French (?) handwriting on back of CdV - translation/help please!

[veeblevort]

'hébété' means stupid but I can't figure out what the first part says.

'calorgne' is a synonym for borgne which means blind in one eye,
and again, I can't make out the first part.

vv.

[Whipby]

Well the mystery as to why this is stuck on the back of the photo just deepens, doesn't it.  Why on earth ...?

Thanks vv for your hard work on this, it's fascinating!

[Richard Knott]

The first line looks like 'Puis ci me parait' (which could just about mean 'Then it seems to me' although 'ci' should be attached to another word such as in ceux-ci) and I'm struggling with the next word which ought to be a verb (such as montrer = to show) but I can't work it out.

The orangutan appears to be a ferocious Caribbean one ('Caraibe feroce') but that makes little sense in terms of where they actually come from.

I know 'borgne' but not 'calorgne' so I'll take your word for that. I can't see the first letter of the word before it but the only word I can think of would be 'satrape' (= satrap) although that makes little sense either!

Richard

[Sligfo]

ci might be short for ceci 'this', 'the latter'. suggest atrape means catch - from atraper.   que l'autre - part of a sentence (?) 'than the other' ? hebete means dazed, stupefied, or something like that. radoteur I think means someone who babbles on about nothing, usually associated with old people.

[Eidde]

Could these just be insults? Radotard hébété, as Sligfo points out, means stupid dotard or silly old fool, while the caraibe feroce might mean something like ferocious cannibal. Satrape (= autocrate, despote, dictateur) would then fit the pattern, as well as orangutan, of course.

Could it begin: Celui-ci... (= this one)

And has someone poked the man's eyes out?

Eddie

[veeblevort]

Could these just be insults?

Good idea. Croque-mitaine could also be an insult, and maybe Orang-Outang also.

Whipby, have you thought of removing the paper, to see if there is anything written
on the other side, or on the back of the photo? There is a risk of causing damage,
so perhaps you wouldn't want to. I'd like to know more about this old gentleman.
Hopefully one or more of the dating experts will drop in to shed light on this puzzle.

vv.

[Whipby]

Thank you all for your efforts on my behalf, this gets more and more interesting!

I did attempt to lift the writing paper from the photo, but it's so thin I think it would tear. I couldn't see anything under the small portion I lifted. I'm interested to see if there's anything underneath, but reluctant to go further.

[veeblevort]

It is tempting isn't it.  To be safe, I would suggest consulting a
certain well-known paper and photograph conservator who
frequents this board from time to time.

vv.

[chinakay]

She hasn't been around lately, vv, unfortunately