Exhibition tree

Exhibition trees are monarch specimens of Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia) harvested from California's Sierra Nevada Mountains and displayed at international expositions, world's fairs, and botanical gardens during the late 19th century.

[1] Renowned for their immense size and age, these trees fascinated 19th-century audiences and played a pivotal role in raising awareness about the need for conservation.

[2] Early displays of giant sequoias, which relied on hand-drawn illustrations and descriptions before photography became widespread, often fueled skepticism that the exhibits were fabricated from multiple trees.

In March 1874, California Governor Newton Booth signed the first law aimed at protecting giant sequoias, imposing fines for cutting trees over sixteen feet in diameter in Fresno, Tulare, and Kern.

Despite the law, which remains on the books today, thousands of giant sequoias were felled in areas like Nelder Grove and Converse Basin through the end of the 19th century.

Mother of the Forest in London's The Crystal Palace in 1859.
Workers felling the Discovery Tree with pump augers .
Stripped of its bark, the Mother of the Forest became vulnerable to fire and burned in 1908.
Promotional handbill for The Forest King exhibition.
The Centennial Stump in 1919.
Fifty men stand on the massive stump of the Mark Twain Tree.
A segment of the General Noble on display at the Chicago World's Fair.
The stump of the General Noble Tree , now called the Chicago Stump, still stands in Converse Basin Grove , serving as a reminder of 19th-century logging practices.