Linking to Sepia Saturday 611
Hotel Postcards from Gerda's travels 1913-1918
The post will serve as a kind of summary of Gerda's travels in France (and to Switzerland) during WWI. Seeing the hotel cards together enhances my impression that Gerda's employer/s must have been very well off - and Gerda herself, as lady's maid, thereby also enjoying a rather comfortable life compared to "most people" in France during the war years. (In the text on her postcards, she also never implied any financial worries for her own part.)
Or so she thought. That did not work out though - Gerda ended up remaining in France throughout WWI and until the autumn of 1919. She obviously soon managed to find a new employment in Lyon, though, with another lady (I think maybe American) who also liked to travel. With the war going on, it seems they limited their trips to the south-east of France, but were also able to cross Lake Geneva by boat to Switzerland. On the French side of the lake, they stayed at Evian-les-Bains.
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In 1913, Gerda was employed as lady's maid and travel companion to an English lady (her name unknown to me). In 1914, they were in France when WWI broke out. According to what I've been told, the lady was able to go back to England, but Gerda (Swedish citizen) was left behind in France.
G.064.01 - London - Claridge's Hotel - 1913
London - 14.11.1913
"The journey has gone well so far, leaving for France tomorrow." /Gerda
"The journey has gone well so far, leaving for France tomorrow." /Gerda
G.072.02 - Vittel, France - L'Hôtel de l'Établissement - 1914
I did not find any contemporary hotel in Vittel by this name. An English Wikipedia article informs me that from November 1917 until February 1919, Vittel was home to U.S. Army Base Hospital 36 from Detroit, MI. "This unit was formed at the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery now Wayne State University, School of Medicine. They occupied the five resort hotels in the city plus the casino."
I did not find any contemporary hotel in Vittel by this name. An English Wikipedia article informs me that from November 1917 until February 1919, Vittel was home to U.S. Army Base Hospital 36 from Detroit, MI. "This unit was formed at the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery now Wayne State University, School of Medicine. They occupied the five resort hotels in the city plus the casino."
Vittel, France - 1914 (date unreadable)
"This is the hotel where I am now. Next week I'll be travelling from here to England." /Gerda
Or so she thought. That did not work out though - Gerda ended up remaining in France throughout WWI and until the autumn of 1919. She obviously soon managed to find a new employment in Lyon, though, with another lady (I think maybe American) who also liked to travel. With the war going on, it seems they limited their trips to the south-east of France, but were also able to cross Lake Geneva by boat to Switzerland. On the French side of the lake, they stayed at Evian-les-Bains.
M.014.02 - Evian-les-Bains, France - L'Ermitage
(Blank postcard)
Hôtel Ermitage, Evain-les-Bains
"Anglo-Normand architectural style and elegantly designed 80 rooms and family suites --- located at the heart of the Evian Resort --- on the shores of Lake Geneva, in close proximity to the Alps. A harmonious blend of luxury, picture postcard scenery and tranquil pace of life."
G.077.02 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Royal-Hotel
Switzerland 19.09.1915: "I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake." /Gerda
"Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa is located in the center of Lausanne
and a 5-minute walk from Lake Geneva."
"The hotel consists of of two wings:
the Savoy wing occupies an elegant Art Nouveau-style building
and all rooms and suites are with lake views or city views."
and a 5-minute walk from Lake Geneva."
"The hotel consists of of two wings:
the Savoy wing occupies an elegant Art Nouveau-style building
and all rooms and suites are with lake views or city views."
They also went down to Nice on the French Riviera a couple of times. (1916, 1918)
G.086.01 - Nice-Cimiez, France - Hotel Riviera Palace
Spring 1916 (sent from Lyon 1.6)
"Here you can see the hotel where we stayed on our trip. I'm marking our rooms with X."
"Like most Palace-Hotels in the area, the Riviera Palace did not survive the tourist disaffection between the wars and was converted into condominiums. The huge park, fortunately preserved, gives this residence an exceptional character. The apartments, which have mostly kept their Belle Epoque charm, enjoy a remarkable view of Nice and the sea, and a haven of greenery in the foreground, at the heart of Cimiez Hill."
And they also went up in the mountains, to Brides-les-Bains (1918).
M.014.02 - BRIDES-les-BAINS, France - Hôtel des Thermes - Etablissement
(Blank postcard - c.1918)
Hôtel Mercure Brides Les Bains Grand Hotel des Thermes
"Perfect for relaxation, leisure and work,
where the mountains and the snow meet
a spa resort set amidst lakes and streams."
where the mountains and the snow meet
a spa resort set amidst lakes and streams."
