D - Partners
Contents :
D-1 - Vera and Brentano's
D-2 - Vera and City of Paris à San Francisco
D-3 - Vera and les Éditions Braun
D-4 - Vera and Lemaire
D-5 - Vera and Louis Vuitton
D-6 - Vera and Mappin & Webb
D-7 - Vera and The Sheffield Plate C°
D-8 - Vera and Truslove and Hanson
D-9 - Vera and Whiteleys
D-1 - Vera and Brentano's
37 Avenue de l’Opéra, Paris.
Opened in 1887.
Retailer of jigsaw puzzles in four different formats:
puzzles under the manufacturer’s name (e.g. Puzzles d’Art Michèle Wilson) without a specific label,
with its own ‘18th Century Picture’ range (see ‘At The Ponte de Rialto’, of unknown origin, on the same website).
under its own name for
English and American puzzles, including those from the Pastime and Zig-Zag (Parker) brands and possibly Best Puzzle (see this brand),
French puzzles: Esman Frères, for example
under the manufacturer’s own name with a specific Brentano’s label – this is the case for agreements with Vera
Description:
Label:
markets jigsaw puzzles under the Vera Picture Puzzle brand – see the example of the Queen Mary produced by Vera:
"Queen Mary" - 400 p. – 8 whimsies - Vera Picture Puzzle + Velvet Lined - ca. 1936
Sources : www.thejigasaurus.com
D-2 - Vera and City of Paris in San Francisco
Partnership established around 1933–1935 by Vera with the City of Paris department store, based in San Francisco, USA
The company was founded in 1850 by the Frenchmen Félix and Émile Verdier and sold goods imported from France. It remained under the control of the Verdier family until 1972
Description:
Label:
sticker Made in France :
Vera Puzzle box at 5 rue A. Vitu (the only box recorded to date) :
"Les Cosaques" – Vera Puzzle – City of Paris - 600 p. – 15 whimsies - fab. réalisée par Vera
Source : www.thejigasaurus.com
D-3 - Vera and les Éditions Braun
Braun Editions was founded by Adolphe Braun in 1847. From its inception, the company specialized in the reproduction of works of art. It employed the most advanced reprographic techniques available at the time and was based at 24 rue Jacques Mugnier, 68200 Mulhouse, France.
Puzzle production was probably the subject of a partnership agreement with Vera during the years 1965–1970. However, no information regarding such an arrangement has been provided by the publisher.
Description :
Label :
The Vera name appears solely in the logo printed on the top of the box lid:
"Moulin de Saint-Nicolas-les-Arras" - Corot - 220 p. – fab. réalisée par Vera – collection privée
Sources : www.editionsbraun.fr
D-4 - Vera and Lemaire
The company operated two retail stores located at 5 Rue Scribe and 59 Avenue Victor Hugo in Paris.
Between 1935 and 1940, these stores retailed puzzles manufactured by Vera.
The Avenue Victor Hugo store has since been converted into a tobacconist's shop and a business specializing in smokers' accessories.
Description :
Label :
Light yellow box. Puzzle Lemaire label affixed to the reverse, bearing the inscription "Vera" cutwork. Traditional hand-cut puzzle with whimsy pieces:
"L’Etang" – 100 pièces – ca. 1935 – vu sur eBay juillet 2017
Sources : eBay, internet
D-5 - Vera and Louis Vuitton
The Louis Vuitton brand was founded in 1854 and, over the years, the company became the world-renowned luxury leather goods manufacturer.
Vera's partnership with Louis Vuitton appears to have begun during the company's earliest years, around 1931–1932. The earliest boxes identified are indeed marked with Vera's first address at 5 Rue Alfred Vitu. The collaboration continued until the early 1950s.
From 1931 onwards, Louis Vuitton marketed puzzles manufactured by Vera, adding a sticker to the underside of the lid listing its retail stores.
Around 1936, the label affixed to the back of the box became a specific design created exclusively for Louis Vuitton.
Beginning in 1938, Louis Vuitton commissioned Vera to produce puzzles in specially designed custom boxes. Three stores are listed on these labels: Nice, Vichy and London.
Louis Vuitton subsequently worked with Les Jeux Artistiques (see Le puzzle français en bois) as well as the British manufacturer Victory.
The words "Son Salon de Jouets" ("Its Toy Salon") appear on the Louis Vuitton sticker together with the address 78 Avenue Marceau, Paris.
Description :
Sticker Louis Vuitton :
1931 : 1938 : 1953 :
Models :
1931-1936 - Louis Vuitton used boxes manufactured by Vera and simply added its own label listing the company's stores. The example shown below is probably one of the earliest productions made after Vera moved to Rue Auguste Vitu, as it is the only puzzle recorded to date bearing a serial number.
The label gives the address: Ets Vera, 5 Rue Auguste Vitu, Paris XV
The Louis Vuitton label refers to the company's stores in Paris, Nice, Cannes, Vichy and London.
The puzzle features a traditional hand-cut design with classic whimsy pieces.
"Le Chargement de Foins" - Vera Picture Puzzle – n° 17105 - 350 p. – ca. 1931 - cf. www.thejigasaurus.com
1936-1938 - At this stage, the label on the reverse of the box became specific to Louis Vuitton. The sticker applied to the lid continued to display the same five Louis Vuitton stores: Paris, Nice, Cannes, Vichy and London :
"Bataille d'Iéna" - Vera Picture Puzzle - 500 p. – ca. 1936 – collection privée
1938-1949 - The Louis Vuitton sticker attached to the lid now lists only four stores: Paris, Nice, Vichy and London. The Cannes store, which appeared on earlier versions, has been removed.
