Celebrated as the “City of Lights,” Paris is one of the most famous metropolises in the world. Its history harkens back centuries, beginning with the arrival of the Celtic Parisii nearly two millennia ago. The Parisii specifically settled around a small island within the Seine that would be called the “Île de la Cité.” Over time, the small Parisii community emerged as one of Europe’s major trading hubs, attracting merchants from places as far south as the Iberian Peninsula. Its prosperity eventually drew the attention of the Roman Empire, which had been invading the region amid a conflict remembered as the “Gallic Wars.” Once the Romans conquered the Parisii in the 1st century B.C., they immediately began to redevelop the site as a much larger settlement named the “Lutetia Parisiorum.” Great wealth flowed into the community, leading to a massive wave of construction that expanded its size exponentially. Dozens of magnificent structures soon dominated the local skyline, including theaters, temples, and public baths. Lutetia even entertained a sprawling forum, as well as a spacious amphitheater. Nevertheless, the city’s golden years came to an end when the Roman Empire collapsed throughout the 4th century A.D. Now known as “Parisius,” it soon fell prey to roving bands of hostile Huns and Vikings.

The ancient French then rose to challenge the marauders, with their leader Clovis establishing his seat of power in the city. But when Clovis’ descendants opted to relocate to Aachen decades later, the community once again struggled to protect itself. The raiders were ultimately turned back when a count named Odo defeated them during a siege of the city in the late 9th century. Referred to as “Paris” by this point, the location would only return to political and cultural relevance after the election of Hugh Capet as French monarch in 987. His own royal dynasty would rule over France from Paris over the next four centuries, with two cadet branches—the Valois and the Bourbons—succeeding it for another five. Paris flourished under the reinvigorated French monarchy as well, who sponsored numerous building projects. Indeed, they commissioned the dredging of the Seine for the creation of new neighborhoods and worked to produce a new massive marketplace (Les Halles) in the Île de la Cité. Île de la Cité nonetheless remained the essential “heart” of the city, serving as the location of both the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Palais de la Cité. Furthermore, Paris became protected by a fortress called the “Louvre,” which originally guarded against the English military during the Hundred Years War.

The French kings kept expanding the city for many centuries thereafter, developing important structures like the famed Pont Neuf, the Places des Vosges, and an extension of the Louvre named the “Tuileries Palace.” This cultural importance endured for generations, too, even after King Louis XIV moved his entire court to the Palace of Versailles just beyond the city limits. Indeed, Paris became a bastion for The Enlightenment, which inspired the creation of additional landmarks, including the Place Vendôme, the Places des Victories, and Les Invalides. However, all France had started to suffer from a prolonged economic crisis that fomented discontent toward the French crown. Paris was thus the epicenter for the French Revolution when it erupted in 1789. In fact, the monarchy was abolished in Paris at the height of the event, with the reigning king, Louis XVI, executed on the Place de la Concorde. After years of political instability, Napoleon Bonaparte—a successful revolutionary general from Corsica—seized power as First Consul and then Emperor. While Napoleon fought a series of wars of conquest across Europe, he also fully restored Paris back to France’s capital. He specifically bestowed it with his royal patronage and constructed many new edifices, like the Arc de Triomphe, the Canal de l’Ourcq, and the Pont des Arts.

Paris continued to act as the official French capital in the wake of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, during which time it began to take on much of its present appearance. The most impressive changes occurred during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew, Emperor Napoleon III, who had risen to power following the Revolutions of 1848. Selecting a French official named Georges-Eugène Haussmann, he commissioned a massive building project that sought to transform downtown Paris into what he considered to be a “modern” city. To achieve that goal, Haussman redeveloped entire districts in a unique architectural style known today as “Second Empire.” Paris subsequently remained France’s primary cultural center, even as it was beset by war during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It subsequently hosted two magnificent international expositions—the 1889 Universal Exposition and the 1900 Universal Exposition—that further solidified Paris’ cultural standing among contemporary Europeans. (The Eiffel Tower itself debuted as the central attraction for one of those fairs.) Many intellectuals also moved to the metropolis at the time, making it the birthplace of innovative artistic movements as “Naturalism,” “Impressionism,” and “Cubism.” Paris still embraces its place in the world as a purveyor of culture, hosting countless museums, art galleries, and theaters that attract thousands of visitors every year. Its historic downtown—centered around the Île de la Cité—has even been designated as one of the planet’s most prolific UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

When architect Louis Duhayon first designed Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris years ago, he chose elements of Renaissance Revival architecture to craft its façade. Renaissance Revival architecture—sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance”—was a group of architectural revival styles that dated back to the 19th century. Neither Grecian nor Gothic in their appearance, Renaissance Revival-style architecture drew inspiration from a wide range of structural motifs found throughout Early Modern Western Europe. Architects in France and Italy were the first to embrace the artistic movement, who saw the architectural forms of the European Renaissance as an opportunity to reinvigorate a sense of civic pride in their communities. As such, those intellectuals incorporated the colonnades and low-pitched roofs of Renaissance-era buildings, along with other characteristics seen in Mannerist and Baroque-themed architecture. Perhaps the greatest structural component of a Renaissance Revival-style building involved the installation of a grand staircase in a vein similar to those located at the Château de Blois and the Château de Chambord in France’s Loire Valley. This particular feature served as a central focal point for the design, often directing guests to a magnificent lobby or exterior courtyard. But the nebulous nature of Renaissance Revival architecture meant that its appearance varied widely across Europe. Historians today thus often find it difficult to provide a specific definition for the architectural movement.  

