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1868-1885 - Reilly and 2 rue Scribe, Paris

For history the following will address several questions about Reilly in Paris starting out with location and the name of the manager of his shop:

In February 1868, following his huge success at the 1867 Paris Universalle exposition, Reilly opened a store on 2 rue Scribe, in the Grand Hotel, the just opened prestigious hotel near the Opera. Here is the map of the location. In addition this post will address the multiple claims that he later at some indeterminate time opened a shop at 29 rue du Faubourg Saint Honore, an unlikely occurrence.



The Grand Hotel was opened by Empress Eugenie the wife of Napoleon III in Summer 1862. It was and remains one of the most prestigious hotels in Paris. Reilly’s decision to place his shop there was an indication of business confidence and his business acumen which emphasized location, location, location. Reilly immediately added 2 rue Scribe to his advertisements (the first one found is: PALL MALL GAZETTE, London, 12 Feb 1868: E. M. REILLY and CO., 502 NEW OXFOD STREET, London. Branch Establishments- 315, Oxford-street, London ; and 2, Rue Scribe, Paris) and to his gun ribs (the first one identified is SN 14983). He occupied this store until it was closed in Late July 1885. This is attested to by hundreds of advertisements and dozens of existing serial numbered and non-serialed numbered guns sold with the address on the ribs and on trade labels in the cases. Below is a best estimate of the location of his store.





What happened to the store during the September 1870-Jan 1871 siege of Paris by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War is unknown. Then of course the Commune of Paris seized control of the city from March 1871 until its bloody suppression by the French Army under MacMahon in late May 1871. The manager of 2 Rue scribe was likely a fellow named Monsieur Poirat, who in Sept 1871 offered to sell 6,000 Chassepot rifles to the French military government under the 3rd French Republic which replaced Napoleon in Sep 1870. See below entry - 14 Sep 1871 Assemblee National session. Further research is necessary to pin down the identity of Armurier Poirat. (edit: by the way, I've noted that Birmingham Small Arms in 1871 was making Chessepot actions - wonder if this was to have been the source of M. Poirat's guns?). **EDIT: Reilly was prosecuted in October 1870 for sending 2,000 cartridges to his store in Paris clandestinely, which violated British neutrality in the conflict. This may be why Reilly never followed through on selling the Chassepots.



Advertisements to support the above inevitable conclusion that Reilly was at 2 rue Scribe continuously for 18 years can be posted. Alternatively instead of posting 500 advertisements from 1868-85, researchers could just check out the trade label post above.

However, the numerous and wide-spread assertions on the internet by virtually everyone who has written about Reilly in the past must be first addressed that
...1) He closed Rue Scribe in the early 1870's then miraculously reopened it at the identical location 10 years later. - this has been taken care of above and this claim is erroneous.
...2) That at some point he opened a shop at 29 rue du Faubourg, St. Honore...which is addressed below.

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1880's - Reilly and 29 rue du Faubourg, St. Honore, Paris

...2) and at some point he allegedly opened a store at 29 rue du Faubourg Saint Honore. This claim is so wide-spread (perhaps started by Nigel Brown in British Gunmakers, v.I?) that it has become an "urban truth." However, not a single advertisement with this address, a gun with that address on a rib, a trade label has been found in the two years of this research into Reilly. If anyone knows how this started or can support a claim that Reilly ever had a shop on this street please post the evidence.

Rue du Faubourg Saint Honore has been a prestigious street since its incorporation into the Parisian city limits in the early 19th century. Today it is ground zero for Fashion - Hermes, Jacombe, Chanel, etc. But there was at least one Armurier located at 24 rue du Faubourg in the late 19th-early 20th century (Pirlet) so one supposes perhaps Reilly could have had a store-fromt there for a little while at some time or another. Note, however, that the address is a hotel...there are two store windows on either side of the entrance and one in 1880 was occupied by an English tailor. In the 1930's Coco Chanel had one of her apartments at the hotel - the suite above the door.

1901 photo of rue du Faubourg Saint Honore. 24 rue du Faubourg (location of Armurier Pirlet) is the first store on the right of the photo (where the two women are standing; the one with the Venetian looking 3rd floor). 29 rue du Faubourg would be 50 yards down the street on the left. 24 rue du Faubourg burned down in 1903 to be replaced by the current building occupied by Hermes.



This is 29 rue du Faubourg (allegedly once a Reilly location) today....there are two store fronts on left and right of entrance:



This is a view of a bill from John Hopper from 1880. He was an English tailor located at 29 rue Faubourg. The logo on the bill is from the 1878 exposition universelle in Paris. I considered that perhaps Reilly met Hopper there and at some point Hopper might have acted as a mail drop for Reilly. There is nothing more in history about Hopper however, and somehow this seems unlikely. (Note the Coco Chanels apartment above the hotel entrance):



As mentioned above there was at least one gun shop (Armurier Pirlet) located on that street at 24 rue du Faubourg, where "a dozen artisans" worked. So theoretically it's possible another armurier (Reilly) might have been located nearby.



The above photos show that it is unlikely but vaguely possible that Reilly somehow could have had a shop on rue du Faubourg if one accepts that he never used the address in advertisements or on guns. It was a prestigious location which Reilly would have liked. But this seems very far-fetched. So if anyone has any info confirming this location as a Reilly address, please post the evidence. Otherwise and until proven, this should be regarded as an "internet legend."

Edit: Roy Forssburg in "Answers" provided a long history of Reilly a few years ago. He said it had taken him 10 years to compile (before the internet)... It was until now the best recounting of Reilly history; yet there were errors in it. He had this post: "1883... A trade label of this period shows “16, New Oxford Street, 277, Oxford Street & 29, Rue Du Fabourg, St Honore, Paris.” (sic). If Roy reads this, please provide access to the case label/trade label. It may be unique.
http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_can_you_f...on_serial_15346

Last edited by Argo44; 12/07/18 08:34 PM.
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