to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next.
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| Panoramic view of both exposition centers |
Eight years before the launch of the
1900 Paris Exposition Universelle, the Republic of France
announced the exhibition to be one which welcomed and celebrated the coming of
a new century. Countries from
around the world were invited by France to showcase their
achievements and lifestyles. The support
for the exhibition was widespread, foreign countries immediately began to plan
their exhibits,
The
fair displayed, in view of over 50 million people, many machines, inventions,
and architecture that are now (nearly) universally known, including; escalators, the Eiffel Tower, Ferris wheels,
Campbell's
Soup, Diesel engines, talking films, and the telegraphone (the precursor to modern-day sound recording). Russian sparkling wine defeated all the
French entries to claim the internationally coveted "Grand Prix de
Champagne". The exposition
also showcased another Russian entry, the widely famous Matryoshka doll
(Russian Nesting Doll).
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| The Russian Pavilion |
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| Matryoshka Nesting Dolls |
Many
of the buildings and statues of the world’s fair were made of staff, a low-cost temporary building
material invented in Paris
in 1876, which consisted of jute fiber, plaster of Paris, and cement. The
temporary buildings were built on a framework of wood, covered with staff,
which was then formed into columns, statuary, walls, stairs, etc. After the
fair was over, the buildings were demolished.
All items and materials that could be salvaged and sold were “recycled”.
The
site of the exposition, along the Seine, linked
four originally unconnected districts of the city. The construction of the Pont d’Iena connected the Trocedero with
the Champs de Mars, situated on the opposite bank of the Seine,
to form the main exposition complex.
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| The Trocedero |
 |
| View of the Trocedero from the Champs de Mars |
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| Palais de l'Electricite |
The site continued along the banks of the Seine
up to the area in front of the Invalides, where it was planned to build a
second centre. A newly built esplanade which
led from the Hotel des Invalides over the new Seine
bridge, the Pont Alexandre III, to the opposite bank. This formed the second
exposition center.
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| Pont Alexandre III |
 |
| Palais of the Nations |
The continuation of
the esplanade, the Avenue Nicholas II, extended the route past the two planned
palaces of art, the Petit Palais and Grand Palais, to the Champs
Elysees. This proved to be a magnificent street system which soon
received praise as a brilliant invention for the exposition.
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| The Grand Palais |
The
style that was universally present in the Exposition was Art Nouveau. Exposition Universelle structures,
such as the Porte Monumentale entrance, the Pavilion Bleu and the Grand and
Petit Palais, were largely oriented around the Art Nouveau theme. The Petit Palais, was constructed to hold
the exhibition of French art, but is known mainly for its Art Nouveau inspired
iron work and general design. Much like the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais
combines the styles of Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau.
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| Porte Monumentale |
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| The Petit Palais |
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| Rue de Rivoli along the Tuilerie Gardens |
Despite
the initial enthusiasm, the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle was not a
financial success as only two thirds of the expected public was in attendance. It
was such an expensive exhibition to organize and run that the costs for the
average citizen to see specific attractions would be about six hundred francs in addition to their
admittance ticket. The 1900
Exposition Universelle lost a grand total of eighty two thousand francs after
six months in operation.
The
financial implications of the 1900 Exposition Universelle devastated Paris` people and
resulted in the decision to end the streak of international fairs with the 1900
loss.
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