*What a fantastic find! I had no idea that Dagron had run such a flourishing commercial business with his microfilm. And that his bizarre medium lasted until 1972 is amazing. Thank you, Helen Papagiannis!
http://www.stanhopes.info/who_made_stanhopes.html
*Thrilled to find this portrait of Dagron, the technical hero of the legendary balloon post in the Franco-Prussian siege of Paris.
*Here's one of the earliest proofs that pornography will ooze into any new medium:
http://www.stanhopemicroworks.com/release/index.htm
(...)
"Dagron’s notoriety is likely how and why he ended up contracting with the exiled French government during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 to 1871. July 19,1870, Napoleon III declared war on Prussia, was ill-prepared for the conflict and surrendered 100,000 men at Sedan by September 1. Paris didn’t capitulate and closed its gates to the outside world September 18, only to finally yield January 28, 1871 after five months of siege. Being little better off than the rest of France, the populace experienced rampant inflation, horrible privations, and was starved for both food and news of the outside world. For food, the wealthy consumed the zoo animals, the less well off made due with dogs and rats.
"To solve the latter problem, almost daily hot air balloons left Paris and risked small arms and rocket fire to escape. They brought out microphotographic equipment and chemicals along with carrier pigeons to fly the messages back into the city. Evidently, Parisians were good about not eating the homing pigeons. Highly organized and reasonably successful, Dagron and his “Pigeon Post” delivered 115,000 messages to news-starved Paris by the time the war ended.
"Paris was to remain the Stanhope capital of the world for quite some time. Dagron continued his output, would make custom microphotos on request and sold all the equipment and supplies to allow anyone to be a producer. This of course has contributed to a virtually endless list of items holding the Stanhopes and of subject matter as well. Objects vary from countless charms, pens, pencils, smoking items, sewing tools, jewelry, letter openers, canes and pocketknives. Subjects range from religious, worlds’ fairs and expos, vacation spots, monuments, advertising, erotica and rarely pornography. Stanhope rings with risque photos are documented to have been carried by soldiers in the American Civil War. (((And French soldiers in the Mexican adventure, as well.)))
