Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller

Exposition Universelle de 1889 [PHOTO-ALBUM CONTAINING 50 ALBUMEN PRINTS]

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Paris: NP, 1889. First edition. Hardcover. Oblong quarto (7 1/2 x 10 1/4"). Unpaginated. [25] leaves. Original half burgundy over gilt-stamped red cloth, with gold lettering and tooling to spine, and gold lettering to front cover. All edges gilt. Raised bands. Decorative moire endpapers.

Striking collection of 50 mounted albumen prints documenting the Universal Exposition of 1889, a highly successful international exhibition and one of the few world's fairs to make a profit. Held in Paris from May 6 to October 31, 1889, its central attraction was the Eiffel Tower, a 985 ft (300-meter) high marvel of iron erected by Gustave Eiffel. Over eighty other structures on the Champ de Mars housed exhibits, including the impressive 1,452 foot long Galerie des Machines by Ferdinand Dutert. The fair attracted exhibits from Europe, South America, the United States, and the French colonies. Overall, it was an impressive celebration of French achievements on the centennial of the French Revolution.

The photographs featured in this album depict various exterior and interior views of the exhibition grounds and buildings on the Champ-de-Mars, Quai d'Orsay, and Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. The Eiffel Tower (exterior and interior views), The monumental fountains by Vidal and Coutan, the Central Dome, the Palace of Diverse Industries, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Palace of Liberal Arts, the Gallery of Machines, various national, municipal, and industrial pavilions (pavilion of water and forests, pavilion of the gaz industry), and the History of Habitation exhibit are among the subjects covered. Also represented are French colonial villages; a Moroccan souk; an Egyptian street (rue du Caire); a Persian house, and the following pavilions: Mexico, Bolivia, Chili, Brazil, Argentina, the British West Indies, the Suez Isthmus, and Japan (exterior views), and Great-Britain, and the United States (interior views).

Each albumen print measures appr. 4 3 /4 x 7 1/4" and is mounted onto a captioned cardstock leaf (6 7/8 x 9 1/2"). There are two photographs per leaf (recto/verso).

Seven of the 50 albumen prints bear the blind stamp of the "Société de la Tour Eiffel."

Binding partly rubbed along edges, with some discoloration to front cover. Some sporadic foxing to photographs and cardstocks. Captions in French. Binding in overall good- to good, interior in good+ to very good, albumen prints in very good condition. g- to vg. Item #40854

Price: $1,750.00