Table of contents:
- Belle Époque - an era of peace and tranquility
- Rapid economic growth in many countries
- Dramatic increase in urban population
- Time to progress
- An era of cultural abundance
- Time of scientific and technological progress
- Dominance of Art Nouveau style
- Belle Époque was the era of fashion
Video: Belle Époque charm: Curious facts about the time of the late 19th and early 20th centuries
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries was called the Belle Epoque. Then Europe came to its senses after the Franco-Prussian war, and people were happy with the feeling of freedom after bloody battles. Belle Époque has become a flourishing time for economics, science and art.
Belle Époque - an era of peace and tranquility
The Belle Époque or Belle Époque is the period from the last decades of the 19th century to 1914. This term appeared after the First World War as a nostalgia for peace, prosperity and progress.
Rapid economic growth in many countries
Belle Époque growth was not limited to Britain, France and Germany. In the United States, the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. called the Gilded Age. By 1900, per capita income in the United States had doubled that of Germany and France.
In the Russian Empire, this time is better known as the Silver Age. These years in Great Britain are known as the Victorian era, which paradoxically combined upper class brilliance and a vegetation of the lower classes. The country became the largest and richest colonial empire in the world.
Dramatic increase in urban population
From 1872 to 1911, the population of Paris grew by 64%. By the beginning of the First World War, there were more inhabitants in the French capital than today. The example of American cities is also indicative. From 1870 to 1900 the number of New York increased by 2.5 times, and in Chicago during the same period there was a 10-fold increase in population.
Time to progress
The Paris World Fairs of 1878, 1889 and 1900 marked the rebuilding of France after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. On display in 1878 in the Trocadero Gardens, the full-size head of the Statue of Liberty was displayed before being sent to the United States.
For the exhibition in 1889, the 300-meter Eiffel Tower was built as a symbol of the achievements of French science and technology. Initially, it served as the entrance to the exhibition. READ MORE …
An era of cultural abundance
In 1889, the Moulin Rouge cabaret was opened in Paris with a recognizable red mill at the entrance. The kan-kan dance, in which the girls raised their legs high, showing their lace pantaloons, was considered very scandalous.
In itself, such an entertainment establishment was not a novelty, but in 1893, on the cabaret stage, one of the dancers was completely naked for the first time. Society condemned this number, but since then there has not been a single free table at the Moulin Rouge.
Time of scientific and technological progress
The second wave of the industrial revolution swept the world. Electric lights, telephone, gramophone, cars were actively introduced into everyday life.
When Queen Victoria visited the Rothschild family estate of Waddeston, she was so impressed by the electric lighting that she switched the electric chandelier on and off for 10 minutes.
Dominance of Art Nouveau style
Although many architectural styles developed during the Belle Epoque, Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau) stands out the most. The creators of the original structures were inspired by natural forms, flowers, curved lines. The architects tried to harmonize their designs with the environment.
Belle Époque was the era of fashion
In the Belle Epoque, fashion also changed. Women gradually abandoned fluffy princess-style dresses, and an S-shaped silhouette appeared. Tailors and dressmakers introduced new dress patterns in a very radical way: they sent girls in their outfits to places of large crowds (to the races or to the opera). Ordinary ladies were afraid to wear new items, so designers often hired girls of easy virtue for this business. READ MORE …
The ladies of the semi-world were incredibly popular in the Belle Epoque. The courtesan Liane de Puzhi, with her sexual emancipation, excited the hearts of not only men, but also women.
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