Palace of Industry in Paris France Essay -- Architecture History

missing images Paris 1855: The Universal Exposition Interior and Exterior of the Palace of Industry These selected images, an exterior view of the Palace of Industry and a view of the interior of the palace during the distribution of awards, are both detailed views from which much can be observed. Since both images are illustrations, as opposed to photographs, they may not be entirely accurate. The image of the interior is a lithograph, which is approximately thirty-five inches by fifteen inches. Because of the medium employed, the details of the image are not very sharp, but many details are included. Emperor Napoleon III can be seen handing out the awards, and his empress is seen seated behind him. The other image appears to have been taken from a French newspaper article. Today, the actual paper is very old, as can be evidenced by the large tear in the middle of the picture and its worn edges. The actual size of the illustration is about fifteen inches long and eight inches wide. Most significant about the Palace of Industry are its historical precedents, the evolution of its de sign, its successes and failures, and finally its role at the fair. After London hosted the first international exposition in 1851, Napoleon III realized that France needed to seize back the initiative. The motive given for the 1855 Paris exposition was to celebrate forty years of peace in Europe since Waterloo (Findling, pp. 16-17). A hidden agenda, however, was the competition among the major European nations, to establish their industrial and artistic supremacy. Napoleon III decided that France needed a spectacular structure "based on the plan of the Crystal Palace of London" (Lavedan, p. 228). Therefore, in 1852, France held a competition fo... ...e success of the Palace of Industry, it did nothing to promote the careers of either Viel or Barrault. Regardless, the Palace of Industry was an influential step in the integration of this revolutionary material, iron, with traditional architecture. Bibliography Findling, John E. Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions 1851-1988. New York City: Greenwood Press, 1990. Lavedan, Pierre. French Architecture. London: Scholar Press, 1956. Mignot, Claude. Architecture of the Nineteenth Century in Europe. New YorkCity: Rizzoli International Publications Inc.,1984. Hautecoeur, Louis. Histoire de l'architecture classique en France. v. 7. Paris: Rue Bonaparte, 1943. Steiner, Frances H. French Iron Architecture. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1984. Tachà ©, J. C. Canada at the Universal Exhibition of 1855. Toronto: Yonge Street, 1856.