Drawing charcoal

Drawing charcoal in a cardboard box. The box bears the label of the manufacturer Lefranc & Cie, Paris. Lefranc & Cie, as the name suggests, is a Parisian store for painting supplies located near the Louvre Museum. The company’s origins date back to 1720 when Charles Laclef sold pigments in the store. It remained a family business until 1821 when it merged with the Merolle family, becoming Merolle-Laclef. In 1853, the official name of the company became Lefranc & Cie, and the logo features a coat of arms surrounded by the letters L and F. The coat of arms consists of a cross between an anchor and a bar intertwined with two ropes, topped with a winged helmet.