Alphonse Brepson (société)
1910 – 1934
The company is listed in the directory of the Chambre Syndicale des Fabricants de Jeux et Jouets (French Trade Association of Toy and Game Manufacturers) as a manufacturer of artistic wooden toys.
The company was founded in October 1910 by Alfred Pierre Hilaire Édouard Brepson (born on 14 January 1858 in Pesmes, Haute-Saône) to manufacture wooden toys.
In 1915, A. Brepson acquired the Borot company, a specialist in parlour games, and moved into its premises at 201 Rue Championnet, Paris 18th arrondissement.
In a letter dated 5 July 1916, André Hellé* wrote the following to one of his friends:"Dear Sir, ... The manufacturer I mentioned to you, and whom I strongly recommend because of the artistic effort he puts into all his work, is Mr. Brepson, who lives at 201 Rue Championnet..."
The company was officially registered with the Paris Commercial Register on 22 June 1921 under registration number 143,783.
It became a member of the Unis France association under membership number 304.
In the 1925 Commercial Directory, Brepson was the only company listed under the category "Puzzles."
The company initially marketed its puzzles under the "France-Patience-Paris" brand, which was later renamed "France-Puzzles-Paris." This is confirmed by the inscription "No. 304 – Unis France" found on one of the boxes bearing this trademark.
Author's hypotheses
The trademarks American Puzzle, American Puzzle Modern, New American Puzzle, Puzzle Biblique, and Nouveau Puzzle Biblique were most likely owned by Brepson. The label reading "Any opened box cannot be exchanged" is identical on puzzles sold under all of these brands.
The Idéal Puzzle brand may also have belonged to Brepson.
Brepson appears to have relied on several manufacturers to produce its different product ranges, including L.V.C., B.B.C., J.A.B., and Jeux et Jouets Français.
On 15 March 1934, the company was taken over by Maurice Coudereau, who continued operating from the same address.
* André Hellé (the pseudonym of André Laclôtre) was far more than an illustrator. He was one of the leading figures in the renewal of children's toys and books in France during the early twentieth century and is regarded as one of the pioneers of French artistic toys. His recommendation of Brepson was based not simply on the fact that the company manufactured toys, but on his belief that its work possessed genuine artistic merit.
Source: Adapted from the book Le puzzle français en bois by the author.