The most important metal-and-glass structure of the 19th century, the Palais des Machines dominated the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition, whose complex of structures included Eiffel's famous tower. Designed to proclaim the modernity and industrial strength of France, the gallery occupied almost the entire width of the Champ de Mars. Its elegant span exceeded that of any previous building and its curtain walls, while anticipated in the great railway sheds of the era, were the largest of the 19th century.

In this monograph Stuart Durant examines the Palais des Machines in the light of its precedents and the career of its designer, and Angus Low concludes with a structural appraisal of this powerful symbol of industrialization. The book re-establishes the true significance of the building, demonstrating its interaction between the thinking of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and technological innovations of the period.