"A un Sous mes Deux Poignées de Primeroses" – Vera Puzzle - 200 p. – 1 wh. - collection privée
1949-1950 – The Louis Vuitton sticker now gives only the address of its Paris "Toy Salon" (Salon de Jouets), no longer listing the company's other stores
"Les Trompettes de la Garde Royale à Cheval" - Rex - 200 p. – code R - collection privée
D-6 - Vera and Mappin & Webb
Vera developed a partnership with the renowned British jeweller Mappin & Webb and its Biarritz branch between 1936–1937 and 1940
Description :
Logo :
Red box. Vera Picture Puzzle label on the back. Traditional hand-cut puzzle featuring a classic cut design:
"Les Inséparables" - Vera Puzzle - Mappin & Webb - 400 p. - ca. 1938 - collection privée
D-7 - Vera and The Sheffield Plate C°
Vera maintained a partnership with The Sheffield Plate Co. between 1932 and 1952–1953. The company subsequently sourced its puzzles from the manufacturer Eddie-Puzzles-Paris (see Le puzzle français en bois).
Founded at the end of the nineteenth century, The Sheffield Plate Co. was probably originally a subsidiary of the American cutlery manufacturer Oneida. In December 1957, it was reorganized as a public limited company with a board of directors.
The company was located at 14 Rue de la Pépinière, Paris (8th arrondissement), and operated in the field of miscellaneous retail trade.
The company ceased operations on 12 March 1985.
Description :
1932-1933 : The company sourced its puzzles from Vera and affixed its own label over the original Vera label on the back of the box. Two types of boxes are known—blue and gold—each associated with different cutting styles:
"La Ville de Clovely" - Vera Puzzle - 150 p. - 1933 – vu sur Le Bon Coin juin 2020
"Chasse à Courre" - Vera Picture Puzzle – velvet lined - 150 p. – 3 whimsies - 1932 – collection privée
1933-1934 - Custom-made box for the company: black finish, company logo in the upper left-hand corner of the lid, Vera Puzzle logo in the lower right-hand corner. The label is printed with the address: Ets Vera, 5 Rue Auguste Vitu, Paris XV:
"Menuet" - Vera Puzzle – The Sheffield Plate C° - 150 p. – 1 whimsy - 1934 – collection privée
1934-1936 - Same range as the 1932 series. The special custom-made box was discontinued, and the puzzles reverted to the standard 1932 packaging. The range remained identical to that of 1932, but the Vera company address on the label was simply crossed out. The retailer's sticker was then applied to the lid. :
"Les Croisés" - Vera Picture Puzzle – Velvet lined - 900 p. - 3 whimsies - 1935
1936-1945 - Although the special box design was abandoned, production remained exclusive to the company. These puzzles are usually identifiable by the retailer's sticker affixed to the lid and by a code handwritten or stamped by the cutter in the upper right corner of the label on the reverse. Several variants of these codes have been documented: Sh. Pl., ShP, SPC, SPC° and S.P.C°.
Blue boxes were used for traditional cutting styles, while gold boxes were reserved for colour-line cuts.
"Chez l’Antiquaire" - Vera Puzzle - 150 p. - 1936 – vu sur le Bon Coin sept. 2012
"En Poursuite" - Vera Puzzle - 400 p. - 4 wh. - 1936 – collection privée
1945-1949 - At this stage, the retailer's sticker was no longer used. Identification of these editions relies solely on the manufacturer's code added by the cutter to the label on the reverse of the box. The puzzles were packaged in red boxes featuring the Vera Royal Puzzle logo:
"Discussion sur un Plan" - Vera Royal Puzzle - 200 p. - 1947 – vu sur eBay
1949-1953 - Same as the previous series, except that the puzzles were issued under the Vera Royal Puzzle logo :
"Le Sermon de Latimer devant le Roi Edouard VII" - Vera Royal Puzzle - 1600 p. – 1951 – collection privée
D-8 - Vera and Truslove and Hanson
A partnership between Vera and Truslove & Hanson can be documented between approximately 1936 and 1940. Truslove & Hanson was an independent publishing and bookselling firm located at 143 Oxford Street, London, and operated several fashionable bookshops in the West End. The company catered to a discerning clientele and occupied a respected position within London's literary and cultural circles.
Description :
Logo :
Green box with "Velvet Lined" finish. Vera Picture Puzzle label on the back. Puzzle cut along the colour lines and incorporating whimsy pieces:
"Waiting for the Mailcoach" - Vera Puzzle - Truslove and Hanson - 400 p. - 5 wh. - ca 1938 – collection privée
D-9 - Vera and Whiteleys
A partnership between Vera and the British department store Whiteleys can be traced to the period circa 1936–1940. Whiteleys originated with a drapery business established by William Whiteley at 31 Westbourne Grove in 1863. In 1907, the company moved into an imposing purpose-built department store on Queens Road (now Queensway), reflecting its status as one of London's leading retail institutions. The store ceased trading in 1981, and the building remained vacant until its acquisition in 1986.
Description :
Logo :
Red box with a Vera Picture Puzzle label on the back. Traditional hand-cut puzzle featuring a classic cut design:
"Hallali – n° 18" - Vera Puzzle - Whiteleys - 300 p. – 5 wh. - ca. 1938 – vu sur Flickr