2000? TH charms connected by a .75" chain. Two copies in Pierre Cardin case. Unknown source.
There is little to identify these charms. It seems unusual to have a double charm. Could these be actual Cardin products?
1980? TH Charm. The hare rides the tortoise. 1" high. Unknown source.
This charm is nicely printed on both sides. It follows the familiar – but to me still hard to understand – that the hare rides the tortoise. His nose and whiskers are particularly well rendered.
1970? TH Charm. Rabbit inside the tortoise body. 1" long. Unknown source.
The collection received this charm a long time ago, but we only now are able to catalogue it. As I found it, I wondered why we had a lone tortoise in the collection. Closer examination revealed a hinge, and some patient probing found a way to get it open after so many years of being shut. The smallest rabbit in the world is lodged inside this tortoise! He lives in a lovely pearl-colored casing.
1920? Ceramic plate of "Le Lièvre et la Tortue" by "Jars, France pour F & S." 7½" in diameter. Scalloped rim. Tan with green edging, script, and illustration border around a circular full-color illustration of TH. "Le Lièvre et la Tortue" and "Fables de la Fontaine" on the plate front. $27 from loopylliz through eBay, Jan., '22.
This plate is exactly like others in the series but smaller in dimension. The tortoise is near the goal as the hare sleeps on.
2000? TH Castell Coch Linen Tea Towel. 55% linen, 45% cotton. Made in Ireland. 17.3” x 13.5”. Source unknown.
As the web tells us, the design is inspired by the wall paintings in the octagonal drawing room of Castell Coch, a Victorian Gothic Revival castle in Wales. Perhaps the most fascinating feature of this colorful presentation, based on murals at Castell Coch, is the frog perched above the race with a bottle in his hand. At first I thought he might have bet on the wrong racer. After viewing more of the Castell Coch wallpaper, I believe that he is the quack doctor who promises to heal others, even though he cannot heal himself.
1930? TH postcard by Raymond Prévost. €2 from M. et Mme Camus, Oullins, at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05.
The hare walks behind the tortoise with a flower in his hand. Would this be the opening moment of the story? Strong, simple colors. The verso of this card has suffered, apparently from having been pasted into an album.
1925? Full-colored cartoon card of TH. “AS” trademark presented as a wink and smile. No artist acknowledged. $8 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., ’20. Better copy found somewhere for $5, April, '22.
Here is one of the poorest cut postcards in the collection! The cutter missed by quite a bit! Bertrand thought that this card may be an advertisement for candy, but I believe that the candy-maker would have identified itself in that case. Rather this is a simple joke: when it comes to getting candy, a tortoise can be cleverer than a fast hare. The artist’s focus here is on making the children with their apparel similar in form to a tortoise and a hare. I will leave it to viewers to judge how well the artist did. The verso is as simple as it gets. Enjoy, as I do, finding a better cut and better colored copy!
1980? TH and GA Light Switch Covers. Hand painted ceramic. San Francisco and Japan: Takahashi. 5.5" x 3.5". Unknown source.
Simple designs allow for the three holes necessary for these switch-covering plates. The racers' path leads to the red flat at the top of the switch. Is that colorfully clad grasshopper eating a cucumber while the black ants trudge along with their sacks?
2001 TH Address Labels. Two sheets with fourteen address labels each. White Wolf Designs. $2 from Nikki Brindle, Warsaw, IN, through Ebay, August, '01.
Each label is 1 1/3" x 4". A yellow and green tortoise apparently comes back past the finish line where we see the hare sitting. The white hare has a pink eye and blue drops of sweat. I never would have thought that such a thing existed! But why not?!
1920? Colored cartoon postcard of TH. “Rien de sert de courir il faut partir a point!“ A girl with dog and satchel is late for the train disappearing in the distance. “5Ky.” $6 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., ’20.
Despite the clearly printed “5Ky” (or perhaps “SKy”?), the lovely illustration here seems handmade. The checkerboard designs echoing the color of both cap and underskirt are well done! “Attention!” seems handwritten on the picture side of the card. The card’s left and right sides are unusual in being serrated. The only message is, I believe, “affectueuse bonjour.” There are mysteries here!
1903 Colored picture postcard with a humorous take on TH. "The True Story of the Hare and the Tortoise." $14.01 from Marilyn Lamkin, Lexington, MA, through eBay, August, '02.
The picture occupies just over half of the front of this postcard, dated October 30, 1903. The hare sits dressed reading a newspaper while his back is supported by a milestone reading "XIII to London." The tortoise, with a jaunty red cap and a newspaper tied around his shell, quips "I'll read mine when I get home." The text within the picture adds: "He got home first." The fable is localized here. The card was sent to Dorset, perhaps from "Forest Gate S.O." The illustration seems to be signed "Tom B."
