Eiffel Tower Archives - Historical Bookworm

The audio version of this article was first shared in Episode 43: A Bookchat about A Gem of Truth with Kimberley Woodhouse & a Review of The Number of Loveby Rosanna M. White

In this Pinch of the Past we will be wrapping up the Paris Exposition Series with a look at what critics of the day had to say about the expositions and some numbers regarding cost and attendance.

Criticisms: Because it can’t all be moonlight and roses.

The Paris Exposition was said to be overly ambitious and costly undertaking, and not all critics believed this was best for the country at the time.

One such critic as Melchior de Vogué, a supporter of the 1889 Eiffel Tower. He criticized the architecture used throughout the fair stating that:

In 1889, iron bravely offered itself to us naked and unencumbered, asking us to judge its architectural potential. Since that time, it seems as though iron has experienced the shame of the first man after its original sin, and feels the necessity of covering its nudity. Today, iron covers itself with plaster and staff. It hides itself in casings of mortar and cement.

Some complained the buildings were to old fashioned for their new age exhibits or not sophisticated enough.

*La Porte Monumentale* and *La Parisienne*

The Porte Monumentale received heavy criticisms. To give you some vivid imagery of what the gateway looked like I pulled this quote from Architectuul.com.

“The gateway was consisted of a dome and three arches and as a whole adorned with Byzantine motifs and Persian ceramic ornamentation and colored glass cabochons. The gate was covered with 3200 blue and yellow small electronic lights.”

While this sounds beautiful it was said to be “lacking in taste.” Some actually referred to the gateway as La Salamanda because it so resembled the stocky and intricately designed salamander-stoves of the time.

Antique Cast Iron Wood Stove “La Salamandre”

Additionally, at the top of this gateway was a fifteen foot statue of a lady (La Parisienne) said to be the spirit of Paris; however, some found her modernized posture and dress offensive. She was loosely referred to as “the triumph of prostitution.”

Admission charges and cost

Bon for the Exposition Universelle de 1900.

One admission ticket costed one Franc. At the time, the average hourly wage for Paris workers was between 40 and 50 centimes. According to Chanvrerie.net, 100 centimes = franc. So, you would have to save up to two day’s wages for one ticket to the fair.

Additional admission fees for popular attractions were usually between 50 centimes.

Meals averaged at about 2.5 Francs

The Paris Exposition budgeted 100-million French Francs (20 million from the French State, 20 million from the City of Paris, and 60 million from the expected admissions, backed by French banks and financial institutions.)

The official final cost = 119-million Francs.

Admissions fees collected = 126 million Francs.

Unplanned expenses = 22 million Francs for the French State, 6 million Francs for the City of Paris

Total cost = 147-million Francs, or a deficit of 21 million Francs.

This however offset the cost to a degree, the long term additions to Paris’ infrastructure, including new buildings and bridges, additions to the transport system, two new train stations, and the new facade and enlargement and redecoration of the Gare de Lyon and other stations.

Other data

Exhibitors = 83,000+

Prizes of various degrees awarded = 42,790

127 congresses had attracted over 80,000 participants

The Exposition Eniverselle of 1900 was the last of its kind hosted in France. There were three following fairs in France, however these were not truly World Fairs because their focuses were on decorative arts and colonial possessions.

So, there you have it. A little taste of the World’s Fair in Paris. As always, I hope you’ve enjoyed this Pinch of the Past.

The audio version of this article was first shared in Episode 41: A Bookchat about Come Down Somewhere with Jennifer L. Wright & a Review of The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark

In today’s Pinch of the Past, we will be looking at the 1900 Paris Exposition which was a world’s fair held in Paris, France. The purpose of this event was to celebrate the achievements of the past century and look forward to the 20^th century, and featured exhibits from 40+ countries.

Grand Palais and Petit Palais, with Les Invalides in the distance

How it started.

France held an incredible exposition in 1889 (this is when the Eiffel Tower was built) and they basked in the glory of this event for the next three years; however, in June of 1892, Germany announced that they were planning an international exposition which would be scheduled in 1900 in honor of the new century. France was appalled that any country, let alone their rival Germany, would take the star of the show of 1900 so they planned their own, and–without apology–invited 56 nations, including Germany.

Entering the grounds

Grand entrance, Exposition Universal, 1900, Paris

The event spanned through the first Parisian summer of the 20^th century. The entrance was a 770 square foot, perforated iron dome called the Porte Monumentale. An average of 60,000 people per hour entered through this dome which was also capable of sheltering 2,000 in the event of rain.

Location, Location, Location

Panorama of ‘Exposition Universelle’ Paris 1900

The exposition was located on the banks of the Seine River and covered 280 acres. It was open from 14 April to 12 November and was visited by more than fifty million people. Several international congresses and events were held at the Exposition, including the 1900 Summer Olympics.

1900 Summer Olympics Games

The Bois de Vincennes—a large area set aside for sporting events—hosted the 1900 Summer Olympics.

This was not only the second modern Olympics games ever held, but it was the first to be held outside Greece. Oddly enough, the term “Olympic Games” was replaced by “International physical exercises and sports competition” in the official report of the Exposition.

When newspapers reported on the competitions they used terms like: “International Championships,” “International Games,” “Paris Championships,” “World Championships” and “Grand Prix of the Paris Exposition.” In fact, the International Olympic Committee had no representation or control over the events. Records come from various sources, listing different events, which adds further confusion to what was the Paris 1900 Olympics.

Beginning of the balloon event at the 1900 Summer Olympics (Bois de Vincennes)

Still, data shows that 997 competitors took part in nineteen different sports. These included women competitors for the first time. Some of the events were the first and only time to be held in what was considered Olympic history. These one-time events include a 660 ft swimming obstacle race, underwater swimming, motorcycle and automobile races, angling, ballooning, croquet, and cricket.

Hélène Pévost, French women’s tennis champion at the 1900 Paris Olympics, the first games in which women competed

Of the competing athletes, 72% were provided by France which is 720 of the 997. Needless to say, they won the most gold, silver and bronze medal placings. However, the country to come in second for the largest number of wins was that of the United States with just seventy-five of the 997 participating athletes.

In another race, the winner was a pigeon who flew from Paris to Lyon in four and a half hours (which according to Google maps is about 28 miles.)

Other interesting competitions included a balloon competitions race. The winner of this race traveled all the way from Paris to Russia—a total of 1,196 miles—in 35 hours and 45 minutes.

A combined Swedish-Danish team defeated France in the Olympic Tug-of-War competition.

In the next part of this Paris Exposition Series, we will be looking at the different kinds of exhibits. That Pinch of the Past will be part of Episode 42: A Bookchat about Beneath the Bending Skies with Jane Kirkpatrick & a Review of The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel.

Tag: Eiffel Tower

1900 Paris Exposition -a World’s Fair– Pt. 3