Timeline

Origin and history

The Provencal Clothing Museum is housed in an old oil mill built in 1772, located in Sollies-Ville in the Var. This "blood mill", thus named because its wheels could be operated by men or animals, was a central place of olive oil production until the devastating frost of 1956, which ransacked much of the olive trees in the region. Its interior architecture, marked by six press vaults and a traditional Provencal cuisine with its kitchen garden, reflects local techniques and lifestyle before modernization.

The museum's permanent collection covers the pivotal period from 1800 to 1915, when the Provençal garment, rich in colours and patterns (like the Indian), was gradually replaced by Parisian fashion. More than 200 pieces – clothing for men, women, children and everyday accessories – illustrate this cultural transition. These objects, combined with archives, manuscripts and decorative arts (ceramic, furniture, paintings), offer a material testimony of the know-how and social uses of rural Provence.

Ranked Museum of France, the establishment showcases both ethnographic and industrial heritage. The old mill, by its history linked to the olive grove, and the museum, by its focus on traditional costumes, embody two complementary facets of Provencal identity: the work of the land and cultural expression. The site, although located with average accuracy (note 5/10), remains a point of interest in understanding the economic and clothing changes of the region in the 19th century.

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