Plan de L ‘Exposition Coloniale [Title on Front]

A celebration of global empire from the early 1930s.

Held in the outskirts of Paris for approximately six months in 1931, L ‘Exposition Coloniale “was the last international world’s fair exclusively devoted to the celebration of international colonialism” (Morton). Major participants (in addition to France) included the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan – each creating pavilions, hosting natives, and highlighting the extent of their respective overseas empires. The civilizing power of the Western world, notably excluding Germany and including Japan, was a central theme.

This uncommon souvenir map was compiled by the Louvre Department Store (Les Grandes Magasins du Louvre) and printed in Lavallois by the Societe Indrestrielle D’Imprimerie in 1931.

One side shows a plan of the Bois de Vincennes, east of Paris, and the grounds of the exposition. Major buildings are illustrated and labeled, with connecting transportation lines highlighted in red. These are expounded upon on the map of Paris found on the verso. The Louvre is displayed prominently in the center, amid a complex network of bus and metro routes.

Source.