Travel back in time to rediscover a vanished world in the forgotten Normandy countryside…
1. Chateau d'Isle
What stories this old château could tell! Today few peaceful country homes like this remain today amid the rapidly urbanizing commercial zones packed with supermarkets and traffic junctions! (If you look carefully, you can see a dog on the wall looking at the river! What was he thinking? Woof, woof, Fido?)
2. A windmill near Vire
Two hundred years ago, windmills like this provided crucial supplies of electricity to the farms. Today, people complain about wind turbines on the landscape, but our long forgotten photographer must have thought this one was the latest.
3. Harvest Day at the Farm
This rare image captures all the excitement of the harvest festival in probably late July. Of course, due to the slow shutter speeds of the time, only ghostly figures remain - almost invisible against the old stone walls.
4. Abandoned mill by the Orne river
This mill was probably burnt down during the French revolution, today, a plaque reminds us of its existence. This farm worker was likely photographed on his lunch break – he certainly seems to be having a good time!
5. New mill built to replace the ruined one
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This mill (visible to the right of the image) was probably built around the late XIX century. You can still see it looking surprisingly similar today, as the building has been converted into a riverside bar.
6. Two old timers chewing a bit of tobacco as they talk about the next day's weather
These two old timers would never have guessed their homes would soon be torn down to make way for – well who knows? Today, the landscape of old Normandy is so totally different. Only little clues to the past remain. Fortunately, we have pictures like these – and if you visit local museums you just may find other fascinating pieces of our forgotten history…
Antoine Dupré was searching the archives on April the 1st, 2024! ;)
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