06 March 2010

Fête du Citron: Cinema - Wells Fargo


You don't really expect to see a Wells Fargo coach being pulled by two fine horses down the streets of Menton but when it's festival time, anything can happen.

15 comments:

  1. This is a photo that you would expect to see in a parade in the American West. I think Sharon has in the past posted photos from the Wells Fargo History Museum in the Main Office in Phoenix of the Wells Fargo Bank. They have one of the real Wells Fargo wagons on display.

    The bank still uses the stage coaches in their TV commercials and other advertisements, so we see the Wells Fargo wagons a lot in the USA.

    I read a description of what it was like to ride in a stage coach in Arizona in the 1800's. If there were 6 passengers, the only way to fit everyone in would be to have the passengers across from each other alternate their knees in an interlocking fashion because the space between the two benches facing each other was not far enough apart.

    On a long, hot ride, it must have been quite uncomfortable. In fact, it must have been uncomfortable even on a short ride, and back then there were probably not any short rides.

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  2. That coach is cute! The yellow part is painted to resemble more of the lines of an American stage coach, but it seems to be some other type. That horse looks fabulous! Can you imagine braiding its mane?! My grandpa was a western style horseman. After he retired from his fire department job of many years, he went to work for awhile on a cattle ranch, then a couple years later worked as a stage coach driver and bandit for Knott's Berry Farm in the 70s. Fun to see American themes in a French parade!
    I can't get over how beautiful that horse is. . .sigh.. .back to girlhood dream and reading all the Walter Farley books :-).
    -Kim

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  3. Quelles jolies photos, Jilly. Je pense qu'on s'amuse plus à Menton qu'à Montpellier !

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  4. this is so interesting. the men are as carefully "done up" as the beautiful horses but in quite different styles. i don't see any lemons or oranges. maybe that's the treasure they're carrying inside the coach.

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  5. I think Wells Fargo was started over here in Minneapolis! Funny to see their carriage over in a parade in Menton! Great photo of the horse's head!

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  6. Everything looks so authentic! And, the horses are magnificient. Your top photo is well-chosen with a beauty to entice us to "come in" to see your post. Great!

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  7. Great horse shot and information.

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  8. A little slice of Americana in Menton! Very fun!
    V

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  9. The horse's head looks unreal. So much fantastic detail.

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  10. Beautiful photo, Jilly. I wonder if the horse is having any fun?

    I enjoyed your description, Dave.

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  11. It seems that there were less huge floats this year than usual, no ?
    Did they replace big floats by little "mise en scene" and decors ?

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  12. Beautiful photo of the horse. I hadn't realised jsut how much detail there was in the mane. I like your second photo as well - being a history buff these always interest me.
    Cheers.
    Melbourne Daily Photo

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  13. Oh my gosh, I used to work for Wells Fargo and I had no idea they had stage coaches in Europe too! They roll them out here for every parade.

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  14. That is one gorgeous horse. Excellent photo!

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  15. The texture of the horse's neck, hair, skin is amazingly rendered on your top photo. Amazing.

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