World's Fair 1889 and 1900 | Exposition Universelle 1889 et 1900 (152 photos)

The 1889 World Exhibition (Exposition Universelle de 1889) was held in Paris from May 6 to October 31 and was timed to coincide with the centenary of the storming of the Bastille. Engineer Gustave Eiffel was commissioned to use the famous Eiffel Tower as an entrance arch to the exhibition area at the Trocadéro, which was supposed to be dismantled at the end of the exhibition.

Architects of the pavilions, trying to look into the future, competed with each other in the utopianism of their projects. A real sensation was caused by the 111-meter gallery of cars - at that time the largest indoor space in the world. It was constructed from wrought iron rather than cast steel, as originally planned, sparking lively debate about the practical and artistic properties of these materials.

The press dubbed electricity the queen of this exhibition. In addition to the properties of electricity, a great variety of textile machines and steam engines were demonstrated, among which a Daimler car and a Benz car were almost lost.

Utilitarian activities were accompanied by a rich entertainment program: during the exhibition, the premiere of Massenet’s opera “Esclarmonde” was given and the cabaret “Moulin Rouge” was open. Balls were given in a pavilion stylized as the Bastille.

The Russian exposition was presented in Paris unofficially, mainly thanks to enthusiasts from the Russian Technical Society, who bore all the costs associated with participation and this could not but affect the quality of the exposition. On July 12, this event was overshadowed by the sudden death of the chairman of the commission for technical education “RTO”, who served as commissioner of the Russian department of the world exhibition in Paris, Evgeniy Nikolaevich Andreev; whose body was transported to the Russian Empire and he was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in the city of St. Petersburg.

World Exhibition of 1900 (Exposition Universelle de 1900)

The World Exhibition of 1900 (Exposition Universelle de 1900) was held in Paris, the capital of France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900 and was timed to coincide with the meeting of the new, 20th century. The exhibition was visited by over 50 million people, an unprecedented achievement at that time, and included more than 76,000 exhibitors. It generated a profit of 7,000,000 francs for the French government.

It was a triumph of the Art Nouveau style (aka “modern”): the elegant metal structures of the Green Palace were in harmony with the Eiffel Tower built for the last exhibition.

Russian pavilion in the Trocadero garden. Russia spent 5,226,895 rubles on participation in the exhibition (of which 2,226,895 rubles came from the treasury, and 3,000,000 rubles were private donations).