It would be interesting to see the complete cover or post card.
I have seen other examples of this marking online on items sent to a large French shop and I wonder if this is a marking applied by the shop to indicate that free sample products should be sent.
However, I've not seen a complete postcard to be able to read the message
So a postcard (with Postage Due) from a buyer in Belgium to a large store in Paris requesting a catalogue of toys and some other product? Can’t make out the last word. Jouets et d’ehennes?
In my opinion the échantillons poste cancel is not a postal cancel, but one that was placed by someone at the office of the store so that they could see the requested sample (catalogue in this case) had been sent to the customer. Kind of like how things were done before computers and customer relationship management software were invented.
Hi Zhai,
This was a hard one to figure out as the handwriting isn’t the best. But I think I got there in the end.
It was obviously sent from Belgium to Paris. The address appears to be:
Grand Magasins Louvre, Paris
The Louvre Department Store, Paris.
The senders address in the top right hand corner is:
Château Fuley, Arquennes
The message reads:
Voulez m’envoyez vos catalogues de jouets et d’ êherres.
Would you send me your catalogues of toys and of flowers.
It was difficult to work out the last word here as the accent, a circonflexe, looks more like a grave accent, and the ‘r’s like ‘n’s.
It Is signed: Dion du Chapois
This is Adolphe François Camille, Baron Chapois, born 1831 died 1914. He was an industrialist and politician. Probably why he couldn’t be bothered to check the postage to France, hence the postage due. You will also notice the absence of any s'il vous plaît.
As for the ECHANTILLONS POSTE stamp, I believe that Jansimon is right in that it is a stamp applied at the store to show that the catalogues had been sent. It is dated four days after the original Belgian franking.
Wonderful work. But I do not agree with your transcription of "étrennes". Never saw the other word used for flowers. However, I found the ultimate proof in a French archive: a copy of the very catalogue requested, albeit 3 years older: https://bibliotheques-specialisees.paris.fr/ark:/73873/pf0001945877
ÉTRENNES Is definitely New Years gift
In the early 1900's it was not uncommon for many French families to give gifts on New Years Day and not Christmas
This applies to several other countries notably China where the perfect New Year gift is money in a red envelope.
In Japan it involves many traditions but money in an envelope (not red) is favored for children- Otoshidama