1903 French Government General Ground Plan of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition)

Michel Lagrave, Commissaire Général du Gouvernement Français - connected to the Olympic Games

Paris, 10 August 1903

Approx. 55 × 40 cm (21.7 × 15.7 in.)

An uncommon large-format official French government plan prepared in anticipation of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World’s Fair).

Headed “Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Saint-Louis (1904) – Commissariat Général du Gouvernement Français – Plan Général,” the plan was produced under the authority of Michel Lagrave, Commissioner-General of the French Government for the exposition, and is dated Paris, 10 August 1903.

The detailed plan depicts the exposition grounds and principal buildings, including the Palaces of Agriculture, Horticulture, Machinery, Transportation and Congresses; national and foreign pavilions; the French National Pavilion; American state pavilions; administrative buildings; roads, railways and other facilities.

Of particular interest is the area identified as “Grand Stand – Culture Physique,” reflecting the important athletic component of the St. Louis exposition during the period of the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Games. The accompanying table specifically records “Anthropologie et Culture physique” among the exhibition categories.

Areas allocated to France are distinguished by red hatching. A large printed table, “Tableau des Emplacements Accordés Officiellement à la France,” compares the exhibition space assigned to France at the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition with that allocated at St. Louis in 1904, recording a total increase from 41,747 square metres to 76,721 square metres.

At lower right the plan bears the printed certification:

“Paris, le 10 Août 1903

Certifié conforme:

Le Commissaire Général du Gouvernement Français,

Michel Lagrave.”

The design is documented in the official French government Rapport général de l’Exposition de Saint-Louis as the “Plan général” (Plate 12).

Condition: Complete folding plan with original period folds. Blank verso. Light overall toning and scattered age-related spotting/foxing, more noticeable on the reverse. Some wear and minor discoloration along the folds, consistent with age and use. Red highlighting remains strong and the printed detail is clear. No major losses visible. Please refer to photographs for condition.

An attractive and historically significant piece of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair ephemera, with additional interest to collectors of French-American history, early twentieth-century cartography and the sporting/Olympic history surrounding the 1904 St. Louis exposition.