On Sunday, December 21, 1924, Pope Pius XI solemnly descended the Vatican staircase and opened the holy door to the Vatican Missionary Exposition. Standing in the central room, the Hall of the Americas, surrounded by art and cultural belongings of the Indigenous peoples of North America, he welcomed tourists and pilgrims alike into the folds of the Vatican. In this presentation, Gloria Bell will discuss some of her major research questions and present archival findings including drawings from an 1842 sketchbook by Dresden-born artist Ferdinard Pettrich whose work featured prominently in the exposition.
Event—Public Programming