In a break from the emerging traditions of 19th century international exhibitions, the organisers of the Paris Exposition Universalle of 1867 decided to award prizes not just for the usual array of machinery, products, and the arts, but also for the treatment of workers. Judges were to be interested in organisations that “developed a spirit of harmony among all those co-operating in the same work, and have provided for the material, moral and intellectual well-being of the workmen.” Such an innovation was a controversial departure, and was mocked in some sections of the press, largely on the grounds that such matters were impossible to objectively measure, rendering the whole attempt a futile and misguided endeavour.
The indefatigable Frederic Le Play, the Executive Commissioner for the Exposition Universalle, ensured that this project was brought to fruition, and in doing so now provides us with insight to how employment conditions were valued and assessed in an internationally comparative manner. The Exposition’s approach included an elaborate scoring matrix, where the 25 judges – drawn from 15 nations or regions – each graded the entrants out of 820 points.
Potential entrants from Britain had to complete a survey with 62 questions, and have their responses authenticated by two magistrates, yielding us further data on employment practices in the 1860s. Together there were 102 submissions, ranging from the entrepreneur Titus Salt with his 3,000 employees at Saltaire, to the small Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, promoting the arts and sciences in the community of Falmouth.
No British firms gained prizes. The British committee determined that the awarding of medals and money for excellence in welfare was dangerous, so refused to submit evidence, complaining that “noisy pushy persons, in a spirit of self-glorification, pressed their claims,” thereby illustrating from the outset the risks of competitions linked to employment practices.