Michele Wilson
The history of Michèle Wilson Puzzles is inseparable from the personal life of Michèle Wilson herself. The interaction between the two is constant, making it impossible to draw a clear boundary between the company and its founder. Michèle Wilson Art Puzzles are Michèle Wilson, and Michèle Wilson is her puzzles.
Chronology
20 July 1931 – Michèle Gricourt was born at the Trémont estate in Plottes (Saône-et-Loire, France).
Until 1960 – She took part in the life of the Trémont estate, which welcomed paying foreign guests from 1938, housed the family during the Second World War, and later received many international students, including British, American, and German visitors. Among them was Patrick ("Pat") Wilson, who first arrived in 1953.
1960 – She discovered jigsaw puzzles through Philippe David, who cut pictures mounted on plywood using a fretsaw. Under his guidance, Michèle learned the art of puzzle cutting.
1963 – She married Patrick Wilson, a marriage she would later describe as "a great mistake."
1964–1965 – She accompanied her husband to Sierra Leone, but the difficult tropical climate forced the couple to return to France.
1965–1966 – She worked as an ambulance driver for the French Red Cross in Mâcon.
1967–1972 – She began producing handcrafted jigsaw puzzles with Brigitte Savigneux.
1972 – She met Thérèse Brémenson through their family doctor. This friendship would become one of the most important relationships of her life.
1973: A Turning Point
Following family difficulties, Michèle Wilson moved to Paris with all of her handcrafted puzzles. This proved to be a decisive year in both her personal life and professional career.
With Thérèse's support, she exhibited her work at the Cité Universitaire in Paris.
This exhibition marked the beginning of her commercial success. She established contacts with some of Paris's leading toy retailers, including Le Train Bleu, Le Nain Bleu, and L'Oiseau de Paradis on Boulevard Saint-Germain. During this period, the presentation of her products also became more sophisticated, with the introduction of the first red fabric-covered boxes and later boxes fitted with transparent lids.
While visiting these retailers, she met Lucie Woltz, the owner of L'Oiseau de Paradis, whom Michèle affectionately described as "tall, thin, and Protestant." This meeting proved decisive. Lucie frankly told her:"You have real talent, but the cutting of your puzzles is not yet professional enough."
Lucie introduced her to Mrs. Khinkouloff, whom Michèle remembered as "a small, rather plump lady," owner of the company Les Jeux Artistiques in Boulogne. Impressed by her enthusiasm, Mrs. Khinkouloff immediately hired her as a workshop assistant.
For the next nine months, Michèle learned every aspect of professional puzzle making—gluing, cutting, and even, as she later joked, how to hammer a nail in straight. At the same time, she was expected to perform many domestic tasks, including cleaning and serving tea. Frustrated, she once walked out, only to return the following day on Thérèse's advice.
She first specialised in cutting children's puzzles, whose perfectly rounded interlocking pieces demanded exceptional precision. Mrs. Khinkouloff used these exacting standards to criticise her work constantly.
Eventually, Michèle Wilson was dismissed to make room for a former employee returning from military service.
1974: The Vera Years
Determined not to remain unemployed, Michèle Wilson contacted Robert Tchertoff, whose father Alexandre Tchertoff had founded Établissements Vera. Recognising her expertise immediately, Robert reportedly exclaimed:"At last, someone who actually knows what a jigsaw puzzle is!"
She joined Vera, where she continued her training alongside two highly skilled puzzle cutters: Colette Sargent, who would later join Michèle Wilson's own company, and "Nana," one of the original cutters behind Vera's famous Rex puzzles.
Working conditions were demanding: nine-hour days, production targets of 1,000 pieces per hour, and wages based on output.
One evening, after accidentally dropping a lit cigarette near her saw—the cigarette butt having been sucked into the saw's extraction system—she spent the entire night watching the sawdust container for fear of a fire. During the night, Robert Tchertoff joined her, and together they discussed the idea of creating a Michèle Wilson Puzzle Department within Vera. This conversation marked the birth of the concept that would eventually become Michèle Wilson Art Puzzles, although the project was never pursued within Vera itself.
Soon afterwards, Michèle Wilson left Vera and moved into the workshop of one of her nephews, a manufacturer of plexiglass products, where she began producing her own puzzles independently.
1975: The Birth of Michèle Wilson Art Puzzles
In 1975, Michèle Wilson officially founded Michèle Wilson Art Puzzles.
1975–1997: Building the Company
For more than twenty years, she managed and developed the company, establishing it as one of France's leading manufacturers of handcrafted wooden jigsaw puzzles.
Around 1976–1977, the celebrated French poster artist Raymond Savignac stayed at the Trémont estate. The simplicity and humour of his posters—including famous designs for Monsavon and Air France—greatly appealed to Michèle Wilson. During this period, many of Savignac's posters were adapted into jigsaw puzzles, several of which became classics of the Michèle Wilson collection.
The Final Years
1993 – Growing fatigue led Michèle Wilson to begin discussions with potential buyers.
6 August 1997 – The business and trademark were sold to Sophie Ollé-Laprune.
1997–2007 – Michèle devoted herself to restoring the Trémont estate, creating a successful bed-and-breakfast business.
2007 – She retired from professional life and settled permanently in the former chapel of the estate with her lifelong friend Thérèse Brémenson.
29 March 2015 – Michèle Wilson passed away in Plottes at the age of 83.
Source: Research conducted by the author.