Vichy, Dubonnet, Frigeavia, B&B, Simca, Solexine… These are just some of the names and slogans that could be seen along the roads of France around fifty years ago. They were known as painted wall advertisements, murs réclames, or simply painted advertising walls. The surfaces used were generally the gable ends of houses. The painters who specialised in creating these advertisements were known as pignonistes.
Over the years, these advertisements gradually disappeared. Some, however, have left behind remarkable traces, revealing several layers of their history. In the photograph above, for example, four different advertisements can be seen superimposed on one another. The first one visible is the slogan “LINCOLN MACHINE À LAVER” — “Lincoln Washing Machines”. The lower part of this advertisement, which was yellow, has completely faded away over time, revealing the slogan that came before it: “FORVIL”. Here again, only a few traces of the red background remain, revealing a third inscription: “MEUNIER”, surrounded by its blue background. At the very bottom is a fourth advertisement, this time a local one: “CYCLES – MOTOS – CAFÉ” — bicycles, motorcycles and café. Thus, the passage of time does not merely make these old advertisements disappear: it can also make them reappear.
Some of these painted advertisements also provide particularly interesting information. On the “FRIGEAVIA” advertisement shown below, an inscription can be read in the lower right-hand corner: “26.11.58-70”, with “33-1” just below it. The inscription “26.11.58-70” seems to provide two pieces of information. 26 November 1958 would probably correspond to the date on which the pignoniste completed and handed over the work. It is likely that this date was written down when the advertisement was finished. The “70”, meanwhile, could correspond to the date on which the contract with the owner of the building was due to end. The number “33” appears to refer to the département of Gironde, where this advertisement is located. However, the meaning of the “1” remains unknown for the time being. Perhaps it was a reference number associated with the advertisement or its location. The question remains open. These few indications help us place these images more precisely in time and give us a sense of how long these advertisements accompanied motorists along the roads of France. From the 1970s onwards, paper advertising posters gradually replaced advertisements painted directly onto walls. Little by little, these painted advertisements disappeared from the landscape, erased by time, changes to buildings, or simply covered by new advertisements.
Today, they represent a small but valuable part of France’s popular advertising heritage, now gradually disappearing. It is therefore a real pleasure for me to share these photographs with you. To me, they are not only images of a bygone era, but also traces of a past that time has not yet completely erased. Perhaps some of these advertisements will bring back a memory for you — a name, a place, or simply an image of another time.
Please feel free to share your memories, information or observations in the comments section below.
It is possible to see these photos with their caption in full screen. To do this, click on one of the photos below and then on the small rectangle at the top right.
