A whole of innovations were introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, which was meant to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, and was placed in Chicago, Illinois. Among the many firsts were the introduction of the Ferris Wheel, the participation of Japan in a world’s fair, full-size replicas of Columbus’ three caravels, a article whole of visitors at a fair (twenty-eight million), and the creation of a permanent park out of landfill and land reclaimed from Lake Michigan (Jackson Park). With over 200 buildings specially constructed for the fair, face over 30 acres; 51 nations participating in the fair; over 40,000 workers helping to develop and build the fair; it is not surprising that one exhibition has gone largely unnoticed over the years (Bolotin, Norman and Christine Lang, 20). The Columbian Exposition was also the site of the first formal exhibition of Japanese goldfish in the United States. This article will contribute background for the goldfish exposition, as well as conclude the fate of the Japanese goldfish at the end of the exposition.
Before describing the fish brought to the fair, it might be helpful to trace the history of goldfish from their origins in China and their subsequent amelioration in Japan. Goldfish originated from a fish which was similar to the base carp, and was known by the scientific name of Carassius Carassius. A later mutation resulted in the Gibel carp, or Carassius Auratus (golden carp) which is the present-day goldfish. The first goldfish were not golden in color, but a drab, olive green which enabled the fish to hide from predators. The first mutation was probably for color, with orange and red colors appearing on some fish. Eventually, the partially colored orange and white fish were collected by Buddhist monks in China and purposely bred for their colors. The color pattern stabilized, and soon orange, red and orange and red fish were cultivated.
Bean Head
The first partially red, orange, and orange and white fish were noted in the Jin Dynasty (265-419 C.E.). Reports of Buddhist monks cultivating these fish were noted during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.), and by the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1126 C.E.), monks and other breeders were cultivating these fish for use in temples and by Chinese royalty. By the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 C.E.), goldfish were kept and raised by base people. Goldfish were exported to Korea and Japan sometime during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 C.E.), and goldfish were reported in mainland Europe sometime in the seventeenth century. While the dates of introduction of goldfish into Europe are fairly certain, the country of introduction is more difficult, if not impossible to determine.
Goldfish officially arrived in America in 1874 or 1876 as a result of a gentle trip made to Japan by Rear Admiral Daniel Ammon. Admiral Ammon travelled to Japan to develop gentle relations with that country, and returned with base goldfish, among other gifts from the Empire of Japan. The goldfish were presented to President Ulysses Grant, and were later displayed in ponds placed in the Nation’s capital.
The United States Fish Commission, established by an Act of Congress in 1871, was responsible for developing scientific surveys relating to fisheries management, and was run by the same individuals responsible for fisheries administration at the Smithsonian Institution. The establishment of freshwater and maritime aquaria for the U.S. Fish Commission at Central center in Washington, D.C. By William P. Seal in 1889, led to Mr. Seal’s choice as the someone responsible for constructing the aquaria and ponds used during the Columbian Exposition. Mr. Seal, aided by a Mr. Barrett, constructed the aquaria at the Fisheries construction and in the Pennsylvania exhibit; in addition these gentlemen built a reflecting pool to house goldfish and other carp-like fish.
According to a article prepared by S.A. Forbes to the United States Fish Commission which detailed the results of the aquaria constructed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, and Entitled The Aquarium of the United States Fish Commission at the World’s Columbian Exposition,350 goldfish were exhibited at the Fisheries Building. Among the goldfish exhibited, were the following varieties of Japanese goldfish: “We distinguish three varieties of the gold-fish, and discrete other names are given according to the form of the caudal fin. The most precious form is the so-called ‘lion head’ collection of Maruko, which, as may be seen from the specimen here exhibited, has numerous warts on its head ” (Forbes 21).
The Japanese government, in addition to exhibiting goldfish, constructed a gorgeous construction n the Wooded Island to feature Japanese culture. Since the Columbian Exposition marked the first time that the Empire participated in a World’s Fair, the Japanese wished to display their culture in the most suitable light possible, and to demonstrate to the West that Japanese culture was both antique and refined. In fact, the Japanese government spent 0,000 or the equivalent of approximately million in 2011 dollars. The Ho-o-Den, or “house made like the Phoenix,” was one of the highlights of the Exposition, and visitors could participate in a tea ceremony, view Samurai warriors, geisha, take a ride on a customary Japanese fishing boat, or plainly sit at their relaxation on one of the shaded rest areas in case,granted on the Island. The Island location was considered to be the prime piece of real estate at the fair, with a whole of countries vying for the privilege of constructing their exhibit on the Island. Ultimately, the Japanese delegation was allowed to develop their exhibit on the Island, and it proved to be one of the main attractions of the fair.
While there are no extant pictures describing the interior of the Fisheries Building, where goldfish were exhibited, we do have the testimony of Mr. S.A Forbes, Professor of Zoology at the University of Illinois, concerning the presentation of the fish at the Exhibition: “For the purely decorative fish, like golden ides, goldfish, and the more fantastic minnows, aquaria were decorated in a purely remarkable manner, with a view plainly to heightening the artistic amenity of the collections” (147).
The fair was dedicated on October 21, 1892, and opened some six months later, on May 1, 1893. By the time the fair ended in October, 1893, over twenty-eight million visitors attended the fair, 200 hundred buildings were constructed, with all but two being demolished, and 40,000 workers were employed to build and take down the exhibits. Of the two construction which remained after the fair, The construction of Fine Arts was eventually turned into the Museum of Science and Industry, and the other building, the Japanese Ho-o-Den, remained at the site of the fair until 1942, when it was somewhat ironically (since the Phoenix, for which it was named, arose from the ashes of fire) destroyed by a fire.
