Swiss Gallery - Expo Paris 1855

Grand Duchy of Baden. - On leaving the Belgian salon, we turned left and entered the Swiss gallery, where we first found the exhibition of the Grand Duchy of Baden. 5 artists had sent 10 paintings. Among these artists, two were out of the line: one, whose fame had long been an accomplished fact, Mr. Winterhalter, who had exhibited, among the French painters, a portrait of the French emperor and two portraits of the empress; the other, Mr. Knaus, who was destined to obtain, this year, a great and above all very legitimate success.
Mr. Winterhalter had exhibited only one portrait (169) in this gallery.
Mr. Knaus had three paintings, all three of which were charming: Morning after a Village Feast (172); a Fire (171), and a Camp of Bohemians in a Forest (170). Mr. Knaus had long lived in Paris, as had Mr. Winterhalter; he is therefore, so to speak, a French painter. We were happy to be able to almost claim for our country an incipient celebrity and an undisputed talent.
United States of America. - Opposite the Grand Duchy of Baden was the exhibition of the United States of America. Unfortunately, America did not retain the superiority in the arts that its ever-improving industry and extensive trade assured it. 9 artists exhibited 36 paintings.
A Little Girl at the Fountain (721), by Mr. Hunt, a pupil of Mr. Couture; Franklin pleading the cause of the American colonies before Louis XVI, by Mr. Healy, of Boston (712), a large canvas recalling a very remarkable fact in our history; two Views of Niagara Falls, by Mr. Cranck, attracted attention. There was also a portrait painted on rubber by Mr. Healy; but it was only remarkable because it revealed a new appropriation of this interesting product.
Pontifical States - The Pontifical States were next to America. Rome was represented by a very small number of artists: 7 painters had exhibited 10 paintings.
Virgil and Dante (667), by M. Bompiani, of Rome: Eve frightened at the sight of the Serpent, which reminds her of her first fault (665), by M. Agnemi, of Rome; the Reconciliation of the Montague and Capulet families, in the presence of the corpses of their children (670), by M. Leighton, of Scarbro, were the principal works of this exhibition.
Switzerland. - We would walk through the Swiss exhibition starting from the right of the large entrance door to the centre. This exhibition was relatively large: 38 artists had exhibited 97 paintings.
The most important paintings were those of M. Gros-claude père, from the canton of Neufchâtel, but living in Paris. His works included the Little Milk Sisters (2059), the Soap Bubbles (2065), the Drinkers (2065), the Card Tapper (2063) and the Card Players (2068).
Next came: the Reposoir of the Capuchins of Albano (2093), by M. Van-Muyden, of Lausanne; a Fair in the Bernese Oberland (2054), by M. E. Girardin, of Neufchâtel; a Hunters' Halt in the Alps (2090), by M. Meuron, of Neufchâtel; Ruth (2087), by M. Lugardon, of Geneva; the Family of the Condottier (2077), by M. Hébert, of Geneva; the Oak and the Reed (2046), by M. Diday, of Geneva; and finally the Bouffée de fumée (2066), the Madeleine repentante (2058), and the Toast à la vendange de 1834 (2069), by M. Grosclaude, completed a gallery in which one regretted not seeing a man of talent, M. Calame, landscape painter, of Geneva, and one of our artistic illustrations, M. Gleyre, whom France claimed as its child, and whose masterpiece, le Soir, was exhibited at the Musée du Luxembourg.

© Guide dans le Palais de l'Industrie et des Beaux-Arts 1855