Musee D'Orsay Clock
by M G Whittingham
Title
Musee D'Orsay Clock
Artist
M G Whittingham
Medium
Photograph - Fine Art Photography
Description
Musee D'Orsay by Miles Whittingham
This is the famous clock inside the Musee D'Orsay museum in Paris, France. This beautiful ornate clock dates back to the days when the museum was a former train station (Gare D'Orsay).
This clock was built in 1900 when the train station first began to receive passengers. Gare D'Orsay, however, was no normal train station. Since it was in the centre of Paris just across the Seine River from the Louvre and just down the street from the National Assembly, no simple train building would do.
The Gare D'Orsay was built with an impressive stone facade. It was meant to show that Paris was a cosmopolitan city (it was built in time for the Exposition Universalle or world's fair of 1900). Gare D'Orsay was the first electrified train station in the world. It was also the first train station to have elevators to help passengers get to their trains.
The centrepiece of the new train station was this massive clock, which was just as impressive as the building. Towering some 3 floors, this clock was used to regulate the arrival and departure of trains.
Sadly, the train station became outdated. It was too short to accept more modern trains and given its prestigious location, the station could not be expanded. The train station was closed for good in 1939.
The Gare D'Orsay train station then sat empty for decades, unused and unwanted. There were even plans to demolish it (and this beautiful clock) in the 1970s. However, eventually the decision was made to convert the former train station over to an art museum to house works of art spanning the Impressionist era (1848 to 1914). Gare D'Orsay became Musee D'Orsay in 1986 when the new art museum opened.
Today, Musee D'Orsay houses the most amazing collection in the world of Impressionist paintings (Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, etc) as well as post-Impressionist painters like van Gogh.
For over one hundred years, this magnificent clock has been in operation, first to tell the time for train passengers and now today to tell the time for museum visitors. Anyone going to the museum today cannot help but be impressed by this amazing time piece.
This image was created with a high-definition Leica camera. This guarantees that you get the finest quality possible. The watermark in the lower right hand corner of the picture does not appear on the final print.
Prints are produced on acid-free paper using archival inks to guarantee they last a lifetime without fading or loss of contrast, colour or tone.
If you chose to order a framed print, the framing is done to museum quality with acid-free matting, conservation glass and an eco-friendly wood frame. The frame is wired and comes with a wall hook. It is ready to hang.
Uploaded
November 25th, 2018
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Comments (3)
Jan Mulherin
Congratulations!! This stunning Black and White image has been selected to be featured for the week in the "Creative Black and White Fine Art Photographs" Group’s Home Page!! You are welcome to add a preview of this featured image to the group’s discussion post titled “2019 March: Stunning Group Featured Images and Feature Thank-you’s” for a permanent display within the group, to share this achievement with others. You may also share your featured image to our group Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2428820430682266/ Thank you for your group participation! (March 15, 2019)