Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Part 37

Another manifestation of the French mechanical industry was found in a pavilion which was built on ground between two of the main gates leading to the main entrance to the Hall of Machinery.

The French department of electricity was located on the left of the main entrance to the Palace of Electricity, occupying an area exceeding 2,000 square meters. In the center of the exhibit there was a s.p.a.ce 350 square meters in area, used as a resting room for visitors. There were to be seen in a circular arrangement the show cases that made up the retrospective and modern exhibits sent by the French department of commerce, industry, post, and telegraph.

The decorative frieze arranged around the room bore, between laurel wreaths, the name of the most ill.u.s.trious French physicians or electricians from the eighteenth century to this date.

The French exhibit in the Palace of Agriculture occupied an area of nearly 2,800 square meters. It was located in the northern corner and next to one of the main gates, fronting the French National Palace.

The French exhibit extended along the front of the palace on the northern and eastern sides.

The French exhibit of social economy occupied an area of 700 square meters in the Palace of Education. The main entrance formed one of the largest avenues in that palace, giving access to a main hall 50 meters in length by 12 meters in width, both front sides of which were subdivided into a score of small rooms 3 by 5 meters. The front sides of these small rooms were made up of part.i.tions 4 meters high, decorated with mural paintings, and topped with a decorative frieze that bore the t.i.tles and subt.i.tles belonging to the group of exhibits represented in the room. A shelf 0.50 meter wide, with a ledge, was arranged all along the rooms at the height of 1 meter from the ground, and supported all pamphlets, books, and other doc.u.ments that supplemented the information supplied by the exhibits on the walls.

A show case and bookcase were put in the center of each room, containing the doc.u.ments placed in view by the several exhibitors who were represented through publications only.

The individuality of each of the several groups was evident by t.i.tles or medallions of a decorative character, which also included a subt.i.tle and index, arranged with as many particulars and in as methodical manner as possible, of all exhibitors, in order that the visitor might be saved as much labor as possible in his inquiries.

GERMANY.

_Members of commission._--Dr. Theodor Lewald (privy councilor), imperial German commissioner-general; Dr. Eugene Wagner (superior Government councilor), vice-commissioner; Mr. Otto Zippel (imperial councilor), treasurer; Mr. Heinrich Albert, a.s.sistant commissioner; Mr. Paul A.

Zilling, commercial attache, department of arts and crafts; Dr. Fritz Kestner, attache; Dr. Hugo Hardy, attache; Fritz Von Bardeleben, attache; Dr. F.C. Rieloff, imperial consul; Baron von Reden, imperial vice-consul; Count Limburg-Stirum, general commissioner education department; Dr. Leopold Bahlsen (professor), subst.i.tute to the general commissioner education department; Mr. Herman Albert, commissioner mining department; Mr. Alard Scheck, commissioner of forestry department; Dr. Ludwig Wittmark (privy councilor), agricultural department; Dr. Hugo Kruss, scientific instruments; Dr. Johannes Breger, hygienic department; Dr. Otto Zwingenberger, chemical exhibits.

By order of the German Emperor, the German House (das Deutsche Haus) was erected on a prominence in the center of the World's Fair near the Cascades. It was a replica of one of the German castles most celebrated in history and art, and the most prominent German architects reproduced it in St. Louis and equipped it with the best products of modern art industry.

In the year 1902 the great question arose as to what kind of style and which building should be erected in America as a symbol of Germany. The Emperor decided that Charlottenburg Castle should be used for this purpose, as one of the most aristocratic and characteristic monuments of the first epoch of the Prussian Kingdom. The location of the German House on a towering hill and its purpose called for a different architecture from that of the Charlottenburg Castle, which is situated in a plain and which at the same time serves as a dwelling house. So the two wings of the Charlottenburg Castle were omitted, one of them to give room to the Pergola and the German Wine Restaurant. The place of a court of honor was here taken by the ma.s.sive stairway and there were new ideas produced in the cupola, the exterior ornamentation, and in some of the interior apartments. The erection of the building was awarded to Prof.

Bruno Schmitz, of Berlin, who in Germany has built some great monuments, and who is no stranger to the American public.

