I was looking at some photos from the Paris World’s Fair in 1900. If time travel ever becomes a reality, that is a place I really want to visit. I would probably need a year or two to devote to seeing all the grand, soaring architecture, the gardens, the beautiful art, and the fashion.
These particular photos are from an official guide that was sold to visitors. Normally I feel wistful when I look at photos from this World’s Fair or other events from that time that really interest me.
These photos, however, gave me a very different feeling and brought back a strong association. Take a look at some of the photos and, as you do, think about how the pictures make you feel.
So, what did you think? How do you feel while you looked at these pictures?
I felt a disturbing feeling of dissatisfaction that is connected with excess. As if there were too many magnificent things. And strangely, it suggested something to me that I had seen a long time ago. I couldn’t put my finger on it right away but it finally came to me. It was the final scene in that epic masterpiece, Citizen Kane.
Maybe the connection is a little tenuous. Check out this clip and tell me: do you see the parallels? Or is it just me?
old spirituals 
“He paid off the detestable child at the Volterra gate. She got two nickel pieces and was not pleased, partly because it was too much, partly because he did not look pleased when he gave it to her.”
Where Angels Fear to Tread, E.M. Forster
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The photos harken back to an age of opulence . . . . “The Gilded Age.” For me, they depict the era that inspired Ayn Rand to write “Atlas Shrugged.”
Vienna, too, was a city with great appeal. It was temporarily Europe’s cultural hub and biggest city.
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Yes… I’m not sure what it is that triggered that connection for me. The Worlds Fair in Paris was so beautiful and Charles Kane owned all the beautiful things. I think it was the excess…
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I don’t think I’ve ever watched “Citizen Kane” but the did find the excessive things overwhelming…and not in a good way. Just too much and I never like seeing people flaunt their wealth.
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Yes! That’s exactly the kind of feeling I mean! You might like Citizen Kane. It’s a long movie but it’s really good. It was Orson Welles’ masterpiece!
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I rarely can sit still for a movie. I can read for hours but for some reason, I find it hard to get into movies. Weird, right? 🙂 Matt loves movies and finds it appalling that I don’t want to watch them. Sometimes I am not sure we are related. Ha!ha!ha!
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I’m like you! I can’t sit and watch movies unless I can doodle or play a game at the same time.
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