Bravo, St. Louis!

Grant Hamilton's cover depicts a statuesque woman in white, a sash reading "St. Louis" across her bodice, taking a deep theatrical bow on a bare stage. Behind her, the onion-domed pavilions of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition glow in late afternoon light; a painted flat labeled "CURTAIN" descends above, while a stone parapet reads "THE FAIR." A bouquet lies tossed at her feet. The caption reads simply: "Bravo, St. Louis!" The argument is congratulatory rather than combative—Puck salutes the city for pulling off a world's fair that had been mocked for delays and logistical chaos. The theatrical metaphor is precise: the fair is a performance now concluded, and St. Louis has earned its curtain call.