marie antoinette vintage postcard
In 1748 the French Parliment had actually forbidden the cultivation of potatoes. They were feared to cause leprosy! Sit back and enjoy listening to how Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Benjamin Franklin, and Antoine Parmentier changed the tasty tuber's bad rap! Happy Postcard Friendship Friday:)
PS. Is my voice loud enough in these videos? I was thinking about getting a microphone. What do you think? I definatly need to work on my editing skills too!
Welcome to this weeks Postcard Friendship Friday! If you're visiting and would like to join in the fun we would be thrilled;) It's easy! All you need to do is:
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Postcard Friendship Friday #23 - Quirky French Potato History
A Silly Lily - French May Day Vintage Postcards
Happy May Day! Here is a sweet scented lily of the valley bouquet just for you. The ‘Muguet’ in France is thought to bring good luck. This petaled talisman pops up on many holiday vintage postcards.
Paris is packed today with this bell shaped blossom. The Metro (subway in French) is perfumed with commuters who are clutching sprigs of this May Day symbol. They are rushing home to present the lucky receiver with these delicate white flowers. I unblushingly adore this tradition! This celebration ushers in springtime with flair.
The lily of the valley is a tough as nails perennial. It thrives in the shade and is a merry May Day addition to any garden! This petit basket is overflowing with my favorite flower.
Here is a lovely little poem authored by Paul Verlaine. It would perfectly embellish a Mother's Day card, spring craft or collageSap which mounts, and flowers which thrust,
Your childhood is a bower:
Let my fingers wander in the moss
Where glows the rosebud
'Let me among the clean grasses
Drink the drops of dew
Which sprinkle the tender flower, --
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Traditional dancing in France à la Vintage Postcards
These vintage postcards feature The Bourrée which is is one of the oldest dances in Central France This merry dancing style of Auvergne is in triple time and is animated and full of drive. These vintage postcard stars are certainly kicking up their heels.
This traditional dance was popular with everyone! Kings as well as farmers danced to this type of lively music. The polka is actually said to be a descendant of this dance. 
Both Bach and Handel wrote bourrées as orchestral suites. The more contemporary Chopin wrote a number of pianos bourrées too! But, to me a true bourée dance needs a hurdy - gurdy accordion, sabots (wooden shoes), and gallons of wine!
Are your feet tapping to the music yet?
The Miraculous Grotto in Lourdes, France - Vintage Postcards
Lourdes, France has drawn pilgrims since Mary appeared in 1858 to shepherdess Bernadette Soubirous. This year is the 150th anniversary of those apparitions.
Bernadette was actually beaten by her mother and forbidden to go to the cave where she had had her first vision. Her family certainly didn’t believe her. She was initially shunned and thought to have gone mad. Bernadette described Mary as wearing a white flowing robe with a blue sash. Mary had yellow roses on her bare feet and was the same height as Bernadette.
Mary told the shepherdess to dig where there was a small muddy puddle. A spring gushed forth from this same spot. This spring was not an itsy trickle of water. 100,000 liters of water gush from it daily. There have been small percentage unexplainable cures from people who have bathed in the waters. Of course this lovely parable has been commercialized by our 21st century’s money making machine. One can buy a liter of the water for 160 dollars online!
Bernadette was visited by Mary on 18 occasions. It is interesting to note that this 14 year old child had been barely educated. She spoke a local dialect yet repeated words from Mary that she didn’t or couldn’t have understood.
I myself am not religious. Don’t tell my catholic Grandmother! But I am curious. Maybe I’ll visit the grotto too someday. i can join the woman in this last vintage postcard who are gathering the 'miraculous' waters at this fountain.
Political Babies Strike Back! - Pouting Vintage Postcards
We want dry diapers! We want Mama’s milk! We want to be protected from flies! Can you pick out and translate another pressing demand from this bold vintage postcard? These babies have picked up the French national pastime of striking lickety – split!
The origin of the word strike in English is fairly obvious. To strike means to assault, assail, besiege, aggress…. The German term is Arbetitskampf which literally means work – fight. That makes perfect sense too. The word ‘grève’ in French baffled me . A ‘grève’ is a gravel bank of a river . Pardon? What in the world does that have to do with striking?
L'Hotel de Ville (city hall) in Paris pictured ob this vintage postcard was called la Place de Grève until 1830. This town square is near the bank of the river Seine. The unemployed would congregate here to look for work. A dissatisfied worker looking for a salary hike would come to this square as well when looking for a better job. The word developed over time to mean 'abandoning your job due to a needed salary augmentation.' Voila! The mystery has finally been solved for me through my vintage postcard collection.
