** TINS of TASTE MUSEUM ** within the NationalBreadMuseum.org
FRANCE
Is the Eiffel Tower your idea of France?
Let's say, it's a beginning :). Built by French engineer Gustave Eiffel and finished in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle, this event celebrated the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution. It's 1024' high without the antennas, and around 7 million people visit (that means buy a ticket to go in) a year! Three-fourths of those are foreigners. Who says tourism doesn't pay? :) And that's around 5 million people expanding their education in this world every year, and THAT'S a great benefit for everyone! (After our family got to live in Europe 9 years & travel to over 2 dozen countries, we came back to our house which we rented out & I saw a neighbor from prior years, was talking about our time overseas & going to Paris, & she asked why would we want to go there? I thought, . . . so sad!)
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The standard for measuring tins is 1st - the cover which determines the shape and general size (except the Eiffel Tower tin above which doesn't fit that mold!); 2nd - the height which is generally shown by photos of the panels (front/back & ends/sides) beginning with the seam on the left & then turning the tin clockwise, but not showing repeats & usually noting that's the case; 3rd - the bottom if there's some information & if there's room in the photo-display strip on the website.
The tins will be in alphabetical order of the manufacturer, with unknowns at the end. If there's a (ToT#xxxx), don't pay attention. It just ended up being listed as that # tin in the inventory & has nothing to do with the date of the tin or the year of the purchase. If known, that info is listed with the tin photo. The following French companies each have 1 or more tins on this page:
B and B Bénédictine Brandy
Barnier
Chocolat Mathez
Delauney-Lévéille
Fabis
La Mere Poulard (1888)
La Trinitaine
Les Gourmandises Des Francais
Maison Peltier (Beekeeper ~ since 1946)
Massilly (photos to come)
Maxim's
Mercier (1912)
Société DV SAS
Wildly Delicious Preserve Company (French/Canada)
Assorted Items & Other Tins
B and B Liqueur ~ Bénédictine Brandy
This tin commemorates 50 years of "The Grand Tradition in America." Made in France.
Barnier
Chocolat Mathez
Delauney-Lévéille
Fabis
With a thorough search of internet resources, no history information has been found regarding the Fabis Biscuit company in France. The "Images" link in a Google Search list show a number of colorful, solid-colored Fabis tins from the past. Then some tins with designs were also made, from Donald Duck & his nephews, to an Andy Warhol version of this Statue of Liberty tin. At a size of 9"x9", originally it was filled with "biscuits" which is the British/European English word for our American "cookies." (ToT#3939)
La Mere Poulard (1888)
La Trinitaine
Les Gourmandises Des Francais
Maison Peltier (Beekeeper ~ since 1946)
Le Manoir des Abeilles, Parc du Mont Saint Michel, 50170 Pontorson - FranceImporters: Le Panier Francais, 2508 Wisconsin Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515 ~~ The French Marketplace in the U.S.
Maxim's
Mercier depuis 1912
Société DV SAS
Wildly Delicious Preserve Co.
(Toronto, Ontario, "French" Canada)
Even though this is a Canadian product, it's best to include it here because of Canada's deeply rooted French ties of it being claimed by the French as a colony in 1535. Although it became a British Colony in 1763, & gained it's independence as an independent country in 1982, it's still part of the British Commonwealth today (2024).
Assorted Items & Other Tins
~towns: OBERNAI & SARREGUEMINES in the Alsace area~
Paintings by H. Loux
The 1st time I saw this style of "French country" painting was on dinnerware in a German flohmarkt about 1989-90. I bought the few odds & ends (10, 8"& 9" plates for $6.60 with a tea cup & saucer thrown in for good measure!). Twice more I saw a few pieces, & paid $20 for each of a long serving platter 6" x 18", and a large, 9" x 5" square serving bowl. A vendor told me to look for those which didn't have the "dishwasher/ microwave" words because then they would be from before WWII. Because of those dishes, one day I drove to that Obernai area in the Alsace region of France "just to look around." I remember finding one more unusual shape, to me, with a different painting. I just loved the country scenes, & the clothing, & the colors! Then in 1991, during the kids' Easter vacation, we went back into that area & stopped at a Canadian military base to see what different kinds of products they had in their "BX," & there was a room filled with ALLLLLL this designed dishware, piled up from the floor & filling massive shelves! There had to have been at least 500-or-more pieces, with possibly 1-2 dozen or more different center designs. The dishes were in both white (never saw any of that before) and cream (which is what I had & preferred). If you want an
eye-full, put "Obernai pottery" in a search bar & look at "Images." Also, at times, there are 100s of pieces for sale on eBay & Etsy!
And if you want to take a side trip to some amazing medieval French towns (fairytale land come true!), look at the "IMAGES" for Riquewihr and Ribeauville, France. Along with Colmar, a bit south of them, you just might plan a vacation to the Alsace area of France & also check out 3 bread museums & a U. S. National Cemetery in that part of the country while you're there, plus a castle way up on a hilltop, & who knows what else! Also, keep your eyes peeled for the seldom-seen, live storks & their nests way up in the tree tops❣ An additional jewel, & for another authentic, Medieval, town stroll, read about Eguisheim, a town 4 miles south of Colmar. Look at the "Images" in the Google Search Index. Part of Eguisheim has the most unusual (to us today) layout of gorgeous, timber-framed homes & buildings in unique, narrow-spaced, concentric circles. In your Colmar plans, I hope you visited the museum of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the builder of the Statue of Liberty!
The above 3, tin-cover, oval glass containers held those small, round, peppermint-type candy beads; only about 2" x 2 3/4" x 3/4".