At the close of the fair, the discrete exhibits were packed up, and returned to their places of origin. The Japanese delegation, wishing to create a continuing impression on the host country of the United States, presented the contents of their fisheries exhibit to the U.S. Fish Commission. Mr. Tarleton Bean, head of the U.S. Fish Commission, and Curator of the Fisheries Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, wrote a article to the Commission entitled article of the Representative of the United States Fish Commission at the World’s Columbian Exposition, in which he lists the material donated by the Japanese government. “During the advance of the Exposition the Japanese Imperial Commission, through Commissioner O. Matsudaira, signified its intention to present the fisheries exhibit of Japan to the U.S. Commission at the close of the Exposition. After consultation with the Commissions of Fish and Fisheries the gift was accepted…which filled 46 cases” (Bean 192).
Along with the exhibits of fishing implements, vessels, and preserved specimens were the remaining live Japanese goldfish displayed at the exhibit. It may seem odd that Mr. Bean approved these fish without having prior knowledge of their proper care and cultivation. In fact, Mr. Bean had two company who helped develop the aquaria at the Exposition, Mssrs. Seal and Barret, who worked for Mr. Bean at the United States National Museum. In fact, both Mr. Seal and Mr. Barret had ample knowledge of goldfish care; Mr. Seal as the curator of the aquaria at Central center in Washington, D.C. Where goldfish had been kept since 1891; the other as an importer of Japanese goldfish “some years prior to 1894″ (Smith 93). Mr. Smith, in his book, Japanese Goldfish: Their Varieties and Cultivation, goes on to recapitulate that the Unites States Bureau of Fisheries “distributed Japanese goldfish gratis to applicants and hatched and sent out thousands each season,” (Smith 96).
For many years after the close of the Columbian Exposition, rumors circulated in the goldfish society concerning the whereabouts of the Japanese fish. Some habitancy believed that the fish found a home in the reflecting pools of the Lincoln Memorial. As fanciful as this article is, the reflecting pools were built in the nineteen-twenties, and the fish donated at the end of the nineteenth century. Other believed that the collection somehow wound up in the hands of inexpressive collectors, and that these collectors advanced new varieties of goldfish from the customary Japanese stocks.
The truth is, in some ways, more fitting and quite as charming as the rumors. The Columbian Exposition fish did journey to the Nation’s capital, but not to one of the reflecting pools or to inexpressive collectors. The fish found a new home in the National Museum, in what is now known as the Smithsonian Institution, under the care of Mr. Bean, Mr. Seal and Mr. Barrett.
Epilogue
Had the story of the Japanese fish ended at the Smithsonian, after a journey of thousands of miles and many years, it would have been a happy and successful ending. But the story did not end there. The progeny of the Japanese fish were cared for by Mr. Seal and Barrett, and their offspring were distributed over America. But this also was not the end of the story.
Mr. Seal and Mr. Barrett were possessed of that great American trait of stick-to-it-iveness; they raised their prized possessions and attempted to excellent them. Sometime after the turn of the century, they advanced a new collection of goldfish which was derived from the customary Japanese Ryukin stock. This new fish took the country by storm, and was considered the achievement of perfection in the art of raising goldfish. In fact, the fish became so favorite that it was known as “the World’s Fair Fish” in base parlance. William T. Innes, in his book titled Goldfish Varieties and Water Gardens tells how this new fish was regarded “as a type of perfection that could not be improved upon” (Innes 55). The variety, known as the Veiltail, became the symbol of the Philadelphia Aquarium Society, and later the Goldfish society of America. It continues to be raised today by amateur breeders in the United States and Great Britain, and is one of two varieties of goldfish (the other being the Comet, also likely advanced by Seal and Barrett) advanced in the United States.
So, the journey of these fish from their native land of Japan to their adopted homeland in the United States is explained at last. The gift of the Japanese government found a home at the National Museum, and from there, made its way into the homes of millions of habitancy in the United States. It is estimated that over 200 million goldfish are sold annually in the U.S. As anyone who has kept one of these ubiquitous pets can attest, we owe a profound debt of gratitude to the Smithsonian Institution, Mssrs. Bean, Seal and Barrett, whose dedication ensured that we have goldfish in America.
Works Cited
Bean, Tarleton H. article of the Representative of the United States Fish Commission at the World’s Columbian Exposition. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1896.
Bolotin, Norman and Laing, Christine. The World’s Columbian Exposition: The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Champaign Urbana: University of Illinois Press. 2002.
Forbes, S.A. The Aquarium of the United States Fish Commission at the World’s Columbian Exposition: article of the Director. Fisheries Congress, 1893.
Innes, William T. Goldfish Varieties and Water Gardens. Philadelphia: Innes Publishing Company. 1949.
Seal, William P. Observations on the Aquaria of the U.S. Fish Commission at Central Station, Washington, D.C. 1891.
Smith, Hugh M. Japanese Goldfish: Their Varieties and Cultivation. Washington: W.H. Roberts Publishing Company. 1906.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: http://vertebrates.si.edu/fishes/ichthyology_history/fish_commission.html
Wade, Stuart Charles. Rand McNally’s Handbook to the World’s Columbian Exposition. Chicago: Globe Library. 1893.
Goldfish in America
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