Tennessee Centennial Exposition 1897

The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was held in Nashville from May 1 to October 31, 1897 in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee’s entry into the union in 1796. President William McKinley officially opened the event from the White House, where he pressed a button that started the machinery building at the fair; he would visit in person a month later.

The Exposition grounds covered about 200 acres and was located on the western edge of the city, with access to the streetcar line. More than 100 buildings contained exhibits related to agriculture, commerce, education, fine arts, history, machinery, minerals and forestry, children, women, transportation, and the US Government. The Commerce Building had a section for exhibits by foreign nations. A full-scale replica of the Parthenon was among the attractions. The total attendance was 1,786,714, of which 1,166,692 were paid. Unlike most World’s Fairs, this exposition did not lose money, but the final accounting showed a direct profit of less than $50.

Among the foreign entries was an incubator exhibit by Dr. Alexander Lion, who was recruited on one of the promoter’s trips to Europe seeking unique attractions. No pictures of the incubator exhibit have survived, at least none that I have been able to find, but the contemporary press accounts mention him on several occasions, although his name is variously spelled as Leon, Lyon, and Lion. He is listed in the subsequent press coverage as having received a silver medal for his technology.

Source: Columbia University, via Hathi Trust

Source: The_Tennessean, October 26, 1897.

General Information
- Dr. Alexandre Lion
- The Lion Incubator
- Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants, Paris
- Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants, New York
- Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants, Barcelona
- The Engineer and the Newborns, by W. A. Nelson and Paul L. Toubas and
Press Coverage
- La Maternité “Lion de Nice” pour Enfants Nés Avant Terme ou Débiles, by Dr. Ciaudo, 1895.
- Les Couveuses pour Enfants, Gazette Médicale de Paris, 1900
- Couveuses d’Enfants, La Maternité Lion, Paris, La Patrie, 1897
- Paris Letter: An Improved System of Incubators, by O. Jennings, Pediatrics 1:427-428, 1896
- Baby Incubators, The Strand Magazine, 1896, by James Walter Smith
- Human Infant Incubation: A True Fairy-Tale of Modern Science from Leslie’s Weekly, 1897
- The Saving of Human Life, Maternité Lion in NYC, The Literary Digest, 1898
- Immature Infants in France, from The Lancet, January 16, 1897, page 196.
- Alexandre Lion’s Incubator Charities in Europe (1894–1898) (The Embryo Project)
- Newspaper Articles about Lion’s Storefronts and Expositions
Maternité Lion Souvenir Booklets
- Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants , Paris Institute, Booklet Version #1 (appears to be ~1896)
- Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants , Paris Institute, Booklet Version #2 (appears to be ~1901)
- Pamphlet from Alexander Lion’s exhibit at the 1898 exhibition in Torino, Italy. (PDF supplied by Dr. Thijs Gras, Amsterdam)
Worlds Fairs and Expositions