Napoleon celebrates Mother's day by creating the holiday in France - Vintage Postcards
France's Fete des Mères is a holiday that was inaugurated by Napoleon in 1806. Letizia Bonaparte was a harsh mother who actually outlived her famous son by 15 years. She strongly disliked him becoming emperor and refused to attend his coronation!
The tradition of honoring mothers dates back to Ancient Greece and Rome. Mother Goddesses were worshipped in both of these cultures during the spring.
The Roman goddess Magna Mater or Cybele was often artistically depicted in a chariot drawn by lions. There was a belief that lions couldn’t mate or produce offspring. Cybele turned people who didn’t properly pay her tribute into these roaring beasts as a punishment Cybele embodies the fertile earth. She is the goddess of caverns, mountains, walls, fortresses, flowers, and wild animals.
Cybele’s most ecstatic followers were called the Galli. They castrated themselves in her honor during the Spring festival. I think I’ll stick to giving my Mom a vintage postcard as a gift! This is a better present idea!
My favorite Napoleon quote is: Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent.
Au Feu Les Pompiers! - Vintage French Firefighting Postacards
This vintage postcard shows a fine Percheron horse pulling a steam powered fire engine. This breed of horses even existed during the ice age. They are huge, hearty, and perfect for this task! They were bred in La Perche, France (hence the name) for military, farming, and later firefighting purposes.
Napoleon Bonaparte can be credited with creating the first professional fire brigade in 1793. He devised a division of the French army called the, ‘Companie des gardes-pompes which is literally ‘The Company of Pump Guards.’ This little vintage postcard Napoleon is winking at you.
The French word for pumper, "pompier" became the name for French firefighters to this day. Paris was protected with 30 manual pumps by 1800.
The hand pumps had been invented in England in the 1700’s The contraption had long, parallel handles that required many men to pump up and down rapidly draining the water from the machine's tub.
These little boys are budding firefighters! The vintage postcard is labeled Concours des Pomiers (Firefighter Race).
Vintage Peulh tribe postcards from Senegal
This particular vintage postcard's origin is Senegal, Africa. France had boasted an extensive colonial empire in the 19th until the middle of the 20th century . Senegal,Africa was the gem of that Empire. French map making explorers,merchants,and soldiers trekked through breathtaking yet dangerous territories reaching from Timbuktu to the Chad lake which lay thousands of miles away.
This card pictures a serene woman from the Peulh tribe. This prominent tribe has links in most West African countries. She is wearing elegant bracelets and necklaces, some of which were probably made with European imported material. France sadly often traded pearls and other precious metals for slaves.
The vintage postcard is franked with a 1 centime Faidherbe and a 4 centime Group stamp . It only cost 5 centime to send a postcard from Senegal to France in the 1900's!Here are women from the Peuhl tribe doing a traditional African dance. My foot is certainly tapping to this music. The history and culture is so rich! I would certainly like to travel to West Africa! The flag is reminiscent of the French tri colored but now using the vibrant Pan African colors.
Vintage Moulin Rouge Postcards - Oh la la! I adore gay Paris!
Welcome to the world of saucy cabaret divas! These vintage postcards sizzle with history and life. These feathered ladies dance through my imagination to Jacques Offenbach's 'Orphee in the Underworld ' which is the score most associated with the cancan. It is also nicknamed the 'Infernal Gallop!'
I embedded the music on the sidebar of this post. Click away for uplifting reading music! It is a hilarious and satirical operetta which was written in 1858. Jacques was a German Jew born in Cologne . His name was changed from Jacob to Jacques after immigrating as a child with his family to Paris. His father forced the violin upon him. The young lad rebelled and played the cello in secret. That's not much of a revolt in my opinion!
His 100 operettas were wildly popular before the war between France and Germany broke out in 1870. He was accused of being an agent of Bismark and was forced to flee from his beloved country. The Germans had also labeled him a traitor so he certainly couldn't return to his place of birth either.
Offenbach has been called the Mozart of the Champs -Elysées. He influenced greats including Gilbert and Sullivan. Symphonic pieces need not always be romantic or serious . These grand opera parodies with biting political and cultural satire are right up my alley!
Vintage Postcard Bathing Beauties
These images were quite risqué for the time. Bathing suits had evolved from full body armour made out of wool or flannel and only complete with the proper stockings and shoes to this tight, one piece and scandalous bathing suit.
