Victor Morel and Antoine Joseph Grümmer
Builders of Exceptional Carriages
New edition
9781854433183
Distributed for Dalton Watson Fine Books
Victor Morel and Antoine Joseph Grümmer
Builders of Exceptional Carriages
New edition
The story of some of nineteenth-century Europe’s most luxurious carriage—and the people who made them.
Founded in 1845 by Victor Jacques Morel (1814–79), Maison V. Morel was one of the most important Parisian coachbuilders during the second half of the nineteenth century, a time when French manufacturers dominated the industry. Antoine-Joseph Grümmer (1834–1909) succeeded Jacques Morel in 1879, renaming the company Société J. Grümmer. Their superb and elegant carriages were the talk of high society both in their native France and abroad, due in part to contributions to the accessories and finishing materials made by such illustrious names as Louis Vuitton and Hermès. This book tells the story of the company and its two leaders, drawing from previously unpublished documents and numerous illustrations of Morel and Grümmer’s remarkable carriages.
Founded in 1845 by Victor Jacques Morel (1814–79), Maison V. Morel was one of the most important Parisian coachbuilders during the second half of the nineteenth century, a time when French manufacturers dominated the industry. Antoine-Joseph Grümmer (1834–1909) succeeded Jacques Morel in 1879, renaming the company Société J. Grümmer. Their superb and elegant carriages were the talk of high society both in their native France and abroad, due in part to contributions to the accessories and finishing materials made by such illustrious names as Louis Vuitton and Hermès. This book tells the story of the company and its two leaders, drawing from previously unpublished documents and numerous illustrations of Morel and Grümmer’s remarkable carriages.
312 pages | 234 color plates, 144 halftones, 139 line drawings | 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2021
History: History of Technology
Table of Contents
Part 1: Victor Morel and his time
Chapter I: High Society and the art of living in Paris at the end of the nineteenth century
Chapter II: Paris “capital” of beautiful carriages
Chapter III: A first-rate house: Victor Morel, coach builder
Part 2: The Grümmer coach building dynasty
Chapter IV: Antoine Joseph Grümmer descendant of coach builders, successor to Victor Morel
Chapter V: The techniques required for building horse-drawn coaches
Chapter VI: Specialized trades supporting the coach builder
Chapter VII: Universal Exhibitions
Chapter VIII: Automobile Club de France: Salon of 1904
Chapter IX: a smooth transition from the Carriage to the Automobile
Chapter X: Creation of SA des Établissements Grümmer 1919
Part 3: Works by Maison V. Morel-Grümmer through the archives
Chapter XI: Drawings
Chapter XII: An important order from the Duke of Luynes 1867
Chapter XIII: The George IV Phaeton of the Earl of Fitz-James 1885
Chapter XIV: The Blanche de Clermont-Tonnerre’s Tilbury 1910
Chapter XV: Surviving carriages in collections
Epilogue: Transmission of knowledge over time
Appendices
Grümmer family tree
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
Chapter I: High Society and the art of living in Paris at the end of the nineteenth century
Chapter II: Paris “capital” of beautiful carriages
Chapter III: A first-rate house: Victor Morel, coach builder
Part 2: The Grümmer coach building dynasty
Chapter IV: Antoine Joseph Grümmer descendant of coach builders, successor to Victor Morel
Chapter V: The techniques required for building horse-drawn coaches
Chapter VI: Specialized trades supporting the coach builder
Chapter VII: Universal Exhibitions
Chapter VIII: Automobile Club de France: Salon of 1904
Chapter IX: a smooth transition from the Carriage to the Automobile
Chapter X: Creation of SA des Établissements Grümmer 1919
Part 3: Works by Maison V. Morel-Grümmer through the archives
Chapter XI: Drawings
Chapter XII: An important order from the Duke of Luynes 1867
Chapter XIII: The George IV Phaeton of the Earl of Fitz-James 1885
Chapter XIV: The Blanche de Clermont-Tonnerre’s Tilbury 1910
Chapter XV: Surviving carriages in collections
Epilogue: Transmission of knowledge over time
Appendices
Grümmer family tree
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index