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Bees, Small Dogs and Yellow Bellies

Laguiole is a French village which gives it's name to these knives with curved handles and a little bee.

Workshops built along the banks of the Durolle from the 15th century onwards used the river’s hydraulic power to produce and supply massive numbers of knives to wholesaler ironmongers in France and Navarre - breaking the manufacturing process down into several separate steps, each being parcelled out to a different workshop with many employees working from home. Hundreds of grinders called Yellow Bellies sharpened blades lying on their stomachs above the millstones - often with a small dog lying on their legs to keep them warm.

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Uploaded on April 13, 2017
Taken on April 13, 2017