The Ducal Palace, Nevers, France, ca 1906 to 1915
The two unused postcards shared this week were part of a
booklet set, consecutively numbered 6 and 7, found at the lower left. The title centered at the bottom and the
publishing house identified by the logo, letter P with ND in the middle and “hot.”
under the top part of the letter P [ND Phot.]. The
cards have divided backs and the typical greenish color common on vintage cards
from France. Not visible on the card are
the fine perforation marks along the left margin where the cards were removed
from the booklet set. These two black & white postcards feature the city of
Nevers and the Ducal Palace.
The Ducal Palace seen on the first card served as the residence castle of the counts and dukes of Nevers in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is on the list of French historic monuments for 1840. Built on a hill where an old fortress used to be, it is considered the first of the Loire castles. It has been rebuilt and restored more than once during the intervening years. The restoration project in the 1980s provided space for a town hall that included the mayor’s office and council chamber. There are also a tourist office, exhibition halls, a reception area, a permanent exhibition on the history of the city, and an aquarium featuring Loire fish. Pieces of 14th century artillery were found during the restoration in 1988.
Nevers, France, General View, ca 1906-1915
The general view of the city of Nevers is featured on the second card. Nevers was first named Noviodunum and later Nevirnum by the Romans. In 52 BCE Julius Caesar used this convenient position on the banks of the Loire River as a depot. As a result, medals, coins and other Roman Antiquities have been found on the site. At the end of the 5th century, it became a seat of a Roman Catholic bishopric and it still is today. Charters were obtained by the citizens in 1194 and 1231 and for a brief period the town was home to a university. In 1565 the town became the seat of a branch of the Gonzaga family. The Gonzaga Dukes of Nevers died out in 1708. A number of products, such as porcelain, agricultural implements, glue, iron goods, boots, shoes, fur garments plus other things, are produced in the town which support the economy.
We can estimate the date to between 1906 and 1915 when the company was using the ND Phot. Logo; although, it is possible it was reprinted after the company combined with L.L. but continued to use the old logo.
Logo of the Neurdein postcard company
The photographer, Étienne Neurdein (1832-1918), established his business in 1864 and began publishing postcards in 1875 under the name Neurdein et Cie. His brother, Louis-Antonin Neurdein (1846-1914), joined him in 1885 and together they owned and ran the company now called Neurdein Frères. By 1906 they were using the ND Phot. logo. Lévy and Letellier (L.L.) acquired existing Neurdein postcard plates and continued to offer them under the Neurdein ND logo but also under the L.L. logo. In 1915 the name changed to Neurdein and then from 1916 to 1918 it was Neurdein & Cie. The French government began funding the production of Algerian images to promote colonial tourism and private investment. The cards had views of major cities and types and costumes of the local people. Emile Crété acquired both companies in 1920 and published some cards under both ND and L.L. Then in 1932 the joint company was further consolidated by Compagnie des Arts Potoméchaniques (CAP) although it remained at the same address.*
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_ducal_de_Nevers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevers
https://www.archnet.org/authorities/9539
* * * *
*[see also Reference: Rebecca J. DeRoo “Colonial Collecting: French Women and Algerian Cartes Postales” in Postcards: Ephemeral Histories of Modernity, David Prochaska, and Jordana Mendelsohn, eds. (State College, Penn., Penn State University Press, 2010), 159-71]
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