Exposition Universelle 1889: Rue du Caire & les Almees

1889: L'Exposition Universelle, the French World's Fair, commemorated the Centennial of the French Revolution. The Eiffel Tower, Edison's Electricity Pavillion and "La Rue du Caire" drew millions of visitors to "The City of Lights" during the 6 months it was open. Those lights allowed people to visit after dark and the scandalous "danse du ventre" by the "almees" was particularly enticing...

This film was created in 2003 for the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington DC, for an exhibit about the women impressionist, Berthe Morisot, whose work was shown at the Fair.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• short
• film
• belly
• dance
• almee
• ghawazee
• worlds
• fair
• 1889
• paris
• eiffel
• tower
• rue
• du
• caire
• finger
• cymbals
• danse
• ventre

[SerpentineVideo]

@CherLivingLegend The letter is a synthesis of the newspaper articles from the time. The journalists tried to describe what they saw for those who could not come themselves.

[abbeykroeter]

Beautiful narrating voice! I found it interesting that while I learned about the Chicago World's fair, I never heard anything about a world's fair done earlier; yet there is this one in France. Figures Chicago doesn't mention something done earlier somewhere else. Let people think you were the first and best huh? I heard they and St. Louis still argue about the first ice cream cone. Can anyone tell me was the first world's fair in France; were there more before it?

[SerpentineVideo]

@abbeykroeter There were several before this one, all in Europe. The idea started in Europe. The French held one previously in the 1860s as well. I came across them as I was researching this one. Will have to go back and look at my notes.

[bluetruckredstate]

@abbeykroeter The first such world's fair was the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.

[SerpentineVideo]

@bluetruckredstate Right! That's it. Before our Civil War. I have newspaper write ups of it somewhere. Thank you.

[simozimo09]

Beautiful description of ghawazee dancers... One downside tough... the geographical map of the 'middle east' it is not middle east at all, but NEAR EAST plus North Africa... I am amazed to see how in America everybody calls the near east as middle east and subsequently the oriental dance as 'middle eastern dance'... How could anyone place Morocco in an 'eastern' province, when it's arabic name itself means 'west' ? Middle east does exist, but further away...

[SerpentineVideo]

Included in this French World's Fair were exhibits from their North African territories, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. They, too, featured "la danse du ventre." The map includes the countries whose dances were represented under that Europeanized nomenclature.

[CherLivingLegend]

Hello, I was wondering if the speech you read is a real letter or something you've created for the Video... And If it's a real letter could you please tell me who wrote it? Really cool video thank you for doin that!!! very very interesting!

[ourDC888]

So interesting, thank you!

[JolieeParis]

J'adore Paris, c'est la ville merveilleux du Monde. Surtout l'ancien Paris.

[IndyKenn]

I would love to have the ability to go back in time to spend a few days touring that fair.

[reigetje]

The wonders of modernity withouth 'la défense' at the horizon.

[abbeykroeter]

@SerpentineVideo Thank you and that is even more intriguing. Of course you probably realize I'm one of those who wishes he could go back in time just to walk around everything going on in the fairs. Keep up the good work