The earliest use of the word in English is cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as from 1699 ("Fiacres or Hackneys, hung with Double Springs").[1] The name is derived indirectly from Saint Fiacre; the Hôtel de Saint Fiacre in Paris rented carriages from about the middle of the seventeenth century.[2] Saint Fiacre was adopted as the cab drivers' patron saint because of the association of his name with the carriage.[3]
In Parisedit
In 1645, Nicholas Sauvage, a coachbuilder from Amiens, decided to set up a business in Paris hiring out horses and carriages by the hour. He established himself in the Hôtel de Saint Fiacre and hired out his four-seater carriages at a rate of 10 sous an hour. Within twenty years, Sauvage's idea had developed into the first citywide public transport system: les carosses à 5 sous ("5-sou carriages"). These 8-seater carriages, forerunners of the modern bus, were put into service on five "lines" between May and July 1662, but had disappeared from the streets of Paris by 1679, almost certainly because of the spiralling cost of fares.[4]
Although the public transport system had suffered a temporary demise, private hirers were quick to fill the gaps with carriages including the "vinaigrette", a two-wheeled chair powered and guided by two people; the cabriolet, a dangerous two-wheeled buggy pulled by a single horse; and the more traditional four-wheeled fiacres. By the time of the Revolution there were more than 800 fiacres operating in Paris.[4]
In 1855, Napoléon III instigated a monopoly control of the fiacres of Paris via the Compagnie Impériale des Voitures à Paris (CIV), which by 1860 operated 3,830 fiacres and owned 8,000 horses; in this year the CIV carried over 10 million passengers.[5] Fiacre drivers earned about three francs a day, plus two francs in tips.[6] In 1866 the CIV lost its monopoly status and became a Société Anonyme. It began to use motorized vehicles in 1898 but was still operating 3500 horse-drawn vehicles in 1911.[7]
In the 1890s the Parisian music-hall singer Yvette Guilbert introduced a popular song, Le fiacre, in which an aged husband sees his wife in a fiacre with her lover.[8]
In Viennaedit
In Vienna such cabs are called Fiaker.[9] They featured in popular music, such as Gustav Pick's song, the "Fiakerlied". Fiaker and their drivers also featured in operas of Johann Strauss II and in Richard Strauss's opera Arabella (where the second act takes place at the fiaker-drivers' ball).[10]
Todayedit
Fiacres still survive in Vienna[9] and other European travel centres as tourist attractions.
^ abThrough Vienna in a horse-drawn carriage Vienna Tourist Board, accessed 11 July 2014
^Arabella synopsis 2014-07-25 at the Wayback Machine on Vienna State Opera website, accessed 16 July 2014.
Sourcesedit
Finley, Mitch (2010). The Patron Saints Handbook, accessed on Google Books, 9 July 2014. Frederick, Maryland: The Word Among Us. ISBN9781593251697.
Mellot, Philippe and Blancart, Hippolyte (2006). Paris au temps des fiacres,(in French), accessed on Google Books, 9 July 2014. Paris: Editions de Borée. ISBN9782844944320.
Papayanis, Nicholas (1985). "The Coachmen of Paris: A Statistical Profile", in Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 20/2, April 1985, pp. 305–321.
Rearick, Charles (1988). "Song and Society in Turn-of-the-Century France" in Journal of Social History, Vol. 22/1, Autumn 1988, pp. 45–63.
