Discover Top Posts Tagged with #asnieres

Dog Cemetery in Asnières, Hauts-de-Seine, France

French vintage postcard

#postkaart #photo #sepia #carte postale #asnieres #briefkaart #cemetery #northwestern #postal #paris #suburbs #french #tarjeta #photography #historic #ansichtskarte #vintage #postkarte #ephemera #postcard

The Mermaid Restaurant in Asnières

Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)

Date: 1887

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

Description

During his stay in Paris, between March 1886 and February 1888, Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo in the northern part of the city: first on Rue de Laval, then on Rue Lepic from June 1886. Unlike some Impressionists who, in the summer, could afford even the modest cost of a trip to the countryside, Vincent, by both inclination and necessity, preferred places close to where he lived. This was precisely the case with Asnières, a town located on the banks of the Seine, not far from the fortifications of Paris. There, he painted and drew several views of bridges or, as seen here, of the restaurant La Sirène. While the style and subject matter had Impressionist precedents, this painting departs somewhat from them. It reflects more the exterior appearance of the buildings than the convivial gatherings that took place within them. The Impressionists, Renoir in particular, often depicted restaurants, but with a focus on the interior atmosphere.

"La Chambre Chinoise" (détail) du Château d'Asnières construit par Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagone pour Marc-René de Paulmy de Voyer d'Argenson, Marquis d'Argenson (1752), lors de la visite-guidée d'Explore Paris, Asnières-sur-Seine janvier 2024.

#expos #deco #conferences #demeures #XVIIIe siècle #HardouinMansart #DeVoyer #ChateauAsnieres #Paris #ExploreParis #mur #Argenson #Asnieres

Le luxe est lié au temps qui passe.

- Jean Louis Dumas

Louis Vuitton’s heritage as a trunk maker preceded even the founding of the company.

It was in 1837 that a 16-year-old Louis Vuitton arrived in Paris by foot and started apprenticing for Monsieur Maréchal. At the time, horse-drawn carriages, boats and trains were the main modes of transportation, and baggage was handled roughly. Travelers called upon craftsmen to pack and protect their individual objects.

Louis Vuitton quickly became a valued craftsman at the Parisian atelier of Monsieur Maréchal. These were the roots of his highly specialised trade; the beginnings of his career in an artisanal industry that called upon skills to custom design boxes and, later, trunks according to clients’ wishes. Louis Vuitton stayed for 17 years before opening his own workshop at 4 Rue Neuve-des-Capucines near the Place Vendome in 1854.

As rail and then automobile travel became an established part of life, Vuitton’s business began to grow. The early success of Louis Vuitton meant he had to expand his operations. This lead to the 1859 opening of his atelier in Asnières. Just northeast of the center of Paris, the workshop started with 20 employees.

In 1900, there were nearly 100 people and by 1914 there were 225.The original atelier has been expanded throughout the decades - including the addition of the Vuitton family residence - but it is still where products are crafted today.

While the family home has been preserved and is part of a private museum, 170 craftsmen work in the Asnières workshop, designing and creating leather goods and special orders for clients around the world.

In the 1900s, travelers carried all their essentials inside wardrobes and flat trunks—which, unfortunately, often attracted burglars. Master trunk maker, Louis Vuitton sought to help his clients protect the goods inside their travel pieces.

In 1886, father and son, Georges, adopted a single lock system with two spring buckles. After several years of development, George patented this revolutionary system and it was so effective, he challenged Harry Houdini, the great American escape artist, in a public newspaper to escape from a Vuitton box and lock. Houdini didn’t rise to the challenge, but the lock’s effectiveness is indisputable. It is still used today.

Carried by the likes of Paul Poiret, Dora Maar, and Francis Picabia, LV luggage was not only a status symbol but also a practical purchase: Its trunks were - and still are - waterproof to prevent accidental damage to the items inside. They first appeared in the LV monogram pattern in 1896.

Louis Vuitton, the founder of the famous Vuitton house died on 27 February 1892. His travel trunks were praised for their solidity and practicality. "This great French factory is a glory of our country.” declared the obituary of Le Figaro at the time. Shops were opened in London, New York and Philadelphia. When Louis Vuitton died, his son Georges took over and made this beautiful house prosper. It is to him that Louis Vuitton owe the now emblematic monogram canvas, a bold print to deter imitation.