This postcard was not mailed; there is no personal story attached to it.
It is the rare visitor to Paris who does not observe artists who have set up easels for plein air painting on the leafy promenade along the bank of the Seine.
What was a traditional pastime for art students in the great city may now appear as a spectacle for tourists.
Nevertheless, it is a charming addition to the atmosphere of Paris and reinforces the recognition that this city is a world capital of the arts.
Here is the Google Summary:
“Artists have been inspired by the banks of the Seine in Paris for centuries, with the river becoming a central subject for painters from the 18th century, exemplified by Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste Raguenet’s documentary-style views, to the groundbreaking Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements of the late 19th century…”
(Most sensible persons would consider a hand-painted view of the Seine to be a much better souvenir than the trinkets 0ften hauled home in tourist luggage.)
+ + + + + + + +
The face of this postcard shows a scene of early autumn; the changing colors of the leaves mirror the golden mist that shrouds the far bank.
The central figure is a young woman in a red dress who appears to be setting up an easel and whose back is turned to us.
One can see other easels in the distance.
There is only one pedestrian, which adds to the stillness and the serenity of the scene
The caption tells us that this is a “Vue sur la Seine et la Gare d’Orsay”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_d%27Orsay
+ + + + + +
Some things have changed since the postcard was printed circa 1910; the enormous train station in the distance is now the incredibly-beautiful Musee d’Orsay (home to the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting in the world).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_d%27Orsay
Another change is that the Seine is far cleaner now than it was at the turn of the 20th century.
In time for the Summer Olympics of 2024, Paris completed successfully a years-long infrastructure project to make the Seine acceptable for swimming.
https://swimswam.com/a-century-later-the-seine-reopens-for-public-swimming-after-paris-2024-cleanup
+ + + + + + + +
In the lower right of the face, one can see the superimposed script, “Guy”.
This is the mark of “Editions Guy”, a prolific producer of postcard art and of architectural photography.
The lovely postcard was published by the Parisian firm of Andre Leconte, circa 1910.
From Google:
“André Leconte (fl. 1880 – 1930) was a Paris based guidebook and map publisher active in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is one of the publishers of the attractive art nouveau style “Nouveau Paris Monumental” series.”
