Bordeaux Exposition of 1895

The Bordeaux Exposition of 1895 [L’Exposition de Bordeaux] was the thirteenth of its kind organized by the Philomathic Society of Bordeaux. It opened on May 1 and took place on the Place des Quinconces, it included exhibits for education, fine arts, industry, agriculture, electricity, and social sciences. There were 10,064 exhibitors, including 302 from the colonies. International exhibitors include England, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Algeria, and the French colonies.

The Lion exhibit at the Bordeaux Exposition won the Grand Prix, as attested in one of Lion’s souvenir booklets at later exposition. Unfortunately, I have thus far not been able to locate any pictures of the Lion pavilion, although I continue to look for them. However, the official Journal of the Exposition, which was published every Sunday by the Philomathic Society, included an extensive article about the Maternité Lion by Louis Énault, including illustrations.

“‘I’m only interested in children from the age of sixteen,’ says the skeptic, who doesn’t care about the genesis of humanity. His heart of marble would have softened if it had been able to see, like us, at the Bordeaux Exhibition, this incubator of children, constantly surrounded by a sympathetic crowd, which contemplates with sincere and grateful emotion a masterpiece. a work of ingenuity, born of a generous inspiration, and whose author Mr. Lion, must be ranked among the benefactors of humanity. I won’t surprise anyone when I say that this is one of the great successes of the Exhibition, and the objective of all those who see the coming of the great ordeals of motherhood with a sweet emotion.” — P. 29, “L’Exposition Bordeaux,” published by the Philomathic Society.

Contemporary press coverage:

Below: A map of the exposition. Most likely Lion’s’ exhibit was in the area marked “P” for “Specialized Pavilons,” as that is where his exhibit was located in the subsequent 1907 Bordeaux International Maritime Exposition.

• L’Exposition de Bordeaux 1895 (Wikipedia)
• “La Maternité Lion,” by Louis Énault, Journal of the Bordeaux Exposition,1895

• General Information
  • Dr. Alexandre Lion
  • The Lion Incubator
  • Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants, Paris
  • Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants, New York
  • Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants, Barcelona
  • The Engineer and the Newborns, by W. A. Nelson and Paul L. Toubas and
• Press Coverage
  • La Maternité “Lion de Nice” pour Enfants Nés Avant Terme ou Débiles, by Dr. Ciaudo, 1895.
  • Les Couveuses pour Enfants, Gazette Médicale de Paris, 1900
  • Couveuses d’Enfants, La Maternité Lion, Paris, La Patrie, 1897
  • Paris Letter: An Improved System of Incubators, by O. Jennings, Pediatrics 1:427-428, 1896
  • Baby Incubators, The Strand Magazine, 1896, by James Walter Smith
  • Human Infant Incubation: A True Fairy-Tale of Modern Science from Leslie’s Weekly, 1897
  • The Saving of Human Life, Maternité Lion in NYC, The Literary Digest, 1898
  • Immature Infants in France, from The Lancet, January 16, 1897, page 196.
  • Alexandre Lion’s Incubator Charities in Europe (1894–1898) (The Embryo Project)
  • Newspaper Articles about Lion’s Storefronts and Expositions
• Maternité Lion Souvenir Booklets
  • Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants , Paris Institute, Booklet Version #1 (appears to be ~1896)
  • Oeuvre Maternelle des Couveuses d’Enfants , Paris Institute, Booklet Version #2 (appears to be ~1901)
  • Pamphlet from Alexander Lion’s exhibit at the 1898 exhibition in Torino, Italy. (PDF supplied by Dr. Thijs Gras, Amsterdam)
• Worlds Fairs and Expositions
  • Maternité Lion at the Lyon Exposition Universelle et Coloniale, 1894
    • Maternité Lion at the Lyon Exposition Universelle – Le Monde Illustré, 1894
  • Maternité Lion at the Bordeaux Exposition of 1895.
    • “La Maternité Lion,” by Louis Énault, Journal of the Bordeaux Exposition, 1895
  • Maternité Lion at the Amsterdam World Exposition, 1895
  • Maternité Lion at the Berliner Gewerbeausstellung, 1896
  • Maternité Lion at the Exposition National Suisse, Geneva, Switzerland, 1896
  • Maternité Lion at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, 1897
  • Maternité Lion at the Brussels International Exposition, 1897
  • Maternité Lion at the Turin L’Esposizione Generale Italiana, 1898
  • Maternite Lion at the Ghent Provincial Exposition of 1899
  • Maternité Lion at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900
  • Woman’s Exhibition in Earls Court, London, 1900
  • Maternité Lion at the Lille Exposition of 1902
  • Maternité Lion at the Marseille Colonial Exposition of 1906
  • Maternite Lion at the Bordeaux International Maritime Exposition of 1907
  • Maternité Lion at the Marseille Exposition Internationale d’Électricité, 1908
  • Maternité Lion at the Exposition Internationale de l’Est de la France, Nancy, France, 1909
  • Maternité Lion at the Brussels Exposition Universelle et Internationale, 1910
  • Maternite Lion at the Exposition du Centre de la France, Clermont-Ferrand, 1910
  • Maternité Liion at the Rome International Exposition of 1911
  • Maternité Lion at the Turin International Exposition of 1911
  • Maternité Lion at the Ghent International Exposition of 1913

Last Updated on 06/04/23