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

Ophelia was referring to the French word for pansy (pensée) which literally translates to ‘thoughts.'

(This vintage postcard message translates to 'my thoughts follow you.' A card like this is pure romance.)

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.

(This vintage postcard is certainly a creative souvenir from this town!)

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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La Tour Saint Jaques is the vintage postcard sunflower of Paris

Poets have compared the staggering Tour Saint Jacques in Paris to a sunflower whose shadow slowly slides across the Seine river.

This Gothic edifice, pictured in this vintage postcard, was originally called Saint James of the Butchery. Is this a holy and uplifting name? I was surprised by the appellation until I read that the local butchers of the fourth district were the patrons of this religious structure.

The church was demolished after the French Revolution. All that was left was this teetering bit of lovely tower.

The French mathematician and vintage postcard lover Blaise Pascal tinkered about at the top of this monument (52 meters up) and created a little something called the barometer.

He wrote pieces of his book (New Experiments with the Vacuum) there as well. I’m fairly certain that he wasn’t talking about a Hoover! He experimented with to what degree liquids could be supported by air pressure. I’m glad that he wasn’t afraid of heights.

My amazing father wrote this poem:

Tall and damaged tower,

Minister to meat cutter,
Once known as a flower,
caused Parisian hearts to flutter.

A genius mathematician,
worked his theorys there,
brought them to submission,
beneath his vacuous stare.

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Uncorking the Absinthe 'La Fee' Ritual à la Vintage Postcards

What in the world is an ‘absinthe ritual?’ And why does this vintage postcard drinker look so enamoured with his glass? Absinthe held a unique position in the pantheon of aperitifs because it was imbibed in a highly specific manner.

A sugar cube (as seen on this colorful vintage poster) was set upon a perforated spoon which was then placed on top of the glass. Ice water was slowly poured onto the sugar cube. This diluted the bitter green herbed spirit in a very personal manner.

5 o’clock became known as L’Heure Vert (The Green Hour). Loyal absinthe drinkers rushed to their local café to order this strong treat with wormwood!

Absinthe pops up in the famous works of Vincent van Gogh, Edouard Manet, Amedeo Modigliani, Arthur Rimbaud, Guy de Maupassant, Henri de Toulouse - Latrec, Paul Verlaine, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemmingway.....

Understanding the absinthe ritual helps one grasp the true feeling of 19^th century French art, literature, and culture and it's tabus.

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Absinthe Conspiracy Theory - Vintage Postcards

Absinthe (The Green Fairy ) is cheerfully advertised via this vintage postcard collection. The sumptuous liquor was banned in part due to pressures from the wine industry. Vineyards had been destroyed by a pesky sap sucking aphid like pest which attacked grapevine roots.

The wine shortages of 1880 and 1890 had turned the average Frenchman into a loyal absinthe drinker. Wine was simply unaffordable. By 1910 the French were consuming 36 million liters of absinthe per year, more than they drank wine.

The wine industry certainly had to put a stop to that. With quite a chunk of propaganda, Absinthe quickly became associated with violent crimes and social disorder. It was tabu !

One critic said,’ Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people. It makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces the future of the country.

Absinthe dangers have been found to be untruthful. Those naughty winemakers! It is only treacherous when when imbibes too much of this 75 proof green colored spirit!

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Ernest Hemingway's French Addiction

Pop the champagne bottle’s cork! It’s time to serenely sip Ernest Hemingway’s famous champagne cocktail ‘Death in The Afternoon.’

This concoction comprises of champagne and the licorice and anise flavoured liqueur called la pastis. Yet with pastis, there are two worlds: France, where it's a very big deal, and the rest of the planet, where it's (hold your hats Frenchmen ) not! These featured vintage postcard friends are certainly enjoying this sweet and smooth liqueur treat from Marseilles, France.

5 million cases of Ricard are sold annually worldwide (it's the top-selling spirits brand in Europe, based mostly on French sales), but fewer than 50,000 cases are sold in the United States. That adds to its Gallic exoticism when at the bar.

If you’re planning to mime and review Ernest Hemingway by sipping this sensation be sure to pour the champagne first. The pastis will add an eerie and mysterious cloud of yellow. Cheers to vintage postcards!

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French Giraffe Mania in 1827 à la Vintage Postcards

Parisians started seeing spots in 1827! Giraffe mania spread after the Pasha of Egypt offered this extraordinary long necked gift to King Charles X of France. Fabrics, furniture, wallpaper, porcelain, and even soap were decorated with a giraffe pattern. Women piled their hair up fashionably à la Giraffe. This high in the sky chignon was supported by wire frames and often decorated with ribbons or flowers

The Nubian Giraffe, by Jacques-Laurent Agasse

You can faintly see the milk cows that accompanied this baby Nubian giraffe in this painting. The cows provided this female giraffe with 25 liters of milk per day as she journeyed. She boarded a ship in Alexandria . A hole was cut into the ship's deck so that this spotted seafarer could poke her head out. She traveled 32 days until finally reaching Marseilles. She then walked 900km from Marseilles to Paris!. A special two part yellow coat was made for her along with shoes for the trip. She was met with crowds and cheers at every town she hiked through. Hip hip hooray for Zafara the Giraffe! Hip hip hooray for vintage postcards too!