External linksedit
Look up fiacre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Media related to Fiakers at Wikimedia Commons
April 09, 2024
fiacre, carriage, fiacre, form, hackney, coach, horse, drawn, four, wheeled, carriage, hire, vienna, such, cabs, called, fiaker, fiacre, Édouard, manet, 1878, title, page, gustave, pick, fiakerlied, contents, origin, paris, vienna, today, also, references, not. A fiacre is a form of hackney coach a horse drawn four wheeled carriage for hire In Vienna such cabs are called Fiaker Le fiacre by Edouard Manet 1878 Title page of Gustave Pick s Fiakerlied Contents 1 Origin 2 In Paris 3 In Vienna 4 Today 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 Sources 7 External linksOrigin editThe earliest use of the word in English is cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as from 1699 Fiacres or Hackneys hung with Double Springs 1 The name is derived indirectly from Saint Fiacre the Hotel de Saint Fiacre in Paris rented carriages from about the middle of the seventeenth century 2 Saint Fiacre was adopted as the cab drivers patron saint because of the association of his name with the carriage 3 In Paris editIn 1645 Nicholas Sauvage a coachbuilder from Amiens decided to set up a business in Paris hiring out horses and carriages by the hour He established himself in the Hotel de Saint Fiacre and hired out his four seater carriages at a rate of 10 sous an hour Within twenty years Sauvage s idea had developed into the first citywide public transport system les carosses a 5 sous 5 sou carriages These 8 seater carriages forerunners of the modern bus were put into service on five lines between May and July 1662 but had disappeared from the streets of Paris by 1679 almost certainly because of the spiralling cost of fares 4 Although the public transport system had suffered a temporary demise private hirers were quick to fill the gaps with carriages including the vinaigrette a two wheeled chair powered and guided by two people the cabriolet a dangerous two wheeled buggy pulled by a single horse and the more traditional four wheeled fiacres By the time of the Revolution there were more than 800 fiacres operating in Paris 4 In 1855 Napoleon III instigated a monopoly control of the fiacres of Paris via the Compagnie Imperiale des Voitures a Paris CIV which by 1860 operated 3 830 fiacres and owned 8 000 horses in this year the CIV carried over 10 million passengers 5 Fiacre drivers earned about three francs a day plus two francs in tips 6 In 1866 the CIV lost its monopoly status and became a Societe Anonyme It began to use motorized vehicles in 1898 but was still operating 3500 horse drawn vehicles in 1911 7 In the 1890s the Parisian music hall singer Yvette Guilbert introduced a popular song Le fiacre in which an aged husband sees his wife in a fiacre with her lover 8 In Vienna editIn Vienna such cabs are called Fiaker 9 They featured in popular music such as Gustav Pick s song the Fiakerlied Fiaker and their drivers also featured in operas of Johann Strauss II and in Richard Strauss s opera Arabella where the second act takes place at the fiaker drivers ball 10 Today editFiacres still survive in Vienna 9 and other European travel centres as tourist attractions See also editSteering undercarriageReferences editNotes edit Fiacre in Oxford English Dictionary online subscription required accessed 15 June 2014 Marius Richard Vita Saint Fiacre Harvard Magazine 1998 accessed 15 June 2014 Finley 2010 p 23 a b Mellot and Blancart 2006 p 7 Papayanis 1985 p 307 Papayanis 1985 p 308 Les Compagnies de Fiacres in Taxi de la Marne website in French accessed 18 June 2014 Rearick 1998 48 a b Through Vienna in a horse drawn carriage Vienna Tourist Board accessed 11 July 2014 Arabella synopsis Archived 2014 07 25 at the Wayback Machine on Vienna State Opera website accessed 16 July 2014 Sources edit Finley Mitch 2010 The Patron Saints Handbook accessed on Google Books 9 July 2014 Frederick Maryland The Word Among Us ISBN 9781593251697 Mellot Philippe and Blancart Hippolyte 2006 Paris au temps des fiacres in French accessed on Google Books 9 July 2014 Paris Editions de Boree ISBN 9782844944320 Papayanis Nicholas 1985 The Coachmen of Paris A Statistical Profile in Journal of Contemporary History Vol 20 2 April 1985 pp 305 321 Rearick Charles 1988 Song and Society in Turn of the Century France in Journal of Social History Vol 22 1 Autumn 1988 pp 45 63 External links edit nbsp Look up fiacre in Wiktionary the free dictionary nbsp Media related to Fiakers at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fiacre carriage amp oldid 1186893614, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
