How Russians surprised foreigners in London and Paris 150 years ago

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The history of international exhibitions began in 1851, when London received exhibitors from different countries. Russia did not lag behind, bringing with it various types of raw materials and jewelry. This was the beginning, and over the next centuries, Russian and then Soviet representatives surprised the visitors of the exhibitions with the magnificent landscapes of the Trans-Siberian Railway, ruddy Russian nesting dolls, technical inventions and even the majestic model of the Vostok spacecraft. For many years Russia has received honorary prizes and gold medals, because our country really has something to boast about. Read about the largest exhibitions that took place in the UK, Canada and Paris, and what could be seen in the pavilions of Russia.

London Exhibition of 1851: semolina with buckwheat, candelabra and malachite doors

In 1851, the first international industrial exhibition was held in London. To dazzle visitors and make viewing comfortable, the stunning Crystal Palace was erected in Hyde Park.

It also had a department for Russia. As many exhibits were brought to London as there were 365 days a year. In fact, it was not at all a lot, since at that moment there was a crisis of serfdom. Only a few merchants, manufacturers and landowners arrived.

Grain, leather, cotton, some products of the metallurgical industry and luxury goods were brought from Russia for public viewing.

The jewelry company of Pavel Sazikov, representing Russia, brought a luxurious candelabrum with the plot of the Battle of Kulikovo, for which it received the Grand Medal. The same award was given to the court jewelers Zeftigen and Kamer - they amazed everyone with an incredible diamond tiara.

The jury examined the exhibits with passion, but could not resist the buckwheat and semolina. Painfully delicious, they made porridge.

The Demidovs' factory of malachite products also took part in the exhibition. They managed to win a prize for stylish and very beautiful furniture. There are records of the Frenchman de Valon, in which he compares malachite cufflinks with a palace made of this stone and says that Demidov can afford it. By the way, the doors made of beautiful green stone, which weighed at least 44 kilograms, were later acquired by the English banker Gope. He paid £ 10,000 for them. By comparison, in 19th century England, the average person's annual costs were no more than £ 30 a year.

Paris Exhibition of 1867: Russian hut on the Champ de Mars

In 1867 another exhibition took place, this time in Paris. For this, a huge exhibition pavilion-palace of an elliptical shape was built on the Champ de Mars.

Then Russia brought more than 1,300 exhibits: items made of precious metals and stones, mosaics, furs, weapons, carpets from the Caucasus, unique embroidery. One could even look at stones and metals from the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. The representatives of the British Museum liked the sparkling specimens so much that later the institution bought emeralds, amethysts and sapphires.

National exhibition pavilions were erected on the Champ de Mars. The Russian hut, made by the Carpentry Workshop from the Vladimir province, was of particular interest. Having assembled the house without nails, the craftsmen surprised the jury so much that they received a silver medal. The visitors looked with curiosity about the covered courtyard, the outbuilding, the Russian stove, and the red corner. Nearby was a stable in which the royal horses languished and beat with their hooves. Emperor Alexander III received an award (Grand Prix) for his help in improving the best breeds.

Russian artists were not deprived of attention either. The gold medal went to Alexander Kotsebe for the epic painting "Victory at Poltava". And one work was named the best French emperor Napoleon III - it is about a watercolor copy of the frescoes of 1189 from the church in Nereditsa. A medal was cast especially for the author, Nikolai Martynov.

Paris 1900: Crimean champagne, chocolate of the future "Red October", and the pavilion of the Russian suburbs

In 1900, the exhibition summing up the century was again held in the city of lovers, in Paris. The Field of Mars was again involved. At that time, there were excellent relations between France and Russia, so the latter got a considerable space of 24,000 square meters, where 2,500 manufacturers from Russia placed their exhibits.

The Russian suburbs Pavilion was created by the architect Melzer. The audience seemed to be walking around the Moscow Kremlin, enjoying the unique architecture. Konstantin Korovin designed the department inside, having made panels with views of different regions of the country. It was so spectacular that the artist received the Order of the Legion of Honor from the French government. Today these works of Korovin can be seen in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Since much attention was paid to the development of Siberia, the pavilion was named "Siberian Palace" in the press. The attraction train built in honor of the Trans-Siberian Railway was of particular interest. People got into the carriage and watched the Great Siberian Route fly past the window - an almost kilometer-long panorama with watercolor landscapes by Pavel Pyasetsky.

The Grand Prix was awarded to the Committee of the Siberian Railway and the Ministry of Railways, and a gold medal was awarded to engineer Lavr Proskuryakov for his design of the Krasnoyarsk bridge across the Yenisei River.

Also, one of the main prizes was awarded to the Novy Svet champagne factory and delicious chocolate from the Einem partnership (today it is known as the Krasny Oktyabr factory). The work of the talented physicist Alexander Popov (radio prototype) was awarded a gold medal. The Russian matryoshka did not lag behind, it was also awarded the same prize.

Russia has received tremendous recognition - it has collected more than 1,500 awards.

Montreal 1967: the flying roof pavilion and the Yakut diamonds

In 1967, the exhibition was held in Canada, in Montreal. The approach was serious: the metro, the Turcott interchange and the artificial island of Notre Dame were built.

The pavilion of Russia (already the USSR) occupied a considerable area on Notre Dame, it was 1.6 hectares. It was designed by Soviet architects (M. Posokhin, A. Mndoyants, B. Tkhor). The view of the building was very stylish: the walls were made of glass and the roof was in the form of a giant springboard, which was called "flying" in the press. In the dark, illumination on the walls was turned on, and on the ceiling one could see the silhouette of the main exhibit - the TU-144 aircraft.

Since Yuri Gagarin recently flew into space, there was a full-size model of the Vostok rocket. One could go into a separately located structure "Lentil", try to sit in a chair, look at the space diorama, in general, feel what Gagarin felt.

Parisians were amazed by semi-precious stones from the Urals, but large Yakut diamonds and downy Orenburg shawls were especially delighted. Oddly enough, this time the USSR was left without prizes and medals. It's hard to say what the matter is, but it was about the unfair approach of the jury. When the exhibition ended, the pavilion was dismantled and transported to VDNKh, and is currently being restored.

Exhibitions have, of course, been and are being done by private artists and philanthropists as well. However, they can fall out of favor with the authorities for their activities. So, the organizer of the "Bulldozer Exhibition" was expelled from Russia for 30 years.