This really is a wonderfully detailed card from Aix-les-Bains. The postcard dates from around 1900 and is in exceptional condition. Can you see what the man is doing in the foreground? I suppose that someone had to do it. Before the arrival of the motor car the pollution from house manure in London was such a big problem that it was discussed in parliament. You can only grow so many roses….
Click on the image to get a better view.
7 comments:
The thing is that at least this pollution created a job. Whilst our car pollution......
Hi Angie ~ This is interesting. I've spent some time studying all (and I mean all of the people, animals and objects in this photograph and I've come to the conclusion that the whole scene is carefully and beautifully posed.
Go to the far distance and see the curve leading to the manure collector (I did that when I was small) and you can see that people and worders are in perfectly designed groupings...the three on the extreme right agains the horse and cart man on the left...and so on. I just have the feeling that the photographer enlisted all those people to meet at an appointed time for the shot. The sun is low so it could have been early.
Maybe I'm wrong, but the picture does have an extraordinary balance and composition
xhenry
Peter: you are right and it was good for the garden!
Henry : Now that you’ve pointed it out to me I see exactly what you mean. It reminded me of this one;
http://timeandoft.blogspot.com/2009/01/vals-les-bains.html
What do you think?
This brought back the memory of my gran and the story she told me of when she was a wee girl. All the kids would be out playing. As soon as the coal man appeared in the street with his horse and cart the kids would run and hide before the parents came out shouting after them to go clean up whatever the horse left behind. Good for the garden not so good for the slowest kids.
x
Cullen: I like that story. A lot of horse owners in our village used to bag it up and sell it -helped pay the rent on the fields where they kept their horses.
Horse manure isn't offensive smelling
These old postcards sure tell a story.
I wonder what our story will be in the future?
A Lady's Life: I've mucked out a few stables myself. I love the smell of horses.
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