French Architecture in the 19th century

After the French Revolution, and under Napoleon, there followed the ‘Empire’ phase in French architecture, when inspiration was derived from Pompeian, Greek and even Egyptian sources (see Empire style). During the middle years of the 19th century France experienced the ‘Gothic Revival’ and the ‘Free Classic Revival’, though still retaining some of her native architectural tradition and an experimental interest in the use of new materials such as iron (for instance by Henri Labrouste).

Towards the close of the 19th century France began to take the lead in Europe in developing both steel and reinforced-concrete construction, forms of building which soon began to revolutionize its architecture, notably in the work of Gustave Eiffel and Auguste Perret.

For French architecture of later periods, see French architecture.