The April 12 meeting of the New York Chapter USPCS was hosted by Labron Harris, who spoke about the “New Orleans Expositions of 1884-86.” Labron’s slide presentation showed a great many covers documenting the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Expositions and the North, Central and South America Exposition. In addition to the many beautiful overall illustrated covers depicting the fair grounds, the collection included much promotional material and many scarce exposition postmarks.
Some of the illustrated covers showed multiple buildings associated with the exposition. One of them showed at least 10 scenes from the expo. Labron noted that a fair number of businesses used these illustrated covers to advertise their firms. Other illustrated covers depicted overall views of the exposition, either on the front or the back of the cover.
Labron noted that covers illustrating the North, Central and South American exposition were scarcer than that of the Cotton Centennial Expo. Still, he showed a fair number of lovely illustrated covers from this fair, including illustrated letterheads.
Labron also showed covers that were directed to these expositions, along with a number of scarce postmarks. He concluded his talk with a cover mailed from England to one of the expositions, which was then forwarded, so the cover had both receiving and forwarding expo postmarks!