dodge int 1.indd 98-99 26/03/08 9:11:23
La poste à Paris pendant le siège et sous la Commune
Paris 1914 Brunel La poste à Paris
Amiens 1920 Florange Etude sur les messageries et les postes
Paris 1925 Maincent Genèse de la poste aérienne du siège de Paris
Rouen 1951 Savelon La poste pendant le
siège 1870-1871
Paris 1961 Fromaigeat
La poste par pigeons
1870-1871 Paris 1966
dodge int 1.indd 100-101 26/03/08 9:11:23
Fig 18. The London Sterescopic & Photographic Company souvenir .
Envoi The success of
the pigeon post, both for official and for private messages, did
the and in European powers of the military forces by the unnoticed not pass
years that followed the
Franco-Prussian W ar pigeon sections were
established a diminution led to wireless communication advent of armies. The in their
of
their employment although in
certain particular applications Pigeons
provided
the only method of
communication. But never again
were pigeons called upon
to perform such a great
public service as that
which they had maintained
dur- ing the siege of Paris.
Bibliography De Lafollye Recueil des dépêches privée
Bordeaux 1871 Dépêches par pigeons voyageurs pendant le siège de Paris
which contains:
Memoire sur la section photographique et
administrative du service de
ces
dépêches Tours 1871
De Clerval Les ballons pendant le siège de Paris
Paris 1871 De Fonveille Les ballons pendant le siège
Paris 1871 Enquête sur les actes du gouvernement
de la défense nationale
- Annales
de l'Assemblée Nationale
Paris 1875 Steenackers Les Télégraphes et
les Postes pendant la
guerre de
1870-1871 Paris 1883
La Perre de Roo Monographie des pigeons domestiques
Paris 1883 Chapuis Le pigeon voyageur
Verviers 1886
Deneuve Les pigeons voyageurs
Paris 1888 Mallet Les aéronauts, les colombophiles du siège de Paris
Paris 1909 Chamboissier
dodge int 1.indd 102-103 26/03/08 9:11:23
Bartholdi monument;
donors of from 5 to 20 francs received a souvenir
sheet
- in the was which around centre the in simulacre the with mm 160 by 240 mm
scription "La poste par
pigeons voyageurs - spécimen
identique aux
pellicules 20 from of Donors journal". de page valeur d'une la contenant du siège
to 100
francs also received a copy
, together with an
engraving of the monument.
This in Paris had died Dagron who have pleased pellicule would of his late reprint
on 13th June 1900 at the age of 81.
Fig 17. The Dagron simulacr e.
It is not known whether Dagron
fabricated other souvenir pelli
cules but
the Transactions the in records 1871 December 14th of Photographic Journal
of
the Photographic Society in
London that
"The President proposed a
vote of micro of preparation the (On communication his for Dagron M. thanks to
-photographic despatches on
film by M.
Dagron's process)
and the valuable
been additional could have These specimens accompanied it." specimens that
souvenir pellicu les or
microfilms which
he had kept when the service at Bor
- deaux closed.
But it is exceedingly probable that
others, less so entitled, produced simula
- pigeongrams than more so-called existence far currently in there are cres since
could have come from
dismembered copies of de
Lafollye's collection.
The producer and one such of being is suspected dealer Maury Parisian stamp
it is
significant that his price list of 1894 of fers microfilms at
1 franc 25 centimes
or for the prints either for plates used glass photographic of the each. Some
the microfilms could
have been "borrowed"
from official sources and
more
sides of on both originally printed for despatches There exist, off. copies run
photographic paper , copies in which
the despatches are separately
printed on an authentic method. If of this the purpose contrary to only, quite one side
pigeongram is defined as one produced during
the war by the official service
authentic as certified be usually can a pigeongram then Bordeaux, ours or at T
only if it is still attached to a page
from de Lafollye's collection
and preferably if that page is still bound inside the book.
One of the best known souvenirs (Fig
18) is that produced by
the London
"The page of the front which carries Photographic Company Stereoscopic and
Times"
of 19th January 1871.
On 30th January 1871 "The Times"
contained
a by pigeon and thence at Bordeaux to Gambetta been sent this had report that
to Paris.
The report has since
been widely quoted in
histories of the siege
of s". Recently the Time "History of in the photography, and histories of Paris, in
,
it has been ar gued that the story is unlikely to
be true and on 4th February
prob- before was 99 years report of that its s" acknowledged Time 1970 "The
ably false.
