A lucky find at the recent brocante at Saint Sulpice, Paris was this early 20th-century wooden box, featuring an image of the French Foreign Legion on its cover.
Inside the box is a set of wooden puzzle blocks, which can be transformed into several pictures, including the seaside scene shown and Les Marionnettes, as below. It's similar to a box of alphabet blocks, found last spring at a brocante at Chatou.
Your vintage game of blocks reminds m of my childhood when I used to patch up the pictures again and again. They were more modern though, still displaying teddies and toys...
Posted by: Marie-Noëlle | 05 July 2007 at 09:31
I love these old block puzzles - wonderful find!
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 05 July 2007 at 03:19
Oh my, Tara...that is one of the neatest "finds" I've seen...ever! I can't wait to show my younger son; he would have chosen that one himself! You did good!
You know what the "brocante" (and I use that term very loosely) is like here...sad, sad....
Posted by: Southern Heart | 04 July 2007 at 02:38
The pictures on those blocks are very similar a set of old blocks my mother has. Lovely.
Posted by: Carla | 03 July 2007 at 17:30
Good treasure!!
I adore it.
Posted by: rochambeau | 03 July 2007 at 15:56
When I`m in Paris, I`m going to disquise me and secretly follow you around, to see where you dig up this incredibly fantastic things you find...whow!!!!
Posted by: Gypsy Purple-Chamara | 03 July 2007 at 13:26
Everything is gorgeous!
Blessings!
Posted by: Jeanne | 03 July 2007 at 13:25
Very beautiful! I love puzzle boxes and have an interest in the Foreign Legion :) Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Alina Popescu | 03 July 2007 at 10:50
I LOVE puzzle blocks!!! This is a very, very cool one. I need to find some of those for Faith. When she's done with them I could save them.. for me!
Posted by: holli | 03 July 2007 at 10:18
P.s. Love your new banner...
Posted by: Colette | 03 July 2007 at 06:41
I love the fabric in the background!
The blocks are a lot more interesting that the ones kids have today!
Posted by: Colette | 03 July 2007 at 06:41
They're really special, love the blue art chest as well.
Posted by: robyn | 03 July 2007 at 06:25
forget the blocks, I love the fabric that it is sitting on!
hope you are getting better xoxo
Posted by: miss*R | 03 July 2007 at 05:58
The images on the blocks look like proper illustrations for children. The cover, while beautiful, offers a disturbingly violent scene, considering that this was in all probability a puzzle for children.
I had puzzles likes these to play with, each with scenes from six different fairy tales, in wooden boxes just like the one you are showing here. I love the open and shut feature: every time you completed one scene, you close the box and turn it to open on the other side and voila', there magically was the opposite scene set in the right order. I remember to marvel at the fact, that this worked like a charm, each and every time. Ah, to be a little girl again! :-)
Posted by: Merisi's Vienna | 03 July 2007 at 02:21
What nice old images on the blocks! Really a great find. I played with some not this old LOL when I was little.
Thanks for stopping by today :)
Posted by: shabbyinthecity | 03 July 2007 at 01:21
I have no memory of any puzzles like these. These are very pretty and look like they'd be much easier to put together than those jigsaw ones with all the weird pieces to them.
Posted by: ally bean | 03 July 2007 at 00:28
Oh I love those puzzles!!!
Posted by: Nina | 02 July 2007 at 23:14
Ah you got there before me. I just remembered about the cheese plates but there is a rabbit in the entrance to the cottage and I dare not go out to my workshop at the moment. Shamefully awaiting the man of the house coming back to get rid of it.
Posted by: Di Overton | 02 July 2007 at 22:09
Yes, I remember puzzles like that, too- albeit antique ones. I grew up with those cheap cardboard puzzles... alas and alack...
:)
Posted by: Regina Clare Jane | 02 July 2007 at 20:29
it's a puzzle isn't it? i remember a box like that from my childhood. lovely find!!
Posted by: marita | 02 July 2007 at 18:33