Olympics in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower - literally and figuratively.

After a successful launch in Athens in 1896, the second and third games of the modern era - in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904) respectively - were both overshadowed by the World's Fairs held in those cities at the same time. This compilation of American films (from the Edison and American Mutoscope & Biograph companies) of both events makes this clear. Note the amount of time spent at the games compared to the engineering marvels of the age, and the contrast between the thronging crowds at the expositions and the half-empty stands for the sprinting and hammer-throwing events seen here.

Scenes of the Exhibitions at Paris, 1900, and at St Louis, 1904 and of athletics in the USA (possibly the 1904 Olympics). The items appear to have been compiled mainly from the Paper Print Collection of the Library of Congress.