Old Photo

Ferdinand Cheval in front of his west facade. Still under construction, the alcoves have not been adorned yet, but he has already written the letters C H E V A L above the classical style columns as a way to add his signature to his work. The openings lead into the long inner hallway, which he called the "Gallery," inhabited by an extraordinary bestiary: a dromedary camel, bear, elephant, cat, wolf, and flamingo are sculpted as bas-reliefs. The poem, Ton Idéal, Ton Palais (Your Ideal, Your Palace), by Emile Roux-Parassac, which inspired Postman Cheval's name for his monument, is inscribed at the entrance to this Gallery.