During World War I, my grandfather and a group of his fellow soldiers went AWOL for an evening with the tacit permission of their commanding officer, who could not "officially" grant them leave from the their duties. So, off they went to Paris, where my grandfather purchased a souvenir postcard and "handkerchief, which were, in fact, Neyret Freres woven silk tapestries. Over the years, we almost forgot that these pictures were woven.
These tapestries vary widely in value. Depending upon the size, I have seen them sell from around $80 to $800. Those silks that cross over into other collectables areas, such as billiards, are desired by more people, and therefore demand a greater price. Other collectors collect the silks in series, and the Perez series is is particularly popular. Religious NF tapestries tend to sell for less, as they seem to have less interest at this time. Notably, most of the Neyret Freres woven silk pictures are in black and white, but some have been hand-painted to add splashes of color. I have no information as to how some came to be painted, and I would be interested to receive any information regarding this.
Condition is extremely important. The ideal is to get the pictures in perfectly preserved, unframed condition. The next best condition would be framed in a way that has preserved its color and condition. Framed silks, exposed to light over many years, often become faded, particularly the colored ones. Many of these tapestries were purchased as souvenirs during wartime and may have been unknowingly damaged by the soldiers who handled them and left oily residue behind on the pictures. Others of these tapestries were placed in family scrapbooks, and were again touched again and again or damaged by acidic pages. Over time, these silks are subject to foxing, which manifests itself as small, yellowed spots on the tapestry. If you own any Neyret Freres woven silk pictures, take care to protect the silk from handling and fading.
I have been in touch with Neyret Freres et Cie, and even THEY don't know much about them. It seems as though the history of these silks is being quickly lost. Neyret Freres et Cie doesn't produce them any more... production stopped after WWII. Neyret Freres it Cie made the pictures from the early 1800's until just after World War II. There is a museum in St. Etienne which has a collection of Neyret Freres silks and the looms which created them. These Jacquard looms created the tapestries through a series of cards that worked together to created the masterful tapestries you see evidenced in these silks.
The silks exist in several sizes, and it appears that the same pictures may have continued to be reproduced over a long period of time. Many NF silks were sold as postcards. C. Radley reports that the earliest recorded NF silk postcard was produced in 1903. Themes range from Art Nouveau, famous paintings, religious topics, patriotism, and burning buildings. Other silks were produced in several different sizes, some being as large as 16" x 20" or greater. Children, lovers, and historical themes are often depicted. Many of the silk tapestries were of paintings by such artists as F. Morgan, Wunsch, P.A. Cot, Alonzo Perez, F. Lemmatte, Rosa Bonheur, C. Bonnefond, and E. Sonrel. It would be interesting to discover why works by these particular artists were chosen over other choices. If anyone knows, please get in touch with me.
Incidentally, Neyret Freres was not the only company who created these silks. Thomas Stevens of England very successfully promoted the "Stevengraph" through advertising, and Stevensgraphs are well-known as collectables today. Grant and Cash also created silks. A few tapestries were also produced in China, and depict famous landmarks from around the world. In the US, some tapestries were produced in Paterson, New Jersey, and these tend to look remarkably like NF woven silk pictures. Many of these appear to have been glued to a cardboard backing and adhere to American themes. I have no information regarding whether or not the Paterson silks were in any way connect to Neyret Freres et Cie, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were true... they are remarkably similar in nature. If anyone out there knows anything about the silks from Paterson, NJ, please let me know!
Neyret Freres woven silk tapestries are owned by many people who don't know anything about them. Most are marked NF or NFF at the bottom and have the original artists' name printed on the opposite side. Many people think these are Stevensgraphs, but there really is little similarity between the types. It is often difficult to discern that these silks are woven because the weave is so fine they look printed or engraved. If you look at the back, the picture looks like a negative, and that helps to distinguish the tapestries from other types of pictures.
The Jacquard loom, originally utilized by Carquillat of France, has retired to museums around the world. The early linked punch card looms, guided by human hands have been replaced by cost-efficient, computerized machines that produce fabric for more every-day uses. Very few companies are producing woven silk pictures any more, and none live up to the beautiful style and beauty of the type that were produced by Neyret Freres. There is a sense of history in every fiber of the tapestries, and people are only beginning to create larger collections of these silks. I have watched the popularity of these growing, and I don't think their "time has come", so to speak. If ever there was an opportunity to collect these silks before they go up in value, the time is now.
Many of you have written to me asking for the value of specific pictures. I can only give you the following answer:
From what I can determine, THE STORM is the most common of all the Neyret Freres pictures. I'm not sure why that is so, but it is a fact that most people who email my website are inquiring about this picture. So, from my best estimates, I would doubt that one could get more than $125 for The Storm, even in the hottest market. Personally, I would NEVER sell a NF picture for less than $80.00.
As far as how much you should get for your picture, I cannot say. It's simply a matter of luck and market. The Perez series seems to be very popular, as there seem to be themes that cross over to other areas of collectibles, such as billiards, fencing, and music. Religious items do not seem to be very popular at this time, although religious items are just as beautiful as all of the others. From time to time, I have run across some unusually large NF pictures, and they should certainly be worth more than the basic 14" X 17" or 6'" X 8" item. If you have a 16" x 24" NF picture, that is far less common than most of these tapestries.
If you want to sell a Neyret Freres picture, try eBay. Be sure to list keywords throughout your description, such as Neyret Freres, Stevengraph, woven silk picture, tapestry, and jacquard.
As I have already stated, many people who own these pictures don't even know what they are. There are growing numbers of collectors, however. Time might be an advantage.
Okay folks, some of my translations into English are really crude or way off, but I did my best. Just click on the links below to see some nice examples of pictures in the Neyret Freres line.
Banter of the Old / Badinage de Vieux
Elk in the Water / Bat l'Eau
Best Friends / Bons Amis
Deer in the Woods / Cerfs sous bois
Blindman's Bluff / Colin-Maillard
Village Dance / Danse villageoise
Grandparents / Grands-Parents
Threading the needle / Enfileras Pas!
Joane of Arc / Jeanne d'Arc
Joan of Arc at the Altar / Jeanne d'Arc
Joan of Arc hearing voices / Jehanne d'Arc ecoutant les Voix
Jesus calming the waters / Jesus apaisant la tempete
Jesus crucified / Jesus crucifie
Teeter tottering / Jeu De Bascule
Inclement Weather / L'Averse
The storm / L'Orage
The Fencing Lesson / La Lecon D'Escrime
The Billiard Lesson / La Lecon De Billard
Christmas of the Old / Le Noel Des Vieux
Springtime / Le Printemps
Lost in the Forest / Perdus dans la foret
The Music Lesson / Lecon de Musique
Tug of War / Lutte Enfantine
The Secret / Le Secret
Child's Play / Plaisirs d'enfants
First Breeches / Premiere Culotte
Romeo and Juliette /
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