Tram Tuesday - Hannover, Germany

This unassuming card is special in a couple of ways. For one thing it is a very early card, sent in 1899, and showing an electric tram.  Although there is no message, the recipient and the story surrounding him, manage to trump the card itself.

The other element that's unusual is the City of Hannover's tram service. Hannover started out like many cities with horse-drawn trams, transitioning to electric trams. Bus service was also introduced for rural routes, but the tram service remained until the real transition, to light rail, started taking place in 1975. Some of Hannover's tram cars are now transporting passengers in Budapest, Hungary.

I am curious about the sender of the card. There is no message, but there appears to be a name, "Eustacie", on the front of the card. The recipient is Monsieur Philippe de Las Cases, at the Château de la Baume in Marvejols, Lozere, France. I occasionally check to see if I can find anything about the recipients of the cards I post. I don't usually find houses like this, but this is where Philippe lived:

Source

These days the château is open to visitors. You can see more photographs and read the history (in French) at this site.

Here's what I know about Philippe. He was born in 1881 and wrote a book on the rustic art of Brittany. His father was Emmanuel, Count de Las Cases and a Senator of the 3rd French Republic.  Philippe's great uncle, was also Count Emmanuel (1766-1842), a hugely successful atlas maker, and a great admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte.  The count accompanied Napoléon on his exile to St. Helena, where he acted as his secretary, recording his thoughts and later memorializing them in Mémorial de Ste Hélène. 

Apparently the count also made efforts to teach Napoleon English during their time in St. Helena. Earlier this year a letter that Napoleon wrote to the count, in very broken English, was being auctioned in June, 2012 and was expected to fetch £65,000. Instead, it ended up selling for £325,000.

Part of the château is dedicated to the time spent at St. Helena and some of the memories and souvenirs from the trip.

Here's the back of the card with a big inky fingerprint.

Did You Really Say That?

This card shows a scruffy, ink-stained photo of L'arc de Triomphe in Paris, not worth posting if it weren't for the message on the back.

The message from Minnie to Seargeant Richard Davis, a patient at the U.S. Army Base Hospital #1  reads:

9-30-18

This arch is but 2 blocks from our hotel I do hope you will get to see Paris for it is a most beautiful city. Although I hate to admit it, I do think it is much prettier than New York. Hope you are still with us so I may see you again.

Sincerely Minnie

I'm afraid I don't know if Minnie was able to see him again or not.

Tiny Children of Normandy

Can these children possibly be this small? They seem out of scale with the rest of the picture. In fact they look to be about the size of a potted plant.

Here's a close-up.

Tram Tuesday - Marseille, France

Back in 2011 I posted a colorful scene of streetcars on La Canebière in Marseille. Here are some more cards showing scenes of Marseille that include streetcars. The earliest trams in Marseille began service in 1876 and were pulled by horses.  As in most other places, the system slowly transitioned to electric power.  This first card, circa 1900,  appears to show horse-drawn and electric trams operating side by side.

Here's a close-up.

The tram system in Marseille has operated continuously, although the cars today are very sleek and modern in comparison to the ones shown here.

Tram Tuesday - Le Cannet

I have received a complaint - from a member of my own household, no less. The complaint was something along the lines of : "Enough already with the French Riviera trams!" If you happen to feel the same way, know that this is the last Tuesday of French Riviera trams, at least for the foreseeable future.

How can you not love these cards that transport us back in time to give us a glimpse of daily life in the beautiful Le Cannet though? I especially like the first two, because they appear to have been taken in sequence.

Here are a few closeups of the two cards.

The same man seems to be on both cards along with the young men who are probably up to some kind of mischief.

The trams that traveled to Le Cannet would have been part of the Tramway de Cannes system. The Cannet line opened in 1899. By 1907, the Tramway de Cannes also linked with the Tramway de Nice (TNL). Early service on the Tramway de Cannes was uncomfortable and apparently plagued by accidents. There was a particularly nasty accident in 1913 where several tramcars plunged into a ravine, killing 18 and injuring another 25. In that same year, newer more modern tramcars were purchased, including #30 shown above. Still, with an assortment of cars of different vintages and low power, the system was especially vulnerable to competition from bus lines. Tram service ended in 1933.
Here are a few more views of trams in Le Cannet.

The card above shows an open car, which would have been a fun ride, except perhaps on dangerous curves over steep ravines. This card also shows the Pension des Heliotropes. I would love to stay there, and, while I think it is still there, I don't think it operates as a pension anymore. Here's a listing from a 1943 paper that seems to indicate that the pension and all of its furnishings are being sold.