[A pair of fascinating salesman sample photo albums with 75 original photographs illustrating French firefighting equipment, chemicals, vehicles, and applications for Protex fire fighting foam invented in the 1930s before World War II. The firefighting trucks were those built by Latil and Laffly, two of the most important European heavy truck manufacturers].

[Paris & St. Denis: Protex International, ca. 1935]. Two vols. Oblong 4to. 13 x 10 in. [(4 pp - type-written table of contents), 44; 44 pp (unpaginated)], on thick gray paper stock. Vol. I w/ 53 photos ranging in size from 2.5 x 4 in. up to 8 x 10.5 in., most of them with tipped-in typed-captions below, some with commercial photographers stamps at lower right corner, a few mounted, most on glossy photo paper stock (w/ 6 photos removed); Vol. II w/ 22 photos ranging in size from 4.5 x 7 up to 9.5 x 11.75 in., some w/ stamps at upper corner, most on glossy photo paper stock. Uniformly bound in padded pigskin post binders, vellum sewn at fore-edges, bound with tan silk braid at gutter margin (some wear & occasional minor tears to a couple leaves), still a VG- set. These incomparable and unique photo albums include excellent original photographs depicting early firefighting apparatus & fire suppression equipment for Protex fire fighting foam. Founded in 1932 Protex was established to develop, produce, and market a wide range of chemical and biochemical products for manufacturers, primarily using a wide range of subsidiaries. The French subsidiary in St. Denis focused on fire fighting chemical foam which was far more effective in suppressing industrial and chemical fires, especially when installed in factories, or refineries, such as those for alcohol, breweries, oil refineries, and more. The Protex salesman has included images here for large fire extinguisher tanks, nozzles, a fire shield for firefighters to carry, or push forward in fire fighting efforts, many different handcarts that could be pulled or pushed carrying foam tanks and hoses, pipes for pumping the mixture into the air with moveable carts, and much more. Of particular interest are the numerous types of fire engine pumpers for Protex foams, including heavy trucks built by Latil and Laffly. The Latil Company was founded in 1897, and invented steerable front wheel drive for heavy trucks, often employed in their fire engines, and would later produce many armored vehicles and tanks during World War I, and then before World War II. Laffly was one of the largest French manufacturers of fire engines, producing them well into the 1950s. These albums include images of those produced for French Colonies, such as the one for use in Dakar, Senegal, which in the 1930s was still one of the major cities of the French Empire on par with Beirut and Hanoi. These albums also show the special railcars, pumping equipment, and fire suppression systems for liquor factories in Provence, and industrial alcohol factories in Lyon. Many of the photographs were taken by the noted commercial photographers, Paulus Fils. The sons of Paulus were located in Paris in several places from the end of the 19th century up through the 1920s, and by 1925 were at the address stamped in the corner of these images, 82, rue d’Amsterdam. Most records show their images ranged from Wedding photos, to photos of French notables, architecture, and some commercial factories. These images are unrecorded. No copies located in Worldcat.