2000? TH 10” Hoop Cloth. Contrast. Small Fry #7032. 13” x 12.5”. Unknown source.
The tortoise here is on roller skates and wears an airman’s googles and cap. He is eating an ice-cream cone! The hare sleeps on with a piece of straw in his mouth. There is a matching pattern in the tortoise’s back and cap and the hare’s sweater and shoes.
1998? Terrapin and hare brooches. Terrapin is 2" x 1½". Hare is 3" x 1¾". Fiberboard? Made by Klassic Kreatures, Falls Church, VA.
Delightful creatures with lively eyes. Yes, that is a Maryland "M" on the terrapin's shirt. The brooches are made by Mr. and Mrs. Steve Klass in Falls Church, who were good enough to write to me when they noticed this web listing. Steve is an alumnus of Maryland.
1984? Ten original prints with text by Sarah Chamberlain. Each signed and numbered 26 of 35. $160 from the artist, Oct., '89. Fables: "The Ass in a Lion's Skin"; FS; FK; LM; FC; "The Cock and the Jewel"; GGE; FG; TH, CP.
Beautiful multi-colored work. The best of the set are "The Ass in a Lion's Skin," FK, and LM. A lovely treasure. See now the book of these prints which Ms. Chamberlain published in 1984.
1975 Ten Greek schoolroom scrolls for hanging up in a classroom, each illustrating a fable in four scenes with a title. Wooden endpieces with an almost canvas-like paper for the pictures themselves. Gift of Martin and Ulrike Kölle, August, 2012. The fables pictured include :
1. TH
2. The Rooster, Fox, and Dog
3. MM
4. SS
5. The Wolf-Doctor and the Horse
6. AD
7. Two Rats
8. The Hen and a Seed
9. FS
10. TT
1970 Ten French lottery tickets. "Les Gueules Cassées" ("broken mouths," i.e., wounded WWI veterans). Each with a different tax stamp illustrating a fable of La Fontaine. $5 each from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '20.
What a fascinating curiosity to add to the collection! Who would have known that the lottery used fables fifty years ago. Good find, Bertrand! Search for "French Lottery Tickets" brings up lots and lots of hits, but none about fables. As with postage stamps, the printing is admirable!
1975? Tel est pris qui croyait prendre. Wedding ceremony. Serie Chen. $5 from an unknown source, Feb., '22.
The axiom comes from La Fontaine's fable of the rat who thought to devour an oyster. The oyster clamped down on his attacker. In this colorful scene, the groom thinks he is capturing the bride, but the second scene shows the reverse. As I looked through various translations of the axiom, I settled on this one as the best: "Now the hunted becomes the hunter." But should not the terms be reversed? The hunter has become the hunted!
1955? Tel est pris qui croyait prendre. Fisherman caught by a fish. $5 from an unknown source, Feb., '22.
The axiom comes from La Fontaine's fable of the rat who thought to devour an oyster. The oyster clamped down on his attacker. In this colorful scene, a fish big enough has hold of the fisherman's food and apparently will not let go. I wish I could read the rest of the name of Jean, the artist. As I looked through various translations of the axiom, I settled on this one as the best: "Now the hunted becomes the hunter." But should not the terms be reversed. The hunter has become the hunted!
2000? Tea glass holder. Brass. 3/5" high, 3.25" in diameter. Unknown source.
I have found many tea glass holders online but none quite like this. Might it be Russian, paired with the "Sarajevo" plate that is found much more regularly on the web? Clear FS story at the outside center of the rim. There is a clear maker's mark on the bottom of the rim, pictured below.
1924 Aesop's Fables A Series of 25. TyPhoo Tea.
2 5/8" x 1 7/16". Excellent color in ovals with a different slogan for the tea under each oval, e.g. "TyPhoo" Tea goes just half as far again. The back has "A Series of 25," "Aesop's Fables," and a number on top; a title, fable, and moral in the center; and "TyPhoo" Tea Cures Indigestion at the bottom. In the illustration for "The Horse and Groom" (#4), there is good work to show how poorly fed this horse is. The artist takes a good perspective (knee-high looking down) for illustrating TMCM (#15). "The Fox and the Wolf" (#8) seems to me to be especially well done. Two illustrations leap out to me as taken from Bewick: MSA (#20) and MM (#25). Excellent condition. These cards are so beautiful that I show them here in almost their size. Click on any image to see it in larger-than-life size.
2024 Tapestry of Ernest Griset's MSA. 61" x 50". $38.25 from Granger Historical Picture Archive - Fine Art America through Etsy, Nov., '24.
A reduced price sale on Etsy had me looking in unusual corners when I found this old friend in big format. Might I use this large tapestry in presenting this favorite fable? The seller mentions that the material is lightweight microfiber.
