May old weavers never disappear...

I found this fantastic photo in the copyright free (common) image library over at Flickr. The original can be seen here, where the person who uploaded it said about it, "The location of this photograph is something of a puzzle: it was posted in Paris and it was sent to the Orne department (where there is a town called Aubusson), but also, in the background you can see "Manufacture de Tapis à Aubusson"... but the Aubusson of the famous tapestry workshops is a different town in the Creuse department!"
I wonder if the folks in the photo are weavers on their way to or from work? Or just passing people in the street? - tho' they look too interconnected for that. Don't you just love old photos? And also the new ones we take today, which will hopefully make somebody wonder about us in the future...
Is the young boy a bobbin winder? An apprentice? Are the loaves of bread under the men's arms to share for lunch, or to take home to their families? And what is in the ledger that the uniformed man is carrying? A lovely photo to wander around in my wondering imagination for a bit of time!