Two old postcards bought on separate occasions, both showing roughly the same scene of a small town in central France, in the Indre. The top one is clearly postmarked 1907 but unfortunately the postmark of the second is illegible. I'm guessing it's a later card because of the electricity cables and the "pylon" (or mock Eiffel Tower) towards the end of the church. There is no sign of either in the first.
Little has changed between the two photos: in both people have turned up or stopped what they were doing to pose for their pictures to be taken. The state of the road is dreadful in both - not what you would expect for the 20th century.
Just for fun, here it is now. The road has improved. The church has been "done up" and is now a national historic monument. The area is a conservation area and strictly controlled. No more potholes. No people.
A post for Sepia Saturday.
Two great cards, I do love such comparisons - they can act as a local history lesson in themselves. Thanks so much for bringing your wonderful cards to Sepia Saturday.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see the different views, it does look wonderfully cared for now, but not so bustling, quieter and with less character. Lovely postcards.
ReplyDeleteI also love to look at then and now photos. Hope you have a wonderful weekend and hope all is well with you.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it’s very interesting to see ‘progress’ or progression. The modern look has smart clean lines , but I do like to see people captured in a moment of time, so I prefer the older ones. Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting to see different views of the same place.
ReplyDeleteSomehow not the same without the people although the road is really spruced up. I like to see then and now photos.
ReplyDeleteI love the early ones too. Once something is a tourist destination there must be easy and comfortable access or no one would bother to come in this day and age.
ReplyDeleteQMM
The people and the additional things make the old cards much more interesting. I like the second card especially.
ReplyDeletewonder if the photographer waited for a clear street to shoot the photo or if the people have all poof disappeared.
ReplyDeleteBefore and after photos (or "then and now" photos) are very interesting. Especially if you are personally familiar with the territory.
ReplyDeleteGreat comparisons! I love to look at both.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday!
Britain, America, France all produced similar photo postcards - someone stands in the road next to a church. The differences are what make these old images such great cultural artifacts. I think the pylon might be for telegraph/telephone service.
ReplyDeleteI love comparisons like this too. The first one has such great detail - and I love the colorful stamp. The intersection still looks good today, which is refreshing.
ReplyDeleteThe modern picture looks almost too clean. At least they have preserved what they had, in this country there'd be potholes for sure!
ReplyDeleteit's almost like a ghost town, exept for the lonely figure in the center... scary!!
ReplyDelete:D~
HUGZ
Wonderful postcards, thank you Sheila. Regarding the apparent emptiness of people in the last photo, that's exactly what my brother and I found when driving through small town France and Belgium a few years ago ... practically nobody around. We were travelling in the middle of the day, but we found it rather eerie.
ReplyDeleteIt's Quite Unusual....The Past Seemed Busier!
ReplyDelete