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 The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Daily Newspaper |
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The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Daily Newspaper |
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Friday, January 9, 2004 |
Who are these people?
Wirtz, Virginia - We contacted French collector and author Guy Olive with our headline question "Who are these people." His prompt response was
"In Gérard Bidault's book Les Fabriques Françaises de Tire-Bouchons 1820-1970, Gérard traces the history of two greatest factories of 'tournerie' (wood-turner factory) situated in the Jura : Vaillat Emile 1945 - 2000 and Verpillat C. et André 1889- 1972.
According to Gérard Bidault these two factories did not make figurative corkscrews. They were made by wood-turner craftmen. They lived in Jura (East of France). The corkscrews in your photos show heads of Basque easily recognizable by the Basque béret. The Basque country (Biaritz etc ...) is situated in the South-west of France.
These corkscrews were sold as tourist souvenirs after the second World War."
This tray is another example of wood carving craftsmanship in Jura:
Searching the Internet. we found a firm in Jura still producing wood double action corkscrews. Boisson Frères et Fils SA 17 Grande Rue 39260 Meussia offers these:
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©2004 Don Bull, Editor |