The equipment of the interior rooms was awarded to a number of the first German manufactories in the line of art furniture, the art of weaving and illuminating, and was finished by the most skillful artisans. The German House was on the same level as the Palace of Fine Arts and Festival Hall. Its base was 47 feet higher than the Mining Building.

From the State buildings in the southern divisions of the World's Fair a wide path led through artistic garden spots to the rear entrance of the German House and from the Mining Building large stairs led up to the German Restaurant. Ascending the hill of the German House, the first impression was that of a castle front. The dimensions of the castle were: Length, 150 feet; depth, 69 feet; the height of the building to the apex of the cupola was 160 feet; it covered an area of 10,000 square feet, while the complete site with the terraces amounted to 174,931 square feet.

The castle consisted of a two-story gable, the front of which was almost exclusively occupied by the high windows and two by-parts with four axes, each with three-quarter Corinthian columns. Of the three stories, the uppermost--the mezzanine story--served only as a storeroom. The gable above the center part bore in large letters the inscription "Das Deutsche Haus." Groups at the corners of the gable represented Power and Wisdom. The capitals of the columns were molded from the original and the bal.u.s.trades of the cornices were made from designs. The roof of the house was a platform like the original in Charlottenburg, surrounded by a cast-iron bal.u.s.trade.

As at the prototype, in front of the German House the two Borghesian gladiators with sword and s.h.i.+eld kept guard. The death masks on the sentry houses were Schluter's work and were erected after models taken in Charlottenburg. The dark color of the building and the patina of the roof accentuated the historical character of the building.

Around the building on the broad terraces, surrounded by a bal.u.s.trade in modern Baroque, were long rows of laurel trees and rhododendrons which were brought over from Germany.

In the lower story was a circular center hall, the flat ceiling of which was supported by 8 columns, a true copy of the entrance hall of the Charlottenburg Castle. In the two wall niches, between high laurel trees, were placed busts of the Emperor and Empress. The pedestals were done in gray, specially prepared oak wood. Behind the busts were two stucco reliefs molded from the originals in Charlottenburg, representing scenes from Roman history.

A room with modern escritoire equipment served as reading and writing room for the members of the German press.

Off the center hall and facing the front was the extensive reading hall, likewise a copy of the room of the Charlottenburg Castle.

Noticeable in the room was a picture of the capital of the German Empire, Berlin, showing the bridge across the Spree, with the renowned statue of the Great Elector; behind this the great Royal Palace; also a picture of the "Hohkonigsberg," in olden times a mighty castle in German Alsatia, which for centuries has been a desolate ruin, but now is built anew in its old pomp and splendor. The series of pictures was concluded by a view of a plaza in the Hansa Town Lubeck.

In addition to these views, around the hall were the busts of eminent scholars, artists, poets, musicians. Besides other pieces of ornament, the reading room contained choice pieces of the royal porcelain manufactory, as well as a series of artistically finished groups representing the different countries of culture. Finally, to symbolize the character of the reading room, on the right table a bronze figure was placed showing the greatest German historian of all times, Theodore Mommsen, who only a short time ago died in extreme old age.

In the rear of the reading hall a broad terrace led down to the garden plots, embellished by the group by Professor von Uechtritz, Berlin, "The Crown is the safeguard of peace."

At both sides of the reading hall the office rooms were situated; to the right a large office room of the imperial commissioner or his representative, very tastefully equipped in modern style. The walls were wainscoted in oak and had capacious book shelves. From the ceiling, the beams of which were ornamented, numerous lamps and large candelabra were suspended. The room was completed by a comfortable fireplace, and to the left side of the room, or reading hall, were office rooms.

The upper center hall, with its eight columns, was a copy of the center hall of the Charlottenburg Palace, and in its quiet dignity highly characteristic of the Prussian development of the art of the Baroque.

In front of the nether window, between two columns, was placed the bust of the German Emperor in the uniform of the Gardes du Corps, with the eagle helmet, from the royal porcelain manufacturer in Berlin.

Another interesting feature of the German Building was the Gobelin hall.

