3259 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Peasants of Ardeche in 1970's

3259 Joseph, Noemie and Celestin, paysans d'Ardeche in 1970's

Ardèche is a département in south-central France,  named after the River Ardèche. Picturesque, lush and wild, this département is a tapestry of ancient grey rock, verdant hills and thick forests. Heavily loaded with history and tradition, the sparsely populated Ardèche region is the perfect place to lose yourself in the simplest pleasures that rural France can offer, namely hearty regional fare and untamed beauty. The Ardèche is known in France as "chestnut country", and, for many locals, this anonymous wintertime ingredient holds iconic status. This explains its prominence in so many dishes and the region’s position as France’s leading producer.

3255 FRANCE (Occitania) - The people of Lozère

Located in the region of Occitanie in southern France near the Massif Central, Lozère is the least populated French department, due to its mountainous relief, and to poor soil quality. There is barely any agricultural farming in Lozère, the main activities being cattle farming and tourism. It is one of the few region where the langue d'oc is spoken fluently because it remained an agricultural department, and that people are attached to their roots. And if the Lozériens speak French, it is strongly mixed with Occitan, what some call the patois.

3250 FRANCE (Brittany) - A traditional breton farm

The rural architecture of France has a rich variety, because the farms are the expression of the coexistence of several agrarian civilisation, of the variety of natural environments and of types of farming. In Brittany, specific are the long, low, compact houses, with transverse elements. The house and the farm buildings such as stables and sheds, are built in a row under the same roof in the case of small farms, and under roofs of different  of heights in the case of large farms; the house thus consists of juxtaposed units.

3246 FRANCE - Two elders, one glass, one bottle and one donkey

 

2899, 2900 FRANCE (Île-de-France) - Bouquinistes on the banks of the Seine - part of Paris, Banks of the Seine (UNESCO WHS)

2899 Bouquinistes on the banks of the Seine,
with Notre Dame de Paris in background

The Bouquinistes of Paris are booksellers of used and antiquarian books who ply their trade along large sections of the banks of the Seine: on the right bank from the Pont Marie to the Quai du Louvre, and on the left bank from the Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire. The Seine is thus described as "the only river in the world that runs between two bookshelves". This tradition began around the 16th century with little market peddlers. Under pressure from booksellers, a settlement of 1649 prohibited stalls and the display of books on the Pont Neuf.

2900 Bouquinistes on Tournelle Quai,
with Notre Dame de Paris in background

 

The traditional emblem of the second-hand booksellers is "a lizard looking at a sword" In 1859, concessions were implemented by the city of Paris and the bouquinistes are permitted to be established at fixed points. The openings are from sunrise to sunset. Finally, in 1930 the dimensions of the boxes were fixed. Installed along more than three kilometres of the Seine, the 240 bouquinistes make use of 900 green boxes to house some 300,000 old books and a very great number of journals, stamps and trading cards.

2820 FRANCE (Occitania) - The Bethmale Valley

Bethmale is a commune in southwestern France, in Pyrenees, with only 98 inhabitants (in 2013). Actually Bethmale is the name of a valley (one of the four which form the area named Castillon), that includes six villages, none of which with that name (Arrien, Aret, Samortein, Ayet, Tournac et Villargein). To the valley be noticed houses with stone walls, covered with slate, with gables, and balconies protected by the roof overhang. The bell tower of the church Saint Michael of Ayet, built between 14th and 18th centuries, dominates the valley.

2800 FRANCE (New Aquitaine) - At the well sweep

2800 Landes (Gascogne) - At the well sweep

A well sweep is an device used to bring water up from a well. The materials needed to construct it are wooden poles and a heavy weight of stone or clay. A vertical post, with a Y notch at the top, is mounted near the well hole. On the post is placed a horizontal pole, or sweep, which has the weight at one end, and a long, thin pole with an attached bucket at the other. A person would pull the thin pole and bucket down into the well and fill it with water, and the sweep’s weight would then lift the bucket up.

