Lincoln, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Upon leaving Saint-André-de-Cubzac in the direction of Paris, several painted signs awaited drivers, including this one for Lincoln's washing machines.

The information about this particular brand of domestic appliances is very patchy. Although the name would suggest otherwise, Lincoln was actually a French company, based Boulevard Malesherbes in Paris. As for the factory, it was in the industrial suburb of Gennevilliers. Its history seems closely connected with the period known in France as the Trente Glorieuses, characterised by steady economic growth and rising standards of living.
Lincoln launched its first washing machine in 1949. By then these appliances were still very expensive: its 1953 'Cadette' cost 150,000 francs plus tax when presented to the public at the Foire de Paris. That would be equivalent to 3,048 euros. However the number of households equipped with a washing machine rose sharply in the 1960s, from 35% in 1960 to 57% in 1970 and 70% in 1974, and Lincoln became a household name. Even though they were often more expensive than their competitors', Lincoln's products were appreciated for their design and well-known for their sturdiness. Yet after 1975 the economy slowed down and in this context prices became an important factor. Several post-war manufacturers disappeared or were taken over in the 1970s. By the end of the decade the market was dominated by three groups, Thomson-Brandt, Arthur-Martin and Philips, and two independent companies, Lincoln and Flandria. Like Flandria, Lincoln survived for a few more years but the company finally disappeared in the 1980s.

Lincoln
Machines à laver
Salvaco
2 Place Tourny . Bordeaux

No information is available about the Salvaco. Could this have been Lincoln's representative in Gironde? Or was this the company that rented the space on this wall? In any case it certainly did well enough: Place Tourny is one of Bordeaux's most expensive areas. Nowadays in lieu of Savalco's offices, one finds a Comtesse du Barry shop selling fois gras and other French delicacies.

Location: Rue Nationale, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Pictures taken in May 2012

Garage, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Another place in Saint-André-de-Cubzac where car maintenance and repairs could be carried out was the Garage National, a much more modest affair than the Renault garage less than 50 metres away.

Garage National

Location: Rue Nationale, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Picture taken in May 2012

Hotel des Acacias, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

If their broken-down car could not be repaired straight away, holidaymakers stuck in Saint-André-de-Cubzac could always spend a night at the Hôtel des Acacias, next to the Renault garage. To cheer them up, they could either dance or play a game of billiard. The hotel also welcome wedding and dinner parties ('noces et banquets'). Yet, given the style of the ghost sign, by the time waves of holidaymakers passed through the town, this may no longer have been a hotel.

The particular style of the central part of this ghost sign suggests it was painted in the first couple of decades of the 20th century if not slightly earlier. Some letters are reminiscent of those of the vannerie ghost sign in Cognac (15th picture).

Hôtel des Acacias Tenu par A. Boyer Noces & banquets
Salle de danse et billard

Actually 'Salle de danse and billard' was painted over two earlier signs. The original one read:

Hôtel - Restaurant - Guinguette
Guinguettes were extremely popular in France between the 1880s and the 1950s. The term usually referred to an open-air venue, where people could not only eat but also dance. Sometimes they could bathe as well, although this would not have been the case here since there is no river or lake at the back of the building.
This original sign was replaced by another one that ended with the name of the owner:... Boyer

The shadows made strange patterns on the façade that day.

Location: Rue Nationale, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Pictures taken in May 2012

Renault, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Rising car ownership from the mid-1930s onward and the first paid holidays in 1936 saw traffic increase rapidly on the former Nationale 10 as people from Paris and around visited relatives and friends in the south west of France or headed towards the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. This was also the main thoroughfare towards Spain, Portugal, and beyond the straight of Gibraltar, Morocco.
Local businesses did not benefit much from this new traffic as people often brought whatever they needed for the journey with them and tried to reach their destination as quickly as possible. Garages were an exception and they appeared all along the road, ready to carry out repairs for which they sometimes charged holidaymakers an arm and a leg. Saint-André-de-Cubzac had several garages, including the one below, a franchise of French car manufacturer Renault.

Renault

Traces of earlier painted signs can be seen but not enough to be able to decipher anything.

Location: Rue Nationale, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Picture taken in May 2012

Buvette, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Traces of local shops can also be found away from the main street of Saint-André-de-Cubzac. This building opposite the market square once combined a grocer's (épicerie) with a refreshment room (buvette).

The owners later stopped selling groceries to offer refreshments only as the second version of this ghost sign implies. The original sign included drawings of a bunch of grapes and a vine leaf in the bottom left and right corners.
As for the name of the owners of this refreshment room, a comedy writer could not have found a better one: Verdeau. In French it is pronounced exactly as 'verre d'eau,' or 'glass of water.'

Epicerie Buvette / Buvette
G. Verdeau

Location: Cours Georges Clémenceau, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Pictures taken in May 2012

Droguerie, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

Different times, different fronts and signs. In the late 1960s or 1970s the owners of this droguerie (hardware shop) decided to bring the façade of their shop up-to-date. Incongruously the original painted sign was kept.

Droguerie [Hardware Shop]

Both signs look decidedly dated by now but certainly not unattractive.

Location: Rue Nationale, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Pictures taken in May 2012

Donis, Saint-André-de-Cubzac

After the imprimerie here is another painted sign for a local business by the name of Donis.

Donis Md de bois [Donis Wood Merchant]
...e		Br...

M^d stands for 'marchand.' Unfortunately the second line has faded too much to be able to learn a little bit more about this wood merchant.

Location: Rue Nationale, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde / Pictures taken in May 2012