Paris in the Roaring Twenties

During the 1920’s, Paris was the place to be. The First World War had ended, and people were tired of sadness. They wanted to go out, and had fun : Cabarets and dance place were full all the time ! The French call this period « Les Années folles », traduced « The crazy years » !

At this time, a 19 years-old American dancer named Josephine Baker opened in La revue Nègre at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées. Within weeks she was famous, and jazz was playing in clubs all over the city. The Charleston came from the US with the music, and soon everyone was trying it.

Glamour, Art Deco and the Style of Les Années Folles

Fashion changed fast: women cut their hair short, left the corsets at home and wore shorter dresses ! The French called this look « La garçonne ». In 1926, Coco Chanel showed her little black dress. Until then, black was mostly for mourning. 

The city’s buildings changed too. In 1920’s, Paris hosted the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, and the style we now call Art Déco took its name from it : gold, bold patterns, sharp geometric lines. The Roaring twenties had a French accent. 

Montparnasse and the Lost Generation 

At night, the artists went to Montparnasse. Cafés like La Rotonde were packed with painters and writers : Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Fitzgerald. Many Americans moved to Paris because life was fun and it was cheap for anyone with dollars. 

Back home, things were very different. Alcohol was illegal in the United States, and California’s vineyards were in trouble. French winemakers and traditions helped keep the wine alive. While Paris was celebrating, California wine suffered and France know-how helped. 

Step Into the Era : La Nuit au Musée : A Sip of the Roaring 20’s 

On November 5, you can see this world for yourself. For one night, the Alliance Française de San Francisco and the Francophone Museum become a 1920’s Speakeasy. 

Here is what’s waiting inside :

• A short talk on Prohibition in the Bay Area by historian Rebecca Yerger, who has written the Memory Lane history column for the Napa Valley Register for over 31 years 
• Prohibition-era cocktails and wines and a Francophone buffet 
• A Charleston swing lesson. Don’t worry, nobody cares if you dance badly
• Casino games
• Live jazz and music: Charles Unger Experience at 7:00 PM, then La Gauloise All Stars at 8:30 PM

Come in your finest flapper attire !