There is also a "Souvenir of
the Franco-Prussian W
ar - A pigeon despatch", 45
mm x 35 mm, reproducing on
photographic paper extracts from
columns of 1870. November 18th and 14th between issues imes" in "The T
dodge int 1.indd 104-105 26/03/08 9:11:24
"Depuis que le Service des dépêches
par pigeons voyageurs a
été suspendu, pellicules confection des de la e intention, suivant votr je m'occupe,
photo-graphiques qui devront
former les collections administratives
et à
cet effet adopté quant qu'il a un spécimen de Lafollye Mr. l'Inspecteur essé à j'ai adr
à
la dimension totale de
la feuille transparente
et qui reste d'ailleurs
conforme qui ont servi est imprimé avec un des clichés aux types mis en usage puisqu'il
la produite.
Ce spécimen plein d'intérêt
ne saurait manquer d'exciter
un grand sentiment
de curiosité dans le
public s'il y était connu, et
je viens vous demander
, Mon
- conte- simulacres publier des à en de m'autoriser r Général, Directeu sieur le
nant, comme une véritable pellicule, seize pages de texte.
Les pr emières pages seraient
précédées du titre réglementaire
qui accom
-pagnait toutes les dépêches
et tel qu'il était,
c'est-à-dire avec votr e nom
qui avec cette Elles contiendraient ce service. eation de la cr attaché à demeure
demande, les décrets traitant de
la manièr e et
les renseignement
s historiques seraient composées es pages Les autr joindre. utile d'y être qu'il pourrait
de
dépêches supposées ne se
rapportant à aucune de
celles qui ont été
véritable- secret complètement le en respecter e à de manièr ment transmises,
et à ne
frossier aucun intérêt.
Je pense, Monsieur le
Directeur Général, que
cette petite oeuvre pourrait
être
instructive non seulement au
point de vue historique mais aussi
en offrant
au de mi faire usage occasion de écoles une élèves des notamment aux public et
-croscopes et d'instruments d'optique d'or
dinaire insuffisamment employés. Directeur Monsieur le cette occasion, Je saisis
Général, pour appeler votr
e
attention sur ma pellicule dont la
composition est bien supérieur
e à
celle rebelle pellicule décompose, cette et se papier jaunit ou le . Là du papier
à
l'humidité et que l'eau même ne
détériore pas, reste inaltérable. Elle
est en chemins." cela bien supérieure à tous les par
On 8th February 1871,
de Lafol lye made
his recommendation to
Steenackers
submission: on Dagron's
"Vous m'avez invité
à vous adresser
un rapport sur la
demande que Mr Da
-gron photographe de
l'Administration Télégraphique vous a
soumise dans photographiques des images le public e dans à répandr d'être autorisé le but
ayant l'apparence des pellicules envoyées à Paris
pendant son investissement au moyen des pigeons- voyageurs de l'Administration.
Bien qu'en droit
la form spéciale qu'ont
affectée les pellicules portant
les ad- un monopole constitue pas voyageurs ne aux pigeons- dépêches confiées
ministratif et ne puisse être
l'objet d'aucun contrôle, il
m'a semblé
que dès pas rester ne pouvait votre administration votre autorisation, qu'on sollicitait
désintéressée et que
son action devait d'exer
cer pour s'opposer à
ce que
les rien ne puissent au public livrer opose de se pr Dagron que Mr simulacres
emprunter aux dépêches réelles et faire cr oire à une indiscr
etion. we simulacr convenable que qu'il serait crois but, je Dans ce
e que Mr Dagr on
serait autorisé à répr
oduire portât une
attestation administrative
indiquant e toujours d'ailleurs êtr Il devrait dépêche privee. contient aucune qu'il ne
ac-compagné de la répr oduction de
ce rapport auquel Mr
Dagron pourrait join
- emier volume de la collection. dre la notice historique annexée au pr
Sous ces reserves, je pense,
Monsieur le Directeur -Général, que
la publication e connaîtr de fair pour avantage peut avoir Dagron e Mr e fair que desir
e au
public un des incidents du siège
de Paris les plus
intéressants pour l'histoir
e votre adminis efforts de temps des en même de témoigner contemporaire et
-tration pour accomplir sous
votre dir ection la
mission de conserver entr
e la France et Paris des relations si desirées et en même temps si difficiles.
Si vous voulez bien
approuver les dispositions
de ce rapport, j'ai
l'honneur de e signature." vous demander de le revêtir de votr
Steenackers acce pted the
recommendation of de Lafollye which ensured
that Steenackers was publicised but be well deeds would names and their own
soon to lose his post and
Dagron was to have Rampont once
again as
his and de to Steenackers no reference cre, with a simula did produce patron. He
Lafollye, having the general
appearance of the last that were
sent by
pigeon, selected He top. the at inserted numbers page of range the with say: to that is
the page numbers 627
and 642, which were fictitious, and
purported to
have
page title , one however was, content The microfilm. the on pages the sixteen
which declared that
this was a simulacre, and
fifteen pages of which two num
- private letter-press invention of whole an and the twice repeated bers were
messages. This simulacre was
available to the public in three
ways. It
was Poste par Dagron "La written by a booklet pages of the centre bound between
Pigeons Voyageurs - Notice
sur le voyage du
ballon Le Niepce emportant
M. à remplir" avaient mission qu'ils sur la et détails ses collaborateurs Dagron et
printed in Paris by Typographie Lahure. It
was also sold as
part of
a souvenir from either bought be could which 17) (Fig mm 64 by mm card 105
Dagron's
company or from bookshops.
