Reference:5696 Universal Exposition Paris , 1889

Large head of Marianne to right. REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE.

Seated figure encouraging Art and Industry; plan of Paris seen beyond, including the Eiffel Tower, erected in 1889 and one of the star attractions. Oblong plaque below, inscribed E. MAINDRON / CHEF DU SERVICE / DU CATALOGUE.

By Daniel Dupuis.

Bronze. 100 mm.

Condition: Very Fine

Notes:

Ernest Maindron was editor of the Exhibition Catalogue, with a particular interest in graphic and pictorial art of the period. The exposition was held from from 6 May to 31 October 1889 and celebrated the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, and included a reconstruction of the fortress and its surrounding neighborhood.

The exhibition site covered a large area and was partly serviced by a specially-constructed railway that is said to have carried 6,342,446 visitors in just six months of operation. Claude Debussy is said to have first experienced Javanese Gamelan music being performed at the exposition, and amongst its attractions was the 'Wild West Show' of Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley.

Prominent visitors incuded the Prince of Wales, James McNeill Whistler, Paul Gauguin and Thomas Edison.