Style Other / Ref.12445

Eiffel Tower barometer, Souvenir of the 1889 Parisian World’s Fair

This singular barometer shaped like the Eiffel Tower probably dates back from 1889 since the date is visible on the object. Indeed, it can be seen as a souvenir of the 1889 World’s Fair which was held in Paris.

On a squared base is a quite faithful replica, made out of wood, of the famous Eiffel Tower. The three floors are standing out among the characteristical crossed metallic structure of the building, known for its aerial aesthetic. The barometer’s dial is settled in front of the first floor, placed as a wall tie above an arch. The periphery of the dial is however adorned with arabesques and motifs purely decorative, products of the creator’s will. Finally, the dates of the French Revolution and of the World’s Fair are inscribed in the wooden structure of the object, on both sides of the dial.

The 1889 World’s Fair, prepared by the French government since the beginning of the 1880’s, aimed to make the national industrial excellency radiate – like every other World’s Fair – but also to celebrate the French Revolution’s beginning, and thus to base the legitimity of the Third Republic which struggle during her first years. The success of the famous and long-awaited « Iron Lady » is immediate, and the monument-to-be quickly became the visitors’s favorite attraction. Numerous activities were proposed on the different floors of the Tower : several restaurants, a performance hall, a bar, a place renting binoculars, but also souvenir merchants who knew how to seize the economic opportunity embodied by the highest secular building of Europe. Thus, many souvenirs were mass produced, such as candles, lamps, bottles or even barometers, like ours.