Epinal models

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Recently I came across a reasonably high definition picture of an Epinal model: Petites Constructions 1366, Marchand de Beignets. I scaled it down slightly to fit A4 and built myself this charming little stall of an Arab baked apples vendor, as seen at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris. At this World Exhibition a great many 'anthropological items' were shown (including a 'Human Zoo' from Madagascar...). Wikipedia has some interesting information on this. Size 9x10 cms.
I found the Haarlem Town Gate and the Constantinople lighthouse in a junk shop. There are hundreds of Epinal models in three series (large, medium, small), and they are not particularly rare in Europe - however, they are very collectible - nice word for expensive...

[rockpaperscissor]

All 3 are very well done. I particularly like the Haarlem Tower Gate. Are the last two built from scans or the original pages?

[Vermin_King]

Beautiful pieces. Thanks

[eatcrow2]

Well done!! Great look to all three.

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

From scans - the original paper is far too brittle (after all: more tha 100 years old!). I printed the Haarlem gate on photo paper - mistake: far too glossy. Just regular 160 grams printer paper is excellent for the purpose.

[cdavenport]

Those are excellent builds, Diderick. I, too, really like the gate. You can preserve the paper with an archival spray that neutralizes the acid in the paper.

I have an original Epinal, too, that I have preserved that way. Charming pieces of history.

And you are right; here in the US, prices for original Epinals are quite high.

[Pat_craft]

Excellent ! I'm very happy to see these old models built ! Thanks !

[patriciaeureka]

I've put all my epinal models(97% are mine and 3% from web friend) in this flickr set if you want, all are scan in high def. and sometime i've put A4 version :
Epinal - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/sets/72157626790129899/)
(there's not only paper craft also some "images d'epinal" and "devinettes")
and an other flickr user name Imperturbe have post some epinal also in high definition :
Graphics - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/imperturbe/sets/72157612804536127/with/6103749090/)

[Amccombs3]

Patricia,

Thank you! I and many others will enjoy building these. I'm curious -- what size was a typical original Petite Construction? I imagine these small buildings as being around 5 cm, but I could be very wrong.

Anne

[patriciaeureka]

Small buildings " petites constructions" 23 cm x 30 cm ~ (near A4)
Middle buildings " moyennes constructions" 40 cm x 30 cm ~
Big buildings " grandes constructions" 50 cm x 40 cm ~
voilà but we are lucky because we can transform small build in medium if we print on 2 pages ! more problem with the big

[Amccombs3]

Ah, thank you. When I printed Moulin A Eau, P.C. 1228, on American 8-1/2 inch x 11 inch paper, the printed area was 19.5 x 27.1 cm. Just a little smaller than original. Diderick's charming little models are an inspiration for us all.

Anne

[cdavenport]

My fellow Epinal-admiring friends, I have spent some time with the Epinal models and have come to the conclusion that "petite," "moyens," and "grande" constructions have nothing to do with the size of the model, but, rather are an indication of the degree of complexity of the model.

All of the Epinal sheets are roughly the same size, but the number of parts on the three sizes varies from just a few on petite sheets to a large number of parts on the grande construction sheets.

Am I correct in my conclusion?

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

My fellow Epinal-admiring friends, I have spent some time with the Epinal models and have come to the conclusion that "petite," "moyens," and "grande" constructions have nothing to do with the size of the model, but, rather are an indication of the degree of complexity of the model.

All of the Epinal sheets are roughly the same size, but the number of parts on the three sizes varies from just a few on petite sheets to a large number of parts on the grande construction sheets.

Am I correct in my conclusion?

No! See Patricia Eureka's earlier entry on paper size of the three series. Of course larger size paper allows for more separate parts, thus more complicated models.

[patriciaeureka]

No, small , medium and big, it's with the size of the plate , but it's true that the "grandes constructions" (many of them was with 3 or more plates like locomotive + tender+ wagon some was in book like toy theatre not easy to find... with a reasonable price) and moyennes constructions" are more beautifull suppose the small was the most cheap and simple .
;-)patricia

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6846416017_27464c58c1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/6846416017/)
taille size epinal (http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/6846416017/) par pilllpat (agence eureka) (http://www.flickr.com/people/taffeta/), sur Flickr

[cdavenport]

Thank you so much! I have never seen them compared to each other. Since they all scanned at roughly the same size I assumed the sheets were the same, too. That's actually pretty exciting. I have a petite construction. So, that's the smallest.

