19th century
Musée Public National des Antiquités
Algiers, Algeria
This plafond, among other works of art, was exhibited in the “Algerian” pavilion at the Exhibition of Art and Industry held in Paris in 1867.
Tunisia at the 1889 Paris World Fair
19th century
Institut Supérieur d’Histoire Contemporaine de la Tunisie
La Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia
Tunisia at the 1867 Paris World Fair
19th century
Institut Supérieur d’Histoire Contemporaine de la Tunisie
La Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia
The Islamic section was placed to one side of the Turkish and Egyptian sections, opposite the Tunisian and Moroccan exhibit, where, according to the Bedouin tradition, their wares were displayed inside tents. The “Tunisian” pavilion was built to host the bey on his visit.
The Turkish Court; Recollections of the Great Exhibition, 1851
1851
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
In this area dedicated to Ottoman Turkey’s importance on the world stage, the power of the Ottoman Empire is evident in the large numbers of objects on display, which are elegantly disposed between opulent drapes inside ornate cabinets.
c.1852
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
Chromolithography, as well as being useful to illustrate the interior of the Crystal Palace, highlights the importance of the products presented by Tunisia in 1851, in particular the textiles, which were selected by Isma‘il Pasha himself and rated the best at the exhibition.
1850’s?
Private collection
n/a, United Kingdom
At the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in 1851 a massive, full-colour reconstruction of the “Assyrian Court” was based on recent discoveries at the Assyrian city of Nimrud. There was also a parallel “Egyptian Court” as can be seen in this photo.
Produits L'Algerie. Algerian products at the Paris Universal Exhibition, 1855
1855
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, United Kingdom
The first International Exhibition held in Paris in 1855 was France’s reaction to the first Great Exhibition held in London in 1851. The photo shows the interior of the Palais des Industries (built in stone, glass and cast iron and characterised by a very long aisle) within which the Algerian section’s objects are depicted in a somewhat disordered state.
Rosette shaped part of the minbar of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun
1296; exhibited at Paris World Trade Exhibition in 1867
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art
Vienna, Austria
Fragments of the minbar from the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo were on show at the exhibition held in Paris in 1867. Exhibitions displaying objects such as this sparked interest among European museums to acquire similar artefacts, such as the rosette seen here, which is now in Vienna.
Moorish Kiosk in Linderhof Palace Park
1867
Ettal, Germany
The “Moorish Kiosk” was built in 1867 as the Prussian contribution to the Paris Exposition. Ludwig II indulged his passion for Orientalism by buying the building in 1876.
The Romanian pavilion at the world exhibition of 1867
1867
National Museum of Romanian History
Bucharest, Romania
In 1865, the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were invited to participate in the Paris exhibition of 1867. Although the Principalities were under Ottoman sovereignty, the commission agreed to offer them their own pavilions next to the Ottoman Empire’s. The “Romanian” pavilion was a combination of architectural elements characteristic of famous monuments.
Decoration of the Egyptian collection of Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
1873
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Egyptian Collection
Vienna, Austria
The decoration of the Egyptian Gallery at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna was realized in 1877. It copies exactly the decoration created for the “Egyptian” pavilion, at the World’s Fair held in Vienna in 1873, by Ernst Weidenbach, which he copied from the paintings in the Tomb of Chnumhotep II in Beni Hassan (central Egypt).
Decoration of the Egyptian collection of Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
1873
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Egyptian Collection
Vienna, Austria
This is a general view of the Egyptian Gallery at the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna where the ancient context is evoked in vivid style: the wall decoration is the same as that used for the “Egyptian” pavilion at the World’s Fair held in Vienna in 1873.
Arrangement of Egyptian plants
1873
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art
Vienna, Austria
Inside the “Egyptian” quarter, in front of the main hall together with the Turkish section, a tent recalled the traditions of desert Nomads.
Tent in the Courtyard of the Egyptian Pavillion
1873
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art
Vienna, Austria
Inside the “Egyptian” quarter, in front of the main hall together with the Turkish section, a tent recalled the traditions of desert Nomads.
Egyptian Pavillion in the form of an Egyptian Palace
1875
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art
Vienna, Austria
The Egyptian section of the Vienna exhibition of 1873 was arranged in a single building in the eclectic taste and dominated by a replica of Sultan Qaytbay’s mausoleum in Cairo (Mamluk, c. 1470) with a minaret. Close by, another minaret was in the style of the first Mamluk period (c. 1300).
Photograph of the copy of the fountain of Ahmed III
c. 1873
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art
Vienna, Austria
At the exhibition held in Vienna in 1873, at a time when the Austrian Empire was very interested in fostering trade relations with the Ottomans, the Ottoman Empire was represented by a “Turkish” quarter posed, like the Egyptian one, in front of the main hall. In the main pavilion was a re-creation of the Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III, built in 1728, in front of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul.
Moroccan House in Linderhof Palace Park
1878
Ettal, Germany
The “Moroccan House” was built in Morocco and shipped first to Vienna for the World’s Fair of 1873 and then to Paris for the Exposition Universelle of 1878. It was subsequently acquired by Ludwig II and re-erected at Linderhof Palace Park, where the prince had the interior lavishly furnished in the “Moorish” style.
Moorish City at the Trocadéro, View from the Pavilion of the Insects [Paris Exhibition, 1878]
1878
National Central Library
Rome, Italy
The “Moorish Town” became one of the main attractions at the exhibition held in Paris in 1878 thanks largely to the proportions of the Trocadéro. Here, the Islamic architectural additions surprised audiences when they saw two great towers, inspired by minarets, among an eclectic context of other styles that ranged from Byzantine to Roman, from Greek to Renaissance.
Algerian Pavilion in the Trocadéro Park [Paris Exhibition, 1878]
1878
National Central Library
Rome, Italy
The “Algerian” pavilion of 1878 reflected the colonial policy of France. The main entrance copied the portal of the ‘Ubbad Mosque of Sidi Bumadyan, near Tlemcen, richly adorned with enamelled majolica and arabesque decorations; the decoration of the minaret resembled that of Mansoura Mosque.
Algerian Pavilion Garden in the Trocadéro [Paris Exhibition, 1878]
1878
National Central Library
Rome, Italy
The “Algerian” pavilion, designed by architect M. Charles Wable under the auspices of General Chanzy had a large garden and central fountain, which made it one of the most impressive and popular attractions of the 1878 exhibition.