Fête du Papier, June 2016

[breeze]

A poster for the Fête du Papier in the village of Le Theil sur Huisne had intrigued us. We had no idea why or how the fete would showcase paper, but we’re in favor of paper so we wanted to see it. We headed there on a Saturday in June.

This was their first such fete. I’m happy to say it was a totally charming small-scale event,. It was a rainy, chilly day, not the best atmosphere for viewing things made of paper, as the displays were in unheated sheds and under tents, but as it turned out everything made of paper was carefully sheltered and only the people got soggy.

We were wondering why Le Theil sur Huisne wanted to feature paper. I’m sure you’re wondering too. Le Theil has had a long history with paper. M. Abadie invented a cigarette paper that didn’t need glue and had a factory built on both sides of the Huisne river at Le Theil in the 1880s. The Abadie factory produced cigarette paper for an international market from 1886 till it shut down in 1975 due to increased competition. Its heyday seemed to be around 1920. The factory buildings still stand, mostly empty.

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We parked near the solid-looking mairie.



Visitors were greeted with live music. A group of women accompanied by guitar were singing that old French fave, “House of the Rising Sun.” In front of the library (okay, “Mediatheque”) there was a table displaying old books for sale.

As we walked past the old movie theatre where they were showing some short paper-related films, I talked to one of the volunteers who bring new and older movies to the town. I didn’t get a good look at the theatre or a photo since we walked right in front of it, but I’ve since seen photos online, and it’s a period piece. If you search Google Images for “Cinema Louis Theil Huisne” it should turn up.

We followed other visitors off the street and into a courtyard full of tents and small buildings. In the first shed we entered, we saw a display of wall sculptures of papier mache.

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Then we came across these. They are mass-produced but so charming.

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The figures that look like they are bowing to us are just limp from the day’s humidity.

I don’t know the name for such things, but when I was trying to figure that out this morning, I remembered that kerouac had been to a terrific museum, Cité de l'Image at Epinal. These paper tableaux are so similar to some of the images from Epinal that I wonder if they’re the same manufacturer. I’m assuming these tableaux are late 19th or early 20th century.

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You can tell that these on display were treasured possessions . Presumably they came in a little kit, with a cardboard background and floor. Maybe the figures were already cut out, or maybe French kids were allowed to use sharp scissors and they cut them out themselves. Setting things up, trying different arrangements, using scissors and glue must have provided a few hours of fun, after which they’d be shown off to family and friends for weeks.

And then these lovely paper toys were put away for 100 or so years and brought out on the occasion of the first Fête du Papier.

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We moved on to something unique, a series of dioramas of manors and chateaux of the Perche. I thought these were especially wonderful since we’ve seen some of the building exteriors which are occasionally open to the public. Each diorama was in its own box and came with its coat of arms and a little history of the place. Apologies for the quality of the photos. I took a picture of each diorama but I included only the least fuzzy ones here.

The maker of the dioramas was Georges Massiot, a creative and enterprising radiologist who in 1914 set up a vehicle equipped with an x-ray machine that was used on the battlefield and later to bring x-ray technology to rural areas. He had an interest in historic preservation and was the founder of a journal, the Revue des Cahiers Percherons, and Les Amis du Perche.







There are a few photos of the Manoir de la Vove in the Journees du Patrimoine 2016 thread.

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There was more music from this graceful little gem. It uses the same principle as a player piano, but instead of perforated paper rolls, this uses what looks like punched folded cardboard, and it’s cranked by hand, not foot operated. It’s from the Musée du Musique Mécanique in Dollon, a museum I think we need to go to.





The women’s trio came and sang along to one of the old popular songs. I noticed there’s a song for Rikita, though they misspelled her name.

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On to the tent of artisans and ateliers. Here printing firms displayed some of their work, and artists who work with paper gave demonstrations of quilling, paper cutting, kirigami, and other advanced techniques.

Percherons at work in the paper industry.

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The publishers Les Amis du Perche had a well-stocked sales tent with their books and back issues. We bought a two-euro sticker of the Perche emblem. Big spenders.

Our last stop was the library because I can’t resist libraries, even if the books aren’t in my own language.

[htmb]

This is delightful, Breeze. What a nice way to spend part of a Saturday.

[breeze]

Thanks, htmb. We're usually impressed with how a small group of volunteers can pull together an event like this.

[bixaorellana]

Totally charming and interesting as all get-out! It's also impressive that enthusiasts were able to convince the town that a paper festival was a good idea. Were there no paper dolls?

[Deleted]

I'm certainly impressed and had never heard of such a festival. The 3D cardboard cutouts have remained very popular over the years and can often be found in souvenir shops, although of course now everything is precut and just needs to be detached, and the images are more sophisticated. I prefer the style you showed, which do indeed look like Epinal style.