Paris, U.S.A

We've all heard of Paris, Texas, the small town northeast of Dallas made famous by Wim Wenders' film. Less well known is that about ten other American towns bear the name of the City of Light.

Victor d’Allant, a French-American ethno-photographer living between Paris and San Francisco, recently visited seven of them as part of his PARIS, USA project. Armed with his digital Leica, he brought back unique testimonies.

” And while the Paris Music Company has long since stopped selling records there, its Eiffel Tower is topped with a red cowboy hat! The one in Paris, Kentucky is only three metres high but it remains a symbol of Bourbon County.

But in Paris, Idaho (barely 500 inhabitants), the Mormon temple has become too large for the small, emptying town. And in Paris, Illinois (8,300 inhabitants), the closure of the broom factory left a gaping hole in the local economy.

” For these small towns were born in the 19th century and carry in their name the memory of a time when America was passionate about the storming of the Bastille and the Marquis de La Fayette, French hero of American independence.

These small towns continue to bear the symbol of Franco-American friendship. Welcome to Paris, Paris, USA.