1878 Exposition Universelle Souvenir Medal
date: label: Date made
content: 1878
notes: label: Description
content: Souvenir medal commemorating the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1878. Obverse inscribed <i>"PANORAMA DE PARIS [/] 1879</i> with an aerial view of Paris with balloon in sky; reverse inscribed <i>SOUVENIR DE MON ASCENSION DAS LE GRAND BALLON CAPTIF [/] A VAPEUR [/] DE M. HENRY GIFFARD.</i> Rides in Giffard's steam-powered baloon was offered to Exposition vistors.
label: Description
content: 1878's Exposition Universelle, the third World's Fair held in Paris, was, at the time, the largest Exposition ever. About 13 million paying visitors journeyed to the city's 660 acre showcase of international arts and industries built on the Champ du Mars and the Hill of Chaillot. France's desire to boldly move past their recent demoralizing defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) and the chaos of the Paris commune (1871) was evident not only in the scale of the event, but also in the choice of exhibits, over half of which were devoted to French accomplishments.
label: Description
content: The Exposition's main building was the Palais du Trocadero, a new edifice designed by architect Gabriel Davioud featuring a concert hall and art galleries. The Avenue des Nations displayed examples of buildings from around the world and a Gallery of Machines featured Industrial achievements. Pavilions were run from nations across the globe, including most of Europe, except for Germany, which was barely represented at the Exposition.
label: Description
content: Perhaps the Fair's most exciting attraction was a tethered balloon offering riders a stunning view from 600 meters above the ground. The head for the Statue of Liberty was on display, as well as notable inventions, including examples of phonograph, telephone and electrical technologies. The era's racism and cultural elitism were also demonstrated, with a <i>negro village ,</i> a <i>human zoo,</i> featuring over 400 individuals of <i>indigenous</i> backgrounds available for the entertainment of Expositon-goers.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: France: Île-de-France, Paris
label: Associated Place
content: France: Île-de-France, Paris
topic: label: Subject
content: Expositions and Fairs
label: related event
content: Exposition Universelle (1878)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Larry Zim World's Fair Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1989.0438.0469
label: catalog number
content: 1989.0438.0469
label: accession number
content: 1989.0438
label: catalog number
content: P1878NM02
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Medal, Looped
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 3/8 in; x 3.4925 cm