Voices of Opposition and Support

Not everyone welcomed the idea of a massive iron tower dominating the Parisian skyline. A group of prominent artists and writers, including Guy de Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas Jr., and Charles Gounod, published a scathing letter in Le Temps on February 14, 1887:

"We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, passionate lovers of the beauty of Paris, which has remained intact until now, protest with all our strength against the erection in the heart of our capital of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower."

They called it a "metal asparagus," a "factory chimney," and predicted it would dishonor Paris for generations.

Yet the tower also had its champions among ordinary Parisians. François Dupont, a metalworker in the 11th arrondissement, saw it differently: "The artists live in their beautiful apartments and want Paris to remain a museum. But we who work with our hands, we see beauty in iron and rivets. This tower will show that France leads the world in engineering, and that means jobs for men like us."

The debate revealed deeper tensions in French society about the nature of progress, beauty, and national identity. Should Paris preserve its classical aesthetic or embrace the industrial age? Could iron and stone coexist harmoniously? These questions resonated far beyond the tower itself.