Belle Epoque Events

The Eiffel Tower belle_epoque_events.1

With the construction of the Eiffel Tower, the Parisian public is divided. While some argue that the building shall become their most notorious landmark, others refer to it as "the giant radio tower".

"We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all our strength, with all our indignation in the name of slighted French taste, against the erection of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower."

Art Nouveau belle_epoque_events.2

The spread of a new artistic style inspired by nature, imitating the sinuous curves of plants through robust iron and glass to convey the contradictions of progress, has reached …'s higher spheres.

"Well, you know, I just painted on. I went on—without design or sketch, it grew as I painted. And toward the end I reached such a point of perfection—putting in every touch with such freedom—that when I came round to the corner where I started, why, I had to paint part of it over again, as the difference would have been too marked. And the harmony in blue and gold developing, you know, I forgot everything in my joy in it."

Forest of Symbols belle_epoque_events.3

After the successful publications of the Symbolist movement, … has decided to follow his path and embark in a literary journey of … own, a source of concern for the ….

"And yet to wine, to opium even, I prefer the elixir of your lips on which love flaunts itself; and in the wasteland of desire your eyes afford the wells to slake my thirst."

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The opening of a luxurious cabaret at the foot of the Montmartre hill has made the nightlife of Paris considerably lively. Attracting, of course, the attention and suspicions of the conservatives.

The woman sighs throughout the report in a smoke induced room. Incense and cigarettes are indistinguishable—so is vapor, even though it's impossible to know where it's coming from. The music is muffled here, thick as syrup. "Thank you for the company on these cold nights," she purrs, tossing the document into the fire, "we were in much need of some extra fuel."

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The audience, investors and entrepreneurs all, watched in fascination as the images unfolded on the screen. The executives exited first, followed by the women employed at the factory, and the common laborers following after. Forty-five seconds felt like far longer as the tableau expanded across the cloth screen, dust particles in the rays of light from the projector hovering in the air in equal anticipation to the audience.

The Cinéorama belle_epoque_events.7

The inventor Raoul Grimoin-Sanson has developed a device entitled the "photoachygraphe", a device which projects moving pictures on multiple surfaces at once. With this device, he has succeeded in creating a simulated hot air balloon fair ride using footage of Paris from above, entitled Cinéorama.

The poster fluttered as a breeze ran over it, further disturbing the partially loosened tack holding it in place. Before it rose the great dome that had been constructed for the event, a vast crowd surrounding it. "La Grande Attraction Nouvellae: Ballon Cinéorama! Projections panoramiques animées de GRIMOIN-SANSON!"

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Paris-Rouen belle_epoque_events.9

The development of vehicles propelled by the internal combustion engine has inspired various … automobile producers to hold an exhibition in the form of the Paris-Rouen Horseless Carriages Contest.

The vehicles lined up in groups of five, each one different in form, propelled by petrol and steam. At the wave of a flag, their engines released a cacophony of rattling and hissing as they set forth down the street, traveling at a pace that far exceeded that of the onlookers on foot. Before long, the course curved out of the sight of the starting line, and cheers replaced the sound of engines.

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Colonial Exhibition in … belle_epoque_events.13

An exhibition displaying the wealth of our colonies across the world has been held in …, drawing in visitors with displays of exotic animals, natural resources, and ethnological expositions of … peoples in a simulated native village.

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"Why would you possibly request so much money for a mere garment? What happiness could it bring you?" "As much as your gold watches and sabers, and perhaps far more so."

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The process that had become common in recent days brought no lack of amusement to the conductors of the … station. Women with anxious eyes and full pocketbooks would arrive from trains hailing from … stations, and depart several weeks later in magnificent gowns and purses several pounds lighter. On the platforms, both groups mingled, apathetic husbands averting their eyes whilst their wives complimented one another's good sense, and pledged to meet again.

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With the coming end of the century, a literary and artistic movement expressing pessimism and fear of societal degeneration has swept through ….

"I hope tomorrow will be a fine day, Lane." "It never is, sir." "Lane, you're a perfect pessimist." "I do my best to give satisfaction, sir." — Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Decadence in … belle_epoque_events.18

Artists and authors affiliated with the … have begun taking artistic inspiration from Joris-Karl Huysmans's "Decadent" novel "À Rebours", detailing the experiences of a man who retreats into hyper-aesthetic sensory experiences and idealistic artistry to escape the world.

"There is not one of her inventions, no matter how subtle or imposing it may be, which human genius cannot create... There can be no doubt about it: this eternal, driveling, old woman is no longer admired by true artists, and the moment has come to replace her by artifice."

The Symbolist Manifesto belle_epoque_events.19

Following in the footsteps the Decadent movement, the poet Jean Moréas has published an artistic manifesto detailing an artistic tendency which focuses on attempting to express exotic ideals through extravagant analogy and oblique references.

"Rhythm: the ancient metric enlivened; a chaos learnedly ordered; the rhyme illucescente and beaten as a buckler of gold and bronze, to rhymes of unintelligible fluidity; the alexandrine with numerous and mobile stopping; the job of first certain numbers – seven, nine, eleven, thirteen – bold in the various rhythmic combinations of which they are the price."

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