Cultural Institutions and Democracy

The Belle Époque democratized culture through new institutions. The Petit Palais and Grand Palais, built for the 1900 Exposition, provided magnificent spaces for public exhibitions. Museums extended hours and reduced admission fees. The Louvre, once a royal palace, truly became the people's museum.

Public libraries multiplied, bringing literature to those who couldn't afford books. The Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève's reading room filled with students, workers improving themselves, and women researching topics banned from their formal education. "Knowledge is power," read the inscription above one library door, a Republican motto that promised social transformation through learning.

But cultural democracy had limits. The Académie des Beaux-Arts remained closed to women until 1897, and even then admitted only token numbers. The Comédie-Française maintained rigid hierarchies. Symphony orchestras excluded women except as harpists (considered appropriately "feminine"). High culture's guardians fought to maintain distinctions even as popular culture eroded them.