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

We are having a spell of winter here by the North Sea - we don't often have enough frost for canals and lakes to freeze over, but with about 15 cms of ice we will have literally hundreds of thousands of people skating all over the country this weekend.
So the next Epinal scan I found on the internet was very suitable indeed: 'Blockaus attaqué par des ours blancs', Petites Constructions nr 1332. Size 7,5x8,5 cms. The figures, including the polar bear, consist of two sides glued together. Which explains why the bear has two faces, one on each side...
These small items remind me of another French series. L'Instant Durable is of course well known for their phantastic French castles and cathedrals. However, they also have a series of over 150 postcards, drawn with nice detail and colouring. Many years ago I collected most of them by asking those of my pupils who went to France on holiday to look out for them. They were fun to build: just about an evening's work, and they added up to a lovely mini-collection. Go to my New Photo Collection on Flickr: Den Bakker's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeist_bouwplaten/) for some pictures. (And now that we are on the subject: please send me pictures of your own built models to add to the collection?!)

[patriciaeureka]

7,5 x 8,5 cm it's when the model is build ? not the plate or maybe they reprint moderm post card..
Here the plate need a Mr Charles Davenport big restoration, no?
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6191/6052983823_8ca33f6f1a_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/imperturbe/6052983823/)
imagerie d epinal-6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/imperturbe/6052983823/) par imperturbe (http://www.flickr.com/people/imperturbe/), sur Flickr

;-)patricia

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

No, that is the built up size. I photoshopped the original file a bit to make it whiter - but I don't really mind the discoloration - is makes the model rather athmospheric.

[cdavenport]

I restored this one some time ago but haven't built it. I am fascinated by how French children of the time were allowed to experience their world. I have not seen an American counterpart of period that comes close to the scale that Epinal achieved. And, Epinal was just one French company doing this!

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Last summer I spent a very rainy week collecting as many titles and pictures of Epinal models as I could. No particular reason: just something to do. I found that there are only very few pictures / scans of sufficiently high resolution to print and build. Two excellent files (PC 1204 Locomotive & Tender, and PC 1205 Wagons) can be downloaded as Tiff files from Petites constructions. Locomotive et tender (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2009633698/)
They make a nice set.

[Pat_craft]

The locomotive and the tender have something special. I don't know why, but they was also on the corverage of school notebook. This one was used by an adult for accounting in 1898.

[Vermin_King]

Okay, now that is something I was unaware of, that these were also used for more mundane purposes, like notebooks.

[patriciaeureka]

It was "protège-cahier" a cover in paper to protect exercice-book like this one:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5026/5629864524_5635d37334_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/5629864524/)
cahier lépidoptères (http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/5629864524/) par pilllpat (agence eureka) (http://www.flickr.com/people/taffeta/), sur Flickr
most of then was also with ads from trade mark like this one :
Agence eureka (http://bibigreycat.blogspot.com/2006/03/protge-cahier-publicitaire-biscuits.html)
and here too:
mes protèges cahiers - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/27381835@N00/sets/72157610461945095/detail/)

and some was with toy to cut .....
;-)patricia

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

All Epinal / vintage fans: see my new thread with that name!

[sarayuriel]

Epinal es fantastico aqui algunas construcciones en reducidas291833

Epinal is fantastic here some buildings in reducidasEpinal models- (Googlish translation)

This is an English language forum. Please provide either your own translation or a machine translation. Thank you.

[sarayuriel]

Epinal es fantastico aqui algunas construcciones en reducidas291833

See above remarks

[papermodelfan]

On EBay in the US, there is a huge collection of original Epinal, for auctions that start at very high prices. The accompanying scans are of reasonable quality. This is apparently a collection of mint prints, never sold, that are part of a large estate sale.

[altomentis]

I have been drooling over those high-priced Epinal models on eBay for a long time. Just cannot justify the prices. I suspect that Castles in the Air may have acquired some that they use to produce their reproductions.

[Tom Greensfelder]

I've spoken to the owner of Castle in the Air, Karima, a number of times when I get back to Berkeley. Believe it or not, she was given all the originals she now sells reproductions of! She even sells the originals from time to time.

The reproductions are very well done and very reasonably priced. The originals are somewhat expensive, but she does have some that I've never seen on ebay or anywhere else, so...

[jleslie48]

I'e always liked the epinal models and have made several. On this weeks vacation I was able to build two of the lighthouses (and make an neat base in the woodshop at camp.)

[Tom Greensfelder]

Jleslie: a beautiful base that shows off the models very well. Must be a more sophisticated camp than any I ever attended. One little thing... the lighthouse on the left isn't an Epinal, but from the publisher Jelp, from Nantes. I think it dates from the 30s which would make it later by a few decades than your typical Epinal model.

[missileer]

I used the Chalet #909 as a center piece for a diorama that I built for my Granddaughter. The autos are models published by Shell Oil way back when. I had to reduce the autos to two inches to get into rough scale with the Chalet.

[southwestforests]

Rigging on left hand lighthouse is interesting. Flag halyards? Lifting hoists?

[jleslie48]

Rigging on left hand lighthouse is interesting. Flag halyards? Lifting hoists?

