Architectural Flourishes: Paris, France

By Marques Vickers

“Architectural Flourishes: Paris France” is a pictorial guide illustrating the features, ornamentation and detailing that capture Paris’ mid to late 19th century architectural legacy. The majority of images may be traced to the ambitious reign of Napoleon III’s Second Republic and his appointed Prefect of the Seine Department, George-Eugene Haussmann. Commonly known as Baron Haussmann, he was directed in 1853 to orchestrate the modernization and transformation of Paris.

He created that transformation by installing wider boulevards, parks, public works and creating a fertile environment for redevelopment. His office targeted the eradication of unsightly slums along with cramped and constricted commercial districts. His program obliterated significant traces of Paris’ medieval history. Approximately 350.000 people would be displaced over the sixteen-year duration of his crusade. Nine months before Napoleon III’s government collapsed, he was unceremoniously dismissed from office.

The photographic imagery of this edition focuses on the architectural styling and exterior moldings prevalent during that era. The text details the accompanying history of the Haussmann era architecture and its two design successors. Haussmann styling would be supplanted initially by the Art Nouveau movement. Promoted during the Belle Époque period, the style was introduced during 1890 spreading afterwards throughout Europe. It receded in popularity upon the beginning of World War I.

Art Deco architecture coincided with the fading of Art Nouveau’s influence beginning in 1910. Its was elevated into prominence at the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts exhibition held in Paris during 1925. It remained a dominant style until 1939 and the global aggression inflicted by World War II.

Paris features few reminders of the ancient settlement of Lutetia formed by a Celtic tribe known as the Parisii in the 3rd century BC. The Romans captured the community in 52 BC and converted it into a Gallo-Roman garrison. The community was rebuilt in the 1st century AD employing a traditional Roman style layout. The core of the settlement was the Ile de la Cite, the current location of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Palais de Justice.
The city showcases scattered remnants from the Medieval and Renaissance eras. Most are ecclesiastical in context. They appear dwarfed by contemporary and statuesque Haussmann inspired constructions and facades.

Haussmann’s designs elevated Paris into one of the most beautiful international cities. The architectural detailing photographed is a reminder that classic elemental design never ultimately goes out of fashion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marques Vickers
• Release date: Mar 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215423462

Marques Vickers

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions. He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86. Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com. Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography. His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.

Book preview

The initial inhabitants of Paris were a Celtic tribe called the Parisii. When the Romans conquered Gaul, they renamed the settlement Lutetia. It was considered of secondary importance to the capital city of Lugdunum, the present day Lyon. The port city of Marseille, situated on the Mediterranean Sea was considered even more desirable as a trading center.

The core of the Paris, then as now is the Ile de la Cite, the island centered amidst the Seine River. Today this territory hosts Notre Dame Cathedral, the Prefecture de Police, Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie. A Gallo-Roman Wall initially encompassed the settlement.

As Roman Empire collapsed and the city expanded its peripheries, a larger medieval barrier was constructed to protect the center from menacing tribes and aggressive bands of marauders. As Paris grew, the fortifications widened. The Revolution with its accompanying property destruction at the end of the 18th century, made walled fortifications ineffective. Advances in military armaments condemned this form of protection as obsolete.