Grand Bon Marché
ca 1910
The artist has signed his work but is yet to be identified. This is a rendering of an early aero plane being admired by a young boy in typical sailor style attire popular at the time. The gentleman is dressed in a pin stripe suite suitable for outdoor activities along with a cane, gloves and a monocular. The boy and the gentleman are clearly both enthralled by what they see and this seems to refer to the first crossing of the Channel by Louis Charles Joseph Blériot in an aero plane in 1909. An early competitor for the automobile has arisen. The Grand Bon Marché (not to be confused with the Bon Marché department store in Paris), 19, Rue de la Republique in Orléans was a large shop that sold tailor-made and ready-made clothing. In 1929 it was the only shop stocking genuine Loden (a woven felted fabric) clothing. It was owned by the Noël family and the store would later take the name Vêtements Noël. Obviously the Grand Bon Marché could supply the correct attire (“habillement”) for a well to do gentleman and his son on a day out admiring modern aviation technology. Today it is a sports clothing and shoe shop. Printing House Vve P. Moreau - Nantes
