Very Rare All-Original French Miniature School Room

This school room is presented in its original wooden box. Folding walls with gilt paper border and green paper fit perfectly into the wooden box. This French schoolroom comprises the teacher's podium and desk, two triple pupils desks and benches. This furniture of varnished honey tones is enhanced with black lines, green faux leather seats on benches. For the lessons you have two blackboards, a map, arithmetic tables and a lesson program. On pupils desks you will find booklets, pencils and slates. For the teacher, there is a folder.

The map on the wall shows that the current lesson is about history. The red line on the map represents the limits of France in 1792. The pink zone shows France in 1812. So you can see that Italian territories were integrated to France by Emperor Napoleon 1st.

The right-hand panel gives information for dating this room. It speak of JEAN-TANT-MIEUX, the author of a book on birds, published in 1875. So the room was probably manufactured shortly after, between 1875 and 1880.

The previous owner has posted on the wall, behind the desk, the timetables for 1st Grade and 2nd Grade.

The box is 16 7/8"(43 cm) long and 10 1/4"(26 cm) large. The decor is 16 "(40.5 cm) large, 8 7/8"(22.5 cm) deep and 8 3/4"(22.3 cm) high. Pupiles benches are 3 3/8"(8.5 cm) high.

All original. Very good to excellent condition. France - between 1875 and 1880. Attributed to Adelaïde Privé.

* * *

Adelaïde Guérin was born in 1827. She married Louis Privé in 1852, thus becoming Adelaïde Privé. She worked in the family business run by her uncle Louis Badeuille. In 1871, she succeeded Louis Badeuille at the head of the company, and appeared in trade almanacs as Veuve Privé, her husband having died in 1870.

In the 1873 almanac her activity is described as follows: Special manufacture of apartments in children’s toys, bedrooms, lounges, dining rooms, guest houses.

And in 1877 : Furniture for children in rosewood and mahogany

In 1878 she married François-Victor Bolant, a distant cousin but continued to appear in trade almanacs under the name Veuve Privé until 1885. In 1886 Bolant took over the family business. Adelaide died 10 years later in 1896.