1889 GTC Exposition Universelle View of Paris w/ the Eiffel Tower

This is an 1889 chromolithograph broadside created by an unknown artist to promote the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, or World's Fair. The newly constructed Eiffel Tower immediately demands the viewer's attention. After marveling at its great heights (the Tower was then the tallest man-made structure in the world), the viewer's eye travels down to the fairgrounds and takes in its many pavilions and exhibition halls. Thousands of people are illustrated roaming the fairgrounds and crossing the Seine to appreciate the Palais du Trocadero on the far bank of the river. Trains, streetcars, and carriages bring the multitudes to gaze in amazement at the architectural, technological, and scientific marvels on display. Vignettes resembling picture postcards surround the central view and promote sites around the fairgrounds, including the 'Rue de Caire', the Central Pavilion, and the structures dedicated to promoting some of the foreign countries participating in the fair, including Brazil, Bolivia, Arabia, and the French colonies of Annam and Tonkin (parts of modern-day Vietnam).

The 1889 Exposition Universelle

Held in Paris, France from May 5 through October 31, 1889, the Exposition was the fourth World's Fair held in Paris and witnessed the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel's masterpiece and a major attraction in Paris to this day. The fair welcomed over thirty-two million visitors and took place on the Champ de Mars, the parade ground in front of the École Militaire. Other notable structures built for the fair including the Gallery of Machines, a hall dedicated to science and technology (where some of Thomas Edison's most recent inventions were exhibited), and the Palaces of Liberal Arts and Fine Arts. One of the more popular attractions was the 'Street of Cairo' ('Rue de Caire') which recreated the architecture and street life of Cairo, Egypt.

Chromolithography

Chromolithography, sometimes called oleography, is a color lithographic technique developed in the mid-19th century. The process involved using multiple lithographic stones, one for each color, to yield a rich composite effect. Oftentimes, the process would start with a black basecoat upon which subsequent colors were layered. Some chromolithographs used 30 or more separate lithographic stones to achieve the desired product. Chromolithograph color could also be effectively blended for even more dramatic results. The process became extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it emerged as the dominant method of color printing. The vivid color chromolithography produced made it exceptionally effective for advertising and propaganda imagery.

Publication History and Census

This broadside was created by an unknown artist and published to promote the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, France. As it is unsigned and generically titled, it is difficult to compile a thorough census of institutional holdings. We note an example in the collection of the Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt. We have found only a handful of other instances when examples have appeared on the private market.