Saturday, September 22, 2007

A Fascinating Find


Last week I went to the annual Salon de la Carte Postale in Rodez. I didn't get into pawing through thousands of old postcards -- although I can see why people do. But I did purchase a number of fascinating documents that provide intriguing glimpses into Aveyron over the last decades.

As a food blogger, how could I resist this issue of La France à Table from 1971, featuring the Aveyron department? I had never seen a copy of this magazine, but it seems to be quite a collectors' item.

I tried to find some information about the magazine: its history, how long it was published, how popular it was. But my (quick, I admit) Internet search only came up with numerous efforts to sell back issues...

As so often when I am confronted with printed vestiges of the past, I felt strange and nostalgic reading the magazine's black and white pages. The issue was printed three years after Mai '68, but it appeared so old-fashioned that, had I opened a random page, I would have guessed it was from the forties.

Another intriguing observation: ALL of the ads were for a certain type of product.

Can you guess what?

15 comments:

Pardon My French said...

Cheese!

Betty Carlson said...

That seems logical. It's pretty far off, though.

Linda said...

Bath products? I'm just thinking of the old advertising posters I have seen. Vacation spots too.

Anonymous said...

Hum...I was going to guess cheese as well. I'll say something off the wall....kitchen units or refrigerators?

Betty Carlson said...

Everybody's still pretty cold...

Corey, I thought you might actually know something about the magazine in question since you haunt "brocantes." I found it fascinating and it seems to go much further back -- I've seen some issues from the 1950s for sale on Internet.

Unknown said...

I can't begin to guess what the product is! But I am intrigued.

Betty Carlson said...

Mimi, come back next weekend. I'll post the answer and a photo of one of the ads...

Katie Zeller said...

Let's see - I would guess cigarettes....
Or house dresses....
I swear I'm going to bnuy one of those some day... just so I can say I owned one!

Betty Carlson said...

They are all over Internet on eBay and other collector type sites, Katie.

Good guesses -- imaginative ones -- but still no cigar!

Jennifer said...

Shotguns for hunting?

Jann said...

What a wonderful find~ must have taken you back in time !! I really don't have a clue what the French would be advertising during that time~ maybe something to drink,coffee, milk or colas`then maybe toothpaste or deodorants....ok, I will stop! Do tell!

Betty Carlson said...

Jann is a little warmer than the others. As I said, you'll probably have to wait until next weekend -- unless I get exceptionally organized during the week!

Betty Carlson said...

Loulou -- As I've been hearing hunting guns all weekend, that seems like a possible idea. But non...

Anonymous said...

we think its aperitifs or cigarettes

Betty Carlson said...

Et non...in fact, the answer is so off the wall that I doubt anyone will guess. But keep trying!