Hello Gentlemen,
Hi Captain Video,
To answer your question, i do not have really old French B&W sets. Space is REALLY at a premium in my central Paris appartment, and life is choices. I go for color.
I do of course have some small-screen Japanese sets of the 60s (Sony, Sharp) which were specially designed for the French market (819/625).
To satisfy your request, i've sifted through my extensive picture database and singled out 27 pictures which in my opinion, are the most representative of French originality in TV design. Sorry, these are not centered on the 50s, but cover all eras from about 1935 to the 60s. The pictures are sourced from fellow collector friends, E-Bay, book scans, etc. There is no possible way to keep track of credits on over 40.000 pictures, so please be forgiving and just consider that the postings are for the enjoyment of all and the advancement of historical TV knowledge. I sincerely hope that maybe some of you will find these sets original and may kindle a desire to have a few non-US vintage TVs.
I don't know if all pictures will post at one go, so if not, there will be a part II, Part III.
One last word, if the design of a particular French TV catches your fancy, the wonderful Aurora Converter/Modulator can convert 525 to 819 and make any of these TVs work.
Best Regards, Pleasant Weekend
jhalphen@dial.oleane.com