I found this hand-coloured postcard in a market at the weekend.
I was told that it must predate 1902 since that was when the port jetties, which have been dismantled this year, were built, with their lighthouses.
The casino is already there of course - the building with the tower at the end of the Monte Carlo promontory.
The building that was to become the Loews in 1974, with its tunnel, is just a platform with arches over the sea, then used for pigeon shooting.
At that time the railway ran along the top of the wall that contours the coast.
The old station was near the tall chimney and there may have been one below the casino too.
I would love to identify some of the old steamers, but they really do all look very similar.
A little research leads me to conclude that Jean Giletta was the photographer of the postcard, although he is not credited on the card.
He founded a company called Editions Giletta in Nice with his brothers and was a prolific photographer and maker of postcards of the Cote d'Azur.
In some senses he put the Riviera on the map, contributing to much of the mystique associated with this stretch of coastline in the early 20th century.
He died in 1933, so from what I understand this picture should be in the public domain, though I would be grateful if anyone can clarify this.
Photographer: Jean Giletta (1856 - 1933)
Disclaimer - although I believe this information to be correct it hasn't been checked extensively! Feel free to leave a comment below...
