Hermance Edan

Hermance Edan (21 December 1851 – 2 May 1934) was a French designer and publisher of board games, active from 1908 until her death in 1934. She is best known for creating and patenting the game L'Attaque, a successful game in its own right and the predecessor to Stratego.

Hermance Edan
Born	Bénédicte Émilie Hermance Cécile Edan (1851-12-21)21 December 1851 Paris, France
Died	2 May 1934(1934-05-02) (aged 82) Paris, France
Occupation	Game designer
Known for	L'Attaque

Biography

Hermance Edan was born in Paris on 21 December 1851,^[1] daughter of Antoine-Victor Edan (1801-1864), a schoolmaster in Picardy, and his second wife, Louise Cécile Gosse (1815-1902). Through her mother, Edan was the grand-niece of the painter Nicolas Gosse. Through her father, she was the niece of Benoît Edan (1803-1871), a diplomat and first consul of France in Shanghai.^[2]

Nothing is known of Hermance Edan's childhood, education or life before 1908, when she applied to the French Patent Office for a patent for a "battle game with mobile pieces on a gameboard". This patent was issued to her the following year.^[3] She also filed a patent application in Great Britain for L'Attaque in November 1909.^[4] In 1909, she took part in the Concours Lépine, a competition for inventors. There, she exhibited two games, L'Attaque and another game, Vite Au But.^[5]

In subsequent years, Edan became a professional creator and publisher of board games, selling her games to department stores through wholesalers. By 1912, she was in business with her brother-in-law (whom she married in 1915, after the death of his wife, Hermance's sister Nelly), under the name of "EDAN and RODHAIN, games, R. d'Alençon 9".^[6] In 1915, she submitted a patent application in France for a "Jeu de Bataille navale".^[7]

Around 1920, Edan made an agreement with H. P. Gibson and Sons Ltd to distribute its game in the United Kingdom and other Anglophone countries under their original French titles.^[8] L'Attaque went on to meet with great success in the United Kingdom. Later, Gibson added variants, including Dover Patrol (a naval variant of L'Attaque)^[9] and Aviation (an aerial variant).^[10]

Edan's business remained active during the First World War, as she filed at least one patent in 1917. By 1925, her office was located at 3 Avenue du Maine, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.^[11]

Edan's husband died in 1920. Edan herself died on 2 May 1934, at the age of 82, at her home and office on Avenue du Maine in Paris.^[12]