Paris 1900: The City of Lights

In 1900, Paris was the focal point of global attention. The World's Fair attracted 50 million visitors, and the city embraced a glamorous era that became known in history as the "Belle Époque." Elaborately restored and colorized historical photographs capture the vibrant life in Paris from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Bicycles, cars, airplanes, moving pictures, newly founded film studios, revolutionary composers and painters, avant-garde ballet performances, fashion houses, and summer resorts along the Atlantic coast defined an intoxicating lifestyle. People gathered in variety shows, cabarets, and revue theaters across the city, including the Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergères, and Bal Tabarin. In Paris, the nights were long, and life was too short to sleep through. Amid this revelry, political developments loomed on the horizon, like a dance on the edge of a volcano.