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1905 French shop photo

rivett608

Diamond
Joined
Oct 25, 2002
Location
Kansas City, Mo.
On a recent trip to Paris I managed to do some shopping...... and as you might guess shopping for fancy pointed shoes and colorful dress shirts is not nearly as interesting as digging through old tool catalogs and photos at a paper show........ here is on nice photo I brought home.... image is 6 1/2" by 9"..... I'm guessing this is a school due to the age of the "workers" and that there appears to be no product being made......... I bet they played as many tricks on each other as we did in shop class.....

frenchshop.jpg
 
Nice pic, I doubt if it's a school. At that time most handworkertrades were learned at the job. Starting as a dustboy and from there going up. At some places you even had to pay the boss for learning the secrets of the trade and still one had to do productionwork.
A recent visit to an Egyptian carpet factory showed us things are still be done that way. It's a thin line between childlabour and learning the handcraft at an early age.
 
Interesting in that the shaft hangers all seem to be made of "strap metal" and suspended pillow blocks rather than the more common cast iron hangers of American practice.

Also, the "stiff leg" hinge vises located EVERYWHERE. Obviously an age of handwork.

Best,
Joe in NH
 
yoyo Good point....... maybe it is a workhouse or some kind of orphanage.... note the name "Saint Nicolas", maybe church sponsored.... also there only appears to be one adult and he is watching, not working.... and then again they do not appear to be producing any product, with that many workers you expect to see more work on the benches or in bins........ also sorry about the blurry scan... the real photo is a bit better....
 
Rivett,

Great pic! Thanks.

I might be wrong, but it looks like they are mostly using a file to shape/finish something. From some of the old, 1860-1890 machinist tools I've seen, file finishing is a lost art today.

I recall a machinist chest full of precision tools that Rick B. got at an early Brown's auction. Sold at $1200, and I think Rivett would kill for it today, he missed it and I was too cheap.

Everything was file finished to a silky smooth and very brightly finish like some of the J. Steven's items. And all items were made by one machinist. I still marvel at the hand filed taper on the spindle of his breakdown surface gage.

Is anyone here a skilled hand filer? If so, please show some of your work.
 
Oh Ya.... you have to ruin my day by bringing that up....... you know it's the ones that got away that drive you nuts forever..... the things you buy you just put in a drawer and forget about...... but those you missed are always fresh in your mind :D ..... I can see that box in my mind right now!!!!!
 
Guys - part of the lack of production items might be that this is an atelier - an instructional studio. in short, a manual-arts training establishment I'd lay odds.

From askart.com:

French term for “artist’s workshop.” The reference is to a place where an artist teaches students and/or has apprentices working under his/her supervision.

Alan
 
Well maybe I was to negative regarding the french and childlabour. It seems it's indeed a school with several classes.
Here's the mechanical department with lathes
0444.T.445.997.1522.gif


and again they're filing something in the vice.

I think this "etablissement st Nicolas" joined a exposition about education around 1900 in France.
exposition
 
I saw lots of woodworking workshops (Atelier du bois) in the above link (exposition). This link is the report on the educational exhibits of the 1900 Paris worlds fair, called the Exposition Universelle. I read that that fair is where Campbell's soup won the gold medal that is still shown on their can labels.

Title: Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 à Paris. Rapports du jury international
Volume: Groupe I. - Education et enseignement. Première Partie. Classe 1
Published: Paris : Imprimerie nationale (Government Printing Office), 1902

The woodworking workshop in England (Fig. 303) translated "workshop" as "atelier," so I don't think artists or students are implied in the word itself. Manual training classes also included print making (Atelier de gravure), dress making (couture) and cooking (Cours de cuisine).

Larry
 
YoYo That is fantastic!!!!!...... in just a few hours you have answered any question about what this place was..... what book is the from and what does it say about this place?

Thanks so much and now I just need to find an original of that other photo ;)
 
Everything was file finished to a silky smooth and very brightly finish like some of the J. Steven's items. And all items were made by one machinist. I still marvel at the hand filed taper on the spindle of his breakdown surface gage.

Is anyone here a skilled hand filer? If so, please show some of your work.
I'd be game for some pics too!!
I have the skills , but the product is allways for the employer / customer.

I would encourage you to try your own....
Toot if you need some pointers.
I find filing and all benchwork ...very rejuvenating. & Soothing.
Phil
 
Hi guys.. FAB pictures.. I believe that the 'school' is one run by the Jesuits for orphans and youngsters with parents working overseas.. military perhaps It is certainly church-related as the French story reads. The pics are almost certainly 'posed' for a long-ish exposure, say 2 to 3 seconds as the film speeds (They would be glass plates almost sure) would be down around 4 to 6 ASA in modern terms, very very slow thus needing a time exposure.

I LOVE the stout legs of the lathes..! The French were great believers in the 'Atelier' system (Still are!!!) where one is basically an apprentice being taught the ways of the Master. The word 'atelier' simply means a 'place of work'.. as has been said it can apply to virtually any trade or craft. America's greatest portrait painter, John Singer Sargent learned his trade in a wonderful Atelier in Paris back in the 1880's and his 'Maitre' commissioned him to paint HIM... a HUGE tribute and pat on the back for his greatest student, who of course went on to be the world's best (See the Boston Library Wall Paintings)

Oh and I can 'file finish' was taught in the 'Atelier' of the de Havilland Engine Company in England back in 1947 - 50 (WE made 'The Comet'.. remember..? Worlds FIRST jet airliner) and can get that silky finish.. gorgeous is it not..? One of our apprentice tests was to make the famous one-inch 'object' which would fit thru a jig with 1. A square Hole. 2. A triangular hole and 3, A Round hole.. so tjhat no daylight showed..! Mine showed about 3 thou I think but got passed..cos I was really an electronics student and only had to do the mechanical stuff so I could understand what REAL engineers were doing... and for which I have been forever grateful.. otherwise I would not have my lovely Rivett 608 and would not be here...!

Best to all... Lovely place Paris eh...???

Rod
 
USM.. I think it is more than likely.. although the one in Rivett's photo was given the big OK way back in 1724 with an Apostolique "Bulle" (OK from Rome itself!) and "Lettres Patent".. the government OK in other words "OK to teach, you guys.. go for it..!"

The young lad on the right seems to be handling his file correctly (Both hands on; the left 'leading' the stroke although his vise is too high for proper file work...) The youngster in the first pic (just right of centre) though is incurring the wrath of 'Le Maitre' for having his sideways file at a strange angle..??? but they will all have been yelled at to 'keep still' for the photographer so might have 'fallen away' a bit.

Nice pics Rivett

Rod
 
I think this is the history of the school in the pictures. They had three different locations around Paris, and at least one is still teaching auto mechanics and other technical skills. The French was translated by Google into fractured English, but it makes more sense than the French, to me. Drop down the Groupe Scolaire menu and click on History.

History of St. Nicholas schools

Larry
 








 
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