Exposition Universelle (1855)
1855 Paris | |
---|---|
Overview | |
BIE-class | Universal exposition |
Category | Historical Expo |
Name | Exposition Universelle des produits de l'Agriculture, de l'Industrie et des Beaux-Arts de Paris 1855 |
Building(s) | Palais de l'Industrie |
Area | 15.2 hectares (38 acres) |
Visitors | 5,162,330 |
Participant(s) | |
Countries | 27 |
Location | |
Country | France |
City | Paris |
Venue | Jardins des Champs-Élysées |
Coordinates | 48°52′0″N 2°18′47″E / 48.86667°N 2.31306°E |
Timeline | |
Opening | 15 May 1855 |
Closure | 15 November 1855 |
Universal expositions | |
Previous | Great Exhibition in London |
Next | 1862 International Exhibition in London |
The Exposition Universelle of 1855 (French pronunciation: [ɛkspozisjɔ̃ ynivɛʁsɛl]), better known in English as the 1855 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, from 15 May to 15 November 1855. Its full official title was the Exposition Universelle des produits de l'Agriculture, de l'Industrie et des Beaux-Arts de Paris 1855.[1] It was the first of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937.[a] Nowadays, the exposition's sole physical remnant is the Théâtre du Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, designed by architect Gabriel Davioud, which originally housed the Panorama National.
History
The exposition was a major event in France, then newly under the reign of Emperor Napoleon III.[2] It followed London's Great Exhibition of 1851 and attempted to surpass that fair's Crystal Palace with its own Palais de l'Industrie.
The arts displayed were shown in a separate pavilion on
According to its official report, 5,162,330 visitors attended the exposition, of whom about 4.2 million entered the industrial exposition and 900,000 entered the Beaux Arts exposition.[1] Expenses amounted to upward of $5,000,000, while receipts were scarcely one-tenth of that amount. The exposition covered 16 hectares (40 acres) with 34 countries participating.[1]
For the exposition, Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world. Brokers from the wine industry ranked the wines according to a château's reputation and trading price, which at that time was directly related to quality. The result was the important Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.[5]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ This includes six world expositions (in 1855, 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900 and 1937), two specialized expositions (in 1881 and 1925) and two colonial expositions (in 1907 and 1931).
References
- ^ a b c Exposition Universelle. "1855, exposition universelle des produits de l'agriculture, de l'industrie et des beaux-arts". Exposition Universelle. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ Art Nouveau. "L' Exposition Universelle de 1855 à Paris". L'art nouveau. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-3416-9.
- ^ Océanides grief of the foot of the rock where Prometheus was chained, Fitzwilliam Museum, 2014
- ISBN 1-84000-927-6.
Further reading
- Elizabeth M. L. Gralton, 'Lust of the Eyes: The Anti-Modern Critique of Visual Culture at the Paris Expositions universelles, 1855–1900', French History & Civilization (2014), Vol. 5, pp 71–81.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.