1896 French Funeral Services Invoice – Laroche Fils, Chalon-sur-Saône

Original French ephemera: a funeral-services invoice dated 18 November 1896, issued by Laroche Fils, an undertaker and funeral-services business in Chalon-sur-Saône, France.

The document features a striking illustrated letterhead headed “À la Confiance – Entreprise Générale des Pompes Funèbres de Chalon-sur-Saône”, with a central engraving of a horse-drawn funeral hearse.

The business was located at 13 Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, at the corner of Rue Pavée, and advertised a wide range of funeral services and supplies.

The printed side panels mention transport by hearse and railway in France and abroad, coffins in fir, oak and lead, as well as sanitary-related funeral provisions.

The opposite panel advertises luxury mortuary drapery, church and funeral-room hangings, death notices and distribution, crosses, barriers and funeral wreaths.

The handwritten invoice records:

• 1 horse-drawn hearse – 12 francs
• 4 bearers at 2 francs each – 8 francs

The total amount shown is 20 francs.

An original French fiscal / revenue stamp remains attached to the lower portion of the invoice and bears handwritten cancellation marks.

A particularly evocative example of late nineteenth-century French commercial ephemera connected with funeral history, mourning customs and the horse-drawn transport trade.

Details

• Origin: France
• Date: 18 November 1896
• Business: Laroche Fils
• Location: Chalon-sur-Saône, France
• Address: 13 Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, corner of Rue Pavée
• Type: Commercial funeral-services invoice
• Trade: Undertaking / funeral services
• Language: French
• Illustrated horse-drawn hearse letterhead
• General funeral undertaking business
• Rail and hearse transport advertised
• Coffins in fir, oak and lead advertised
• Mortuary and church drapery advertised
• Death notices and funeral wreaths advertised
• 1 horse-drawn hearse invoiced
• 4 bearers invoiced
• Invoice total: 20 francs
• Original fiscal / revenue stamp with handwritten cancellation
• Original antique document, not a reproduction or digital download

Dimensions

• Approx. 27.5 × 21.5 cm
  (height × width)

Condition

Authentic late nineteenth-century paper with age-related toning, scattered marks and light staining consistent with its age and use.

The sheet shows minor handling wear, slight edge and corner irregularities and small age-related marks. The handwritten entries and printed accounting lines remain clearly visible.

The illustrated funeral letterhead, horse-drawn hearse engraving and fiscal stamp remain well preserved overall.

Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

You will receive the exact original invoice shown in the photographs.

Frame and decorative accessories are not included.