The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris from April 28 to October 30, 1925, is notable for giving birth to the name, representing a signature event in the artistic movement, which has come to be called "Art Deco." As unusual as the Exposition was it left no permanent structure, yet may have produced a greater legacy than any other international exposition - it also produced many items of philatelic interest. Among those were a series of six stamps and a postal card, collectively represented by four designs each the work of a different artist. Postal markings included a slogan cancel used outside of the Exposition, a circular date stamp used at the Exposition Post Office, and a hand-stamped registration label.

An international exposition to showcase French talents in the decorative arts had been planned prior to World War I, but approval and final plans did not take shape until 1923. The government decided to fund the Exposition through a revenue bond issue, rather than provide public funds, and the slogan cancel may have been introduced to help draw attention to the planned Exposition and to sell bonds. The focus of this study is the slogan cancel, distinguished not only for its long period of use, but also by the varieties described here.

The introduction of the slogan cancel nearly two years prior to the Exposition is, in itself, unusual. Its more than two years of utilization ultimately became important in attracting visitors. The following table summarizes the post offices using this cancellation and the ranges of dates from examples in my collection and other observations.

The Exposition slogan cancel was applied by an International Machines mechanical obliterator, and Nouazé (1990, page 46) indicates that such publicity slogans were introduced in 1922. The entire cancel, including the circular date stamp, is approximately 83 mm long and 26 mm high. The double-ring circular date stamp is 23.5 mm in diameter and is separated from the boxed slogan by approximately 9 mm (that measurement is difficult owing to a strong tendency for over-inking at both margins). The slogan is enclosed in a 44.5 mm by 26 mm rectangle, with seven horizontal lines extending 6.5 mm to the right. Although the overall dimensions and framing of the slogan do not appear to differ among these post offices, two major and several minor consistent differences exist. The first two of these are distinguished by the size of lettering. Examples from the Paris, Recette Principal Depart are characterized by lettering approximately 2.5 mm in height, whereas all others exhibit lettering that is approximately 2.8 mm.

States of the accent mark in DÉCORATIF are more highly variable and offer the possibility of recognizing post offices from individual cancelled stamps. Most commonly (Paris R.P. Depart, Saint Roch, Marseille Gare) the accent mark is a short, inverted triangle or trapezoid that is inclined to the right. Nonetheless, examples from those post offices indicate that the accent marks in the Paris R.P. Depart and Marseille Gare cancels nearly touch the top of the E, whereas the accent in the Saint Roch examples is approximately 0.6 mm above the E.

Although perceived shapes of accent marks are influenced by the frequently heavy inkings, the accent in the cancel at Rue Jouffroy is narrower and more nearly vertical than the previous three, and the single example from Toulon suggests a circular upward termination. The most distinctive variant, however is that used at Rue la Boëtie, which lacks the accent mark.

There is never a guarantee that a study such as this will be exhaustive, and I invite comments from readers concerning additional dates of usage, post offices, and varieties (e-mail tomwb50@aol.com).

Reference
Nouazé, Y. 1990. Le Guide de l'Oblitération Mécanique; La Philatélie, Française, Etude No. 7, Editions G.I.P., Paris

NOTE
Figure 2. The DÉ of respectively, Saint Roch, Marseille Gare, Paris R.P. Depart, Rue Jouffroy, Toulon.