If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 781

 

 

 

 

 

The Ballroom, Chateau de Fountainbleau, France

 

Featured on this unused color postcard is the ballroom of the Palace of Fountainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France.  The divided back card with “Editions Epic, Paris, DRAEGER imp..”, printed on the center line on the back.  There is a blurb at the upper left corner on the back in French and English.  The English version:  “Dates from the end of Francis the first-s reign.  Decorated under Henry the second with fresco-paintings (mythological and allegorical subjects) by Primaticcio and Nicolo dell’Abbate.” 

 

Draeger & Lesieur was a French printing business founded by Charle Daeger in 1886.  After his death in 1899 his wife took over the business and changed the name to Draeger Freres or Draeger Brothers.  In 1907 she joined with an American advertising company, Wallace.  The name was then changed to Wallace & Draeger, one of the first communication agencies.  The company reached its peak between World War I and World War II.  In 1954 Draeger joined the Colbert Committee.  The grandson of Charles Draeger, Claude Draeger, then launched Draeger editions.  He published large format books with works by Braque, Salvador Dali, Magritte and Pablo Picasso.  The Draeger-Dali has sold more than 300,000 copies.  In the 1970s the company was acquired by the Gaillard-Motel family.  They began making wallpaper; however, that did not prevent the company from going bankrupt with the publishing activity ending in the 1980s.  The Draeger printing house archives were dispersed in 1990.  The information about the printing firm helps to guess at a date for the card in the 1950s or 1960s,

 

The Palace of Fountainebleau is located about 34 miles or 55 kilometers southeast of Paris.  It is one of the largest of the French castles.  Several French monarchs used it as a hunting lodge and autumn residence.  The earliest royal residence was under Louis VII in about 1137.  Eventually it gradually transformed into a palace filled with art and decoration.  The ballroom shown on the card was created by King Henry II beginning in 1552.  Art work in the form of frescos and oils were primarily done by two artists:  Italian, Francesco Primaticci, (1504-1570), and Italian artist, Niccolò dell’ Abbate (1512-1571). 

 

In 1981 Fountainebleau was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The name was taken from a natural fresh water spring located in the English garden near the château.  In 1622 Henry Peacham (1578-ca 1644), English poet and writer, wrote it “is the purest and fairest fountaine esteemed in the world…”  Because it was far away from the Paris uprisings during the French Revolution it not suffer any significant damage. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Fountainebleau

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_dell%27Abbate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Primaticcio

https://www.rhodesianstudycircle.org.uk/draeger-freres/

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 780

 

 

 

 

13 – LYON – Le Sanctuaire de Fourvière et la Ville, vue prise de la Tour Métallique., ca 1918-1920s 

English:  LYON – The Fourvière Sanctuary and the city, view from the Metal Tower

 

This unused Vintage postcard features an aerial view black & white photograph of the Shrine of Notre-Dame (Our Lady) de Fourviére and the surrounding city of Lyon.  The picture was taken from the landmark metal tower of Lyon.  The card has a divided back and the typical greenish color often found on cards of this era.  The P ND and hot. logo at the lower right on the front and the printer/publisher’s name on the left side margin on the reverse “Aciens Etab. Neudein et cie – imp. Crété Sicc/ Corbeil-Paris.  English:  Formerly Neurdein & Co. – Crété Printing Works, Corbeil-Paris,” help date the card from 1917-18 when the Neurdein photography-postcard company changed ownership, and the 1920s when the new owners retained part of the same name and continued to use Neurdein photographs on the cards.  The perforated left edge of the card indicates it was removed from a set of souvenir cards in a booklet.

 

The shire dedicated to Our Lady at Fourvière has existed here since 1170.  It has always been a popular place of pilgrimage.  There have been several instances when the Virgin Mary is credited with saving the city.  As examples, once during a pandemic of bubonic plague that swept Europe in 1643, again during a Cholera epidemic in 1832, and during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871 when the city was saved from invasion.  Each year in December thanks are given to the Virgin for saving the city by lighting candles throughout the city in an event called the Fête des Lumières or Festival of Lights. 

 

Over the centuries the chapel and other parts of the building have been rebuilt with the most recent major work done in 1852 when the former steeple was replaced by a tower with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary. 

