Sale 2161 Lot 152

DESIGNER UNKNOWN "CITY OF LIGHT" / NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR. 1940.
30x19 3/4 inches, 76x50 cm.
Condition B+: repaired tears and creases in margins and image; restored losses and restoration in margins and bottom left corner; sharp horizontal folds.
Another of the most popular attractions of the Fair was Consolidated Edison's "The City of Light." The outside of the attraction featured a 42 foot high, 9,000 square foot, curved wall over which 40,000 gallons of water was pumped every hour. In front of this "waterfall" jets of water performed a "water ballet" (in an array that was designed by Alexander Calder), and at night the entire wall was illuminated in blue. Inside fairgoers were treated to a block-long and three-story high panorama of New York City. Stretching from Coney Island to Westchester, the model showed how electricity ran New York City. The twelve-minute show simulated a 24-hour period within the city, with buildings lighting up at night and subways running on elevated platforms.
Estimate $1,000-1,500