The Expo 67 Memorial Album

 

Of all the Expo 67 books ever published, this one was the Grand Poo-bah.

Released in 1968 by Thomas Nelson and Sons (Canada) Limited, the Expo 67 Memorial Album was the definitive descriptive and pictorial record of Montreal's world's fair.

 

Designed by Gérard Caron and edited by Jean-Louis de Lorimier, this large, boxed coffee-table book featured a stunning mixture of color and black & white and photography, all interspersed by lengthy articles and observations on Expo 67.

The 368-page document was divided into 10 sections, including an eloquent preface written by Expo's Commissioner General, Pierre Dupuy, and an extensive index for easy reference. All texts and titles were in Expo's ubiquitous Optima font and presented in both French and English.

 

Pigeons taking up residence at Place des Nations.

An introductory chapter by James Gladstone called "Magic Island" offered a unique and intimate portrait of Expo. In this picturesque example, the author describes the quiet morning hours before Expo's opening:

"An Expo-Express train rumbles into the elevated station and three maintenance workers step aboard, their night's work done. The sound of the train disappears across Concordia Bridge. A pigeon flutters down from the huge concrete Expo symbol at the end of the square and flops heavily onto the deserted podium, the sound clear above the hushed rush of the river."

 

Expo's Deputy Commissioner General Robert F. Shaw penned the chapter "How Expo Was Built". Shaw credited the Critical Path method for keeping Expo's extensive construction on schedule:

"Probably the most important technique introduced by the Installations and other departments was the critical path method and schedule. [...] The critical path method of scheduling is based on breaking down any given project into specific elements and assigning deadlines for the progress and completion of each element. The method is, of course, only as good as its programming, and all personnel involved were therefore trained to feed their collective skills into this important part of the project, and to receive from it reports on the results of individual performances on a day-to-day basis."

 

An aerial view of Expo's man-made islands under construction.

 

A stunning photo of the groovy Pulp and Paper pavilion.

The album's largest section was the chapter dedicated to "The Participants".  Divided into 3 parts - National Participants, Private Participants, Sponsors - this was the pavilion-by-pavilion overview of Expo 67. Listed in alphabetical order, an in-depth description and lavish photographs accompanied each and every pavilion and exhibit. The section was over 200 pages long.

 

The Memorial Album covered each and every Expo exhibit. Here, Monaco.

 

An aerial shot of the impressive U.S. pavilion.

 

Over the years, this book has remained my number one research tool for pavilion posts on Expo Lounge. Highly sought after, it is one of my most prized Expo 67 treasures... as much for its beauty as for its usefulness.

 

Photographs by Michael Francis McCarthy, used with permission.
Check out his ultra-fab blog: designKULTUR

Vintage Labatt 50 Bottle: "Visit Expo 67"

Check out this fabulous flea market find that merges 2 of my retro obsessions:  A vintage Labatt 50 bottle enticing patrons to "Visit Expo 67"...

images: author's own

Expo 67 Special Passes

A general press pass was to be on Yves "at all times while on Expo 67 property".

As director of public relations at Expo 67, Yves Jasmin had certain privileges and special accesses during the summer of '67.

A number of special passes identified Yves and ensured these privileges.

Click on the images to see both sides of the cards.

"Lock your car" was inscribed on the back of this parking pass.

This pass granted free entry to the Expo 67 site for Yves and his guests.

An admission pass to the Air Canada pavilion and its lounge.

Yves' Automotive Stadium press pass did not necessarily "entitle him to a seat".

Yves' Expo Club membership card was "not valid for credit".

images: private collection

Expo 67 Hostess Doll

This is one of those collectibles which holds a special place in my heart.

Like the U.S. pavilion coat or the Michèle Richard record sleeve, I had been waiting to get my hands on this Expo 67 souvenir for years. Ultra-rare, I had only ever seen one of these dolls once before... at an exhibition on Montreal in the 1960's at the CCA in 2004. My luck changed when this beauty appeared on eBay last autumn.

Designed with children in mind, this 11½-inch doll is roughly the same size as Barbie. Impeccably detailed, she wears a tiny replica of the general Expo hostess uniform, designed by Michel Robichaud, complete with purse, shoes, and ubiquitous pillbox hat.

And, this little lady is still sealed in plastic!

The back of the box reads:

THE CHOSEN FEW

Your "Official Expo Hostess" is a very special person. She may come from one of the 70 countries with pavilions at Expo. She speaks several different languages and has an exceptional personality.

The Expo 67 symbol depicts the theme of Expo: "Man and his World". Many years ago, before our alphabet was invented, man was shown by simple drawings called cryptograms, a vertical line with outstretched arms. When these drawings form a circle, it becomes a symbol of all men around the world joined together in friendship.

Your Hostess will direct you to the exciting world of Expo 67, including La Ronde, which is the popular entertainment centre. Here, you can ride in an ostrich-drawn cart or see a zoo with newborn lions, giraffes and elephants.

You will never forget your fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime visit to Expo 67, Montreal, Canada.

images: author's own

A Very Special Gift

For the 40th anniversary of Expo 67, Montreal-based artist, designer (and good friend of mine) DC Hillier decided to commemorate the world's fair by crafting a unique light sculpture. Called "The Anniversary Light" / "Lumière d'anniversaire", DC used recovered materials from an actual Expo 67 sculpture for one of his own works.

In 1967, a piece by renowned Quebec artist Jean Cartier called "La Giboulée" / "Sudden Shower" was on display in the Cité du Havre sector of Expo. Essentially a fountain, large glass disks graced the top of its spires.

