At the beginning of the 19th century, in addition to walking, individual transport was provided by horses, mules and donkeys for those who could afford them. The stud farm depots of Périgueux, Ribérac, Mussidan and La Roche Chalais provide thoroughbred Arabian stallions or half-breeds for riding or luxury carriage driving. Common horses, mules and donkeys pulled carts and other country carts.
New forms of individual mobility appeared with bicycles and cars from 1895, motorbikes and trucks from 1920 onwards in connection with the development of the secondary road network. Cycles only became widespread in the 1930s and automobiles in the 1950s and 1960s.
These developments, coupled with the use of trains, trams and buses, considerably changed the relationship to space and time in the countryside.
Illustrations :
– Postcard of the Mussidan stud farm depot in 1900. (Collection Chica © Musée André Voulgre) 2014.9.130,
– Photograph of the horse and coachman of the Château de Beaufort in Saint Front de Pradoux in 1898. (Photo André Rigaillaud © private collection)
– Photograph of the Voulgre family taking a cart ride with a donkey around 1907 (© Musée André Voulgre)
– Photo-card of a small cart pulled by a too big horse in Place Morand in Mussidan in the 1910s. (Collection Chica © Musée André Voulgre)
– Postcard of the Guinabert cycle shop in Saint Astier around 1912 (Private collection in Hervé Mercier, Saint-Astier 1900-1950, volume 2, La vie Astérienne, Imprimerie IOTA, 2015)
– Photograph of André Voulgre before getting on his bicycle around 1912 in the park of the family chartreuse. (© Musée André Voulgre)
– Photograph of the Nef Lacroix automobile, manufactured in Agen, belonging to the family of Siméon Voulgre around 1910. Siméon Voulgre, André’s father, was a member of the Néfistes mutual aid club in the Montpon-Mussidan sector. (© Musée André Voulgre) 2014.9.176
– Postcard of the rue Saint Georges in Mussidan with an omnibus harnessed to a horse around 1900 (© Musée André Voulgre) 2014.9.487.
– Postcard with a Peugeot type 125 sports car from 1910 parked in front of the Bezac café-grocery « Chez la Rose » in Bourgnac. (Collection Escarment)
– Advertising of La Française Diamant motorbikes in 1925 in the Petit journal agricole. (© Musée André Voulgre)