Musical accompaniment: It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels by Kitty Wells
A French soldier and photographer Léon Busy took a number of autochrome pictures of Vietnamese women in 1915.
The pictures are really lovely! The clothing is so different from Western styles and the colors are brilliant in autochrome. One of the worst aspects of globalization is the eradication of unique cultural elements like clothing and traditions.
I also want to drop a hint that you’ll soon see an enhancement to Old Spirituals. I can’t give the details yet but I’m sure you’ll like it!
old spirituals 
these are beautiful ! it’s otherworldly
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In 1915, Vietnam was part of “French Indochina” that also included Laos and Cambodia. The three countries were united from 1887 to 1954. Noteworthy is that the French used approximately 80,000 Vietnamese men, and some women, during World War I which took place from 1914 to 1918.
There was a dramatic difference between urban Vietnam and rural Vietnam in 1915. The French named a main street in Hanoi after a street in Pais: “Rue Paul Bert,” now identified as Trang Tien Street. Below is a photo of that street circa 1915 and a photo of a “Buffalo girl in a suburb of Hanoi in 1915.” This photos are from hanoitourexpert.com.
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I wonder how the people in Vietnam Laos and Cambodia felt about being broken apart after being together so long. That’s so interesting about Wprld War One! Were they soldiers?
I can’t get to that site but it sounds interesting!
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For some reason the photos didn’t attach. Sorry.
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Yes, they were soldiers. France and Great Britain drafted soldiers from all colonial countries.
In the case of French Indochina, Vietnam was divided into three regions: Tonkin (a protectorate), Annam (also a protectorate), and Cochinchina (a colony). Each region had a different political system during the French period. During World War I, the French had major concerns in French Indochina. Japan, for example, supported a secessionist movement. Nonetheless, conditions in Europe were so bad that France asked Japan for help, even considering the exchange of French Indochina for financial and military support. About 40,000 of the soldiers were from the Annam protectorate.
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Oh this is such a wonderful photo! I know very little about the Eastern Theater in World War One.
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Wasn’t it governed by the French at that time? Their hair and clothing seemed to reflect a more cultured country in those lovely photos.
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I believe you’re right! And Léon Busy was a soldier so that would make sense. He was probably deployed there.
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