The card repeated what
was on the cover
of the private and official of photographer official only the was Dagron booklet: that
despatches on microfilm.
The third issue of the simulacre was
from March
the for funds collecting was Club Aero the when 1905 October 1903 to
dodge int 1.indd 106-107 26/03/08 9:11:24
Fig 14. Post Office Notice No. 64 of 1870.
Fig 15. Post Office envelope.
Fig 16. Post Office letter-bill.
The post-war souvenirs
It has been seen
that, no sooner was
the armistice signed, de
Lafollye com
-menced the publication of
the records of his
service by the issue of the
collec- Dagron who, followed by was quickly despatches. He of the the copies tion of
on 7th February 1871,
formally sought
permission to
publish a microfilm of
text . The war the during sent those of appearance the having and size the same
of his submission was:
dodge int 1.indd 108-109 26/03/08 9:11:24
The opening of
the service to the public by the decree of 4th November attract
-ed messages not only
from inside France but
also from outside. The
decree sh Ambassa the Briti Lyons, which Lord the Moniteur published in had been
-dor at Tours sent to the Foreign Office which, in turn, forwarded the
appropri
- however must, information . Prior November 10th .O. on G.P the ct to ate extra
,
already have reached England
since, on 11th November Steenackers
sent the following telegram to the "Directeur Général Postes et Télégraphes Londres"
"II m'a été demandé de Londr
es d'admettr e des
dépêches de provenance
An-glaise à la corr espondance spéciale
avec Paris par pigeon.
J'avais refusé, des moyens. à l'insuffisance égard d'affluence en craignant trop
L'expérience
des pr emiers jours
m'a fait reconnoitr e que
je suis disposé à
admettre
les Anglaise télégraphique à la auriez centralisées que vous dépêches Anglaises
si vous êtes disposé
vous même à le faire.
Un compte spécial pour
ces dépêch
- service difficultés du raison des mais à Londres et à Tours ouvert à es serait
télégraphique actuel votre office
les transmettrait par la
poste à Tours
à mon ne sont pour Paris Les départs "pigeons voyageurs". avec mention adresse
pas assez nombreux
pour qu'il puisse y
avoir inconvenient à écarter
l'usage sommes si nous faire savoir de me serais reconnaissant Je vous du télégraphe.
d'accord et dans ce cas
de donner à cet
accord la publicitair e nécessair
e en Angleterre en expliquant au public les motifs de ce changement de décision".
The G.P .O. considered this
to be for the British telegraph service
and passed
Company, which Submarine Telegraph , the its associate on to the telegram
replied on 12th November:
"La réponse à votr
e depeche No 5187,
nous sommes disposés à
faire des ar
- Voya par "Pigeons pour Paris des dépêches la reception rangements pour
-geurs" de Tours et à ouvrir un
compte spécial avec votr
e Administration
pour ces dépêches.
Veuillez m'informer de
la taxe et des conditions auxquelles
ces dépêches
peu- ours par pigeons voyageurs. vent être transmises de T
Au reçu de cett
e information la taxe
totale entre le Royaume
Uni et
Paris crediter votre à en la proportion même que nous, de convenue entre pourra être
Administration et cette Compagnie respectivement".
Steenackers answered by telegram
on 13th November, quoting
the conditions
of the decree of 4th November and
emphasising that
the messages had
to be
say: to on went He intelligible". "en français
“Adressez, si nous sommes d'acco
rd, les dépêches destinées à ce
service spécial
au Dir ecteur Général
des Télégraphes et des
Postes à T ours par la voie postage
avec la mention spéciale
"Pigeons Voyageurs".
A raison de l'en
combrement des lignes il est impossible de les accepter par le télégraphe...”
On receiving this,
the Submarine Telegraph
Company agreed
with the G.P
.O. No Notice, Office a Post and service the operate to latter the for was that it
64
of 1870, was drafted.
Although it
was not approved by
the Postmaster
-General same the At 14). (Fig November 16th dated was , it November until 17th
time,
special envelopes (Fig
15) and letter -bills (Fig
16) were printed , and the ser
- decision being letters, a only for public but the British opened to vice was
taken on 9th December that dépêches-mandats
could not be handled.
