This tent is an adaptation of a military tent, pressed into service for exploring, something which makes a lot of sense given that a lot of early explorers had been military men. However as soon as early civilisations gained the knowledge that a shelter would keep them dry and warm, they were making them, out of branches and animal hides, and, more importantly, realising that they could de-construct them and take therm to new sites. The indigenous peoples of pretty much all the countries in the world would have done this, refining the structures depending on local needs and weather conditions.
This is our first reader`s card of the week, and I am grateful that they also supplied the list. Some cards have already been added since it arrived here, but three remain. If anyone can locate the missing explorers, please tell us.
Our man today is billed as "Le Pere de Deken", but his real name was Constant Pierre-Joseph de Deken , and he was born in Wilrijk, in Belgium, on the seventh of March, 1852.
He was the son of an innkeeper, and from an early age he felt the calling to religion, going on to study it at seminary. They first sowed the seeds of missionary work, which led him to join a local religious order, who ordained him as a priest in 1879 and sent him to China in 1881. This is why he is called "Pere" on the card, for it means "Father" both in a natural and a religious sense. In fact he went to what is now part of Turkestan, and he stayed there for ten years, during which time he learned to speak Chinese.
In 1889, this ability led him to a man called Gabriel Bonvalot, who was running a scientific expedition and wanted someone who could act as an interpreter. Another man on the expedition was Henri d`Orleans (who I think is one of the missing cards in this set). Their goal was to traverse Central Asia, ending up in Shanghai, and they did accomplish their goal, after which the explorers left and returned to France. It seems that they asked our man to go with them, but he refused. However in 1890 he did leave, for Brussels, where he published a book about his travels.
Then, in 1892, he was sent to the Belgian Congo, to preach the gospels to the population in the area of Boma, and out into the surrounding areas. For some reason the climate did not suit him, and he was frequently unwell, so much so that he returned to Brussels in late 1894 and stayed there for a whole year, for most of which he was hospitalised. He had only just left his bed when he was again asked to return to the Congo, and he obeyed. But shortly after his arrival, in November 1895, he again felt unwell, and he died, of fever, on the third of March, 1896, just a few days before his forty-fourth birthday.
This set was also issued by others, at least by :
- Chicoree Casiez = (CC)
- Felix Potin = (FP)
- Guerin Boutron = (GB)
This was accomplished by changing the name in the long cartouche at the top, and then reprinting the backs. And we know that sometimes cards turn up that were not printed to either the front cartouche nor the back, so the printer must have done a long run then overprinted in these places when a new order came in.
Do note that the set title, of "Explorateurs" only appears on the Guerin-Boutron version. It is also their cards which supply the set length, of eighty-four cards - so we presume the other issuers versions are of that same length as well ? However, the cards of those other issuers are much harder to come by. Anyway, the subjects we know of so far are :
- Adjutant Prat - Explorateur Francais = (GB)
- Albert Nebout - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Alfred Marche - Francais = (GB)
- Aime Olivier - Francais = (CC)
- Andree - Explorateur Suedois = (GB)
- Armand Reclus - Francais = (GB)
- Ballot - Francais = (GB)
- Baron Dhanis - Belge = (GB)
- Bonnel de Mezieres- Francais = (GB)
- Bonvalot - Francais = ((FP)GB)
- Bretonnet- Francais = (GB)
- Briquez - Francais = (GB)
- Brunache - Francais = (GB)
- Camille Douls - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Capitaine Baratier - Explorateur Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Cap. H. Brosselard - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Capitaine Menard - Explorateur Francais = (CC)(FP)(GB)
- Capitaine Trivier - Francais = (GB)
- Capit. Braulot - Francais = (GB)
- Capit. Braun - Francais = (GB)
- Capit. Vermeersch - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Capt. Casemajou - Francais = (CC)(FP)(GB)
- Capt. Germain - Explorateur Francais = (GB)
- Cap. Toutee - Francais = (GB)
- Clozel - Francais = (GB)
- Comte Leontieff - no country = (FP)(GB)
- Cupet - Francais = (GB)
- Dallmann - Allemand = (GB)
- De Gerlache - Belge = (FP)(GB)
- De Goetzen - Allemand = (FP)(GB)
- De Long - Americain = (GB)
- Dr. Bayol - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Dr. Catat - Francais = (GB)
- Dr. Crevaux - Francais = (GB)
- Dr. De Behagle - Francais = (CC)
- Dr. G. Nachtigal - Anglais = (GB)
- Dutreuil de Rhims - Francais = (GB)
- Emin Pacha - Anglais = (GB)
- Fondere - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Gal. Dodds - Francais = (FP)
- Gal. Duchesne - Francais = (GB)
- Galieni - Francais = (GB)
- General de Torcy - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Gentil - Francais = (GB)
- Georges Melville - Americain = (GB)
- Georges Revoil - Francais = (CC)((FP)GB)
- J. Boissiere - Francais = (GB)
- Jean Chaffanjon - Francais = (GB)
- Jean Dybowski- Francais = (GB)
- Lauziere - Francais = (GB)
- Le Pere de Deken - Belge = (FP)(GB)
- Lieut. Bunas - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Lieut. Dejoux - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Lieut. Loury - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Livingstone - Anglais = (CC)
- Louis Noros - Americain = (GB)
- Maistre - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Mal des Logis Martin - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Marquis de Compiegne - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Marquis de Mores - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Mercuri - Francais = (GB)
- M.F. Grenard - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Mizon - Francais = (GB)
- Mme. Dieulafoy - Francais [see below] = ((FP)GB)
- Mr. Boffard-Coquat - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Mr. Chesse - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Mr. de Bonchamps - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Mr. Dieulafoy - Francais [see below] = (GB)
- Mr. Roux - Francais = (GB)
- M. Vanderheym - Francais = (GB)
- Nansen - Explorateur Suedois = (FP)(GB)
- Nindemann - Americain - = (GB)
- Nordenskiold - Suedois = (FP)(GB)
- Paul Crampell - Francais = (GB)
- Savorgnan de Brazza - Francais = (GB)
- Stanley - Anglais = (GB)
- Sven Hedin - Suedois = (FP)(GB)
- Theodore Lacour - Francais = (GB)
- Treich Laplene - Francais = (FP)(GB)
- Victor Giraud - Francais = (GB)
- Victor Largeau - Francais = (GB)
Two of these cards are very similar at a quick glance, both being entitled "Dieulafoy ", however the pronoun differs, for one is a lady, "Mme. Dieulafoy - Francais - Mission Archaeologique en Susiane (Perse)" and she has a group of building, no visible desert - whilst the other is "Mr. Dieulafoy - Francais - Mission Archaeologique en Susiane" and he has the upper parts of a building partially emerging from a lot of desert. Further research discovers that they were husband and wife, Jane and Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, and they both worked on the ancient Persian city of Susa.
That only leaves three cards to find - so please do have a look and see whether you can fill them in...