This vintage postcard cutie is serious about the news. This newspaper hat was folded using Le Matin (The Morning). The first issue was hot off of the press in 1884. Newspapers were much shorter in that era. They were typically 4-6 pagers.
This morning daily would have cost a whopping 5 cents. Le Matin was known for its catchy tone and brave reporting. The French language was beginning to be anglicized in print more and more. Le Matin was the first newpaper in France to print the words jazz orchestra and jazband in 1918. (jaz with one z!) They were quite the trend-setters.
Here is a Matisse from his Jazz series!
Are you new to this blog? Catch up with some of my most popular articles:
Vintage Bathing Beauties
French Giraffe Mania
Cabaret Queen - Moulin Rouge
Moby Dick gets stuck in the Seine
The French Newspaper 'Le Matin' Vintage Postcards
Maya the Bee Vintage Postcards
Raise your hand if you know who Maya the Bee is! This buzzing cartoon starlet is pictured on this retro postcard.
The animated series has been translated into different 41 languages. But she is especially beloved in Germany where she is known as Biene Maja. The cartoon first appeared on German television in 1976. It has remained a broadcasted fixture to this day! Every German child can sing you the lyrics. Maya is an inquisitive, adventurous and flighty young honeybee who stumbles upon new adventures and forest friends in each episode.
An English dubbed version of the series was shown on Nickelodeon for two short years. The show was canceled fairly quickly. This buzzing beauty just never caught on! Here's your chance to become enamoured through vintage postcards and youtube.. Bee Click Happy! These links are the theme songs of this show. The tune in English is very different from the German and French.
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Bee-ing Corsican Vintage Postcards
The pesky growing Roman Republic imposed a whopping tax of 65 tons of beeswax on the Corsicans in In AD 173.
Candle wicks were made from the plinth of harvested reeds and this waxy imposition. Roman official wax seals were also made from this Corsican raw material. This imposed tax shows how important honey production has always been to this craggy country.
The honey has a very characteristic flavour due to the 2800 flower varieties that are only found on this scented island. Napoleon was an outright honey snob. He relished in the experience of spreading this sweet gold onto his bread. He only found Corsican (his native land) honey palatable!
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Peanutbutter cheese Vintage Postcards
This lovely goat herding vintage postcard siren would like you to try a true Corsican delicacy. This cheese was banned in France for being too ripe, stinky, and putrid. But you are adventurous and enjoy trying new and exotic things, right? U casgiu merzu translates as 'rotten cheese.' One leaves a nice fresh goat cheese in open air during the 'ripening' process.
The idea is to attract as many flies as possible. The cheese becomes a cradle for eggs and the maggots which will aid the cheeses eventual fermentation process. A true U casgiu merzu may writhe with life for up to ten years before consumption. It has the consistency of peanut butter and is best... left to the locals. Yuck!
Moral: Don't trust lascivious goat herders who offer you cheese! Stick to collecting vintage poscards. The smell won't haunt you for the rest of your days.
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How to be a Corsican Latin Lover - Vintage Postcards
Tino Rossi was a gifted Corsican singer with an operatic voice and a Latin lover persona. His romantic ballads certainly had women swooning. This 'chanteur' from Ajaccio was utterly beloved in the early 1930's.
Here is a lovely youtube video. Click away for a pleasant musical surprise. I was enthralled by his humour, charm, and voice as he sings 'Tschi- Tschi'.
President Francois Mitterand honored Mr. Rossi with the Legion of Honneur for his contribution to France and French culture. After you have watched the video you'll understand why!
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It's Thyme for Vintage Postcards
The cuisine of Corsica (Corse) combines Mediterranean with pastoral mountain flavours. The most celebrated dish is a thick and meaty wild boar stew. The Corsican wild Boar or sanglier is smaller than it's mainland counterpart.
They are shy bristled creatures who roam the rocky landscape grazing on myrtle, thyme, rosemary, chestnuts and lavender.
Corsica is often called the scented Isle because of the sprawling mass of aromatic bushes. I would love to sop up the this stews delectable gravy with crusty Corsican bread!
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Jesus used a Pacifier Vintage Postcards
A painting of the Madonna and Child in 1506 by Albrecht Durer shows a rag bag pacifier which was used throughout Europe and in Russia. Strips of cloth rags were knotted around foods like bread, grain, meat or fish. In Finland a big hunk of fat was used. These bags were moistened with liquids like milk, brandy or laudanum (an opium and alcohol mixture), or contained poppy seeds. 
