The American people were a composite of the world and the Columbus celebration was intended as a truly international event. The fourth centennial of the discovery of the new world was in 1892 and this was the intended date. Each World Fair was expected to surpass previous efforts and as the Paris exhibition had been so successful the levels of achievement had to be high. Likewise the venue was a hard fought battle and Chicago did well to win it with their "White City". 65,000 exhibits from all over the world attracted more than 21 million people over the 6 months that it was open.

So we can see that the airbrush was a very small part of this enormous show but its' presence in the Liberal Arts Building was nevertheless important. Both Walkup's Airbrush Manufacturing Company and Thayer and Chandler had a unique opportunity to gain sales in the international art communities that had come to their doorstep. At the top right of the picture is a certificate awarded to Thayer and Chandler at the Fair.

Walkup urged his customers not to be taken in by this inferior product and made moves to get compensation through the courts. It is unlikely that this ever happened in the economic slump that followed but in any case it would not be long before others followed suit with their own design of Airbrushes.