The Alliance Française de Milwaukee was founded in 1918 by Mlle Amélie Sérafon, a professor of French at Milwaukee Downer College, which later sold its buildings to UWM and became part of Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.  Professor Sérafon continued to be involved with the Alliance until her death in 1958 at the age of 90.  She held different leadership positions in the Alliance and was especially interested in programs aimed at sharing the French culture with the Greater Milwaukee community. 

The first meeting, a concert to support French soldiers wounded during the World War I, took place on March 20, 1918.  The original membership consisted of about 30 women from prominent Milwaukee families, and their aims were to sponsor a series of lectures on French topics and to organize a library.  At the beginning, the topics presented dealt mostly with the consequences of the war.  In March 1919, the members discussed presenting a plaque from Milwaukee to Strasbourg to be placed on the site where Rouget de l’Isle composed the Marseillaise, which later became the French national anthem.  In 1920-21, with 64 members, conversation and bridge were added to the program. 

Members were allowed to being guests for a small fee.  In 1936-37, dues were five dollars a year and members of the Alliance enjoyed musical programs and poetry recitals.  Between 1940 and 1946, the focus of the lectures turned once more to war as shown in the title of a December 1942 lecture, “The March to Liberation,” which was presented by Professor Yves Simon of Notre Dame University.

One of the Alliance’s biggest events was the May 1950 visit of James Hazen Hyde, a founder of the Alliance Française in the United States, well-known for the extravagant ball he hosted for which architect Stanford White transformed a ballroom into the Versailles of Louis XVI!

In 1948, the Alliance branched out in a new direction that would prove very fruitful; its members voted to grant prizes to the best students in schools at all levels, and approved a junior membership of $1.00 for students desiring to join.  At that time, also, there appeared more publicity about Alliance meetings in the Milwaukee newspapers.

In the 1960’s, the membership fee was raised to $10.00 and there was growing cooperation with local academic institutions for lecturers and event sponsors even included the Tréteau de Paris!  This partnership with the academic community has been and continues to be an important factor in the development of the Alliance Française.

Highlights throughout the years include a Sarah Bernhardt performance in April 1919, celebrated author of Le Silence de la Mer Vercors (Jean Bruller) in 1946, Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, André Siegfried, François Mitterand, Alain Robbe-Grillet and poet Francis Ponge.  The Alliance has also been proud to host numerous Conférenciers Officiels and faculty members from French departments across the United States.

The development of the Alliance in its present form started in the 1990s under the dynamic leadership of its members, especially Federation Board member Mary Emory.  The Alliance embraced French clubs at various universities and incorporated the Cercle Français and Causeries du Samedi, two local groups dedicated to the French culture and language.  The organization also returned to its fundraising roots, this time to expand the mission of the organization to become Wisconsin’s resource for sharing and experiencing the educational, cultural, professional and social life of the French speaking world.  Erika Eaton began the Cercle d’Or, our annual fundraising event, which attracts members and nonmembers alike to share in the enjoyment of French music, food and wine.

Some Alliance members had given French lessons in their homes, but it was the early 90s when a headquarters was rented where the library could be displayed and classes and meetings held. This soon proved too modest and in January 1998, the Alliance moved to its present site which it has constantly improved and enlarged since. There is now a French Language Center where classes are held for children, teens and adults.  Accessibility and intimate language class sizes encourage camaraderie and confidence.  Beginner groups often follow through the course levels together and, of course, students of all levels are welcomed into the Alliance gatherings and events. In addition to offering French language classes, the Alliance and local French departments have successfully developed courses on the francophone world and its culture.  The Alliance also offers a meeting-place for conversations, a book-ciné club, and a business office to manage the day-to-day needs of the organization.  

The French-speaking community in Milwaukee is very active and provides an authentic French presence at Bastille Days, the largest celebration of Bastille Day in the United States. Visitors to this free street festival are enticed by the scents of Café du Monde-style beignets and French roast coffee to sample French-American food from the Alliance food stand.  Our cultural tent offers visitors mini French lessons, informative cultural displays and a boutique filled with items from French-speaking countries throughout the world.  In 2007, 150 volunteers participated and helped raise more than $50,000 for the Alliance.

Today, the Alliance is responding to the growing population of French-speaking Africans in Milwaukee who desire to have their children be fluent in the French language.  Our most recent Cercle d’Or fundraising event was held in the home of a francophone Togolese doctor and was a fantastic mix of American, European and African people and cultures.

The Alliance truly has become Wisconsin’s best resource for French language and cultural exchange!