In London in the 1600's 'teething' was listed as the leading cause of infant deaths. Wealthy mothers used silver spoon to ease gum pain. That's of course where the expression,'He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth,' derives. Candles, licorice sticks, carrots, and crisp bread crusts were more commonly used.
When rubber was developed in the last century, the Pacifier, Binky, Nooky, Soother, Dummy, Noo noo as we know it today was born!
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Victor Hugo Likes Vintage Postcards
It's Mother's day? Pardon? The French who are famed for always being late celebrate two weeks after the rest of the world! Soooo... Bonne Fete des Mères. Here's a bouquet for you Mom!
Victor-Marie Hugo's writing often reflected a passionate devotion to his Mother. She had described the newborn Victor as being 'no longer than a knife.' He was a fragile and tiny preemie who wasn't expected to live through the week. Apparently a coffin and a cradle were ordered simultaneously from the carpenter. Hugo himself wrote that he was loved back to life by his obstinate mother. The care lavished on the sickly baby made him 'twice the child.'
Later in life he wrote this about his birth:Already Napoleon was emerging from under Bonaparte.
And already the First Consul's tight mask
Had been split in several places by the Emperor's brow.
It was then that in Besancon, that old Spanish town,
Cast like a seed into the flying wind,
A child was born of mixed blood -- Breton and Lorraine --
Pallid, blind and mute,...
That child, whom Life was scratching from its book,
And who had not another day to live,
Was me (and I love vintage postcards).
Lucky Sooty Vintage Postcards
But, don't touch my dress with your sooty hands! If you happen to meet a chimney sweep on your wedding day you'll be bestowed with good luck, health, and happiness throughout your life. This belief and tradition dates back to the 17th century. The relationship between marriage and the hearth (home) may be the explanation.
Nowadays, you can even employ a sweep to attend your wedding! They are for hire and itching to drink bubbly and eat sumptuous finger food at the reception! The sweep will probably not be as darling as this little vintage postcard friend.
It was also commonly considered lucky to see lambs, toads, spiders, and rainbows on the way to the wedding, but I'm not sure why. It might not hurt to have a few of these running around on the big day for extra insurance. The toad might eat the spider though. The lamb might accidentally step on the toad. Oh no! I think that it is lucky to have vintage postcards at your wedding too. I'm going to start a new tradition!
Who do you want to leave off of the guest list? Lizards were historically thought to bring bad luck. Monks and nuns are also out, because they were thought to symbolize poverty and chastity- two things you definitely don't want in your marriage!
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Sabre the Moment Vintage Postcards
Please drink virtual champagne with us. Youpi! Cheers to you! Our store has officially reached 100,000 items. That is a whopping number of vintage postcards online. Francois could you pass me the sword?
I want to try the unique and enthusiastic way of opening a champagne bottle, called "the art of sabering." Stand back this will be my first attempt! This technique calls for one to open the bottle by slicing off the top of it with a long saber. This is a feat that dates back to the 1800s, Napoleon Bonaparte and the French cavalry.
Several enticing stories revolve around this bit of history, but the most entertaining involved a test of Napoleon's newly assigned officers. Each assignee was given three horses, three bottles of champagne, three "willing girls" and three hours in which they needed to drink the champagne, have their way with the girls and traverse a rugged, 20 mile course. "Sabering" the bottle while on horseback could save precious minutes for other tasks. The victory cry of Napoleon's cavalry became "Sabre le champagne!"
On second thought a corkscrew will do just fine! I linked the top paragraph with a how to video in case you want a few sabering tips!Please subscribe here to my cpaphil - vintage postcard blog. Ohlala, I can't wait to see you again!
The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep like Vintage Postcards
The Shepherdess and the Chimney sweep has been called the greatest French animated films ever - watch out Disney! The film's patient director and principle creative force Paul Grimault began working on the film in the 1930's. It was finally released 50 years later in 1980. Perfection takes time. These paticular vintage postcard images remind me of the modern film. You can watch a chunk of this gem of a film here. It's a worthwhile click!
Plot: The paintings of a lovely shepherdess and a chimney sheep come to life in the bedroom of the much disliked King V + III = VIII + VIII = XVI. The two lovers decide to run away and discover the outside world together. The portrait of the pompous king decides that he wants to marry the willowy caretaker of sheep. He pursues the two 'renegades' with the help of his police force.
The viewing of this film is a mandatory part of French elementary school education. The movie shows regularly in Paris. The theatre is always packed with bouncy pupils and their delighted teachers!
