Art - Goût - Beauté, Feuillets de l' élégance féminine, Mai 1931, No. 129, 11e Année, p. 34 1931

This is a page from the magazine "Art - Goût - Beauté, Feuillets de l'élégance féminine," May 1931, photographed by Henri Manuel. Published during the height of French colonialism, it reflects the era’s complex relationship with race, culture, and identity. The juxtaposition of ethnographic photography and text constructs a narrative around the colonial exposition. The page discusses delegations from the five corners of the world which will bring their artisans and artists to France to enrich the souls of those witnessing. It insists that the exposition at Vincennes will be unlike those that came before it. The page speaks of unity through the fraternal association of all races regardless of their level of civilisation. The emotional resonance comes from the underlying tension between the promise of unity and the reality of colonial power dynamics, shaping our understanding of identity and cultural exchange during this period.