The exhibition followed the lead of the first Glasgow exhibition, the
International Exhibition of Science, Art and Industry, held in 1888, taking place in Kelvingrove Park. It ran between 2 May and 4 November. It marked the opening of the city's
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and also commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the
first world's fair held in the UK, doubling that attendance with 11.5 million visits. Countries with close ties to Glasgow exhibited including Japan, Canada and Russia. The Russian exhibition was the largest, a 'Russian village' of 4 pavilions reported to have cost the
Tsar of Russia £30,000 and included several brightly coloured buildings designed by
Fyodor Schechtel. Whilst
Charles Mackintosh's designs for the major exhibition halls were rejected, he did design four pavilions for commercial organisations, and one for the
Glasgow School of Art. Many art works were displayed, including
Danae by
Edward Burne-Jones, a plaster version of
Rodin's Burghers of Calais and 160 works loaned by
William Burrell. Entertainments included a
switchback railway, a water chute, an Indian theatre and soap sculptures. The fair was visited by the
King of Siam and by
Empress Eugenie. ==Legacy==