Hermes Carriage Prints

 The Hermès family, originally Protestant Germans, settled in France in 1828. In 1837, Thierry Hermès (1801 - 1878) first established Hermès as a harness workshop (on the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris) dedicated to purveying to European noblemen. His goal was to create the finest wrought harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade. Coronations were sometimes postponed for years until Hermès could create original carriagedesigns, or so it is rumored. The company was earning accolades as early as 1855, winning first prize in its class at the 1855 Paris Exposition. Monsieur Hermès won the First Class Medal of the 1867 Exposition Universelle as well.