Exposition universelle, 1900 : the chefs-d'œuvre
A Philadelphia publication of 1900 by William Walton, cataloguing decorative art shown at the Paris Exposition Universelle for a general audience of art readers. The pictures are plates of exhibited objects: a tinted marble-and-bronze mantel with a relief panel, a sepia photograph of an ornate covered urn with figures, a carved fountain niche with a seated bust, and a pale fan-shaped drawing of flowers. A designer could take from them the period's dense, sculptural ornament, with scrolled handles, garlands, and mythological figures set into architectural frames.
