1904 Rochefort Loti House France Vintage Postcard, Japanese Pagoda

About This Vintage Postcard

Step inside the theatrical Japanese Pagoda room within the House of Pierre Loti in Rochefort. This extraordinary interior was the creation of Julien Viaud. He was a flamboyant naval officer and novelist known as Pierre Loti. He transformed his childhood home into a series of exotic stage sets inspired by his world travels. This room was established in 1886. It was a dense sanctuary filled with authentic Buddhist statues and samurai armor. This postcard offers a rare archival glimpse into a masterpiece of nineteenth century Orientalism. The pagoda was dismantled in the mid twentieth century. Early photographic documentation is the only way to experience its original splendor today.

Details

Era: Divided Back (c. 1904–1910)
City: Rochefort
State or Region: Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Country: France
Topic: House of Pierre Loti, Japanese Pagoda, Orientalist Interiors, Exotic Architecture, French Literature History
Condition: Uncirculated
Postage: None
Address Side: divided back
Orientation: Vertical (Portrait)
Artist / Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: Collection C. Gozzi (Rochefort)
Printer: Unknown
Print Type: Collotype

Additional Information

The Collection C. Gozzi was a localized Rochefort series. It captured the town monuments and the eclectic home of its most famous resident. Pierre Loti used these rooms as backdrops for lavish costume parties. This specific view highlights the Japanese Pagoda. The room occupied the site of the former dining room of the house. The manufacture date is narrowed to the first decade of the 1900s. The divided back format was adopted in France in 1904. The specific serif typeface of the header is typical of the prewar Golden Age. The collotype process perfectly captures the intricate textures of the Japanese woodwork and the heavy atmosphere Loti curated.

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