Stereotypes of the Russian Home at the 1851 Great Exhibition in Paris E

Russian House Since the 1851 Great Exhibition, world's fairs have always attempted to celebrate cultural diversity. In pavilions, participating countries promoted their natural resources and industrial products, while celebrating their national identity. However, not all cultures could be accurately portrayed. These exhibits did not prevent negative stereotypes about other people's cultures for persisting. Stereotyping almost became an art form, and was particularly apparent at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, where specific buildings were built to exemplify architectural stereotypes of different countries. As part of an exhibition called L'Histoire de L'Habitation Humaine or History of Human Habitation, which was the creation of architect Charles Garnier. Many of these small structures related to remote and "exotic" locations around the world. One of the countries that received the exotic treatment was Russia, despite this country's political power. Charles Garnier was born in 1825 and studied architecture at the Paris Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After he was awarded the Grand Prix de Rome in 1848, he went to study architecture in Italy. In 1860, Garnier won the competition for the new Paris Opera House, which was not completed until 1875 and remains his most important commission. His other works include villas he built in Bordighera, Italy, an Observatory in Nice, the Cercle de la Librairie in Paris, and many very famous works in Monte Carlo, including a casino resort. Charles Garnier was also a self-appointed expert in world cultures and their architecture. Thanks to the fame he had acquired at the Paris Opera House, he was asked by the fair commission to design "foreign" buildings for the World's Fair in 1889. Later in 18... ...built by Garnier in for the World's Fair were a resounding success. Bibliography Chandler,Arthur."Revolution." http://charon.sfsu.edu/PARISEXPOSITIONS/1889EXPO.html World's Fair magazine. 1986 revised 2000. Doumato, Lamia. Charles Garnier, 1825-1898 Vance Bibliographies. Monticello, Ill. 1988. Garnier, Charles, "La Maison Russe," L'Habitation Humaine. Paris, Hachette 1892, 701-710 Jourdain, Frantz. Exposition universelle de 1889. Constructions à ©levà ©es au Champ de Mars par M.. Ch. Garnier... pour servir à   l'histoire de l'habitation humaine. J. W. Bouton, New York. 1892. Mead, Christopher Curtis. Charles Garnier's Paris Opà ©ra : architectural empathy and the renaissance of French classicism. MIT Press. Cambridge Mass. 1991. Vernes, Michel. "La leà §on d'architecture de Monsieur Garnier." Architecture intà ©rieure crà ©Ãƒ ©. 249, August-September1992, 38-45.