Shop and house decoration
Labels :
Paris 17,
Paris architecture,
Shop decoration
Today, I would first like to present a small collection of old types of shop outdoor decoration, as it used to look like some 100 – 150 years ago. You can fortunately still find a number of shops which have kept their original decoration and they start now to be officially protected. It means of course that some of today’s fashion shops may have some butcher or bakery ensigns – there are fewer butchers and bakeries and more fashion shops today than 100 years ago.
The examples you see here are just from the streets “around the corner”. If I find the time, I could easily increase the “collection”.
As a “proof”, I found this old picture of “my” pharmacy as it looked in the beginning of the 20th century, to be compared with my photo. 
During the same walk I took also a few pictures of some statue like decorations on the front of buildings, probably from the middle of the 19th century. There was more attention paid to the decorative part then than on today’s buildings. 
Related to decoration: Would you like to redecorate your bathroom? These pictures are from a specialised shop, also “around the corner” (pictures taken through the windows). 
The examples you see here are just from the streets “around the corner”. If I find the time, I could easily increase the “collection”.
As a “proof”, I found this old picture of “my” pharmacy as it looked in the beginning of the 20th century, to be compared with my photo. During the same walk I took also a few pictures of some statue like decorations on the front of buildings, probably from the middle of the 19th century. There was more attention paid to the decorative part then than on today’s buildings. Related to decoration: Would you like to redecorate your bathroom? These pictures are from a specialised shop, also “around the corner” (pictures taken through the windows). 
29 comments:
These signs are ardorable and the bathtub...priceless! Cute post....
Seriously, reading this blog just makes me want to be there, right now!!
Would you say that all these signs date from a particular era? (looks like it). It's curious that they become historically significant, or worth preserving. (I don't argue that they are worth preserving) but I wonder what is the deciding factor that some things from one era survive and others don't. For example do you think we produce anything like this today that future generations might stamp preservation orders on. If not why not?
At the risk of being a copycat, this inspires me to go and look for similar symbols of past commerce in Zurich. The point about the relative proliferation of butchers vs fashion is also interesting
neva:
Do you want me to check the price of the "priceless" bathtub?
drama div@:
Not right now, but maybe soon?
richard:
I have had some similar thoughts. What and who decides what to preserve? I guess very little from the period 1930 and later is preserved and today e.g. shops are renovated every five years or so. Will there be anything from today left for the future generations - and would it be worth saving? It often takes some decades to rediscover the possible beauty of these things and the ideas about what is good fashion changes. Would you today like to decorate your home in the style of the 70's? Why not, but most people would just scrap the old things and buy new. There are some buildings which of course will remain, some made with significant spirit of creation, but all these smaller creations, like shops, will there be anything left? I doubt it.
In reply to your question. Yes, I definitely would like to redecorate my bathroom. I'm thinking about it, but it's a big job (being a big bathroom) and I'm not ready yet. You may remember that the colour is quite the same that the bathroom on your pictures. And I don't like pink!
How interesting!
Colorful and ornate...
hpy:
Maybe you should wait with the bathroom until you move to your "dream house"?
ash:
Thanks and have a nice weekend!
Ahhhhh mais que vois-je? L'enseigne "fabrique de bouchons"! J'aime le bruit du bouchon qui se libère de la bouteille, même que maintenant dans les grands restaurants, les serveurs et serveuses ont le mot d'ordre de ne pas tirer le bouchon fortement afin de ne pas faire de bruit. Mais cela manque singulièrement de charme, ne trouvez-vous pas?
Elles sont très belles ces enseignes et votre post intéressant. Par contre, je n'aime pas trop la baignoire rose...:-) Je vous souhaite un bon WE peter et à bientôt.
Good morning or should I say
good afternoon in your time zone now, Peter! I always like the theme you portray in your daily photos. Time marches on but a few smart and clever people preserve remnants of the past. It's a great way to educate children, isn't it? By the way, how are your beautiful grandkids; school must have started? Have a good week-end!
Wow! interesting shop, i´m an old advertising signs collector, my next trip to Paris i´ll be there.
I loved the signs. Sooo French...
