Facteur Cheval

On April 19th 1836 Ferdinand Cheval is born in Charmes-sur-l'Herbasse (Drome). On July 12th 1867 he's sworn in and becomes a postman. Two years later he's a rural postman in Hauterives for the Tersanne round, 32 km (19.9 miles) on foot (!).

"What can we do while perpetually walking in the same surroundings, exept blink. To distract myself I built a fairy place in my dreams."

In 1879, while delivering post the 'facteur cheval' stumbled over a stone. He found it a strange stone, picked it up, looked at it twice and named it 'stumbling block'.
It stimulated his imagination. He got the idea putting stones together to build a work of art. The Facteur Cheval felt reborn and began his creative, life lasting task.

"[...] I saw a stumbling block of such a strange shape that I dropped it into my pocket in order to admire it at my leisure. I went back to the same place and found even more beautiful stones; and I said to myself, since Nature wants to sculpt, I will produce masonry and architecture."

Work starts on the dream.

Here you see his sculpture which is in front of the post office in Hauterives. Tomorrow we'll visit the Palais Ideal ... ;)