Match box covers - from the sublime to the ridiculous

I told you yesterday about my little 'time capsule' of match box covers, collected around Europe in the 1950s (and quite probably '60s). Like collectors' cards, many covers were clearly produced in sets, and I've photographed some of the more intriguing ones for you. First off, sayings:
"Rainy Marriage, Happy Home!" It certainly rained on and off on our wedding day...

"Ill-gotten-gains never bring good." I'll say.

"Travel educates the young." Good one!

"Do more kindness than violence." Gosh yes, I should hope so... What's that stick for?

And now onto what I'm thinking of as animal fables, although I can't actually think of stories to go with all these stylish pictures.

The French really go a bundle on animal fables.

The boys have studied loads of them at school. Watch out, lamb!

"Entre loup et chien," perhaps? I well-remember my grandma teaching me that French phrase for the dusk - the time you couldn't tell the difference between a wolf and a dog. Spooky thought for a child, walking out in the evening with her grandmother... shades of Red Riding Hood, even in a Devon seaside town.

I looked this one up - it's a French poem.

Here are three houses from a 'Homes of France' set - to me they represent Lululiz, Elizabethd and our own family!

There's another set of French regional costumes, of which this one is my out-and-out favourite.

There are plenty of overseas links too - hello my Tasmanian friends!

The countries where the French had been involved are well-represented.

j

Now, that was all sublime. Are you ready for the ridiculous?

Yup, a whole black and white set of landmarks of Belgium, including the well known Manneken Pis.

Not my favourite little boy.

Am I just prudish?Well, I had no idea that there was a long-running tradition of dressing this little fellow up,but if you follow that link, you will see it still goes on today.

j

What?

A Time Capsule...

Thanks so much for your kind comments on yesterday's post, friends. I hope this 'Time Capsule' post is a real treat for you - it was for me and I prepared two posts about it last week to see me through a busy few days... I'll aim to be back with my most recent finds on Wednesday!
j
During a quiet moment on our rainy jour ferie (National, or Bank Holiday), I steeled myself to open up a grotty little box I'd bought at at Vide Grenier, and was transported straight back to the Europe of the 1950s. Look how horrid the box is - I'm not really surprised that it took me months to open it - the real question is why I was motivated to buy it in the first place! Something just prompted me - Denise would be interested. I did know what was inside (a collection of match box covers), but I had no idea how varied or interesting they might be.

So as the boys played with friends on the computer next to my table, I was transported back to a time when modern design was becoming so exciting...

... and you could wear your politics on your match box...

... whatever your politics might be...

... and European countries still had colonies.

Many of the match boxes show adverts for tobacco and cigarettes - not to my taste, but this is a Time Capsule, so 1950s rules apply!

There were also many wonderful adverts for other products.

And very many beauties...

Shame so many of them are smoking!

Some of them have other roles in life.From smoking to booze - great.

And a wholesome fruit drink.

Some of the beauties are in company.And some have their fine families with them.

I can't wait to show you some of the collector's sets tomorrow! I'll be flying off to Edinburgh for a shortish visit to my parents on Wednesday, so from Thursday onwards I might have some of my mother's great collections to show you too.

French Couture, 1899

The boys and I took a quick trip out to a special holiday Vide Greniers yesterday. The rain more or less held off, and Son 1 bought an entertaining bingo game while Son 2 added to his Transformers collection. I confirmed the suspicion which was forming after my last Vide Greniers trip: the French currently don't value the paper ephemera of their own past....17 euros for all this lot - 15 euros for a bulk-buy of fashion supliments from 1899, and 3 euros for a school book and a photo.

So, I have found something worth collecting - easily availably, absolutely adorable, and under-valued by the sellers!Inside each suppliment are many, many sewing, embroidery and decorative projects and patterns.

Here's a print which made me think of Ashely, of Peacocks and Dragonflies! This is a pattern for decorating a cot cover. Another set in my 'job-lot' contains many embroidery alphabets.Anyone for hair dye? Hair removal? Or diagnosis of skin complaints? I am going to have to study these papers really well - there is so much in them!Each suppliment has a rebus - I never quite knew what a rebus was; I knew it was a puzzle, but here you are, it's one of those games where pictures, when read out loud, add up to make a word. How's your French?

The star of the show? This is clearly a signed photo from a theatre. I am going to have to look her up - a singer or an actress, do you think?The rest of the day was rather rainy, and lots of jigsaws were done, in addition to the bingo games once we got back from the Vide Greniers. I just loved the compostition of this violet and green jigsaw along with the purple flowers and green pattern on the oilcloth.

So today, I was off to la Poste with Sharon's Freestyle Swap parcel, and thence on to Intermarché, our nearby supermarket. I felt so totally un-French cycling off, all in pink (the pink fleece was a mistake with the pink flowered skirt, I admit, so I hauled it off when I arrived at the post office). The French are so wedded to black.I was quite amused when I opened up my pink, green and blue handbag at the supermarket, to bring out my pink flowered carrier bag (to match the skirt) and the lovely blue carrier (to match the T-shirt).I love living in France, but I have to be grateful that they don't judge my colourful couture by French standards!

And finally (Trevor Macdonald not forgotten here), Ben came back from Switzerland with these two lovely Swiss cheeses. Yummy weekend...