Date of use : 6 October 1925, France
1925 Gerschel Photography Cover | Art Deco & Centenary of Photography
Some old envelopes preserve far more than the correspondence they once carried. This letter, mailed from Paris to Strasbourg on October 6, 1925, is one such artifact. At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary postal cover. Yet a closer examination of its commemorative label, postal markings, and sender reveals a fascinating story that connects the history of photography, the birth of the Art Deco movement, and one of France's most distinguished photographic families.
The envelope was postmarked on October 6, 1925, at the Rue Jouffroy post office in Paris's 17th arrondissement and entered the postal system at 4:30 p.m. On the reverse appears the printed imprint: "GERSCHEL – 5 Rue de Prony – Paris (XVIIe)." This address corresponds to the studio of Charles Gerschel, one of the most prominent portrait photographers of his era. The front of the envelope shows that it was addressed to Madame F. Gerschel in Strasbourg, suggesting either family correspondence or communication between branches of the family's photographic enterprise.
The most striking feature of the cover is the large colorful label positioned beside the postage stamp. This is not an official postage stamp but rather a promotional vignette, known in philatelic circles as a "cinderella stamp" or "poster stamp." Such labels were commonly produced to advertise exhibitions, fairs, and commemorative events during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The label bears the inscription "Centenaire de la Photographie" ("Centenary of Photography"). Beneath it appear the names of two pioneers of photographic history, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and Louis Daguerre, accompanied by the dates 1824–1925. At the center of the design is the evocative phrase "Tout passe et moi je reste" ("Everything passes, but I remain"), a poetic reflection on photography's unique ability to preserve moments long after they have vanished.
The two men celebrated on the vignette are widely regarded as founding figures of modern photography. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765–1833) was among the first experimenters to produce permanent photographic images using light-sensitive materials. His work led to what is generally recognized as the world's oldest surviving photograph. Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851) built upon Niépce's discoveries and introduced the daguerreotype process in 1839, the first commercially successful photographic method. Through Daguerre's innovation, photography evolved from an experimental curiosity into a practical medium capable of reaching a broad public. By 1925, roughly a century after photography's formative years, both men had become enduring symbols of the medium's origins.
The black commemorative cancellation struck across the vignette adds another layer of historical significance. It references the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the celebrated international exhibition held in Paris in 1925. This event is now remembered as the birthplace of the Art Deco movement, which profoundly influenced architecture, graphic design, decorative arts, and industrial design throughout the twentieth century. Indeed, the term "Art Deco" itself derives directly from the name of this exhibition.
As a result, this envelope serves not only as a witness to photographic history but also as a tangible artifact from one of the defining cultural events of the modern era.
The sender's name, Gerschel, carries particular historical importance. The Gerschel family was a Jewish family rooted in the Alsace region of France and became one of the country's most distinguished photographic dynasties. Their involvement in professional photography began in Strasbourg in 1856. The first generation included three brothers: Samuel Gerschel (1828–1898), Mathias Gerschel (1830–1890), and Aaron (Aron) Gerschel (1832–1910). Operating under the name "Gerschel Frères" ("Gerschel Brothers"), they quickly established one of the most respected photographic studios in the region.
As photography spread across Europe during the second half of the nineteenth century, the family expanded its activities. Different members opened studios in several cities, transforming the Gerschel name into a recognized photographic brand throughout France.
Among the most influential members of the family was Aaron Gerschel. After achieving success in Strasbourg, he relocated to Paris, where he established prestigious studios first on Boulevard Saint-Martin and later on the fashionable Boulevard des Capucines. His clientele included prominent scientists, artists, intellectuals, and members of Parisian high society. Among the figures photographed by Aaron Gerschel was Henri Becquerel, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose work laid the foundations of radioactivity research.
Aaron Gerschel's legacy is also linked to one of the most famous political and judicial controversies in French history: the Dreyfus Affair. One of the best-known military portraits of Alfred Dreyfus, the central figure in the case, was produced by Aaron Gerschel and later became one of the iconic images associated with the affair.
By the time this envelope was mailed in 1925, the family business was headed by Aaron's son, Charles Gerschel (1871–1948). Joining his father's studio in 1898, Charles became one of the leading portrait photographers of Parisian artistic and literary circles. He photographed writers, intellectuals, and cultural figures of his generation while maintaining professional relationships with prestigious institutions such as the École Polytechnique and the École Centrale. His achievements earned international recognition, and in acknowledgment of his contributions to photography and the arts, he was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, France's highest national order of merit.
In this context, the presence of a "Centenary of Photography" vignette on correspondence originating from a renowned photographic studio was almost certainly intentional. The combination of a commemorative label honoring Niépce and Daguerre with the letterhead of one of France's most prominent photographic families creates a particularly meaningful historical connection.
Today, this envelope occupies a unique position at the crossroads of several collecting fields: postal history, photographic history, Art Deco studies, advertising vignettes, Jewish heritage, and French commercial history. The convergence of the commemorative photography label, the Art Deco exhibition cancellation, and the Gerschel studio imprint transforms what might otherwise appear to be an ordinary piece of mail into an exceptional historical document.
Nearly a century after it traveled from Paris to Strasbourg, this modest envelope survives not merely as postal stationery, but as a silent witness to the birth of modern photography, the rise of Art Deco, and the enduring legacy of one of France's most celebrated photographic dynasties.
Record Information
Title: 1925 Gerschel Photography Cover | Art Deco & Centenary of Photography
Category: Photographic Studio History / Commemorative Ephemera
Subcategory: Cinderella Stamps / Art Deco Exhibition
Country: France (Paris → Strasbourg)
🗺️ Show Route
City: Paris (Sender: Charles Gerschel Studio, 5 Rue de Prony, XVII) → Strasbourg (Recipient: Madame F. Gerschel)
Date of use: 6 October 1925
Postal Features: Rue Jouffroy post office cancellation (Paris XVII, 4:30 PM, 6 October 1925); black commemorative cancellation for Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925 Paris Art Deco Exhibition).
Notable Feature: "Centenaire de la Photographie" cinderella/poster stamp with Niépce and Daguerre, inscription "Tout passe et moi je reste" (Everything passes, but I remain).
Studio (Sender): Gerschel Studio, 5 Rue de Prony, Paris XVII. Founded by Aaron Gerschel (1832-1910), continued by son Charles Gerschel (1871-1948), Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. Photographed Henri Becquerel and Alfred Dreyfus.
Gerschel Family: Jewish Alsatian dynasty. Began 1856 in Strasbourg as "Gerschel Frères" (Samuel, Mathias, Aaron). Expanded to multiple French cities.
Object Type: Commercial envelope with commemorative vignette and cancellation
Language: French
Material: Paper envelope
Collection Theme: Gerschel family, French photographic dynasties, centenary of photography, Niépce, Daguerre, Art Deco, 1925 Paris Exhibition, cinderella stamps, poster stamps, Alsatian Jewish heritage, portrait photography, Dreyfus Affair, Charles Gerschel, Aaron Gerschel.
Archival Significance: This 1925 cover uniquely combines the Centenary of Photography commemorative vignette with an Art Deco exhibition cancellation and the letterhead of the renowned Gerschel photographic dynasty. It documents the intersection of photographic history, the birth of Art Deco, and one of France's most distinguished photographic families, making it a rare primary source at the crossroads of postal history, photographic history, and design history.
Research Note:
This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.
This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.
