with
information, and it's relative (pun intended), I will post it. If you need expert help, may I suggest contacting the
Missouri Historical Society, the 1904 WF Appreciation Group (Facebook page), the 1904 World's Fair Society (both on my Link & Misc. section), they get dues, donations, and have a few nice people that are extremely knowledgable.
Also, never post private information on a guest book, an e-mail message is always more secure.
Lee E. Gaskins III, son of noted Brandywine School master watercolorist Lee Gaskins Jr. is a resident of New Jersey, who is a full-time art teacher at Linden High School, and also works as an commercial illustrator, designer, fine artist, and game creator. His favorite medium is acrylic paints, but works in watercolor and pastel. Lee has fabricated digital illustration, 2D animation, etc.; for video games from the pioneering `old school' Amigas to the `new school' PCs. He has worked on such games as Simcity, Oil Baron and Wizard's Wheel. Lee has produced many works (and styles), of album art, from classic Progressive (Prog), Music to Death Metal. He has also done work for Colgate, Silver Burdett & Ginn Co, and Hughes Optical (the Hubble telescope). Lee has had art exhibits at `Village on the Green,' and the galleries of Watchung. He is presently working on large personal illustrations pertaining to the 1904 World's Fair. Lee also maintains a passion for creative progressive music. 
