Thursday, October 22, 12 – 1pm
The Summit of the Eiffel Tower (detail), 1889. From The Exposition in Paris of 1889, June 1, 1889. Image courtesy of Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives, Northwestern University Libraries
On-site $10; online $8; members and students free
About the Talk
Hollis Clayson, author of the forthcoming Eiffel Tower Confidential: What It Meant and What It Stands For, reveals the forgotten history of the world-famous monument, erected in 1889. Learn about the tower’s connections to the French Empire, links between its complex illumination and surveillance, and its radically altered appearance following the 1937 removal of its elaborate original ornamentation. Will a peek behind the curtain affect how we view the City of Light’s central symbol or simply add to its allure?
The Summit of the Eiffel Tower (detail), 1889. From The Exposition in Paris of 1889, June 1, 1889. Image courtesy of Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives, Northwestern University Libraries
Speaker
Hollis Clayson
Clayson is Professor Emerita of Art History and Bergen Evans Professor Emerita in the Humanities at Northwestern University. She is a chevalier in the French Ordre des Palmes académiques and was the 2024 College Art Association Distinguished Scholar. Clayson’s books include Paris Illuminated: Essays on Art and Lighting in the Belle Époque (2019) and Painted Love: Prostitution in the Art of the Impressionist Era (1991). Eiffel Tower Confidential will be released in 2027.
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