The Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900 was meant by its sponsors to be both a retrospective summation of the material progress of the 19th century and a hopeful harbinger for the 20th. The 1900 event was the fifth Paris Exposition of the 19th century. Paris had hosted ever-larger events every 11 years since 1856, and expectations ran high Entries A–F 801 for the greatest exposition ever in 1900. The 1889 Exposition Universelle, which had celebrated the centennial of the French Revolution, was France’s first truly international fair and had been an unqualified success, both intellectually and economically, despite a shaky start. The 1900 Fair also had its share of initial uncertainties. The Dreyfus Affair threatened the Exposition with an international boycott, and the bitter of the winter of 1889–1900 and heavy spring rains further complicated the project, so although the Exposition officially opened with great ceremony on 14 April, paying customers were not admitted to the grounds f...