Finland in the 1990 and 1900 Paris Expositions
The first universal exhibition, focused on showcasing industrial production, was held in Prague in 1791. Several industrial exhibitions were organised in the late 1790s and early 1800s in France, in particular, while Piedmont also hosted exhibitions from the 1820s to the 1830s. Similar individual exhibitions were also held in the USA and England.
The first of the notable universal exhibitions of the 19th century was the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, or the Great Exhibition for short, organised in Hyde Park, London, in 1851. The leading figure of the exhibition was Prince Albert, prince consort of Queen Victoria. The aim was to outdo the exhibition held by the French in 1844. The focus of the London exhibition was on showcasing industrial and agricultural advancements, and the event attracted visitors from all around the world. The cast iron and glass pavilion built for the occasion, the Crystal Palace, became a symbol of the exhibition. In 1854, the pavilion was moved to South London, where the surrounding neighbourhood was named after it. The Crystal Palace itself was destroyed in a fire in 1936, but the name lives on in the local football team, for example.
The production and sales of souvenirs, such as stereograms, became a popular phenomenon starting from the London Great Exhibition. Back in Finland, Zachris Topelius had wanted to travel to the universal exhibition in 1851, but his application for a trip abroad was not approved. Instead, he was allowed to travel to London in summer 1856. During his trip, he also spent a day in the Crystal Palace. As a souvenir, Topelius bought a series of images published in 1851, showcasing the various booths in the exhibition.
The universal exhibitions started to become a competition between the French and the English when the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, announced in 1853 that France would organise a universal exhibition on agriculture, industry and art. Due to delays caused by the Crimean War, the exhibition only opened in 1855. The next universal exhibition in London took place in 1862.
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Paris also hosted universal exhibitions in 1867, 1878, 1889 and 1900. The 1889 Paris Exposition was organised to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille at the beginning of the French Revolution. Unlike in London in 1851, the countries and nations taking part in the Paris Expositions typically showcased their achievements in individual pavilions. The architecture of the pavilions aimed to conjure up images of each country – purposefully exoticised, in many cases. Finland participated in the exhibitions as a part of the Russian Empire pavilion. The most famous structure of the 1889 exhibition is the cast iron tower designed and developed by Gustave Eiffel, which carries his name to this day.
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Russia did not take part in the 1889 Paris Exposition, but Finland was allowed to participate with a pavilion of its own – this marked the first time Finland was allowed to be represented 'under its own name.' For the Finnish pavilion, a striking standard was made of red silk and embroidered with a coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
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The 1900 Paris Exposition left a lasting impression on Finnish architecture and design history, but, considering the political atmosphere within Russia at the time, Finland's participation with its own pavilion was also significant in lifting the national spirit in Finland.
The pavilion of 1900 was designed by the architecture agency Gesellius-Lindgren-Saarinen in the style of national romantic architecture that was popular in Finland at the time. The interior of the pavilion and the items displayed were designed by some of the most famous Finnish artists of the time. The items were made by factories such as Iris in Porvoo and Arabia in Helsinki. The pavilion showcased art such as Finnish landscapes painted by Pekka Halonen; the Kalevala-themed frescoes on the vault surfaces were painted by Axel Gallén (later known as Akseli Gallen-Kallela) who also painted a reproduction of the three motifs in the lobby vaults of the National Museum of Finland’s main building in the late 1920s.
Jouni Kuurne
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