The rich ceiling in its pure plastic was modeled after the Elizabeth hall in the royal palace of Berlin, the stucco figures, as well as the decorations of the ceiling, likewise the golden medallions at the four corners, representing a procession of bacchantes, while the rich door panelings were modeled in the royal palace and placed here. The walls all around were wainscoted with palisander. But the main interest in this room centered in the four mighty gobelins. These gobelins were, by the charm of their colors and the delicacy of the composition, a source of enjoyment to every lover of art.

The Gobelin hall was laid out with a gorgeous modern carpet from the carpet works at Barmen. Of surprising delicacy were the curtains and the golden hangings above the windows, all masterpieces of the modern art of weaving, as were those all over the house made by the concern Hertzog in Berlin. The great candelabra of bronze and mountain crystal were lighted by wax candles.

Off the Gobelin hall was one of the richest rooms of the castle, the Bradenburg chamber. This red-velvet chamber was used for one of the most brilliant ceremonies in the royal palace, the solemn decoration of the Knights of the Order of the Black Eagle.

Adjacent to this rich room was the main hall of the Deutsche Haus, the famous oak gallery, 115 feet long and 20 feet broad. The oak gallery forms in Charlottenburg the most important apartment of the castle and is characteristically German. The combination of the simple oak wood with the delicate gold carving produced a most original and most restful effect. The wonderful dimensions, the beautiful material, the harmony of colors, and perfection of artistic details all combined to impress the observer. The entire length of the long wall was divided into niches by pilasters. Each niche contained a mirror and over that a picture from the ancient cla.s.sics. Along the walls of the hall were placed on marble pedestals the busts of former Prussian rulers.

The series of state rooms was concluded by one of the very finest rooms, the Tressen Saal (galloon room), also a copy from the Charlottenburg Castle. In contrast to the substantial splendor of the oak gallery, this apartment showed the whole delicacy and refinement of the Baroque. The name "Tressen Saal" was given to this room in consideration of the gold interwoven bands (tresses) which were sewn on to the red damask.

The harmony of the oak carvings, of the gilt stucco, the red damask, and the gold galloon composed one of the most delicate decorations of Prussian castles. This was finished by the ceiling, where were seen allegories painted and mounted on linen in imitation of the Tressen Saal in Charlottenburg Castle.

There was no special act authorizing the German exposition. In accordance with the general principles of the German const.i.tution, the sum required for this purpose was entered in the budget. After an approval of the budget by the Bundesrath and the Reichstag the partic.i.p.ation of Germany became a law. The fire insurance of the combined German exhibits covered $4,000,000, and this sum may be regarded as the approximate value of the exhibits. The aggregate cost of the organization, installation, and transportation paid by the Government was $1,300,000, of which the Imperial Government paid $900,000, the Prussian government $250,000, and the other Federal States $150,000.

GREAT BRITAIN.

_Members of commission_.--His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, K.G., president of the royal commission; the Right Honorable Viscount Peel, chairman of the royal commission; Col. Charles M. Watson, R.E., C.B., C.M.G., commissioner-general and secretary of the royal commission; Mr.

J.H. Cundall, general superintendent; Mr. Edmund H. Lloyd, general superintendent; Mr. Lucien Serraillier, secretary to the commissioner-general and for juries; Mr. C.D. Barrett, accountant; Mr.

Herbert Langridge, in charge of correspondence and catalogue. Clerical a.s.sistants: Mr. R. Grant Dalton, Mr. S.G. Hutchinson, Mr. J. Perrin Harris. Department of education: Capt. P.H. Atkin, representative of the education committee; Mr. C.E. Down, a.s.sistant superintendent.

Department of art: Mr. R.S. Hunt, representative of the art committee; Mr. Alfred A. Longdon, representative of the applied art committee.

Department of liberal arts: Mr. J.E. Petavel, scientific manager of low temperature exhibit; Mr. H. Payne, a.s.sistant. a.s.sistant superintendents of exhibits: Mr. J.F. Barrett, mines and metallurgy; Mr. John E.

