In 1893, the city of Chicago was the host of the World's Columbian Exposition. It was a seminal cultural moment in American history, as many new inventions and ideas were discussed and introduced there. After the Exposition closed, the Field Museum was opened in 1894 to house many of the items from this tremendous undertaking. Today, the Field Museum has created this digital collection which features images and data on thousands of items. First-time visitors may wish to start with the "History of the Collection." Here, they can read about how the Exposition came into being and the incorporation of modern anthropological techniques and methods. Moving on, there are "Photo Highlights" organized by region of the world. In this section, visitors will find Inuit boots, Mayan pottery, and spindle shafts from Peru. Museologists and others working in the field will want to look over "Bird's Eye View of The Fair." This area contains a wonderful selection of photographs that document how the artifacts from the collection were displayed at the Exposition.