The exhibit "Street Scenes of Paris in the 19th Century: from the Comic to the Tragic," currently on display at the John Hay Library, shows both a stressful and carefree City of Lights.
The small collection of pictorial works offers a wide range of images depicting a tumultuous and rapidly changing Paris during its rebellion in the 1800s.
"Street Scenes" includes a broad spectrum of images of French political movements and popular culture that take place on the streets of 19th century Paris.
The exhibit is the result of one year of work on "Paris, Capital of the 19th Century," a digital project produced by the library which will serve as a learning resource for students and professors. "Street Scenes" is the collaborative effort of Dominique Coulombe, senior scholarly resources librarian with a focus in French studies, and Sharon Larson GS.
"I feel a lot of political events in Paris happened in the streets. That is the tragic part. We also wanted to bring the fun part of the streets of Paris," Coulombe said about the scope of the exhibit.
Each piece features a caption describing both the piece itself, and the historical event it depicts. The first pieces of the exhibit examine the insurrections of 1830 and 1848, and the next set of works considers the siege of 1871.
These pictures of the tragic occurrences on the streets vividly depict the hostility and instability that were prevalent among Parisians at the time. Eugene Lacoste's watercolor, "Affaire Schmit, rue St. Honore, 1847," shows the working class rioting against the government. The work is one of many that focus on action-oriented and dramatic scenes.
The centerpiece of the collection is a large, fragile map by Xavier Girard of the 1843 plan of Paris' layout before the annexation of the communes. The map is impressive in its attention to detail.
The exhibit makes a transition into an examination of daily Parisian life in relation to the streets. The pieces branch off to encompass various topics concerning the common people, ranging from child labor to entertainment. This second half of the exhibit delivers the more light-hearted, and sometimes comical, aspects of Parisian street life.
The most amusing piece is "Desagremens, des parapluies" (artist unknown, 1806), in which Parisians are caricatured with the newest fashion to hit the city - the umbrella. Although the art in the latter half of the show is interesting, the range of topics covered is overwhelming. Coulombe said that if she were to create another show, she would pick a narrower subject or time period to remedy this occasional lack of focus.
Despite this, many of the pictures are not only thematically relevant, but are also beautiful. "Le Bal Mabile, Champs-Elysees" (1858), a lithograph by A. Provost, depicts an enchanting scene of people mingling in a garden under glowing lanterns at night. The rich colors make this the most engaging piece of the show.
The exhibit also contains a video screen that plays a running string of additional images of street scenes. This video sequence is a preview of a Web site that will contain even more images and textual information of the Parisian streets and their associated events. The site is currently under construction.
The pictorial works are composed in a variety of media, including illustrations from books, lithograph prints, prints of engravings, wood block prints, watercolors, and even photographs. The images are in remarkable condition considering their age. The pieces were taken either from the collections at the John Hay Library or from the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection.
Coulombe and Larson worked on the digital project for about one year, mostly during the summer months. In July they chose which pieces would be included in the exhibit, and in August they designed the placement and order of the works for the show. Larson completed the research and wrote the annotations that accompany each piece.
Coulombe said that the exhibit could appeal to many audiences. While the digital project is aimed at providing information for students and faculty studying French history and culture, the exhibit is an informative venue for anyone interested in this time period. Coulombe said she also hopes that the show will pique students' interest in examining resources in the campus libraries. All the pieces on display are accessible to students during the school year, but not many students take advantage of the opportunity to examine such artifacts.
"This (show) is meant to be a source of inspiration," said Coulombe.
Overall, "Street Scenes" is a good representation of the streets of 19th-century Paris, considering the ambitious amount of information that could be presented for this broad subject. Although a narrower focus would have been more powerful, the viewer can acquire a general taste of life from this time period.
The exhibit is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through Sept. 30.