When, confirma .O. sought G.P the reduced, f was tarif internal French , the in January
-tion that this applied also to messages from
England;
de Lafollye's affirmative
then, the service. By of the the closure eve of January, the dated 30th reply was
last English despatch
had, on 28th January , left for
France. issue of service. Its publicised the had also "The Times"
19th November
car-ried a report from its correspondent in
Tours:
"It is said that the pigeon post is
gone of f, with sheets of
photographed mes
- magnified, be to are Paris in which and size, invisible an to sages reduced
written out, and transmitted
to their addresses. They
are limited to private
af- But the strictly excluded. operations being of military and news fairs, politics
Prussians, it is said, with their
usual diabolical cunning and
ingenuity, have
set messengers feathered the down strike to Paris round flying falcons hawks and
that bear under their wings healing for anxious souls."
In the records of
the private messages is
a group emanating from
London on
22nd November and
being set up in type at Bordeaux on
2nd January
. There but set of origin no date but with from London earlier message is an
up in
type at Bordeaux on
30th November;
the difficulties previously
mentioned of
this of identification positive preclude order accurate an in putting messages
as the first message from
Englan d. There
can be no doubt of the authenticity
England which reached letter exists since a balloon English messages of these
asking for questions to
be answered in the
form required
of a dépêche-réponse. avert not .O. did G.P the by participation Nevertheless, this
an accusation by
de Fonveille, writing
in 1871, that the G.P .O. had openly declar ed its
lack of
this whether wondered he and service the fectiveness of ef the confidence in
was due to jealousy or
to its subversion by
Prussian agents.
dodge int 1.indd 110-111 26/03/08 9:11:24
Elle sera suivie de
la date et du numéro du
mois. La premier e ligne
de chaque .8=P.15=DP=30.XI=. ceci: =F indication comme consacrée a cette point sera
Je vous demande de
me fair e accuser directement
réception des
feuilles que nécessaire de qu'il sera e celles puisse connaîtr que je ez afin vous recevr
rée-xpedier."
The sub-pages are not
complete in themselves, and
messages run over from
one to the next.
The pages are numbered
2e série from 1
onwards. The
sub- plus ining 96 conta one and 144 containing five microfilm, on sent pages were
6 ordinary pages.
The first dépêches mandats
(postal orders) appear on page
page on réponses dépêches first the , and November Bordeaux 28th at 69 dated
91 dated at Bordeaux 3rd
December (Fig
13).
Volume 2 closes with
page 100.
three in the volume, and In this to 200. pages. 101 contains 100 3 also Volume
later ones, all the
ordinary messages are in
letter-press, but most
of the
dépêch- 100 contain each also and 5 4 Volumes manuscript. in are es réponses
pages:
201 to 300, and 301 to 400 respectively , whilst
Volume 6
has 180 pages but,
by sent were 512) to (401 112 first the only manuscript note, a according to
pigeon. Page 512 is dated Bordeaux 29th
January 1871.
All these pages were
1 to 31 pages carrying microfilm the or 16; 9 of groups in microfilm sent on
326 was the first to carry the first and last page numbers in
its top corners.
The
it that so book Lafollye's de in the last is 424 to 409 pages microfilm carrying
cannot firmly be established whether
page 512 or page 424 or neither was the
remaining post, the the pigeon closure of After the by pigeon. be sent last to
messages were sent to Paris by conventional means.
Fig 13. Dépêches-réponses in manuscript - from the printed r ecords.
Messages from England
dodge int 1.indd 112-113 26/03/08 9:11:24
Fig 12. Private despatches - a sub-page from the printed r ecords
The collection of the
letterpress of the private despatches well
illustrates how
this section of the service develop ed. The
first two pages (which formed the first
'Feuille 8 Novembre', Tours Privées 'Dépêches headed were 11) despatch) (Fig
No 1' and 'Feuille No 2'
but the ones that
followed were
headed 'Dépêches 'N.64' to up 'N.4' 'N.3', destinaires', aux distribuer privées à
dated at Tours
from 9th November to
18th November , with
the first volume completed by
'No
. November 22nd to November 15th from Tours at dated bis' 14 'No to 1 bis'
These pages were each 415 mm by 260 mm with the messages set
out in three
the concordance with in strict are not the dates seen that will be columns. It
page numbering , an
inconsistency which applies throughout
and is
explained the messages and that in parallel made up pages were fact that by the
were
inserted not always in
the order in which they arrived
at the printers. All
these and 16 pages 15 paper, with on photographic in despatches pages appear
and
pages 17 and 18 as
pages 17 and 18 as