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Photos depicting decades of rapid change in Paris have been revitalized in a series of full color images that capture key historical events in the city’s development.
The images range from 1856 to 1937 and show France’s capital in a time of change and development in the form of the industrial revolution, followed by conflicts in World War I and a grim premonition of the Nazi conquest during World War II.
One image shows the Statue of Liberty, under construction in Paris in 1884 – a gift from France to the United States, dated with the date of the United States’ Declaration of Independence – and has since become a globally recognized icon.
Another shows the Third Reich pavilion in Nazi Germany in front of the Eiffel Tower, erected at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair to surpass the Soviet Union – just three years before the Nazis invaded France during World War II.
One picture from 1919 shows the American military police on duty on Place de la Concorde after the war ended and the Treaty of Versailles signed, while another picture shows a derailed train spinning out of a large glass window at Montparnasse station on October 22, 1895.
The driver was approaching the train station too quickly to make up for earlier delays. The accident killed a woman on the street and injured six others. The driver was sentenced to two months in prison and fined 50 francs.
39-year-old colorist Jean-Marie Gillet from the suburbs of Paris brought the breathtaking images to life after transforming a selection of family photos a few years ago.
“I have a particular personal history with Paris, but this city also centralizes my passion for history and culture,” said Jean-Marie. “A lot of things happened here that affected both the rest of France and the world.”
Left picture: 1884 – New York Statue of Liberty under construction in Paris. The statue was donated to the United States from France and consecrated in 1886. Right picture: 1937 – The Third Reich of the Nazis erected a pavilion in front of the Eiffel Tower to surpass the Soviet Union at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris – Just three years before Germany invaded France
1919: American military police deployed on Place de la Concorde at the end of World War I and signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The American expeditionary forces helped the French army along with the British, Canadian and Australian armies to repel German forces from Paris and France
1895: A railway accident at Montparnasse station on October 22, 1985. The train rolled over the buffer stop after the train was late and the driver tried to make up for the lost time. The train crashed through the buffer, crossed the concourse and crashed through the station wall and fell onto the Place de Rennes below, where it stood on its nose. A woman on the street below was killed by falling rocks and six people were injured
1856: A view over central Paris, including the construction of the Pont du Change bridge, with Notre-Dame in the distance. The bridge was built during the reign of Napoleon III. Built and wearing his imperial insignia
Left: 1892 – French tourists visit the Eiffel Tower shortly after it was painted from Venetian red to brown ocher. Right: 1867 – Saint-Jacques Tower, originally built in the 16th century – the tallest building in Paris before the Eiffel Tower was built. The tower is 52 meters high and is all that remains of the former 16th century Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie church after it was demolished during the French Revolution in 1797
1900: The Palais de la Navigation with exhibits on boats and maritime trade at the Paris World Exhibition. The fair was held to celebrate the achievements of the past century and accelerate development into the next. Visited by nearly 50 million people, it featured many technological advances, including the Grande Roue de Paris ferris wheel, the moving sidewalk, diesel engines, talking movies, escalators, and the telegraphone
1935: Café de la Paix, a famous café on the Boulevard des Capucines. It was designed by the architect Alfred Armand, who also designed the InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, where the café is located
1900: A representation of what Paris would have looked like in the Middle Ages, exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris
1918: The children’s office building and the French prisoner-of-war office at 12 Rue Boissy d’Anglas
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