This card shows the development of the house from the cave, for what we have here are tall defensive walls and a straw roof, simply because engineering was not invented that could allow them to build a stone one.
Today`s house is marked up as being "Gaulois", which are classed as a branch of the Celtic tribe even though they lived far from Scotland or Ireland, starting out by inhabiting the region north and west of the Alps and ending up spreading over much of Europe, controlling huge lengths of four major rivers, ones which we know today as the Rhine, the Rhone, the Danube, and the Seine. Their control of these enabled them to travel and to trade. Their downfall was the rise of the Roman empire, which finally conquered the Gauls in 50 B.C., taking over their former lands and also changing their ways into a strange hybrid culture called Gallo-Roman. And in actual fact the next card in the series, number thirteen, shows a house belonging to the Gallo- Romains
The set is all about houses, and we know that it was issued more than once because you can find the cards with five different backs, namely
- no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid (as our card today)
- numbered to front - third of back advert in large blue solid
- numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
- numbered to front - full back advert framed by dots and dashes
- numbered to front - full back advert for "Piou Piou" showing soldier (obviously a wartime version)
Trying to code them proved impossible for me, so when I started over, after ending in total confusion, I decided to just use the descriptions and drop the codes - but I have not had time to go back and do the ones I started with !
I also believe there to be two more cards, numbers 24 and 25, but only because 23 is a rather strange number to end at.
Anyway the houses featured are as follows :
- Dolmen, Age de la Pierre -
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Cite Lacustre
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Egypte Pharaonique -
numbered to front - full back advert framed by dots and dashes
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid - Phenicians
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
numbered to front - third of back advert in large blue solid
no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid - Assyriens
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Hebreux
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Etrusques
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid - Hindous
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Grecs
no number to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Romaines
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid - Germains
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Gaulois
numbered to front - third of back advert in large blue solid - Gallo- Romains
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid - Huns
numbered to front - full back advert framed by dots and dashes
no number to front - third of back advert plain blue letters, no solid - Maures
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Byzantins
numbered to front - full back advert framed by dots and dashes
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Style Roman
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Gothique-Moyen Age
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Style Renaissance
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Style Louis XIII
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
numbered to front - full back advert for "Piou Piou" showing soldier - Style Louis XIV
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid - Une Rue de Paris sous Louis XV
numbered to front - full back advert framed by dots and dashes
numbered to front - full back advert for "Piou Piou" showing soldier
no number to front - third of back advert plain blue letters, no solid - Style Empire -
numbered to front - full back advert framed by dots and dashes
numbered to front - third of back advert in plain blue letters, no solid
no number to front - third of back advert in large blue solid