This albumen print of the Monaco Building at the 1889 Exposition Universelle belongs to a portfolio containing 28 photographs of national houses and foreign buildings.
The national buildings illustrate another stage in the evolution of exposition architecture. Expositions had developed from a single structure (the Crystal Palace at London in 1851) to many buildings distinguished by the classification of exhibits (Vienna in 1873), and now in Paris in 1889 to buildings separated by nation.
The 1889 exposition is also memorable in architectural history for its main attraction, the Eiffel Tower -- note that the tower is visible in the background of this photo.
