Saturday 21 July 2012

Tableaux

 An entry to Sepia Saturday. "Using old images as prompts for new reflections"

The Health Fairy takes centre stage on our prompt picture this week but as the concept of that fairy is a mystery to me I've gone with what it looks like, a tableau.
And this postcard produced by Emil Goetz, a company which published cards from 1896-1958 in Lucerne, date of the card unknown as unsent. But lets get back to the heroic scene with soaring mountains and a rainbow. The scene shows "The Rütlischwur", a legendary oath of Switzerland taken on the Rütli mountain meadow by Lake Lucerne.  The date of the first oath is thought to be 1291 and today the 1st August is a national holiday.  Three chiefs of the cantons swear to be a single people and rather die than be in slavery so it was appropriate in 1940, as war surrounded neutral Switzerland,  that General Guisan made a speech vowing that the country would never surrender if invaded. 

Happily in the picture people have come prepared with shields and raised swords but significantly the women folk seem to be busy elsewhere.  Joan of Arc would never have stood for that
as she mounts a ladder at Orleans to defeat the English and tipping the 100 years war in France's favour.  The participants here are the citizens of St Macaire en Mauges in February 1910 "Tableau Vivant. Jeanne d'Arc montant a l'assaut des Tourelles".  The celebration of Joan of Arc take place all over France every year but this year it would have been an even bigger event than normal  as it was the 600th anniversary of her birth. 
 Postcard  from the Bryn Mawr College Library collection
Here I have managed to find the wings from the prompt photo, they may not be health fairies but more girls get to wear wings . The "Saint Germain sur Moine Féte de Jeanne d'Arc - Tableaux vivants - Jeanne glorieuse".

10 comments:

Wendy said...

I like your take on this week's prompt. Such interesting pictures and history. Bravo!

21 Wits said...

This was really an interesting road along the fairy theme, Very nicely done....and the last photo is really special!

Brett Payne said...

In the days of YouTube and similar entertainment at our fingertips, tableaux are almost a lost art form, so it's nice to see a revival, thank you.

Alan Burnett said...

What a fascinating and original take on the theme which has given you the opportunity to share some great old images.

Little Nell said...

Great take on the theme. These are wonderful images and the information is fascinating.

Colleen G. Brown Pasquale said...

That color postcard is perfect for this week!

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Joy, you did a great job with this week's theme! I enjoyed the history lesson, and am your newest follower.

Kathy M.

North County Film Club said...

Such an interesting post as we see the tableaus evolve from the more serious to the fun fairy photo. Lovely job.
Nancy

Kristin said...

The first two are such different crowd scenes with faces focused on one person. The last is perfect fairies.

Queen Bee said...

My favorite photo is the fairies - you did a great job tying the history lesson and fairy theme together.