Maximilien Luce, 1858–1941Illustration by Francisque Poulbot for Léon Frapié’s novel La Maternelle (The Nursery), winner of the 1904 Prix GoncourtEugène Atget, 1857–1927Auguste LEPERE – Cardeuses de matelas au pont Marie (Mattress Wool Carders at the Pont Marie), 1891Auguste Brouet, 1872–1941
When filmmakers turned their cameras on mattress makers
The trade rarely appeared on screen, even when mattress makers were everywhere, on every street corner, from the 19th century to the mid-1960s.
In France, mattress makers were usually relegated to the background in low-budget films such as B movies. They were simply part of the scenery.
There are, however, a few exceptions below that add a distinctive touch to the viewing experience.
Alice Guy brings the mattress-making trade to the screen in Le Matelas épileptique (The Epileptic Mattress)
Le Matelas épileptique (The Epileptic Mattress) by Alice Guy – 1906
Carding wool: a key stage captured by G. Méliès in La Cardeuse de matelas (The Mattress Carder)
Cardeuse de matelas (The Mattress Carder) by Georges Méliès – 1906
Topics covered in this guide
Painters, printmakers, and pioneering filmmakers captured the mattress maker’s hand on canvas and film; to see the craft up close, we invite you to :
