21 – The Forest in Nivernais – Bundle of wood makers

The twenty-first postcard of the series “The Forest in Nivernais” depicts a man and a woman making bundles of wood in the forest of Bertranges.

The twenty-first postcard of the series “The Forest in Nivernais” depicts a man and a woman making bundles of wood in the forest of Bertranges.

Unfortunately, this photography taken by Raoul Saulnier d’Anchald does not provide information on the nature of the activity carried out by this man and this woman. Are they working for the owner or the forest logger or are they making bundles of wood for their own use? We may assume that they are making bundles of wood for their own use in particular because of the presence of the woman.

As a matter of fact, collecting wood in the forest is part of a broader set of using rights in forests dating back to the Middle Ages. Those rights were given to village communities for their personal and family use (gathering, hunting, firewood…).

Achille Millien complements the postcard with verses of poetry about firewood: “Ils rassemblent la brindille / Qu’en fagots ils vont lier, / Et ce feu clair de ramille, / Qui si plaisamment pétille, / Réjouira la famille / En flambant dans le foye