The great staircase of the Palais Garnier was designed both to look at and to be seen. In the 19th century, bourgeois went to see a show for entertainment but also and above all to make a good impression. That is why the architect, Charles Garnier, fitted the staircase with numerous lights to showcase people who took it. But he also had balconies built all around allowing them to observe the comings and goings of the high society more or less discreetly.
Garnier used marbles of different colors to ornate the architecture, creating an opulent decoration for his building.
