Hermance Edan (21 December 1851 – 2 May 1934) was a French designer and publisher of board games, active from 1908 until her death in 1934. She is best known for creating and patenting the game L'Attaque, a successful game in its own right and the predecessor to Stratego.
Hermance Edan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bénédicte Émilie Hermance Cécile Edan December 21, 1851 Former 11th arrondissement of Paris |
| Died | May 2, 1934 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | |
| Known for | L'Attaque |
Biography
editHermance Edan was born in Paris on December 21, 1851,[1] daughter of Antoine-Victor Edan (1801-1864), a schoolmaster in Picardy, and his second wife, Louise Cécile Gosse (1815-1902). Through her mother, Edan was the grand-niece of the painter Nicolas Gosse. Through her father, she was the niece of Benoît Edan (1803-1871), a diplomat and first consul of France in Shanghai.[2]
Nothing is known of Hermance Edan's childhood or education before 1908, when she applied with the French Patent Office for a patent for a "battle game with mobile pieces on a gameboard".[3][unreliable source?] This patent was issued to her the following year.[4] She also filed a patent application in Great Britain for L'Attaque.[5] In 1909, she took part in the Concours Lépine, a competition for inventors. There, she exhibited two games, L'Attaque and another game, Vite Au But. The following year (1910), she exhibited two more games: Naval Combat and The Faithful Bird.[citation needed]
In subsequent years, Edan became a professional creator and publisher of board games, selling her games to department stores through wholesalers. By 1912, she was in business with her brother-in-law (whom she married in 1915, after the death of his wife, Hermance's sister Nelly), under the name of "EDAN and RODHAIN, games, R. d'Alençon 9".[6]
Around 1920, Edan made an agreement with H. P. Gibson and Sons Ltd to distribute its game in the United Kingdom and other Anglophone countries under their original French titles.[7][unreliable source?][8] L'Attaque would go on to meet with great success in the United Kingdom. Later, Gibson would add variants, including Dover Patrol (a naval variant of L'Attaque)[9] and Aviation (an aerial variant).[10]
Edan's business remained active during the First World War, as she filed at least one patent in 1917. By 1925, her office was located at 3 Avenue du Maine, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, and listed in L'Annuaire industriel : répertoire analytique général de l'industrie (Paris, 1925) as "EDAN-RODHAIN, 3 avenue du Maine, Paris, 15th. Parlor games. (26-24179)."[citation needed]
Edan's husband died in 1920. Edan herself died on May 2, 1934, at the age of 82, at her home and office on Avenue du Maine in Paris.[11]
References
edit- ^ Archives de Paris, État-civil reconstitué.
- ^ See Consulat général de France à Shanghai.
- ^ "Hermance Edan | Board Game Designer | BoardGameGeek". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ Brevet n° 396.795, demandé le 26 novembre 1908, délivré le 5 février 1909, publié le 20 avril 1909.
- ^ Demande du 25 novembre 1909, brevet délivré et publié le 17 novembre 1910.
- ^ Paris-Hachette : annuaire complet, commercial, admnistratif & mondain, 1912.
- ^ "L'Attaque". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
- ^ « All right of “L’Attaque” for English-speaking countries are the property of Messrs. H. P. Gibson and Sons, Ltd. », dit une publicité outre-Manche, citée par Boutin 2020 (voir Références).
- ^ Victoria and Albert Museum. "Dover Patrol or Naval Tactics". V&A Search the Collections. Accessed: 2024-10-23. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26364/dover-patrol-or-naval-tactics-board-game-gibson-games/
- ^ Victoria and Albert Museum. "Aviation, The Aerial Tactics Game of Attack and Defence". V&A Search the Collections. Accessed: 2024-10-23. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O26367/aviation-the-aerial-tactics-game-board-game-gibson-games/
- ^ "Actes de décès - Archives de Paris - Code 15D 359, No. 1886". archives.paris.fr. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
Bibliography
edit- Michel Boutin, “L'Attaque, a French game derived from Gunjin Shogi”, in Art et savoir de l'Inde : Actes du colloque « Jeux indiens et originaires d'Inde » organisés [sic] dans le cadre d’Europalia India, Michel Van Langendonckt, ed, Brussels : HEB, 2015 (Sciences, art and culture, 2), p. 233-268
- Michel Boutin, " De L'Attaque à Stratego », Plato, n° 97, June 2017, p. 56-60.
- Michel Boutin, " Histoire et diffusion d’un jeu japonais 'Gunjin Shogi' et d’un jeu danois 'Polygon-Hex' ", in Farida Sellal, ed., Association «Sauver l’Imzad » – 4ème Rencontre internationale : Recueil de Communications « Pratiques sportives traditionnelles et tourisme culturel durable » – Tamanrasset, from January 7 to 12, 2019, (Tamanrasset) : (Association Sauver l’Imzad), nd [2020], p. 17-49.
