Wooden Soldiers

French WW1 postcard, illustrator André Hellé: Les Soldats de Bois (Wooden soldiers). Publisher: P. J. Gallais, Paris. (c. 1918).

WW1 paper soldiers from France - Russian Imperial Army 🇷🇺 ⚔️

These two sets of double-sided paper soldiers "PRO PATRIA" (Edt H Bouquet,Paris) depict WW1 Russian Imperial Army 1914-1918.

Liberation of Paris (Part 2)

More sets of paper soldiers released by l’Office central de l’imagerie Paris (illustrated by Roland Forgues) in 1944/45.  

Charles de Gaulle and General Leclerc and Arc de Triomphe

Les soldats français à l’Hôtel de Ville

Paper soldiers : Liberation of Paris

The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944.
These paper soldiers were issued by Editore Office Central de l’imagerie Paris.

The Thirty Years War tin soldiers from the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldier shop (Paris, France)

Photos of tin soldiers - Tercio pikemen and French musketeers from the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) represented at the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldier shop (Paris, France).

Ancient times war miniatures from the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldier shop (Paris, France)

Different ancient times  miniatures from from the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldier shop (Paris, France).

Musée de l'Armée Hôtel national des Invalides (Paris, 🇫🇷)

Room of artillery models and figurines at Musée de l'Armée  Hôtel national des Invalides (Paris, 🇫🇷)
Historical figurines collection

 The 5000 or so pieces, representing all the different types of historical figurines, reflect the diversity of the Army Museum’s collection, which is made up of around 140,000 pieces in total. This room features displays of the four main types of figurines, which are mostly arranged in parade formations. First, we have the card figurines which were made by and for adults using stiff cardboard from the beginning of the 18th century. Then there are the so-called “tinplate” figurines which were produced during the second half of the 19th century. These are followed by the lead figurines, which were originally produced as children’s toys and still to this day represent the images of “toy soldiers” found in our collective imagination. Finally, we have the plastic soldiers, which became immensely popular during the 20th century due to the fact that they were stronger and less expensive.

Please use the link below to watch the video:

L’Omnibus Illustre (19 January 1890)

The French magazine L’Omnibus Illustre cover depicting the German Emperor Wilhelm II kids playing with a castle and toy soldiers (19th January 1890) . 

Napoleonic war miniatures at the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldiers shop (Paris, France)

More photos of Napoleonic war miniatures at the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldiers shop (Paris, France).

WW1 Russian Tsarist Army soldiers from the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldiers shop (Paris, France)

WW1 Russian Tsarist Army 🇷🇺soldiers from the Les Drapeaux de France shop (Paris, France).

Napoleonic wars at the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldiers shop (Paris, France)

Napoleonic wars at the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldiers shop (Paris, France)

French and English knights from the Les Drapeaux de France tin soldier shop (Paris, France)

Founded in 1949 in the Palais-Royal Gardens of Paris, Les Drapeaux de France have been producing for almost 70 years small-scale figures and tin soldiers in keeping with tradition. With more than 30'000 items available, this shop can offer one of the largest collection of tin soldiers and small-scale figures in the the world.
Today I am presenting some nice photos of French and English knights (The Hundred Years’s War) that I found in the shop.

Au Printemps - Toys, New Year gifts, 1917 : Christmas 1916-New Year1917 [commercial catalog]

Au Printemps -Toys, New Year gifts, 1917 : Christmas 1916-New Year1917 [commercial catalog]

Please use the link below to download the catalogue: 

Video Soldats de Plomb (Toy Soldiers) : 14th of July - The Bastille Day in Paris

Soldats de Plomb (Toy Soldiers) : 14th of July - The Bastille Day in Paris (2009).

Please use the link below to watch the full video :

14th of June 1940: German troops enter Paris

Paris started mobilizing for war in September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland, but the war seemed far away until May 10, 1940, when the Germans attacked France and quickly defeated the French army. The French government departed Paris on June 10, and the Germans occupied the city on June 14. During the Occupation, the French Government moved to Vichy, and Paris was governed by the German military and by French officials approved by the Germans. The toy soldiers from Elastolin, Lineol and Schusso produced in 30s.

Vive la France ! Vive la libertie ! French army,wine and WW 1 ...

Nick Johnson wrote in his  article "World War I, Part 1: The French Army and Wine" that "Alcohol was a key part of the French war experience; it was part of daily life in the trenches." I really recommend you to read this article. It gives a very interesting view on the WW1 history from anti-alcohol policies implemented in French, German, American and British armies. These brave French "poilu" soldiers and Zouaves on the photos are made by Elastolin, Lineol and Kienel in 20s/30s.

The Museum of the Army (Musée de l'Armée) , the Tomb of Napoleon and the Artillery Day (Paris France - December 2007)

The Musée de l'Armée was created in 1905 with the merger of the Musée d'Artillerie and the Musée Historique de l'Armée.The Musée de l'artillerie (Museum of Artillery - "artillerie" meaning all things related to weapons) was founded in 1795 in the aftermath of the French Revolution, and expanded under Napoleon. It was moved into the Hôtel des Invalides in 1871, immediately following the Franco-Prussian War and the proclamation of the Third Republic. Another institution called the Musée historique de l'Armée (Historical Museum of the Army) was created in 1896 following the Paris World Fair. The two institutions merged in 1905 within the space of the former Musée de l'Artillerie. Today, it holds 500,000 artifacts, including weapons, armour, artillery, uniforms, emblems and paintings, exhibited in an area of 12,000 m². The permanent collections are organised into "historical collections", representing a chronological tour from ancient times through the end of World War II.