Engelse paviljoen op de Wereldtentoonstelling van 1878 1878

Adolphe Block made this stereocard photograph of the English pavilion at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris. World’s fairs were key sites for establishing national prestige through displays of technological and cultural achievement. The architectural style, a revival of Tudor building, signaled a romantic vision of England’s past. This choice of imagery was designed to appeal to a certain idea of British heritage and tradition. But it also participated in a wider culture of imperial competition. What image of itself did Great Britain wish to project on the world stage, and to what end? The fair itself was organized by the French government. We should ask what political and economic conditions made such a massive undertaking possible. To understand this image further, historians might turn to archival records from the fair, accounts of the event in newspapers, and collections of trade publications and tourist ephemera. Together, these sources can help us understand this pavilion’s place within a larger social and institutional landscape.