From mid-May to mid-November 1931, Paris hosted an exhibition in the Bois de Vincennes intended to “promote colonial expansion before a mass audience” (Volker Barth). 33 million visitors visit it. Pavilions showcase the colonized territories over 110 hectares. The Colonies Museum (today the National City of the History of Immigration) by architects Laprade and Jaussely perpetuates this vision of a “colonial empire”.
The life-size reproduction ensures the success of the Exhibition: the Angkor temple is reconstructed in real size according to the plans and surveys of Gabriel Blanche. The animation of the pavilions by craftsmen working before the eyes of visitors gives a fun and attractive dimension to the whole.
In order to convince visitors, the poster for the 1931 Colonial Exhibition promised them to travel around the world in half a day. The illustration includes the representation of different types of population, intended to summarize the variety of races and cultures of the colonial world.
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