Collective Memory and the End of Occupation: Remembering (and Forgetting) the Liberation of Paris in Images

This article analyzes images commemorating the liberation of Paris from 10 French daily newspapers to explore how collective memory is displayed in war-related anniversary journalism. The article argues that collective memory of the liberation 60 years after the fact favored conceptions of France as its own heroic liberator, crowding out visual information about the German enemy and French collaborators, and the role of U.S. troops. In addition, the article argues that a lack of detail about when and where photographs were made and journalists’ heavy use of celebration visuals have the potential for influencing future collective memories about a key event in French history.