Vintage Pancake Mill Postcards with syrup - Moulin de la Galette
The Pancake Mill (Moulin de la Galette), pictured in this vintage postcard, is suffering from an intense insuperiority complex. Everyone raves about its cousin The Moulin Rouge (Red Mill). The poor pancake mill of Montmartre is simply a wallflower. In Medieval times the Parisian skyline was dotted with many mills which were busy grinding out enough flour to feed the hungry Parisian populace.
At the time of Vincent Van Gogh's stay in Paris there were four mills standing in Montmartre. Van Gogh did once paint the mill in question in 1886. The work is sun drenched and whimsical. The Sacre Coeur was being built at this time and should have been visible in the background. Van Gogh chose to blot out the messy construction site.
The pancake mill had been turned into a restaurant which served ..... pancakes (crêpes) to the local clientele. I wish that Van Gogh had painted the food too! I would like to hang a painting of a cheesy ham filled crêpe on my wall.
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French Hot Air Vintage Postcards
Parc Monceau, Paris 1797 -
It's a bird, It's a plane, no ... It's Andre - Jacques Garnerin! The gutsy Frenchman, pictured on this vintage postcard, jumped out of a hot air balloon with a dainty silk parachute. After the hot air balloon had risen to 3,000 ft (900 m) he waved to the crowd and hopped out of the nest-like wicker basket!.
He flew erratically and frighteningly too swiftly. He thankfully landed about a mile off in front of an admiring public. André developed the vented parachute after this particular flying experiment. The vents slowed down descent and made skydiving a bit less dangerous.
The word 'parachute' actually comes from a French word with a Latin root. 'Para' means against in Latin. 'Chute' is the French word for fall. Therefore, parachute actually means 'against the fall'.
I think that I'll bring a few parachutes and G.I. Joe's to Parc Monceau the next time I visit. I'll let them sail through the sky in honour of Monsieur Garnerin whom I'm sure would have also have liked vintage postcards.Please subscribe here to my cpaphil - vintage postcard blog. Ohlala, I can't wait to see you again!
Baguette Magique - Crunchy Vintage Postcards
The baguette is an Austrian invention! A round loaf bread called the boule was made on a weekly basis in community ovens in France.The word for bakery 'boulangerie' is directly related to the word boule. This bread was a tooth cracker when stale but the people were poor and survived from this rock hard whole grain staple.
Baguettes were born with the invention of the steam oven in Vienna. Rich Parisian city slickers were the only ones who could afford to buy bread on a daily basis. A law in 1920 had been passed which prevented bakers from working before 4 am. 
There wasn't enough time to bake the traditional rounded loaf for breakfast. Elongated 'baguettes' could be baked lickety split. It was simply a faster way to fill bread baskets. The baguette (and baguette vintage postcards) were therfore created due to pesky bureaucracy. French red tape finally served a good purpose.
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Cocky French Vintage Postcards
The Coq Gallois (French Rooster icon) is proudly perched upon this pile of German canons. The vintage postcard's image dates July 14, 1919. The war has been won and the French are happily removing these monstrous war machines from the city! During World War I the cockerel developed into a deeply patriotic symbol symbol of French courage and readiness to fight to the death in the face of war.
But how did the rooster become the symbol of France in the first place ? In Roman times, France was known as Gaul. The Latin word 'Gallus' not only meant 'a person who lives in Gaul' but also was the word for 'rooster'. The Romans liked this joke, and over a period of time, this play on words meant that the rooster came to represent the Gauls. So the rooster started as a joke and is an icon that has been used by people for nearly two thousand years!
Napoleon (also an avid vintage postcard collector) tried in vain to replace the rooster with the more 'noble' eagle. But the rooster just wouldn't die! Later in the nineteenth century it was brought back and used on flags, the uniform and buttons of the National Guard, the great seal of France, the twenty franc gold coin and the gates of the Elysée Palace (the President's Official residence).
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A Penny for Your Pansy - Scented Vintage Postcards
There's pansies, that's for thoughts….. from Hamlet (Act IV, Scene V) Shakespeare
The cheerful 5 petaled flower seems to have a human face. In August it leans forward in the heat as if in deep thought. This delightful play on words pops up on many French vintage postcards. If you want to show someone that they are in your 'thoughts' the pansy will certainly get your message across.
The idea that pansy blossom juice is a love potion exists. … ‘the juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid, will make man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees.’ Au revoir ! I'm off to the garden center!
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