Women in Victorian times would sew small weights into the hems of their dresses to prevent them from floating up and revealing their legs while swimming.
Women and men had traditionally swum separately. Men swam in the nude on their side of the beach. Woman tended to roll 'bathing machines' into the ocean. The small cabanas on wheels were dragged into the ocean by horses. The modest Victorian lady could then change into her bathing costume and wade completely hidden from masculine eyes.
Swimwear fabrics and times changed. By the mid 1920's Vogue wrote ' the newest thing for the sea is a jersey swimsuit as near to a maillot as the unwritten law will permit!'
I want to splish and splash with these bathing beauties. I don't think that I'll trade in my retro bikini though!
Theodore Botrel's history through Vintage Postcards
The 46 year old famed poet and songwriter Theodore Botrel pictured on this vintage postcard was told during the Great War [1914 – 1915] that he was too old for military service. Botrel then raced off to Belgium in order to enlist there. His request was again refuted because he had to be from Belgium in order to fight amongst them.
Botrel realized that his songs were as powerful as any bullet. He decided to take his songs directly to the front as a civilian.
His songs about the humble life of his native province of Brittany were later published along with images on postcards.
''His glance is that of a dreamer and a soldier in it is all the melancholy of the misty Brittany, all the fiery energy of the Breton race. When he coos a lullaby, a mournful and languorous chant his voice sighs with infinite sweetness, becomes caressing like the voice of a mother. When he weeps or intones an ancient and vibrant hymn of battle it rises little by little until it pieces to the inmost depths of your soul like the echoes of thunder.''
Botrel wrote song after song to stimulate his compatriots and their Allies, by voice and pen. He started writing a musical supplement to the military newspaper L’Echo des Armees with all of his songs.
The famous song ''Rosalie'' was in the first issue of this published monthly song sheet. '' The soldiers sing it everywhere, at all times — in the trenches, on the march, in the canteen — for it has a splendid swing, and, further, it symbolizes and glorifies the terrible little French bayonet.''
Here is a much to short video clip of the song:
I especially enjoy this series of vintage postcards!
Hungarian Lucky New Year Symbols in Vintage Postcard form
Cpaphil is happy to announce that a chunk of our Hungarian vintage postcards will be traveling back to their place of origin. It was a joy to put these cards onto the website. I felt transported to Budapest through the fantasy vintage postcards. I immediately did research on the history and culture of this unfamiliar country.
I found that the chimney sweep, red and white mushrooms, four leaf clovers and pigs are quite auspicious symbols of good luck. Apparently gifts were given on New Year’s Day to people who delivered bread or did other chores. In return, these purveyors of services often handed out little cards with a blessing or good wishes.
Meeting a chimney sweep, called a Schornsteinfeger or Schlotfeger , at New Year’s meant good luck for you during the year, especially if he gave you one of his little cards.
I am blogging about New Year’s traditions a bit out of season. Spring is approaching. But Cpaphil found the cards fascinating and a step away from the vintage postcard material we are accustomed to. If our guests have any comments please post them on this brand new blog. We appreciate your thoughts!
The Lion of Belfort and it's creator Frederic Bartholdi - Vintage Postcards
Cpaphil has recently been presented with unusual ‘’Lion of Belfort” vintage postcards. This stunning Parisian monument is located in the 14th district in the Place Denfert -Rochereau (previously known as the Place d’Enfer) The sculpture is by Frederic Bartholdi.The lion seen on this vintage postcard symbolizes the heroic resistance of Belfort during a 103 days long Prussian assault (from December 1870 to February 1871). The city was protected from 40,000 Prussians by merely 17,000 men (only 3,500 were from the military) lead by Colonel Denfert - Rochereau.
Frederic Bartholdi can also be credited with the monumental Statue of Liberty under the patronage of Edouard de Laboulaye who was a prolific French abolitionist. He believed that the end of slavery marked the realization of the American democratic ideal embodied in the Declaration of Independence. His use of references to the French role in the American Revolution to generate support for his efforts on behalf of American slaves and freedmen are critical to understanding his conception of the Statue of Liberty. Auguste Bartholdi was largely apolitical and adapted his self-presentation to advance his career as an artist.
The statue’s design almost certainly evolved from an earlier concept Bartholdi proposed for a colossal monument in Egypt, for which the artist used his drawings of Egyptian women as models. Bartholdi changed a broken shackle and chain in the statue’s left hand to tablets inscribed “July IV, MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776) at Laboulaye’s request, to emphasize a broader vision of liberty for all mankind.