2792 FRANCE (New Aquitaine) - Sequences of traditional life in La Marche

La Marche is a French historical and cultural region, corresponding to a former province whose capital was Gueret (approximately the modern département of Creuse). The name of Marche means an intermediate zone between two territories, in this case the English Aquitaine under the Plantagenets and the French Berry, but also between Limousin and Auvergne. It first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th century, when William III, Duke of Aquitaine, gave it to one of his vassals, who took the title of count. In 1527 it became part of the domains of the French crown.

2668 FRANCE - A farmer and his span of oxen

It seems that the cattle were first harnessed and put to work around 4000 BC, and the castration of bulls to turn them into oxen have happened at about the same time. A little later, the yoke was invented in Mesopotamia and two oxen could be bound firmly together to pull much heavier plows. Light work required just one pair of oxes, while for heavier work, further pairs were added as necessary. A team used for a heavy load over difficult ground might exceeded nine or ten pairs.

2446, 2447 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Life in Faverger at early 20th century

2446 Faverger - Peasants plowing at early 20th century

Faverges is a commune (since 2016 Faverges-Seythenex) located in south-east of France, in the glacial valley which gave birth to the Lake Annecy. It has a very rich history, that extends until the end of the ice age, when the waters of the lake joined the river Isère and the people settled the lakeshores and sunny slopes. In roman times, the vicus of Viuz was an important stop along the road which ran from Turin to Geneva. In the Middle Ages, pre-industrial metalworks were renowned for their iron and copper tools and jewelry.

2447 Faverger - Mechanical sawmill with steam at early 20th century

Numerous forges were built along the rivers from which they derived some of their energy needs. In 1811, the Faverges castle (built around 1250) was turned into a cotton-weaving factory, thus launching Faverges into the Industrial Revolution. This is a fitting heritage for a town whose name derives from the Latin faber, fabricae (manufacture). Faverges now has several important factories providing some 2,500 jobs, which is remarkable in that the commune has only some 7,000 inhabitants.

2335 FRANCE - Trust can save the future

In 1866, the French priest Abbé Roussel took in care several orphans, who wandered on the streets of Paris. He wanted each child to be welcomed, cared for, taught to read and write, receive a Christian education and have a job, whatever their background or belief. Ten years after, 200 children were educated every year. Since it was difficult to place the youth in education facilities, in July 1871 the priest decided to open his own workshops to teach them a profession. The orphans of Apprentis d’Auteuil was born.

2148 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Eugene B., the innocent from Beaufort

2138 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Lacemakers from Villard sur Doron

Villard sur Doron is a montain village with almost 700 inhabitants, located in Savoie, along the road from Albertville to Beaufort, known in nowadays for the ski resort Bisanne 1500. Traditional basic activities in the region were always agriculture and pastoralism, but in 18th century the women began to make lace, especially in winter, this work bringing sizeable income in the home.

2109-2111 FRANCE (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) - People from Morvan

2109 Morvan - A couple in front of the fireplace
(The Galvachers from Morvan)

The Morvan, the granite heart of  Burgundy,, is a high hills massif lying to the west of the Côte d'Or escarpment, actually a northerly extension of the Massif Central, marked by a dense river network, including many artificial lakes, and by a strong afforestation. The region being poor from agricultural point of view, the inhabitants has been forced to develop associated activities. Thus, alongside the floating timber, two have gradually imposed, becoming emblematic to the area: nourrices morvandelles (wet nurses from Morvan) and the galvachers.

2110 Morvan - A woman in front of the fireplace
(The Galvachers from Morvan)

The galvachers were carters, who used to rent their pairs of oxen to carry heavy transport work, but also hauling or plowing, all requesting service activities a strong pulling power. Traditionally, they leave their villages after planting potatoes (spring) and returned to the Saint-Martin (in autumn). After the Second Empire, the emergence of the railroad initiated the decline of galvachers. The number of migrants have been decreasing gradually until the WWI to then finally disappear.

