Prints

The stencil technique, gouache coloring, and art deco style come together wonderfully here for Coleth.  "Maitre du Corbeau" is the tipoff here.  The stylish young woman is the fox getting something out of the not-so-beautiful old gentleman.  From what I could find on Coleth, this figure seems utterly typical of the artist's work.  I find the illustration visually captivating

I had encountered one of these before; it is on this page: https://www.creighton.edu/aesop/artifacts/cards/hiddenpicturecards/.  Other such brain teasers are in this collection at https://www.creighton.edu/aesop/artifacts/desktop/blotters/claveriepuzzleblotters/ and https://creightonarchives.omeka.net/exhibits/show/the-carlson-fable-collection/item/1105.  Click on the illustration to see a larger version.  You can again click on that larger version to see solutions and click again there on the identified portion for upright views of the hidden objects.

This print of GA shows the scene familiar from numerous French prints but offers, rather than a young woman artist and a mother, two Blacks, one warmly dressed and carrying food and drink, the other a musician asking for help.

"A scorpion wants to cross a river but cannot swim, so it asks a frog to carry it across. The frog hesitates, afraid that the scorpion might sting it, but the scorpion promises not to, pointing out that it would drown if it killed the frog in the middle of the river. The frog considers this argument sensible and agrees to transport the scorpion. Midway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog anyway, dooming them both. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung despite knowing the consequence, to which the scorpion replies: "I am sorry, but I couldn't resist the urge. It's in my nature."  Wikipedia, which offers this version, says that the fable is not known in this version until the 20^th century. 

The caption on the back reads, “from a water-colour drawing in the possession of W. Finch, Esq”.  The print of the painting offers an unusual view of the girl who spilled her milkpail in three ways.  Scenes of this fable usually depict the young woman out in the midst of nature.  They seldom include onlookers, like the two children gawking at her predicament.  The young woman is usually more disconsolate.  Here she seems somehow unexcited over what has happened.

The owner’s name is given as L. Hawk and the work was copyrighted by Gravure Goupil & Co.  Hawk’s collection is given as in New York. The print’s date is unknown, but the original painting was completed in 1869 and was signed by the artist himself in the bottom right corner. Painted in the image are two women, a dog, and several doves.  An American collector and an American publisher have picked up the French tradition of sympathy with the mendicant artist, here harassed by the dog as well as the ant-like housewife.  The dog and the doves find shelter here, but the artist finds nothing but rejection.  I have found a trace of a second Metzmacher "Cigale."  It seems to show the grasshopper after her rejection.  An image of this now unavailable painting is below.

The illustration features an old man apparently tugging a boat of younger men through the ocean. The title of the image implies a moral behind the story depicted in the drawing. The slower fishing boat of the old man has to tow in the speedy sailing boat with its broken mast and several riders.  Slow and steady wins again!

The artist here places the hare’s white against the tortoise’s larger green space.  I am delighted to see Etsy’s artists taking up Aesop!

Wow!  The first startling thing about this strong piece consists in the four empty eyeballs.  The second, I would say, is the weird congruence of the bodies.  Not pretty!

"Druck für den Freundeskreis der Bremer Kunstschiule."  This is a folio of five 8¼" x 11¾" singlefolds.  Each has a title on the front page, a text on the left-hand page, and a full-page print on the right-hand page.  The illustrations are striking. Sometimes the German has to bend a little to try to meet Thurber.  Thurber's owl story is particularly challenging.  Two moles tried to slip quietly by, unnoticed.  "You!" said the owl.  "Who?"  they responded.  "You two" came the answer.  The German resorts to the clever "You and you."  The crazy questions that are soon asked of this divine figure change to equally crazy questions in German.  I will also list this work among prints, with visuals for each piece.  Do not miss the clever "5" on the cover.   The two copies available on the web have no more idea than I do when this lovely piece was produced.-