Taking the factory to the fair

In 1892 the Libbey Glass Company was not on strong financial footing, having suffered dramatic swings in its balance sheet since moving its glassworks from New England to Toledo, Ohio. In a contentious effort to regain market share, President Edward Drummond Libbey invested $100,000 in an exhibit at the Columbian World's Exposition, personally financing most of the venture. But this was not simply a display of glassware. The Libbey Glass Company set up a fully functional factory on the Midway Plaisance, advertising "300 Employees constantly at work" and "5,000 visitors comfortably accommodated at any one time." The exhibit showcased every aspect of glass making: blowing, cutting, spinning, weaving, engraving and decorating. It set the furnace and the workers in the center of a large circle with a railing set around the perimeter, allowing visitors to circulate around each work station while keeping them approximately twenty feet away from the workers at all times.