A ‘light-spitter’ lights up the skies
Dominik Landwehr
26. mars 2021
It caused a sensation in 1955 – the Spitlight, a light beam device that could project images onto cliff faces and clouds. But the futuristic device brought no joy for its inventor.
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In the 1870s, a new type of traveller emerged: the globetrotter modelled on Phileas Fogg. The new temporary exhibition at the Château de Prangins follows in the footsteps of thousands of tourists who travelled around the world between 1869 and 1914, most of them from the West and wealthy. Among them were several Swiss men and women who brought back reports, memories and collections of artefacts from their stopovers in Egypt, India, Japan and the USA. The exhibition also shows how travelling the world became a ubiquitous motif in popular culture following the worldwide success of Jules Verne's novel, the original manuscripts of which are on display. Finally, the exhibition looks at the numerous devices devised to enable anyone to travel around the world in an Armchair Tourist without leaving home.
Come and spend some time with us, we propose a large selection of activities for different target groups. A motivated and experienced team is awaiting you.
Guided tours can also be arranged outside of the official opening hours upon request.
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Registration |
2 weeks in advance |
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Duration |
60 minutes; special arrangements available upon request |
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Group size |
max. 25 people per tour |
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Languages |
German, French, Italian and English. Others upon request. |
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Cost |
CHF 120 for the guided tour + CHF 10/person admission Children up to 16 years free. |
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Château de Prangins
+41 22 994 88 90
info.prangins@museenational.ch
Round-the-world Travel. From Jules Verne to the First Globetrotters
Château de Prangins
| 6.4.2025 - 26.10.2025
published on 14.3.2025
In the 1870s, rich travellers began exploring the world for pleasure, by train and ship. In Jules Verne’s famous account, the journey took 80 days. A number of Swiss globetrotters also completed the trip. From 6 April to 26 October 2025 a new exhibition, which developed out of a University of Geneva research project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, showcases the conquest of the globe by tourists.
In the 19th century, an age of industrial revolution and colonisation, the rise of new forms of transport opened up the planet. The development of railways and steamships paved the way for tourists to circle the globe.
This exhibition looks at how round-the-world travel, previously the preserve of adventurers, became accessible to wealthy tourists in search of new and unfamiliar experiences. Jules Verne documented that tourist boom almost in real time in an 1872 novel recounting the extraordinary 80-day odyssey of Phileas Fogg, the two original manuscripts of which are on show at Prangins.
Among the thousands of tourists who travelled round the world between 1869 and 1914 were a number from Switzerland, to whom the exhibition devotes particular attention.
Whether purchasing an all-inclusive package from an agency or leaving things more to chance, the first globetrotters travelled the world – or at least a limited number of locations in the northern hemisphere: London, Paris, Alexandria, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and New York.
Along the way, these well-to-do explorers collected vast quantities of souvenirs, trinkets, postcards, photos and anecdotes. On loan from private collections and public institutions, these objects are the landmarks on an itinerary that extends over two floors at Château de Prangins, with immersive installations evoking the appeal of faraway places. They reveal how, on the cusp of the 20th century, round-the-world travel became an omnipresent feature of popular culture. A wide range of visual devices and literature enabled people to travel the globe without even leaving home.
The exhibition also highlights the historical context in which these globetrotters – drawn from the big colonial powers – set off to conquer the planet and make it their playground. Imperialism, capitalism and technological progress brought the world within their grasp.
By way of an epilogue, a final chapter considers the contemporary relevance of global travel, and invites visitors to reflect on what it means – and what it doesn’t.
Round-the-world travel. From Jules Verne to the first globetrotters came about thanks to a collaboration with the geography department at the University of Geneva and is part of a Swiss National Science Foundation project.
Documents
Images
Tatiana Oberson
Head of Marketing, Communication & Fundraising
Château de Prangins
Château de Prangins
+41 22 994 88 68
tatiana.oberson@museenational.ch
A catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition: La Manie des tours du monde (The mania for world travel). This collaborative work, illustrated with 256 images, tells the story of how the West became enthusiastic about this tourist practice at the end of the 19th century. At the intersection of cultural geography, travel history and visual studies, the book takes a critical perspective on how the world became a tourist attraction and questions the imaginary associated with the practice of globetrotting.
La manie des tours du monde, published by Liénart éditions, 248 pages, 256 pictures, colour paperback.
