An American Season at the Chateau de Versailles

1776-2026: An American Season, a commemoration of 250 years of friendship between France and the United State, has just kicked off, and will remain on the château’s calendar of events at least through early 2027. 

The Declaration of Independence may have been signed on July 4, 1776, but without the subsequent help and support of the Marquis de Lafayette, King Louis XVI and others in the French court, aided by the diplomatic charm and savvy of Benjamin Franklin, America’s ensuing battle for liberty would likely have been in vain. 

Benjamin Franklin arrived in Paris on December 3, 1776, dispatched by the Continental Congress to seek financial and military assistance from France. He settled in Paris, where he immediately became a local celebrity, among the noblesse and the people alike. 

Franklin’s French diplomatic counterpart was the Comte de Vergennes, King Louis’ minister for foreign affairs, who had been delegated to conduct negotiations on behalf of France. Both sides collaborated — in Paris as well as in Versailles — to find a common strategy that could effectively impede the expansionist aspirations on land and sea of their common enemy: Britain. 

It took a bit more than two years, but on February 6, 1778, with the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, and the Treaty of Alliance, the Kingdom of France and the United States of America became brothers-in arms against the British.  

On March 21, 1778 Franklin and other members of the American delegation traveled to Versailles to be presented to the King by Vergennes. They waited in the Salon de l’Oeil de Boeuf before being formally received in the Grande Chambre du Roi by King Louis himself who presented them with a note of goodwill for congress. (At the moment both of these spaces are being refurbished but will be reopening in September.) 

It took 13 years from the signing of the Declaration of Independence until George Washington was finally sworn in as the first president of the new, independent American republic. 

What happened in between

On the first morning of the June heatwave, I traveled out to Versailles for a preview of what was in store. I’d sum up my impressions as follows: Boy, have I forgotten a lot! Wow, I never knew that! Hmm, they’ve done a good job here! And that was without revisiting the rest of the chateau or the gardens, which I know would have been even more revelatory. My focus was on two new installations. 

The Apartment of the Captain of the Guards 

On July 4, 2026, the historic Apartment of the Captain of the Guards reopened as a gallery showcasing the key French and American players and historical events during the struggle for American independence. There are three rooms with three themes: 

On July 4, 2026, the historic Apartment of the Captain of the Guards reopened as a gallery showcasing the key French and American players and historical events during the struggle for American independence. There are three rooms with three themes: 

• France and America under the Ancien Régime. The two countries had been on friendly terms well before the breakout of the war for independence. In the first room a bust of Benjamin Franklin stands adjacent to a portrait of the Comte de Vergennes. 

• Military Figures and Campaigns during the War The second room focuses more on the military than the diplomatic. Two figures that everyone will recognize are the Marquis de Lafayette and General George Washington. 

• From One Revolution to Another: The final room also includes a portrait of Washington, but this time, as the new President of the United States of America. Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789. Ironically, less than three months later on July 14, 1789, the Bastille fell, sparking the French Revolution and the end of the Ancien Regime. 

The exhibition will move to larger, permanent quarters in 2027/2028. 

The Light of Liberty 

On a less scholarly note, what better way to go behind the scenes and become a first-hand witness to history than through a mixed-reality digital experience — particularly for the younger generation? At la Lumière de la Liberté  in the Pavillion d’Orléans, visitors don headsets to meet and interact with the Marquis de Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin, King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and even her pug dog. Step onto the crow’s nest of a French frigate sailing across the choppy waters of the Atlantic, gaze out over the Battle of Yorktown as it unfolds, hold a replica of the flintlock pistol that Lafayette presented to Washington, pick up a baton and conduct a chamber ensemble. 

Lafayette’s inspiring words of farewell to visitors could not be more timely and à propos, “May the light we inherit be the light we pass along.” 

Running until January 31, 2027 

How to get to Versailles