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All that dolls regional scoured France at the time. Such as those of Miss Koenig who had the initiative to organize in the late nineteenth century you find the account for several months in Poupendol chapter "Lime Light" under the name of just "Dolls Marie Koenig. "(Miss Koenig had school it is the case to say!) this article is always much appreciated visited if we judge by our statistics. « Miss Koenig had gained widespread acceptance (it is good the case to say !). It is true that the regional dolls, often called wrongly " folk dolls " are delicious provided that the manufacturer really well worked them and whether it is not simple souvenirs of holidays. We do not know the origin of this document except its date. If the one of you knows it, thank you for sharing your knowledge with our believers every day more numerous.»
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| « Last December, just on the eve of New Year's gifts, we have dedicated a chronicle and illustrations to these mutineers and pretty "modern" dolls who, in christmas shop windows, repeated silhouettes with cut hair and attitudes in pajamas, in transvestite, in dress of theater, these other alive modern dolls which lead the fashion today or are led by it. Charming and prickly, but short-lived dolls as a fashion or a whim, now the other dolls come, on your own ground of grace, in your essential decoration, in our Capitale, to substitute their robust traditional aspect for your esthetic fragility ! Dolls of Paris, the Parisian current events of this June belong to the dolls of province.» |
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« They are coming, these villagers figurines of all the regions of our country, Breton, Norman, Picardes, Basques, Flamish, Limousines, Sablaises, Auvergnates, Arlesiennes, Toulousian, Savoyard, Alsatian, Lorraine, dressed in picturesque suits which we continue to see surviving their past in all our regional holidays. " These suits for which the popular instinct looked, found, fixed in almost unchanging types under light variations, wrote Maurice Bouchor, these revealing costumes of a race, a place) of ground, a serious or cheerful, fine or strong, naive or strange soul, are similar of our legends, tales, songs and popular dances, among which the high value for the historian, the poet, the scholar is not to demonstrate any more ". An teaching is offered in a Parisian exhibition. The lesson which we propose is kind. Let us be well fast to educate ourselves. » |
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« Since May 30th, two thousand dolls, dressed in all the attires of our old provinces, are presented, 10 Rue de Madrid, in the premises of the new telephone exchange (Europe) with the aid of Mister Joyeux, administrator of the national orphanage of the P.O. and madam Carpeza, so devoted president, for twenty years, of the maternal committee of this orphanage. And here is how was realized this interesting and bénéficial demonstration of the art of the toy and the art of the costume. Last October, in all the post offices of province, the small state employees were invited to present dolls dressed by them, according to the fashion of the country, in exhibitions which were to at first be regional. It had a beautiful emulation, a joyful zeal, and the sendings streamed. From the end of January, in February, in March, in April, the local juries examined figurines lovingly adorned with an instinct of formerly elegances .»
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| « The most remarkable of these subjects were awarded. But, awarded or not awarded, all these dolls of province made the journey of Paris. The prize-winners, naturally, occupy the essential place which is due to them: they are exposed in the biggest room, in the trophy room. Normandy and Brittany offer the most admirable collection of headgears about which we can dream. A whole charming Breton furniture in miniature, chest, cupboard, sideboard, bed in cupboard, was sent with the dolls of Morbihan. The Loire Inferieure, the Loire de la Brière equipped a boat of peat gone up by the characters of Monsieur de Châteaubriant, Austin de Pont-Château, Aoustine and Théotiste. In the Haute-Garonne, we owe all the representation of a love court by the time of Clémence Isaure ? » |
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« There is a wedding limousine and a wedding from Auvergne, with players of chabrettes and dancers of faggot. The Gers sent a herdswoman of sheeps, a shepherd, vintagers. For Périgord, Mion put on( in handkerchief and Jeannois in cap of fur seem both escapees of Eugène le Roy's novel King.. .Because each of these dolls wears a name and a familiar name where we find the accent of the country. Here is Jacquette de Fontenay; Angélina des Sables d'Olonne; here is Jeannette de Limoges; well, in the Savoyard group, Lucrèce de Beaufort, Nicolas du Mont-Cenis, Hélène du Châtelard, Hélène de Valloire. Here is under the flag of Alsace, Anne-Marie de Mulhouse and Greth de Colmar.» |
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As for the "messengers" of the Basque country, they deserve to be admired the intelligent ingenuity and all the art which represents their provincial equipment and also the impressive modelling of faces which change us of babies' little faces Jumeau, too much repeated in the other sendings. See Maïe, this beautiful girl carrying the jar of clay; and this graceful Danouinine in Sunday best and this attractive Pierroullin in clogs! See Yantet, the wine grower, his Marcouline and their boy; and Catherine de Saint Gachoucha and Manech. Shall I also quote you the shepherd from the Landes and a mailman taken up on his stilts? But we cannot mention all which would deserve a distinction; let us not forget nevertheless to say that Algeria is represented by Guernia, Arabic woman, by famous Antinéa, by Rebecca, young constantinoise Jew, and West Africa sent two Sudanese dolls.»
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« The exhibition will last until June 15th. After what, we shall sell, for the benefit of l'Oeuvre, the attractive dolls. And it will represent, for the imaintenance of twelve hundred orphans, a considerable capital constituted by the agents P.O themselfs, by all the skillful small state employees who, under this charming shape, will have realized the most generous of the participations in a work.
Albéric Cahuet
Composition de René Lelong »
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A similar event would he now many retentissemnt and give it instead to the publication of such a huge amount of cards? Some of our regions have preserved and want to maintain their identity as Brittany, Alsace, the "Sticks". Others, and so many are unfortunately moving more than a touching testimony of a France that is of course what it was.
Hélène BUGAT-PUJOL |
| P.S. - we owe it to the kindness of Mrs. A. -M. POROT the three illustrrations below .... which have the great merit of not be blurry as ours, which certainly have a lot lived. |
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RETOUR
Any reproduction rights (text and photos)
even partial, rigorously reserved © Novembre 2012  |
