The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 6 May to 31 October 1889. It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event considered symbolic of the beginning of the French Revolution. The fair included a reconstruction of the Bastille and its surrounding neighborhood, but with the interior courtyard covered with a blue ceiling decorated with fleur-de-lys and used as a ball room and gathering place. The exhibition was "used as showcases for scientific and technological advances, but also often included exhibits of objects from the past, including prehistoric times." (Muller-Scheessel)
The main symbol of the Fair was the Eiffel Tower, which served as the entrance arch to the Fair. The 1889 fair was held on the Champ de Mars in Paris, which had been the site of the earlier Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867, and would also be the site of the 1900 exposition. Since the lifts had not been completed when the Exposition opened, the first visitors had to walk up to the second floor platform.
References:
L'Exposition de 1889 et la tour Eiffel, d'après les documents officiels. 1889. pp. 165-166.
Muller-Scheessel, Nils (Jun 2001). "Fair Prehistory: Archaeological exhibits at French Expositions Universelles". Cambridge University Press. 75: 391–401 – via Proquest.
Publisher: Paris
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Date Added: 2019-04-06
Unknown. Vues de l'Exposition Universelle. Paris. 1889.
Unknown (1889) Vues de l'Exposition Universelle. Paris.
Unknown. Vues de l'Exposition Universelle. Paris. 1889.