Blacknell, manufactures; Mr. J.T. Christie, liberal arts; Mr. Harold Darby, transportation; Mr. Joseph Devlin, agriculture, fish, and game; Mr. Edward Dixon, electricity; Mr. H. Werninck, liberal arts; Mr. W.C.

Forster, Queen Victoria's jubilee presents; Mr. W. Brown, in charge of the British Pavilion garden; Mr. Arthur Smith, general foreman.

On April 23, 1903, the royal commission of King Edward VII was issued at Whitehall under His Majesty's royal sign, appointing the following commissioners to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition:

The Prince of Wales; Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Peel; Victor Albert George, Earl of Jersey; Richard George Penn, Earl Howe; Bernard Edward Barnaby, Baron Castletown; George Arbuthnot, Baron Inverclyde; Richard Barnaby, Baron Alverstone; John, Baron Avebury; Horace Cruzon Plunkett; Charles Napier Lawrence; Sir Charles William Fremantle; Sir George Hayter Chubb; Sir Edward John Poynter; Sir Charles Rivers Wilson; Sir Edward Maunde Thompson; Sir William Henry Preece; Sir William Turner Thiselton-Deyer; Sir Herbert Jekyll; Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema; Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke; Sir George Thomas Livesey; Henry Hardinge; Samuel Cunyghame; Edward Austin Abbey; Charles Vernon Boys; Thomas Brock; George Donaldson; Clement Le Neve Foster; John Clarke Hawkshaw; Thomas Graham Jackson; William Henry Maw; Francis Grant Ogilvie; William Quiller Orchardson; Boverton Redwood; Alfred Gordon Salamon; Joseph Wilson Swan; Jethro Justinian Harris; Teall, and Francis William Webb.

Col. Charles Moore Watson was appointed secretary to the commission.

Subsequently, on the 6th of June, 1903, Sir John Benjamin Stone, M.P., was appointed additional commissioner.

At the first meeting of the royal commission, held at Marlborough House on the 28th of April, 1903, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, K.

G., made a speech showing the interest that was felt in the exposition generally throughout Great Britain.

The interest taken in the exposition by Great Britain was exemplified strikingly in the amount of s.p.a.ce which she occupied in the various exhibition buildings, amounting in the aggregate to no less than 206,642 superficial feet, of which only 8,000 feet was occupied by the Royal Pavilion. An idea of the vast scope of the exhibit may be learned from the following table, which gives the amount of s.p.a.ce in each of the various exhibit palaces occupied by Great Britain's display:

Superficial feet.

Education ...................... 6,500 Social economy ................. 810 ------- 7,310 Art .................................... 20,872 Liberal arts ........................... 35,500 Manufactures ........................... 58,000 Electricity ............................ 5,960 Transportation ......................... 33,500 Agriculture ............................ 20,400 Horticulture ........................... 500 Forestry, Fish, and Game ............... 3,900 Mines and Metallurgy ................... 11,700 Physical Culture ....................... 1,000

In making choice of an interesting type to be followed in the British Royal Pavilion at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, it was felt that the Orangery of the Royal Palace of Kensington would be representative of English domestic building at one of its happiest periods, and a tribute also to the memory of the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

In the Orangery of Kensington was found a building that could be strictly reproduced to its real size. The Orangery was 170 feet long and had a range of sash windows uninterrupted by doorways, the central and end windows having stall boards under them, making the entrances.

The long line of roof was broken only by the three brick parapets or pediments, the center one being carried on half-round columns and pilasters of gauged brickwork. The walls were of red brick and stock brick s.p.a.ced out with design, imitation white stone being sparingly introduced in cornices or keystones to give a note of white in the color scheme. The long hall ended in circular anterooms. In the replica, at St. Louis, of Wren's building, the only departure from the original was the introduction of an enriched plaster ceiling, such as would be found in a house of the period; the real Orangery was left bare and whitewashed.

The architects used the Orangery as the princ.i.p.al front to a quadrangular building, the necessary offices and accommodation for royal commissioners and executive staff being provided in wings that led from the two circular anterooms. The fourth side of the open court was made by a colonnade, the royal arms being above the central opening. The character and details of the Orangery were carried through as far as possible, so that harmony and unity was given to this pleasant composition.