At some point, Gerda also visited Vichy, a spa and resort town in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France. Whether that was before, during or after the war years, I can't say for sure, as I have only blank postcards from there.
M.017.02 - VICHY - Rue Cunin-Gridaine et le Carlton-Hôtel
M.017.02 - VICHY - Rue Cunin-Gridaine et le Carlton-Hôtel
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| (Blank postcard) |
My searches for Carlton Hotel in Vichy seemed only to lead to other old postcards and photos.
(Don't know when the photo above is from; I copied that from somewhere by screenshot.)
(Don't know when the photo above is from; I copied that from somewhere by screenshot.)
Also found a French article, though, from which I get the impression that it has nowadays been converted to apartments, but that back in WWI times it was a rather grand hotel.
Google Translate to the rescue with the details:
"Rebuilt almost entirely in 1912 by Joseph Aletti, the large Guillermen hotel, rue Wilson, is transformed into the Carlton palace. This new building, with a more sober and Art Deco decor, offers 300 rooms and 150 bathrooms. Its interior garden is reputed to be “a real little paradise”. In the 1960s, 20% of the Carlton was sold as apartments, with the rest of the rooms becoming a three-star hotel. Today, the entire building has become a condominium, the Résidence le Carlton."
What fun hotel postcards. Mmm, I think I've done the same when I traveled in hotels. They are the mainstay of urban travelers, whereas in the US, much of my travel has been over highways so I stay in motels...not at all worthy of postcards.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I've usually used my own camera to take photos as memories of places where I've stayed. Not really an option yet for most people 100+ years ago, though! As Gerda wrote a lot of postcards (she had more brothers and sisters besides Gustaf and probably kept in touch with some friends as well) she would probably buy cards whereever she found some on her travels. I always did that myself too - some I sent, and some ended up in my own photo albums together with my own photos.
DeleteAn interesting combination of old and new - oftentimes the new retaining some of the charm of the old. I did likewise, where I could, with the historic hotels of the Motherlode (gold mining country).
ReplyDeleteThanks LaN. Especially with the b&w cards it's nice to find some modern photos to see the colours of the landscape.
DeleteIt does lend a sense of continuity to see these hotels together on the page. Enjoyed the old and new comparisons.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy :)
DeleteYou've put together another wonderful insight to Gerda's life, Monica. Life in a hotel, especially a first-class establishment, must have been like living in Disneyland compared to farm life in Sweden. I imagine there was a wide variety of people and events for her employer to see in the city, and presumably Gerda got more free time in this kind of work than she would have as a servant at a more isolated grand estate. Do you know if her employer ever stayed at private homes? Traveling hotel to hotel may have followed a seasonal habit of her lady, who perhaps had family or friends to visit or accompany her at certain times.
ReplyDeleteMike, the impression I get is that her employer had an apartment in central Lyon (Gerda gave a street address on some cards, cf SS 608) and when they went travelling, once or twice per year, they were away for at least a month, or even two, staying at popular spa resorts. I assume they travelled by train - Lyon has train connection with all of the places from where I have posted hotel postcards here (and I assume that was the case even 100+ years ago). (And boat across Lake Geneva to Switzerland.) There is nothing in the messages on the postcards to indicate visiting private homes - another thing that contributes to my guess that her employer was American rather than French. On the other hand, Gerda never gives anything away on postcards about her employer/s - or her own position as servant, for that matter. She just writes "I" or "we". Revisiting the same resorts regularly, they may of course still have made friends with other people with the same lifestyle. (I recall one card where Gerda mentions "I have a friend in Switzerland", for example.) You're certainly right about Gerda's life being different from life on a Swedish farm. It also seems to me that she was quite determined to pursue the kind of life she wanted (right from the start when she decided to emigrate to America to work as a maid in Chicago). She obvously did not want to end up like her own mother, who had nine children (two of whom died in childhood), and died at age 56.
DeleteWhat a time to travel! Of course it wasn't always elegant, but at times it was. Gerda was lucky to stay in some lovely hotels.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does seem like they managed to sort of "escape from the war" every now and then - even if it's evident from the messages on her cards that for example its effect on (lack of) communication with family etc was still always on her mind.
DeleteA wonderful gallery of the hotels linked to Gerda’s travels.
ReplyDelete