Price CHF 49.-
ISBN : 978-2-35906-459-9
To order: +41 (0)22 994 88 90
or info.prangins@museenational.ch
or available in the museum shop
- Overall Management Swiss National Museum Denise Tonella
- Management Swiss National Museum – Château de Prangins Helen Bieri Thomson
- Project management Helen Bieri Thomson
- Curatorship Jean-François Staszak, Helen Bieri Thomson
- Co-curators Raphaël Pieroni, Barbara Bühlmann, Marie-Hélène Pellet, Matthieu Péry
- Scientific advisor Lionel Gauthier
- Texts Jean-François Staszak, Raphaël Pieroni, Fabio Rossinelli mit Beiträgen von Julien Beal, Helen Bieri Thomson, Barbara Bühlmann, Marie-Dominique de Preter, Jonathan Fellay, Régis Huguenin-Dumittan, Marie-Françoise Montaubin, Marie-Hélène Pellet, Matthieu Péry
- Texts in Easy language Marie-Dominique de Preter avec l’assistance d’Ines Berthold et la relecture de Catherine Charpié de Pro Infirmis
- Translations Claudia Grosdidier, Alessia Schiavon, Geoffrey Spearing
- Exhibition design Raphaèle Gygi
- Exhibition graphic design Flyingkoenig
- Exhibition furniture Actoform SA, Borella & Fils, Dekomat AG, L’Atelier: Joël Barre, Moderne Metallbearbeitung GmbH, Alder Stahl und Schweiss
- Decorator Nigro & Fils Peinture
- Printing Beecolor SA, Datatype SA, BSR Imprimeurs SA
- Technical management and lighting Philippe Humm, André Schärer
- Technical consultant Werkbüro: Lene Heller
- Marketing and communication Tatiana Oberson, Sylvie Nickbarte
- Advertising graphic design L'ADMP, Nyon
- Cultural services and museum education Marie-Dominique de Preter, Ines Berthold, Luca Berini, Marco Danesi, Noha El Sadawy, Sylvain Frei, Valérie Guillermin, Debra Kinson, Hester Macdonald, Sylvie Nickbarte, Nathalie Pellissier, Alessandro Ratti, Jawad Reddani, Stéphane Repas Mendes, Armelle Rochat, Anouk van Asperen, Anne Vernain-Perriot, Madeleine Wüthrich
- Financial controlOdile Rigolet
- Legal Béatrice Käser
- Reception Véronique Laurent, Elisabeth Ottiger, Anita Racchetta
- Loan services Laura Mosimann, Cristina Kaufmann, Claudio Stefanutto, Samira Tanner
- Film-audio-interview Pasquale Pollastro, Danilo Rüttimann
- IT/Web Alex Baur, Ueli Heiniger, Danilo Rüttimann
- Media stations Alex Baur, Thomas Bucher, Ueli Heiniger, Pasquale Pollastro
- Picture library Andrea Kunz, Fabian Müller
- Photography Jörg Brandt, Felix Jungo
- General management of the Centre of collections Markus Leuthard, Roman Aebersold
- Conservation management Véronique Mathieu
- Conservation and object mounting Iona Leroy, Sarah Longrée, Charlotte Maier, Véronique Mathieu, Gaby Petrak, Ulrike Rothenhäusler, Peter Wyer, Tino Zagermann
- Storehouse management David von Arx
- Depotverwaltung Markus Scherer, Svenja Mülhauser, Milan Tomic
- Logistics and object mounting David Blazquez, Christian Affentranger, Simon d’Hollosy, Reto Hegetschweiler, Aymeric Nager
- Bibliothèques d’Amiens Métropole
- Bibliothèque Municipale de Nantes, Fonds Jules Verne
- Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
- Alessandro Botteri Balli, ARTEF, Zürich
- Fondation suisse des trains miniatures, Crans-Montana
- MAH Musée d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève
- Maison d’Ailleurs, Yverdon-les-Bains
- Musée de la communication, Berne
- Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG)
- Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH), La Chaux-de-Fonds
- Musée du Léman, Nyon
- Musée suisse de l’appareil photographique, Vevey
- Musée de la Vallée, La Sapinière, Barcelonnette
- Museo cantonale di storia naturale, Lugano
- Museum Schloss Burgdorf
- ROTH-Stiftung Burgdorf
- Collections particulières
Für die Hilfe bei unserer Forschung, die gewährte finanzielle Unterstützung und die fruchtbaren Partnerschaften danken wir den folgenden Institutionen und Einzelpersonen herzlich:
Partners
- HEAD - Genève
- Université de Genève
Sponsorship
- Hirzel-Stiftung
- Loterie Romande
- Fondation philanthropique Famille Sandoz
- Association des Ami-es du Château de Prangins
- Fondation Goblet
Individuals
- Alessandro Botteri Balli
- Elio Genazzi, Museo di Valmaggia, Cevio
- Bernard Jacqué
- Antonella Morlacchi
- Eugénie Pereira Couttolenc
- Stéphanie Soubrier