The Revolvers Bull Dogs of Parmentier (Algiers)

The armourer Parmentier was based in Algiers at the end of the 19th century, in a building located at 30 rue de Constantine, according to the information contained in the 1900 yearbook of Algeria and Tunisia published by H.L. Lagelle.

This building housed other merchants and private individuals, as well as the “Office of Indigenous Affairs” in 1900. The same address was later attributed to the Hotel de Genève which was later renamed Hotel de Nice.

Parmentier distributed quality handguns in the territory, such as productions by Lefaucheux, Chaineux, Warnant, Fagnus Maquaire, and Chamelot-Delvigne. Occasionally, copies of his products are found on the collection market.

His arms bore the inscription Parmentier in Algiers in oval form, most often on the right side of the carcass.

Among its products are good Bull Dogs of Belgian origin in caliber 450 of which the two examples shown below.

These revolvers have the characteristics of the good Liège Bull Dogs, with the ELG test mark and the British Bull-Dog mark (with hyphen). The barrel is full and the handle has a rather marked search, intended to facilitate the handling of the weapon. These two specimens are probably from the same manufacturer. Parmentier’s distribution of Bull Dogs appears to have been minimal based on the small number of these revolvers identified to date. These simple and modest weapons, however, bear a real historical interest, testifying to the French colonial period in North Africa.

For the directory, and many pictures and information and on the rue de Constantine in Algiers, see:

http://alger-roi.fr/Alger/rue_constantine/pages/0_galerie_1.htm

Jean-Christophe Plaquevent