 

The metallic tower was built between 1892 and 1894.  There is a noticeable resemblance to the Eiffel Tower that was built about three years later.  In 1914 when there was an Exposition held in Lyon the tower had a restaurant and an elevator to take visitors up to the top.  It was used as an observation tower until 1953.  Today it is a television tower and is not accessible to the public.  It is the highest point in Lyon at 372 meters or 1,220 ft tall.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Notre-Dame_de_Fourvi%C3%A8re

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallic_tower_of_Fourvi%C3%A8re

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 779

  

 

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 779

 

114- LYON – Monument des Enfants du Rhône et l’entrée de Parc de la Tète-d’Or, ca 1918-1920s

 

This is an unused souvenir Vintage Postcard that was removed from a booklet set of postcards.  It has the typical greenish color on the reverse that was common for the time.  The title in English:  Park of the Head of Gold refers to a legend that says a treasure with a Christ’s head could be buried in the park.  The number 114 and the logo P with ND and (P)hot.. are found at the lower right corner.  The left edge is perforated where the card was removed from the booklet.  On the reverse left side margin is: “Aciens Etab. Neudein et cie – imp. Crété Sicc/ Corbeil-Paris.  English:  Formerly Neurdein & Co. – Crété Printing Works, Corbeil-Paris.  The photography studio of the brothers, Étienne and Antonin Neurdein, established in 1864 was reorganized in 1915. The company was sold after the death of Étienne Neurdein in December 1917 to Imprimerie Crété in Corbeil (1917-1918).  The new owners continued to use the Neurdein plates under the combined names.

 

The monument shown in the picture is known as the Monument to the Children of Rhône.  It is dedicated to the soldiers from Lyon who died during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.  Created by the sculptor Étienne Pagny in 1887 it is located at the entrance to the park.  The monument consists of a bronze statue of a woman with a flag, a trumpeter, and a lion’s head near the inscription.  It stands in front of a stone hemi-circle.  Public subscriptions financed the monument. 

 

This park is the largest urban park in Lyon, France and includes a botanical garden, a small zoo, and a lake.  During the summer there is boating on the lake.  The park also has a velodrome, mini golf, a mini train, equestrian facility and other sports equipment.  It is popular place for joggers and cyclists.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_des_enfants_du_Rh%C3%B4ne

 [Note:  I am leaving this link here with the note that it does not always load.  Try searching for:  Monument des Enfants du Rhône.  There should be an English translation option.]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_de_la_T%C3%AAte_d%27or

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 778

 

 

 

 

 

15 - Troyes, Panorama, France, ca 1910

 

This is a used Vintage postcard with a black and white photograph of the city of Troyes located in the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of northeastern France.  Along the left upper margin, the postcard company is identified as Collection, I.G.  The back of the card is divided.  The handwritten message includes the date:  May 19, 1910.  The message reads:  “Dear Selma, I spent last Thursday in Troyes but found no time to write postals.  Troyes is a lovely large historic city.  The trip was interesting.  I also visited a Lycié- a French state school.  And I am so enthusiastic about it that I would get right into one if I could.  Helas!  I do not know how soon I shall be called home.  I am waiting for letters.  Yours with love, Frieda.”  Note:  Frieda and Selma share the same surname suggesting that they might be have been sisters or cousins.

 

Some prehistoric remains of a settlement in the Troyes area date to as early as 600 BC.  Celtic grave-mounds have been found near the city, and artifacts have been excavated from the city.  During the Roman Empire the city was known as Augustobona Tricassium.  It was a place where highways intersected with Via Agrippa connections to Reims, Langres, Milan, Poitiers, Autun and Oreléans.   

 

By the 4^th century the people had become Christian and the city became a seat of a bishop.  An early cathedral was constructed on the site where the current one stands today.  There was a great fire in 1524 that destroyed much of the medieval city.  However, there are still many half-timbered houses from that time period that have survived.  Because Troyes did not suffer from bombing during World War I or II, it also still has a number of old religious buildings that were built after the fire that are located close to the center of the city.  The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral is the tall structure found in the back center of the photo on the card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troyes