However, Duhayon incorporated Art Deco design aesthetics, as well. Art Deco architecture itself originally emerged from a desire among 20th-century architects to break with reigning precedents that called for finding architectural inspiration in historical examples. Professionals within the field instead aspired to forge their own design principles, hoping that the new ideals would better reflect the technological advances of the modern age. Historians today thus consider Art Deco to be a part of the much wider proliferation of cultural “Modernism” that first appeared at the dawn of the 20th century. Art Deco as a style specifically became popular in 1922, after Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen submitted the first blueprints to feature the form amid a contest to develop the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune. While his concepts did not win over the judges, they were widely publicized nonetheless. Architects in both North America and Europe soon raced to copy his format in their own unique ways, giving birth to modern Art Deco architecture. The international embrace of Art Deco had risen so quickly that it was even the central theme to the renowned Exposition des Art Decoratifs in Paris a few years later. Architects the world over fell in love with Art Deco’s sleek, linear appearance, which was further defined by a series of sharp setbacks. They also adored its geometric decorations that featured such motifs like chevrons and zigzags. But in spite of the deep admiration people felt toward Art Deco, interest with the style gradually dissipated throughout the mid-20th century. Many examples of Art Deco architecture still survive today though, with some of the best residing in places like New York City, London, and Paris.

Mistinguett, well-known actress and singer from the early 20th century, best remembered for the song “Mon Homme.”
Maurice Chevalier, entertainer known for such songs like “Livin’ in The Sunlight,” “Valentine,” and “Louise.”
Josephine Baker, celebrated American-French icon from the Jazz Age and renowned Civil Rights leader.
Ray Charles, musician who pioneered American soul music and created countless chart-topping singles.
Ernest Hemingway, author known for writing such books like A Farwell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea. 
Joseph Kessel, writer known for such works like Belle de Jour, The Night of Generals, and The Horsemen.
Walt Disney, legendary animator and founder of The Walt Disney Company.
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel, influential fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand.
Bernard Montgomery, one of the most prominent and successful British commanders during World War II.
Ho Chi Minh, revolutionary who led various Vietnamese independence movements throughout the 20th century.
David Ben-Gurion, 1st Prime Minister of Israel (1955 – 1963)
Golda Meir, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (1969 – 1974)
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1940 – 1945; 1951 – 1955)
King Farouk I of Egypt (1936 – 1952)
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (1953 – 1961), and Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II. 

Josephine Baker: Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906, Josephine Baker would rise to become one of the most renowned entertainers in the 20th century. Her parents, Carrie McDonald and Eddie Carson, were both amateur performers themselves, who traveled across the Midwest to appear in a number of vaudeville productions. While neither of their careers ever became well-known, they left a profound impact upon Baker nonetheless. Her parents would regularly bring the young girl on stage, where she would dance before large audiences. Her father eventually left the family though, forcing Baker to find odd jobs to help support the family. But the allure of the stage never weakened for her, and she ran away from home to join an African American theater troupe when she was just a teenager. Over the next several years, Baker would journey around the United States, appearing first in comedic skits and then concerts once the troupe split apart. She soon found her calling as a dancer, using her wit and humor to enchant countless spectators throughout the country. But despite being such a huge draw at the time, Baker had to perform in front of segregated crowds—a terrible experience that stayed with her forever. She soon wed several men as well, including Willie Baker, whose name she kept. (Another husband, Jean Lion, granted Baker her eventual French citizenship.) Unlike many other women of the era, Baker had no trouble establishing her own financial independence and could freely leave a relationship if it began to turn toxic.

Nevertheless, Baker pushed ahead with her acting career, moving to New York City amid the Harlem Renaissance before heading across the Atlantic to Paris. Initially finding a home at the La Revue Nègreclosed, she soon made a name for herself after starring in La Folie du Jour at the Follies-Bergère Theater. Baker began performing at many other sites all over Paris, too, including the popular Le Royal Monceau hotel along the Avenue Hoche. The socially progressive Parisian society in turn received Baker’s performances with great enthusiasm, which made her one of France’s most popular starlets. She became especially renowned for her eye-popping dance routines, particularly a set that involved her wearing a costume of more than a dozen bananas. Her talents also earned her roles in two European films, Zou-Zou and Prince Tam-Tam. Baker was even one of the most photographed female entertainers in the world, alongside the likes of Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford. But she was an incredibly brave woman as well, who used her aptitude for acting to fight injustice worldwide. Baker joined the French Resistance in World War II for instance, working as a spy to help undermine the Nazi military forces that occupied Paris after the Battle of France. She constantly heard German officers talk about military secrets during her performances and she subsequently passed along the information to Allied operatives within the city. At great peril to her own safety, Baker scribbled everything she heard on the back of music sheets with invisible ink.

Baker also emerged as a vocal opponent to racial segregation in the United States, returning to fight the institution once the Second World War had ended. With her newfound star power, Baker forced club owners to desegregate their facilities by refusing to perform on-site if such a policy remained in place. Her vocal opposition soon earned her the praise of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), making her one of the central figures of the African American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, she was even one of the few people allowed to speak at the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Baker continued to perform on stage for the rest of her life, hosting shows at such renowned facilities like the illustrious Carnegie Hall. But unlike earlier in her career, Baker received great praise from the crowds of an increasingly desegregated America. So when the audience at Carnegie Hall gave her a huge welcome, she wept on stage. Her final show occurred in April of 1975 at the Bobino Theater in Paris. A tribute to her career, the show featured a variety of acts that had originally made her a household name at the start of the century. The sold-out crowd even featured many well-known luminaries, including the likes of Sophia Loren and Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco. Those in attendance were so stunned by her part in the event that they gave Baker a standing ovation when the show concluded. Unfortunately, Baker passed away four days later due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Josephine Baker has since been remembered as being among the most prolific entertainers in French history, as well as a central figure in the international fight for modern equality.