Asian Umbrellas and Fans on Casa Bruno Quadros

Although this façade was shown here in the past, I think last time I didn't feature it in all its splendor. I had an old lousy camera and the size of the picture was not the right one. This used to be an umbrella shop located in the ground floor of Casa Bruno Quadros (1891 - 1896 by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, the oldest of all modernista architects) more than a century ago at Rambla de Sant Josep, 82 right in front of La Boqueria. Imagine a wide road full of cafes with their attractive canopies, carriages drawn by horses, errand boys rushing, maids in aprons, workers wearing sided berets, elegantly dressed gentlemen walking with arrogant gait at the rhythm of their sticks and beautiful ladies showing off that brand new umbrella that had just arrived from Paris. Modernity, innovation came from neighboring industrialized countries. Wealthy members of the Catalan society felt more identified with cultural external influence. It happened that at a given moment, there was this sudden urge for everything Asian during and after the 1888 Universal Exhibition thus the oriental fans and umbrellas or the Chinese dragon on the very corner of the facade which clearly mismatch the Egyptian decoration of the house.

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