Gaucher-Bergeron Frères – 1899 Manufacturer’s Correspondence on Arms Trade and Supply Conditions

Description

This set of business letters, dated November 10 and November 29, 1899, documents the commercial operations of Gaucher-Bergeron Frères, a Saint-Étienne-based arms manufacturer operating under the name Manufacture Stéphanoise. Addressed to a regional hardware merchant, Monsieur Détienne of L’Isle-Jourdain (Gers), the letters pertain to the fulfillment of arms orders, emphasizing adherence to published pricing, delayed deliveries, and reimbursement procedures. References to specific catalogue pages indicate a structured sales system, reflecting the formalized distribution model typical of the late nineteenth-century French arms trade.

Printed on official company stationery, the correspondence prominently features the firm's product focus: Fusils Lefaucheux, including both pinfire and central-fire variants, as well as hammerless shotguns and salon carbines. While the content centers on commercial logistics rather than technical details, it offers clear insight into how such firearms were positioned, promoted, and distributed within provincial retail networks.

Together, these documents illustrate the organizational framework that supported the circulation of Lefaucheux-pattern arms well into the 1890s. They reveal the role of firms like Gaucher-Bergeron Frères in maintaining standardized pricing, managing regional supply relationships, and ensuring the continued presence of Lefaucheux systems in the civilian arms market.