It looks like both in the tiny sketch that came with the model, but I decided it should be a hoist from the sea, I instead made it a hoist with a two stage pull, one for the lift from the supply ship, and the other two swing the load onto the open deck area of the lighthouse.

[jleslie48]

Jleslie: a beautiful base that shows off the models very well. Must be a more sophisticated camp than any I ever attended. One little thing... the lighthouse on the left isn't an Epinal, but from the publisher Jelp, from Nantes. I think it dates from the 30s which would make it later by a few decades than your typical Epinal model.

Thanks for the update, I had to admit, I was curious that the left lighthouse had a diagram for running a battery powered flashlight bulb, that explains why.

The camp is Becket Family Camp in Becket Massachusetts. It one of the oldest boys camps in the USA, and after the 8 week boys session, they have a week of family camp where families can have a cabin, they cook 3 meals a day, and we have access to all the camp activities with the instructors. Kayak, sailboats, swimming, archery, Arts and crafts and.... a fully stocked woodshop: the highlight of the week for me. I make my paper models in the 100 year old library overlooking the lake, by night, and work on a wood project by day. taking a break for the daily swim across the lake before lunch.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO4Zevc5ary7aVvofsjWZfWQpKyRyFUUwHq7IFL2zzbcA 2JAgb6cgHt8RZ-qby6AQ/photo/AF1QipNiH7FA7Hf8y26wiZllgw2irqk4OfPG_iiggGTM?key=O U16VkRKcGNGaWNBME5SNzVVbmxWQWNPcW44enV3

[VinceM]

I used the Chalet #909 as a center piece for a diorama that I built for my Granddaughter. The autos are models published by Shell Oil way back when. I had to reduce the autos to two inches to get into rough scale with the Chalet.

Can I ask where you got the Shell Oil models?

[missileer]

Vince,

I found them as free models on the internet. Give me about an hour and I will try to find the link. If not, I can put them up on a dropbox and you can download them from there.

[missileer]

Vince,

I guess that I did not save the link after downloading, since there was only a finite number of models available. I found the site about 18 months ago by doing an internet search for vintage automobile paper models. Send me a PM if you are interested in ones that I have.

[pahorace]

Hi,
try here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/sets/72157616432813777

Orazio.

[altomentis]

I am so glad that Karima received these and is able to preserve and share them via reproductions. All of the mechanical ones are on my wishlist. I have some from here and there, but the quality/resolution is not terrific.

In the meantime there are plenty of mechanical paper models out there at low cost or free, so I cannot complain.

[Tom Greensfelder]

jleslie: The camp looks beautiful! What fun it must be to spend time there. I've never been to Massachusetts outside of Boston.

In case you're interested here's the link to the original thread on the Ar-Men lighthouse including some dramatic photos of the real thing.

http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/vintage-models/25730-new-old-lighthouse-hell-hells.html?highlight=lighthouse

[davetun]

Here is my collection of Pellerin "Epinal" models, printed from scans found on the web. I scaled them to roughly N scale (1:150) though some are sized smaller than that. The originals were from the late 19th century, but since it is 2017, I modified a few details here and there.

[Vermin_King]

Here is my collection of Pellerin "Epinal" models, printed from scans found on the web. I scaled them to roughly N scale (1:150) though some are sized smaller than that. The originals were from the late 19th century, but since it is 2017, I modified a few details here and there.


Did you have great copies of the templates, or did you have to clean them up graphically? They look great

[SCEtoAUX]

Nice collection of models and a very nice diplay.:)

[davetun]

Thanks for the comments.

Although I subscribe to Adobe for Photoshop, etc, I ended up using GIMP on most of the scans just to increase the contrast, darken the colors a bit and desaturate the yellow. A few of them got an "upgrade" in design because they either didn't fit together well or they were kind of boring (to me). It is possible that scanners don't always duplicate the shapes accurately, which might explain the fit problems.

[Philip]

My better half and I visited L'Imagerie d'Epinal just over 20 years ago and I managed to buy some half a dozen original sheets pretty cheaply (they had lots of them then). It was an entertaining experience. The original printing machine had been preserved in full working order and we were given a demonstration. It was a very Heath-Robinson contraption with lots of cogs, gears, drive belts and mechanical arms waving about. And it made a terrible racket - but it worked! The colouring was done using thin sheet brass stencils - one for each colour - and paint applied by mechanical brushes. The process wasn't a terribly accurate one, which explains why the colouring of those old sheets was commonly slightly off-centre.

The Imagerie is still in business and can still be visited but their current output is in the field of high quality art prints and illustrated books. If you plan to make a purchase be sure to take out a second mortgage before you go!

https://www.imagerie-epinal.com/

[davetun]

Philip, I have noticed the off center color registration on many of the prints and wondered about it. Thanks for explaining the process. I guess it was cheaper than hand coloring or using the full-color lithographic process. Gives them the "Epinal" charm?