2111 Morvan - Girls chattering on the grass
(The Galvachers from Morvan)

Often isolated by the snow in winter, Morvanese learnt to live in autarky and to develop an appropriate culture. It has a strong folk musical tradition, using musical ideas from lots of other cultures and combining them to make its own. Since its creation in 1952 by Albert Jaillet, the Folkloric Group Les Galvachers du Morvan pursued to maintain tradition by reviving the folklore of the region. Its members collected songs from the old people, learned old dances, and reconstructed costume by 1780-1880 using traditional methodes.

1979 FRANCE - Chou-Chou, Lolo, Simone and Genevieve at the Lucette's baptism, on June 5, 1932

Since the invention of photography, people have wanted to immortalize the events more or less important of their lives, either to relive them later, or to share them with their loved ones. For the second case, in the first half of the 20th century, the photographic workshops delivered the photos directly in the form of postcards, to be sent to relatives and friends. Not the other, but it was cheaper to send a postcard than a letter.

1902 FRANCE - Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

Founded in 1833 to help impoverished people living in the slums of Paris, the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) is an international Catholic voluntary organization dedicated to the sanctification of its members through serving the poor and disadvantaged. The primary figure behind the society's founding was Frédéric Ozanam (1813-1853), a French lawyer, author, and professor in the Sorbonne. He was 20 years old when the society was founded, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997. The Society took the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Vincent de Paul as its patrons under the influence of Sister Rosalie Rendu, D.C. Sister Rosalie (who was herself beatified in 2003).

1881 FRANCE - Two children

I believe that this is an advertising postcard, issued by La Redoute, a French mail order company, a multi-line retailer specializing in ready to wear apparel and home decor.  It is the 2nd largest seller of women's apparel and the 3rd largest seller of linens in France. The company operates in 26 countries and has more than 10 million active customers. La Redoute was founded in 1837 when Joseph Pollet, son of a rural family, moved to the capital of the French wool region, Roubaix.

1216 FRANCE - La vie est belle

Obviously, the idea of this art photography is based on the contrast between the poster stuck on the wall and the man caught in a moment not so happy, idea illustrated also by the ironic, if not even sarcastic title. Probably that the poster promotes the movie La vie est belle (Life is Beautiful), conducted by Roger Pierre and Jean-Marc Thibault in 1956, the year in which the picture was taken. We don't know why the man is so sad, but the tire supported by the wall suggests that perhaps he has a flat tire. The bottle (of wine, by shape) helps to overcome the moment. As a detail, the car is a light van, a Renault 1000 Kg, introduced by the manufacturer in 1947 and produced, in different versions, until 1965. The photo belongs to Bruwell's Collection.

0781 FRANCE (Brittany) - A women from Pays Bigouden wearing "la brouette"

I wrote a little about Brittany and its pays or bro ("country" in French, respectively Breton) here, but if then it was about a dance from Pays Pourlet, the old woman depicted in this postcard is from Pays Bigouden (in Breton, Ar Vro Vigoudenn). As says Romain, she was photographed on the quay of the harbour of Saint Guénolé, one of the four villages which forms the municipality of Penmarch. The area has distinctive customs and costumes, and during the 19th century local costumes became increasingly elaborate and colourful.

0754 FRANCE (Brittany) - Dance Gwenedour of Pays Pourlet

Once, the Celts formed the largest group of peoples in Europe, covering a huge territory (from Ireland to Asia Minor, and from Iberian Peninsula to the South of Germany), and their contribution to the formation of the majority of the peoples in central and western continent was essential. Brittany (Breizh), previously a kingdom and then a duchy, united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province, is one of the six Celtic nations which have survived until nowadays. It occupies the northwest peninsula of continental Europe in northwest France, and traditionaly was divided into pays or bro ("country" in French respectively Breton). One of these is Pays Pourlet, which spans around the commune Guémené-sur-Scorff, in the area where they speak a breton dialect of low-Vannes type, Pourlet Breton.