The Post War European Trip Collection-Finally, Some Snapshots

Is it Bill, criticized for his drinking and swearing in the letter home?  I haven't a clue as to how many people went on this European trip.  Gloria Lee, and Bill are the only two that have been named.  Too, I'd love to know if it was a chaperoned trip.  I tend to think it was.

So, the second and third photos in the column have something written on the back.  "The cathedral at Orleans (if you look closer you'll see yourself!)"  On the far right side of the print, standing next to the bus is a woman, who I'm guessing is Gloria Lee.  The next print down, "Arc du Carrousel and Tuileries Gardens Paris."  Pay attention, the lady on the far right might be seen in the next post.

And of course, click on The Post War European Trip Collection to see more.  Or, wait until the next post, and all will be available for viewing.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 7

Top and bottom, still in Paris.  The rest seem to be some sort of country estate.  Some sort of royal palace?  Click on The Post war European Trip Collection in labels for more good stuff.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 5

Gloria Lee's continued travels.  The first three photos keep us in Paris, image number four, perhaps, and the number five isn't.  My first thought was somewhere on the Riviera, but then I remembered that she and her tour group spent a lot of time in Switzerland, a country with a fair number of really large lakes. 

Click on The Post war European in Collection in labels, well you guys have figured that one out by now.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 4

Gloria Lee got around.  I'm fairly certain the top photo is from Paris, but clearly some of these are from other locations. 

Click on The Post War European Collection to see more.

The Postwar European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 3

I think all of these commercially produced photos are from Paris.  It's interesting to note that the cars seen in the bottom photo look like there all from the twenties or teens.  Since Gloria Lee bought these pictures in 1948 it's clear that these have been on sale for decades. 

Click on The Post War European Trip Collection in labels for more.

The Post War European Trip Collection-Souvenir Snapshots 2

I've got four collections that I've started that I've yet to fully post, so I think it's about time to go back to The Post War European Trip Collection.-And, of course click on that in labels to see more images, and read about Gloria Lee Bigewet, a teenage tourist from St. Louis, Missouri, and her group's trip to Europe after World War 2.  That's were you'll find, among other things, Souvenir Snapshots part 1.

Church of the Madeline

The printer needed to burn in the bottom of the picture, but other than that it's a great photograph. 

Anyway, in my last post, one half of the card had a picture of the Church of the Madeline in Paris, France.  The building was designed by architect Pierre-Alexandre Vignon, started in 1806, it was originally a monument commissioned by Napoleon, The Temple to the Glory of the Great Army.   After the fall of Napoleon and the Bourbon restoration, it was given to the Catholic Church. 

Written on the back, "Madeline Church."  No date, but I'd bet on the 1930s. 

The Glory of France

I love the design of these cards.  Too bad this is the last one I have.  Anyway, the Fontainbleu Palace is one of those European monstrosities that every king, for centuries, had to add his own personal touch with a new building, wing, or garden.  The Great Gallery of Francis I started life as a hallway that connected the King's apartments and his private chapel.  Easy access for monarchs after starting a war or killing a few peasants. 

Woodrow Wilson in Paris

This postcard was published by "E. Le Delay, Boulevard de Sebastopol, Paris."  Ernest Louis Desire Le Delay was a French photographer.  He was born in 1859, and specialized in French and North African landscapes.  In 1900, he founded a postcard publishing company that made both photographic and illustrated cards.  During World War 1, his company produced a large number of battle scene cards with captions in both French and English.  He died in 1917.  His sons continued to run the company until 1930, when they declared bankruptcy.

Woodrow Wilson, of course, was President during World War 1.  He was the first president to travel outside the United States during his term of office when he attended the Versailles Peace Conference.

Culver City Trash, European Trip 2

Well, we're still in Paris.  At least the top four photos.  The generic building in the bottom shot could be from a lot of places.  All that grain and moodiness makes me think of some of my favorite movies from the French new wave.  Breathless anyone?

Click on Culver City Trash Collection in labels to see more.  

Culver City Trash, European Trip 1

Nothing written on any off these photos but labels aren't necessary to know these images are from Paris.  I really suggest clicking on the photos and bringing them up in a larger window.  All that grain is kind of fascinating.

Click on Culver City Trash Collection, etc.

Views of the World, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

I'd love to know when the original photo was taken.  It's nice to see the horses and carriages, but where are the cars?  When I was at Notre Dame, people were allowed to climb the towers.  I can remember a tight squeeze, lots of steps and a great view.  Don't know if the towers are still open to the public, but I hope so.

Click on Views of the World in labels ro see the rest of the series.

Views of the World, Arch of Triumph, Paris, France

I've been to the Arc de Triomphe, and it's a pretty impressive building.  It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, and it was meant to honor French victories during the revolution and Napoleonic Wars.  It's 50 meters tall, or for those of us who still measure things in the English mode, 164 feet.  When it was completed in 1836, during the reign of Louis-Philippe I, it was the tallest such arch in the world.  Since then it's fallen to number three.  The tallest is in Mexico City, and number two, Pyongyang, North Korea.  And yes, I wondered about that one, too.

Click on Views of the World in labels to see other cards in the series.

Americans in Paris

Paris in the 20's was the age of the American expatriate. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein and the lot. On the back of the lady sitting at the table, "Caroline Davis France 1920's" On the back of the standing woman, "Hannah Gersch taken at Longchamps Racetrack in Paris about 1928 or 1929?"