This is an actual vintage postcard from Le Jardin des Plantes in Paris.

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The Cutting Edge of French Vintage Postcards

This unique vintage postcard depicts a Parisian knife sharpener. Slicing and dicing was certainly ameliorated by this sharp vocation. This vintage postcard tradesman is intently concentrated on his laborious task. I would have expected his cart to be surrounded by anybody but little boys! Hasn't anybody told them that they shouldn't be playing with knives?

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Vintage French Tricky Tourist Trap

Bonneteau is the French word for The Three Card Monte. These vintage postcard hustlers are making a bundle of francs! The 'dealer' never works alone. A poser lures in tourists as he pretends to win this rigged game. When a hefty crowd has gathered a pickpocket will make his rounds. I want to warn these unsuspecting vintage postcard players. 'Fais Attention!'

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I Can Buy the Moon for 2 Cents in Paris

Quick! Go check under your couch cushions. The moon is for sale for two cents according to this vintage postcard.

This pictured Ritchey-Chrétien telescope or RTC provided a relatively large field of view due to its primary and seconday hyperbolic mirrors. It was invented in the early 1910s by American astronomer George Willis Ritchey and the French astronomer Henri Chrétien.

Here is a little poem to get you in the vintage postcard mood.

To The Moon

Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth,
And ever changing, like a Joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

By Percy Shelley (I'm sure that he would have liked to collect vintage postcards too)

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Moby Dick visits Paris - Enlarge Me Vintage Postcards

This is a whale of a tale! In 1908, Moby Dick chugged up the Seine river. He might have been looking for caviar and cabaret dancers. Alas, this ocean mammal got stuck in the muck. He never did make it back to the ocean. But, he is proudly displayed at the Natural History Museum in Paris ( Jardin des Plantes). This vintage postcard pictures the skeleton of the whale who had an itch to travel. Do you see the dog on this particular vintage postcard licking his chops? Bon Appetit!
This vintage postcard shows the facade of the fascinating museum in question.

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Hair Raising Dog Shaving in Paris

Does Fifi need a haircut? Eugene the local dog barber is on the job! This trade is known as a 'tondeur de chiens' in French.

Eugene no longer offers his grooming services to his four legged clientele. But, this vintage postcard scene is a dog lover's delight!

7 Habits of Highly Effective Archangels at Le Mont Saint Michel - Vintage Postcards

Because of the treacherous quicksand, disorienting fog, and galloping tide a very prudent bishop in 708 AD decided that church building on this particular spot was not wise.

Legend has it that the cheeky Archangel Michael implemented boldfaced negotiation tactics. The brazen winged creature simply burned the bishop’s skull with the tip of his finger. The poor fellow was swayed and began the arduous task of ferrying and hauling granite from the mainland .

Pilgrims, tourists, and vintage postcard lovers alike will find the edifice at Mont Saint Michel nearly as impressive as its geographical location!

About Me

Reed. Marie Reed. You can view my full blogger profile here.

Here are diligent fisherman with a dynamic Mont Saint Michel backdrop. Aren't vintage postcards addictive?

Here are horses braving the quicksand I posted about. Vive Vintage Postcards!

The Bayeux Tapestry à la Vintage Postcards - The Video

Here is an animated introduction to The Bayeux Tapestry. It left me in stictches! The vibrant tapestry comes alive before your eyes!

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The Bayeux Tapestry à la Vintage Postcards

Here is a vintage postcard parade presenting the Bayeux Tapestry. It tells the story of the Norman (French) invasion of England in 1066 through 55 panels which depict scenes of battle and of daily life. The main character of the tapestry is William the Conqueror.

The Bayeux Tapestry is about 20 inches tall and 231 feet long (50cm tall and 70 meters long). It is about the length of 3 swimming pools! It is the longest piece of embroidery in the world. The original Bayeux Tapestry has 626 people, 190 horses and mules, 35 dogs, 506 other birds and animals, 33 buildings, 37 ships and 37 trees or groups and trees, and 57 Latin inscriptions.

Hair styles in the Bayeux Tapestry are used to differentiate between Englishmen and the Normans/French. The shaved heads behind the ears is typically Norman. The Englishmen are universally long-haired, and most sport mustaches; some later depicted with beards as well.

The Internet is rich with information on this stitched historical document. Click here if your interest is peaked!

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Here is a Battle of Hastings mini documentary. This has helped my Bayeux Tapestry come alive for me!

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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 collage

Sap 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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French Vintage Postcards are coming out of the Closet

Have you ever sat giggling in a closet or wardrobe while playing hide and go seek? I remember the warm, cocoon-like sensations as I waited to be found.

The French people of Brittany experienced this every night when climbing into their ‘Lit Clos’(enclosed bed). A Lit Clos is a massive closet like bed structure as seen in these vintage postcards.

The thick doors protected one from the whipping winds of the Atlantic coast. Many Breton’s further safeguarded themselves from bitter winds by lining the bed’s walls with extra blankets.

The chestnut beds were often intricately carved with a ship wheel motif. This showed how linked the Breton’s livelihood was to fishing and shipping. This sounds like a true sleeping adventure. Yawn. Bon Nuit! I hope that you dream about vintage postcards!

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