Eugène GALIEN-LALOUE (1854 - 1941) Gingerbread Fair Gouache. Signed lower left. 18 x 31 cm The forerunner of the Foire du Trône, the Gingerbread Fair took place every year during Easter in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. First held in 1805, it was the heir to a 10th-century fair at which Antonine monks traded their honey-and-spice breads. Established on the Place du Trône, the future Place de la Nation, the fair attracted large numbers of Parisians with its wide range of attractions: theaters, rides, stores, lotteries, shows, parades and orchestras. One of the most popular fairground attractions was Jean-Baptiste Pezon, the famous wild animal trainer whose storefront appears on the left of our gouache.