It’s been six months since I began writing this newsletter and the the readers’ response has been great, mainly on the French Glass and other Facebook groups but also from direct communications. So, thank you all for your appreciation and your encouragements on this endeavour.
The overall number of published articles might look modest at first, but that’s because I made sure each of them was a significant contribution to the history of Émile Gallé and Établissements Gallé, with new unpublished information and analysis. This is not a rehash of old stories on Gallé : what you read here is first hand, original research on the matter, that you won’t be able to get anywhere else. The total volume of written material published here in these past six months (> 50,000 words) already amounts to a small book with groundbreaking information such as a new overall chronology for the Établissements Gallé’s signatures or the quantification of the cristallerie’s output throughout its history.
And I am just getting started.
There is still plenty of ground to cover regarding the Gallé history, not to mention the unusual or remarkable Gallé pieces that keep appearing on the market, deserving of their study. In the years to come, I also intend to fully publish and comment some of the original documents that support this research – documents like inventories, wills, contracts, and so on. I also plan to move on to the history of the other major glassmakers of Nancy area such as Daum and Delatte.
But I am facing some – not unexpected – hurdles related to the growing cost of this research and publication. French Academia being what it is, I cannot rely on my institution to cover such recurring costs as the various auction services’ subscriptions to access their archives, documentation purchases or the publication fees requested by some museums for their pictures. This latter question is important to me because it means that I cannot afford to publish some crucial documents to support my analysis.
That’s why I am introducing a paid membership to this newsletter. I will continue to publish free articles that anyone can directly access from the website. But this subscription scheme will also allow me to receive donations from those among you who are willing to help me with the cost of this research. Eventually, it will also allow me to charge for some exclusive content.
You can think of it as buying a book on Gallé in instalments. There’s a monthly plan that you can opt out at any time and a yearly one that comes with a 2-months’ value rebate. You can also opt in the more costly Founder membership which comes with a special perk, a personal evaluation report on the Gallé piece of your choice. To subscribe, please click on the blue button below.
Thank you again for your support,
Samuel Provost, 28 April 2021.