PHOTO: Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

By the early 20th century, trade shows and world's fairs had become so notorious for grandiose architecture that the famed cartoonist Adolf Oberlander lampooned their excessive construction with his pen. This widely circulated satiric drawing depicts a corseted goddess looming over an imposing entrance to a tooth-powder exhibition. In one hand the statue holds a toothbrush aloft, while in the other she lifts up a jar of tooth cleanser from a bowl held by a cherub. The illustration helped fuel the change in expo and exhibit design from the extravagant to the economical.