I found this photo almost a year ago and since Mardi Gras had already passed I filed it away until this year. I thought it would make an awesome Mardi Gras collage.
When I pulled it back out last week and scanned it I was able to get a clear close up of the words written at the bottom of the woman on the right hand side's dress. I had always assumed the origin of the photo was France, but it's not. The words say, "Grand Ball of the Philharmonic Society of Hanoi". Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina from 1887 to 1954. The French occupied Vietnam until after WWII. During the years of 1901 through 1911 the French built an opera house that was a smaller scale copy of the Palais Garner, one of Paris' famous opera houses. That is now called the Hanoi Opera House.
I wonder where the Ball was held? Was the photographer set up at the ball to take everyone's photos? I bet everyone was so excited to be getting the Opera house which would remind them of home. It's a very cool piece of French Colonialist history. The lady in the Mardi Gras dress is named Madame Laurent and I can not clearly read her "Queen of Spades" girlfriend. I will post the names in case one of you can:)
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