Color Galore in the French Colonial Empire

Abstract Léon Busy (1874–1951) was an amateur photographer mostly known for his autochromes made in French Indochina for Albert Kahn’s multimedia collection “Les Archives de la planète” (Archives of the Planet). In addition to being an operator for Kahn, this article casts light on a less studied part of Busy’s life: his engagement with the French government of Indochina as of 1921. He exhibited his autochromes at the colonial exhibitions in Marseille (1922) and Paris (1931) and also served as head of the photographic section of the Office indochinois du Tourisme et de la Propagande (Indo-Chinese office of tourism and propaganda). This article provides an insight into my current research project and intends to demonstrate Busy’s instrumental role in producing colonial propaganda in color for the French government.