Universal Objects and Universal Museums

In 1851, the first Universal Exhibition was held in London. Paris followed quickly and in 1855 the first French Universal Exhibition took place. Holding it at the Palais de l’Industrie, France set out to rival England as an industrial and commercial power. That summer, Napoleon III showed Queen Victoria and Prince Albert around during their official visit to Paris.

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Paris would go on to host another four Universal Exhibitions during the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1867, the Palais de l’Industrie was again the main site for the event, although the exhibition expanded to other areas of the city as well. The next exhibition was held in 1878, including almost 53,000 exhibitors and receiving more than 16 million visitors. In 1889, the event was visited by over 32 million people, who could admire the Eiffel Tower that was constructed for the occasion. Finally, in 1900, there was yet another Universal Exhibition in Paris.

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This section focuses on the 1878 Universal Exhibition. It took place between the Trocadéro palace, which hosted art, archaeology, design, and ethnography displays, and the Champ de Mars on the opposite side of the river, which hosted manufactures and industries. On one side, there were the French exhibitors; on the other the national pavilions of different countries, decorated by facades reproducing typical national styles.