Panels from Chinese Pavilion

Item

Chinese artisans, names unknown. “Panels from Chinese Pavilion.”, Gateway to the East: China at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, accessed February 10, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.wustl.edu/s/gateway-to-the-east/item/57990

Title
Panels from Chinese Pavilion
Description
Wood with bone inlay. Detailed panels made by artisans from China adorned the interior of the Pavilion. When the Fair ended the Chinese government gifted the structure and all attached decorations to David R. Francis. However, as with most buildings at the Fair, it was built as a temporary structure and was soon disassembled. Newspaper’s reported that some decorations on the Chinese Pavilion began disappearing as soon as the Fair ended. The official salvage company auctioned off all disassembled structures, including the Pavilion. Many of these delicate inlay panels found their way to local families and antique shops.
Creator
Chinese artisans, names unknown.
Date
1903 - 1904
Source
WashU Special Collections , donated by Missouri Botanical Garden Archives and Teddy Ulett
Format
objects
Rights
public

Chinese artisans, names unknown. “Panels from Chinese Pavilion.”, Gateway to the East: China at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, accessed February 10, 2026, https://digitalexhibits.library.wustl.edu/s/gateway-to-the-east/item/57990