I am a fan of perambulators. When my wife and I were living in Paris in the early 1970s, our son was a newborn. A neighbor had loaned us her own childrens’ perambulator, which was from late in the 19th century. It was like a graceful ship floating down the sidewalk of the Rue Saint-Antoine, where we did our food shopping. On December 21, 1971, Cathleen and I were strolling along, pushing Brennan in his pram. (I know the date precisely because he was exactly eleven days old, as I’ll explain.)
An elderly Parisian couple, beautifully dressed and formal, spotted us and ask to view the child. The woman asked his age, and when I told her, she tapped her husband’s coat sleeve and exclaimed, “Imagine, Roger. Eleven days!” She turned to Cathleen and, almost with a humorous whisper, told her she was ninety-three and that her husband was ninety-five. We spoke for a few minutes more…one of the most charming conversations I’ve ever had.
I’ve loved perambulators ever since, the history of them, especially of their design.
For an equally charming moment, here’s a pictorial article about perambulators that I think you’ll enjoy.
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© Copyright 2022. Terence Clarke. All rights reserved.
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Lovely piece. Reminds of a past time when carriages and strollers were not something parents pushed while talking on a cell phone.
It is certainly a very elegant vessel resembling a wealthy person's gondola on wheels. And it reminds me of an historical period for which I am immensely nostalgic--not from having lived though it but from encountering it in art and literature: La Belle Époque.