“The first French empire died on the field of Waterloo in 1815. The Prussian troops and Parisian rebels ended the Second Empire in 1871.”
“But through these and other violent fluctuations in French political life, the real French Empire – the empire of her colonial possessions around the world – grew steadily throughout the nineteenth century.”
“After the first World War, France found herself in command of the most extensive colonial empire in the world: some 47 nations whose official language was French and whose governments were under some degree of obligation to France.”
“To bring these peoples together in the capital city in order to educate the French nation as to the importance of their colonies – this was the primary goal of the Exposition Coloniale et Internationale de Paris.” (Chandler) (It was held May 6 to November 15, 1931.)
“Hawaii’s exhibit at the French Colonial Exposition in Paris … proved to be a most popular feature of the exposition. It was visited by nearly 2,000,000 people who crowded the Hawaii Building so heavily at times that the doors had to be closed.”
“Local residents returning from Paris confirmed other reports that it was a most satisfactory and worth-while effort. In conjunction with this exhibit the Hawaii Tourist Bureau printed 25,000 inexpensive folders in French and English for distribution in Paris.” (Report of the Governor, August 25, 1932)
“Genesis for the idea of a colonial exhibition began in 1912 with a suggestion by the French Minister of Colonies. France was the second largest colonial power at the time behind only Great Britain.”
“Original date of the fair was 1916, but World War I intervened, and before Paris could host a colonial exhibition, the other provinces picked their preferred site, Marsailles, which hosted an exhibition in 1922.”
“But Paris persisted, choosing their location in the Bois de Vincennes. The site also included two islands at Lake Daumesnil and a zoological garden.”
“England did not participate in any significant manner, perhaps due to their recent colonial exhibition in London 1924-5, and neither did Germany.”
“The United States did participate, first time at a European colonial expo, spending $300,000 for its exhibit and six other buildings”. (JPD Econ) “It was the most money the US government ever invested in a world’s fair”. (NY Times)
“The centerpiece of the 1931 fairgrounds on the eastern edge of Paris was an approximate reproduction of Angkor Wat, an enormous Khmer temple in French Indochina.”
“The red-walled palace showcasing Afrique-Occidentale française (French West Africa) had a central 150-foot tower, all loosely based on regional styles and construction methods.”
“Sandwiched between the colonial empires of Portugal and Holland was the house the New York Times dubbed ‘Mount Vernon on the Seine.’” (It was built by Sears.)
“The Times reported that it would ‘occupy a sloping plot on Lake Daumesnil, in the wooded park at Vincennes with the River Seine in the distance. With the outlook over these waters the setting will be not unlike that of Mount Vernon overlooking the Potomac.”
“One wing of Mount Vernon housed an exhibition on the Panama Canal and another on “the Klondike” (Alaska). Outbuildings featured Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and Samoa”
“A postcard sent from the exposition depicts a Hawaiian-themed restaurant, with thatched table umbrellas and kiosks, the smaller of the two selling waffles.” (Lapham’s)
“But the American and other, non-French pavilions were mere side shows compared to the splendor of the exhibits of the French colonies.”
“A circular train, mounted on a narrow-gauge railway, would carry visitors around the Lac Dausmenil, stopping at the foreign pavilions, and finally depositing voyagers at the head of the Grande Avenue des Colonies Françaises.” (Depp)
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