A profitable narrative
Fig 1: farewell ceremony of the Panthéon in Paris, 1922. [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TlOSr7zw-4)
The revisions illustrate how propaganda, commemoration, and commerce came together in the Panthéon. The revisions made to the panorama at this late stage were rushed, as the work was nearly completed. The artists were keen to get the work finished, so that it could go on display. The exhibition was officially opened three months before the end of the war and would serve to enhance support and boost morale. Since 1916, exhibitions related to the war had been set up throughout Europe with the aim of bringing the public closer to the men who were fighting to defend their respective countries. The Panthéon can be seen in the same context.
It was also a monument to remember those who lost their lives, and to recognize the sacrifices made by French heroes and their allies. This was in no way a subjective or neutral endeavor. Close neighbors, such as Belgium and Great Britain, were depicted prominently. Non-European states, except the United States, were generally allotted much smaller sections of the panorama. When Russia withdrew from the war after the October Revolution, the artists repainted the Russian section to honor the former alliance and to account for the new political situation.
Propaganda and patriotism aside, the Panthéon was also a commercial enterprise that required a great deal of investment. The raw materials - such as paint, canvas, and the steel armature to support the panorama - didn’t come cheap in wartime, not to mention the salaries of all the artists. An entire new building was erected for the Panthéon, too. The longer it took to complete the work, the more it cost. It was important to open the exhibition before interest in the war started to decline. Between 1918 and 1927 approximately 8 million people would visit the exhibition.
By 1922, interest in the Great War was waning in France, but the Panthéon was still a commercial success thanks to the numerous tourists – especially Americans – who visited the exhibition. In 1927, the Panthéon was acquired by three American businessmen and sent on a tour through the United States. There was an elaborate send-off ceremony in Paris that was to symbolize the strong ties between France and the United States (fig. 1). The painting was slightly altered again to appeal to American audiences. For example, in the lead up to the presidential elections, one of the American dignitaries (Colonel Edward House, Woodrow Wilson’s chief adviser on Europe during the war) was replaced with someone more politically favorable (Myron Herrick, the US ambassador to France).