Prussia - Expo Paris 1855

This brings us to the Prussian exhibition. Above the Prussian desk, and next to it, are hung magnificent woollen carpets from Berlin, as well as trimmings for clothes, furniture and coachwork. The square opposite contains all kinds of trimmings, braids, ganses, braids from Berlin and Barmen; the embrasure on the right, cotton and woolen yarns for knitting and embroidery and designs of embroideries from Berlin, an industrial speciality of this city. The aisle opposite this doorway contains, on the left, fabric buttons and trimmings; on the right, a fine collection of Utrecht velvet from Mr. Noss in Cologne.

The next doorway contains more Baden products, such as cotton and linen fabrics, wallpapers, engravings, and finally a sugar group, representing a fight of English, French and Turkish soldiers with Russians.

From here, the exhibition of Prussian wool, cotton and silk fabrics begins. In the aisle that opens opposite the doorway we have just left, on the right, there are woollen plumes and Utrecht velvets; on the left, thibets, plumes and other woollens for furniture and clothing. Continuing down the same aisle, we see, on the right, trimmings, on the left, between worsted fabrics and silks for furniture and carriages, a superb collection of furs and other fursuits, as well as stuffed animals from Berlin. Opposite, on the right, are more woollen fabrics. This leads to the balustrade aisle, the right-hand corner of which is occupied by cotton and Cologne yarns, fabrics and velvets, as well as ready-made clothes.

The showcases along the balustrade of the gallery contain silks, velvets and ribbons from Rhenish Prussian factories. At the end of these windows, an alley opens up and you enter a vast square. Turning to the right, one passes again a row of windows filled with Prussian silks; the same is true of the side forming an angle with the previous one. The third side contains woollens and cotton fabrics from the factories of Berlin and the province of Brandenburg. The fourth side belongs to Austria; this will be discussed later.

In the middle of the square are a large number of display cases containing silks and velvets.

The centre is occupied by a large square table on which are exhibited the products of the bookshops and printers of Brunswick, Berlin, Gotha, Dessau, Frankfurt am Main; in addition, playing cards, lithographic proofs, engraved cards, bindings, etc., are displayed. Amongst others, a mosaic embroidery mantelpiece with a carved wooden frame by two sisters, Mlles Martens, in Cologne, representing the alliance of the English and French arms.

Opposite this square opens onto a vast room, the back of which is occupied by a large box decorated with wooden sculptures and surmounted by the flags and arms of Prussia; a balustrade separates it from the rest of the room; it is climbed by a few steps flanked by columns with eagles. The centre of the lodge is decorated with two bronze busts representing Schinkel and Beuth, both of whom are deceased and of whom the first brought about a revolution in the architectural taste of his country, while the other contributed greatly to the development of the industrial arts in Prussia. In the showcases and on the tables in front are displayed architectural drawings, mostly models of monuments erected by the Prussian government; furthermore, industrial drawings published by the same government to serve as models for craftsmen, and finally several large architectural works published at the expense of the government, such as the Christian monuments of Constantinople from the fifth to the twelfth century, etc. In the middle of the lodge is displayed the album presented by Rhenish Prussia to the Prince and Princess of Prussia on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of their marriage. This album contains 78 originals, mostly coloured, by the most distinguished artists of the Rhine province, and whose subjects are drawn from the history and popular traditions of the Rhine regions.

A special permit from the Prussian Commissioner is required to examine the drawings, as the album is usually closed. The binding, with gold, silver and ivory ornaments and enamel, was executed by the bookbinder Wenker in Düsseldorf, according to the drawings of the painter André Muller. The upper cover with silver ornaments is in the Gothic style, the lower cover with ivory ornaments is in the Byzantine style.

The window embrasures to the right of this lodge contain the linen and hemp yarns and fabrics of Silesia, Westphalia, the Rhine province and Brandenburg; the last embrasure is occupied entirely by the geographical maps of Mr. Perles in Gotha. The other sides of the room, as well as the middle windows, are filled with woollen and linen fabrics. In the centre is a large table, around which are arranged works of architecture, industrial drawings, geographical maps, chromolithographs, intaglio engravings, photographic prints, etc., executed and published for the most part in Berlin.
published in Berlin. Amongst other things, there are two beautiful works on the paintings and objects of art of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiac; an album of photographs representing models for artists and industrialists, by M. de Minutoli in Liegnitz (Silesia); geological maps by M. de Buch; reliefs of Vesuvius and the islands of Tenerife and Palma, also by M. de Buch.

©Promenades dans l'exposition de 1855