GALERIE FAYET
Category : French Antique Boutique
Address : 34 Passage Jouffroy, 75009 Paris
Transportation : Metro line 8, 9 Grands Boulevards
Opening Hours : Tue-Sat 10:45-12:30, 13:00-19:00
At the Galerie Fayet boutique, you can see canes which were once the symbol of bourgeois. The demands for canes have highly decreased so it remains just as medical equipment or for style.
The earliest canes were often found in tombs by historians leaving a bit of a mystery as to what their use really was. The first collector of canes is officially known as Tutankhamun. Before the Middle Ages, canes symbolized power, and canes given to kings were sused to symbolize the power from God. From the Middle Ages, it became the symbol of wealth and to protect lineage.
In 19th century Europe, from 1850 to 1920, it was the golden age of canes mainly because carriages were the main transportation. When you imagine gentlemen getting in to a carriage, they are wearing suits and top hats, holding a cane in one hand.
Baudelaire, who is a French poet, described canes like this in his novel, "A man going out without a cane is like a naked man." It shows the importance of canes in the 19th century. However, after the industrial developement, carriages were replaced by cars, so top hats and canes started to disappear as they were not comfortable to get in the car.
Galerie Fayet is a boutique that started during the 19th century. The great grand father of the current owner, Cédric Dauduit, was running this boutique from the golden age of canes. Now this is the one and only traditional cane boutique in France, making a comparison to when there were around 200 boutiques of canes in the past. They are selling canes and umbrellas which are made by masters from Auvergne, located in the middle and south France.
French canes were not only a cane, but also a unique item with various functions.
It could be used with various purposes for many different professionals including violinists, architects, painters, sommeliers, surgeons, and soldiers. In the 19th century, canes were banned for about 3-4 years as they often happened to hide a weapon.
One of the most interesting canes was the one with a periscope where you can fix the camera to take photos, which had a similar function as nowadays selfie sticks.
This cane is famous even in the United States. In 'Doctor House', a popular TV series, the main character uses this cane from Galerie Fayet.
Cédric continues this profession to protect the tradition. There are many things disappeared as time goes by including canes. France is well known to keep traditions balancing the past and present.
When you buy the French antique and artistic canes or umbrellas at Galerie Fayet, present O'Bon Paris' coupon to get a velvet case to keep the cane or umbrella, with a strap to hold it.
Written by Jessy Cornu, Jihye Choi
Photographed by Pierre Ieong
Translated by Yuna Lee