Unfortunately, the original Cartier sculpture has since been left abandoned.

In 2007, DC Hillier was asked by one of the city's municipal committees to do an evaluation of the sculpture's condition. He was given permission to recuperate broken pieces of the once beautiful disks. Cleaned and polished, these thick glass pieces would become the main components of his anniversary sculpture, together with pre-ban Brazilian rosewood (dating from the same era) used for the base.

Together with the prototype, there are only 2 anniversary sculptures in existence. DC gave me one of them as a Christmas gift this year...

It is a gift I will cherish forever, one of the highlights of my Expo collection!

images: (1-3) DC Hillier
(4) Bill Dutfield

Expo 67 Mannequins

My latest Expo 67 acquisition, properly displayed in the real Expo Lounge...

images: author's own

U.S. Hostess Raincoat and Handbag

As a collector of Expo 67 paraphernalia, I've always dreamt of actually owning something that a hostess wore.

Well... dreams do come true!

I regularly peruse eBay's Expo 67 auctions. A few weeks ago, I noticed the official raincoat and handbag worn by U.S. pavilion hostesses up for auction.

I watched that auction day in and day out. I was prepared to bid whatever it would take to get this ultra-rare item...

Lucky for me, it only took $33.00 (U.S.)!

The coat's label tells us it was made by Travelcoats by Naman.

The label inside the handbag identifies it as an Expo 67 artifact.

A hostess in her raincoat.



images: (1, 2, 3) author's own
(4) images: www.canada.com/montrealgazette

From Russia, with Love

Expo 67 gave the average visitor a chance to shop the world marketplace.

In pavilions and boutiques throughout Expo, national participants offered a wide array of folkloric handicrafts, luxury items, and gastronomic goods.

A full color promotional booklet put out by the Soviet Union sought to highlight the fabulous Russian goods that could be purchased at Expo 67:

"People from different countries would want to get an idea of the life of the Soviet people, their multinational culture and expressive original art. Gift object from the Soviet Union will help them get such an idea."

"Exquisite taste marks dark-colored coffee or liqueur sets..."

"The balalaïka is a most interesting and typically national souvenir..."

"Very expressive are figurines made by Baltic craftsmen..."

"It is not accidental that visitors to the USSR seldom leave without a samovar..."

"The same factories that furnish the equipment that goes into Soviet Sputniks offer visitors modern photo cameras, amateur cine-cameras, transistor radios, watches..."

"The first pictures of the reverse side of the moon were taken with a Soviet camera."

"You will carry away from the Fair the odors of Russian fields and meadows..."

"One cannot help admiring the beauty and quality of Russian furs..."

"Soviet shops at the Fair can offer you world-famous Russian caviar..."

"Crystal-clear Russian vodka will satisfy the most exacting palate..."

images: personal collection

Expo Inside Out!

Another magazine figures prominently in my Expo 67 collection. Acquired in 1997, Expo Inside Out! was my first ever Expo collectible.

Ironically, the item that inaugurated my collection was not in any way an official souvenir. Published by Omniscope Magazine of Westmount, Quebec, Expo Inside Out! was a 48-page unauthorized guide to "what to see" and "what to avoid", at Expo 67.

From the foreword:

"We have not attempted an encyclopedia of Expo. Nor have we collected hymns of praise for Man and his World. [...] Our guide is highly unauthorized [...] Our research was done without benefit of red-carpet V.I.P. treatment, and all opinions expressed here are either personal or objective. They are not Expo approved."

Using a 5-star rating system, every pavilion, many rides and shows, as well as some services were scrutinized by this publication. Every facet of touring Expo 67 was discussed, including restaurant and bar reviews, shopping guides, and touring Expo with children. Various pre-planned tours were proposed for those visiting with time constraints. Routines were suggested for rainy and/or overly crowded days.

The result offers a completely different view of Expo 67. Often funny, the scathing reviews are my favorites:

"Venezuela is the fastest pavilion at Expo
if you skip the film. Skip the film."
•
"Germany is a pavilion through which you
walk slowly, wondering what you're missing..."
•
"[La Spirale] spirals up. It spirals down.
What did you expect for a dollar?"

images: personal collection

Montréal '64 to '68

In the years leading up to Expo 67, a prestigious monthly magazine about the city of Montreal was published. Featuring slick photography and bilingual articles, Montréal '64, '65, '66 and '67 sought to generate buzz surrounding the 1967 World Exhibition and its host city.

Produced and mailed to over 700,000 addresses throughout the world, Montréal magazine was the brain child of mayor Jean Drapeau. In his 1997 book La petite histoire d'Expo 67, ex-director of public relations Yves Jasmin recounts that a chunk of funding for the magazine was taken out of the already minuscule budget destined to promote and advertise Expo 67. The cost of the publication ran at 250,000$ per year at the time, with 150,000$ of it covered by the Expo corporation.

While mayor Drapeau would have liked Montréal magazine (and Expo itself, for that matter) to go on forever, the monthly glossy met its demise in late 1968. Though it had survived Expo's closing (and arguably, its initial raison d'être), sharp increases in postal rates forced Montreal '68 to cease publication after its October issue.

Montréal magazine remains a testament to the economic and cultural boom that the city experienced in the 1960's. Special year-by-year bound editions of Montréal '64 to '68 were created and I am fortunate enough to own them all. These precious documents serve me constantly as a source of information and photographs for Expo Lounge blog posts...

images: personal collection