Dark parallel worlds

More about this object

Poster for both geological and mining exhibitions

The supposedly 'high-tech' and the 'primitive' not only sat side-by-side at World's Exhibitions, they were also combined.

Displays for visitors were as much aimed as a sort of carnival as they were as a means of seeing the world all in one place. At the Paris Exhibition in 1900, special underground displays led visitors into dark mysterious realms.

One of these displays showed wonders of ancient civilizations and the natural world, including dinosaurs. Another 'underground world' seemed to reconstruct a complete gold mine from South Africa, showing off both the high technology of display as well as the hard work (and primitive conditions) of the workers in European colonies.

How to cite this page

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Alexander Badenoch, 'Dark parallel worlds', Inventing Europe, http://www.inventingeurope.eu/story/dark-parallel-worlds

Sources

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About this tour

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Fair enough? Europe on display at the World's Fairs

The World Exhibitions, which began in 1851, originally served as a kind of stage upon which European nations could display their progress and achievements. Large countries in particular used the fairs to compete with each other. In so doing, they also depicted not so much the actual condition of science, technology, and art in Europe, but the Western European outlook on the rest of the world.

Curator

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Alexander Badenoch

Explore the Exhibitions

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What's like this?

The Paris Universal Exhibition of 1900

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