The of 1855 (), better known in English as the 1855 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, from 15 May to 15 November 1855. Its full official title was the . It was the first of ten major expositions held in the city between 1855 and 1937. Nowadays, the exposition's sole physical remnant is the Théâtre du Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, designed by architect Gabriel Davioud, which originally housed the Panorama National.

History

The exposition was a major event in France, then newly under the reign of Emperor Napoleon III. It followed London's Great Exhibition of 1851 and attempted to surpass that fair's Crystal Palace with its own Palais de l'Industrie.

The arts displayed were shown in a separate pavilion on Avenue Montaigne. There were works from artists from 29 countries, including French artists François Rude, Ingres, Delacroix and British artists William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais.

Inventions and Innovations

The 1855 exposition featured many early versions of modern inventions. The exposition featured the first ever lawn mower, Moore's washing machine, the first non-industrial sewing machine, one of the first oil-powered vehicles, Samuel Colt’s revolver, and Edouard Loysel de Santais’ hydrostatic percolator which could produce 50,000 cups of coffee in a day.

See also

  • Adrien Chenot

Footnotes

References

Further reading

  • Elizabeth M. L. Gralton, 'Lust of the Eyes: The Anti-Modern Critique of Visual Culture at the Paris Expositions universelles, 1855–1900', French History & Civilization (2014), Vol. 5, pp 71–81.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
  • Official website of the BIE
  • Rapport sur l’exposition universelle de 1855 (official report, published 1856, in French)
  • Fanfare for the New Empire
  • 1855 Paris (BIE World Expo) - approximately 70 links
  • ExpoMuseum