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Ancienne école de jeunes filles
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Victor Margueritte (1866 - 1942)
Gabriel Voisin (1880 - 1973)
Committed pioneers who lived in Vétheuil in the early twentieth century
Victor Margueritte: social writer
He began devoting himself to literature in 1896 after a military career. A fervent pacifist and advocate of rapprochement between peoples, he was particularly interested in social issues and women's emancipation. He wrote for newspapers in the international communist movement as well as for the "Revue contemporaine " dedicated to politics, literature and philosophy. In 1922, his novel "La Garçonne " dealing with free love, shocked society to the point that Victor Margueritte was deprived of his Legion of Honour following the scandal. From 1896 to 1908, he collaborated in the works of his brother Paul, who was also a writer.
Gabriel Voisin: aircraft pilot and automaker
Son of a foundry industrialist, he studied Fine Arts in Lyon. In 1903 he became a draftsman for Ernest Archdeacon, cofounder of the Aero Club of France. In 1907 he and his brother founded the aircraft construction business "Voisin Frères". During World War I, he specialized in biplane bombers with steel tube frames. After the war, he devoted himself to luxury automobiles. An innovation at the time, he produced cars with full bodywork, optimized their weight and used aluminum. From 1920 to 1930 he held several long-distance speed records. The 1929 crisis weakened the company, which ceased operations in 1958.