Seda
delphinium:
Je ne sais pas pourquoi, mais je pensai que si delphinium voit ces photos, elle va réagir sur les "bouchons"! On se fait vite une réputation!
En attendant, "Fabrique de Bouchons" est aujourd'hui un petit restaurant!
Merci pour ces commentaires! Je suis toujours ravi de lire les commentaires de delphinium!
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comments on my blog.
I survived the Greek fires. Actually I was in the Islands (Kos, Crete and Mykonos) where there were no fires; only the island of Evia was somehow affected.
I’m glad to be back and catch up your posts! It would take days to rend them the homage they deserv. Anyhow, the outdoor decoration, the new tram (even with the out of order pieces), the architecture and the buildings posts are magnificent. Also loved the Balzac story.
Met Lyliane for a brasserie dinner last Wednesday. It was quite a happy evening!
As I’m late, my posts at Blogtrotter are still in Bali 2005. Hope you enjoy it, anyhow!
Have a nice weekend!
kate:
Thanks! Grandchildren are doing fine; Paloma is back in school, but Mattias has to wait a while, he just celebrated his first birthday!
matritensis:
Give me a sign and I will bring you there!
seda:
Thanks! Once more, so nice to see you back in the blogging world!
gmg:
Your comments came in the meantime...
Aprreciate very much your kind words! Happy to see that your visit to Greece was not too effected by the unfortunate fires!
Nice work again, Peter. I spent a lot of time with letters, alphabets and wrote several books about it so this post is right up my alley, so to speak.
Nice work.
...lovely pink!!
BTW @http://richmonduponthamesdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/09/bar-on-titanic-229.html ...Richard made "helpful" remarks about horizontals on one of my posts. Immediately after that you "helped" him. I became very sensitive and paniced. Richard has suffered for it.
oldmanlincoln:
So, also books about letters etc...!! What have you not done?
chuckeroon:
I guess that my amateur remarks may have created some confusion among proefessional photographers!
Wow! What a wonderful old shop outdoor decoration, Peter. You have all those beauty just around your corner! Beautiful! Great photos as always!
PS: Thanks for your double visiting on my place! I really appreciate it!
I have a bath tub, nothing as fancy as in the picture, but big enough!
Beautiful signs, no neon splashing and migraine giving twinkles!
I love it when you compare old and new photos.
I like that they keep the old signs, makes it an interesting historical encounter when you walk by or shop. Kind of like an etymology in the Oxford English Dictionary.
sonia:
Always nice to see you around!
susupetal:
More a shocer friend than a bathtub friend?
ruth:
I think also that these old signs are pure pieces of art, or have become!
What a great collection of outdoor decorations! I love the wordings of those. Especially the "Photographie" in the 2nd pics. =) It would be nice to have one hanging on my bedroom's door lol. The pharmacy still looks exactly the same comparing with the picture taken in 20th century. Geez. Amazing. :)
You dd not make a presentation on your Peter-photo blog, so I cannot figure out what that 3rd photo represents! But it sure is stunning...
I know I should not hold it against you, but your lovely posts make me feel wistful and nostalgic and a bit jealous...OK, a lot jealous ;-)
Happy weekend!
isabella:
As these were just part of pictures, I did not find them of interest for the photo blog. I don't know exactly what you refer to in the 3rd photo, but all these pieces of photos are just still exisitng shop front decorations.
If I managed to make YOU jelalous, it's really something, considering your living environment!
What beautiful old signs and statuary! Definitely elements missing from modern architecture. It's nice that they have been preserved for posterity, too. Here, too many of the beautiful old buildings have been torn down and replaced with taller, ugly chrome and glass buildings. Much prefere those old brick façades--they have so much more character!
Bon weekend, Peter!
Wonderful, that is one aspect (the old shops, I mean) that make Paris' charme.
Good idea not to blog for some other activities. We, too, made a wonderful tour yesterday. I'll upload later in my other blog.
I always love your comparison picture that are so unique of your blog!They really tell us a history!
The statues in the niches are beautiful! & the bathrooms are classic!
Thanks once again for such wonderful visuals!
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