More than 300 restored illustrations celebrate the construction, innovation, and magic of the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris.
Though many were skeptical of the tallest structure in the world, the brand-new Eiffel Tower opened in 1889 to celebrate the L’Exposition Universelle in Paris, France. Illuminated with electric lights and surrounded by throngs of international revelers on the Champs de Mars, the 1889 World’s Fair amazed more than 32 million people with an eclectic array of buildings, exhibits, performances, and artworks. Part one in this two-part illustrated series features:
World’s Fair historian Mark Bussler and the CGR Publishing Restoration Workshop restored hundreds of contemporary illustrations to show the remarkable spectacle of the 1889 Exposition Universelle and the debut of the Eiffel Tower.
Bussler, writer and designer of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair: The Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Photographs and The World’s Fair of 1893 Ultra Massive Photographic Adventure trilogy, worked with oversized original illustrations to create a visual tour of the World’s Fair that highlights the construction, layout, architecture, and festivities.
Excerpt:
“Designed by bridge builder Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower tower was considered by many to be an eyesore before its completion. Newspapers at the time criticized its industrial design and the fact that it could fall over. The 300 meter-tall tower was, at the time, the tallest structure in the world that changed the Paris skyline forever. Built by hand and early machines, it still towers over the Champ de Mars park today, serving as a reminder of the great party held there years earlier.
Near the Eiffel Tower, the great Gallery of Machines showcased the era’s rapid technological advances and housed thousands of machines that whirred and banged at once. Thomas Edison was there with his phonograph, and Westinghouse air brakes were on display to highlight engineering innovations in the area of railroad safety.”
Volume 2 delivers hundreds more restored illustrations that celebrate the spectacle of the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris.
In addition to the Eiffel Tower, fairgoers in 1889 witnessed countless technological innovations, parties, and cultural exhibits at the Exposition Universelle that defied imagination at the time. Period newspapers reported on the Fair in great detail with stunning illustrations that left no stone unturned. Part two in this two-part illustrated series features:
World’s Fair historian Mark Bussler and the CGR Publishing Restoration Workshop restored hundreds of contemporary illustrations to show the remarkable spectacle of the 1889 Exposition Universelle and the parties, exhibits, and artwork on display beneath the sparkling lights of the newly-constructed Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Bussler, writer and designer of 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair: The Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Photographs and The World’s Fair of 1893 Ultra Massive Photographic Adventure trilogy, worked with oversized original illustrations to create a visual tour of the World’s Fair that highlights the construction, layout, architecture, and festivities.
Excerpt: "The late 19th century was an age of rapid technological development, and industrial companies spared no expense to market their products to an audience seduced by blinding lights and whirring mechanized contraptions. Entire buildings were devoted to machines and filled to the ceilings with elaborate exhibits of engines, telegraphs, ships, trains, and more. The airplane had yet to take flight, but balloons were a hot topic.
Fashion, art, and furniture makers from around the world came to Paris that summer to peddle their wares with dazzling displays of jewelry, chairs, tables, clocks, clothing, woodworking, and more."
About the Publisher:
The CGR Publishing Restoration Workshop uses a vast array of computers and digital scanners to restore, preserve, and enhance the classic works of writers and artists from the 19th century. Each new release includes display-quality covers, enlarged covers, and retro fonts. Select books include Dante’s Inferno Retro Hell-Bound Edition, Gustave Doré’s London: A Pilgrimage, and more.
About the writer:
Writer, artist, musician, and publisher Mark Bussler has written more than 100 books and designed over 300 covers for CGR Publishing. Bussler is a professional artist and commercial designer who works in digital and physical media. He created and continues to develop the Robot Kitten Factory series, Retromegatrex, How to Draw Inspired by Classic Illustrations, and other graphic novels and instructional guides. Additionally, he writes history books and photographic history collections such as 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair: The Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Photographs. Bussler previously produced and directed films such as Westinghouse, Expo: Magic of the White City, and the Classic Game Room series. He is the founder and president of CGR Publishing, and producer of the industrial synthesizer band, Turbo Volcano and the synthwave electronica band Omega Ronin.