1912 Ouvrages de Dames "Broderies/Dessins Anciens" Brochure. April 7, 1912. Supplement 14 to Nouvelle Mode. $7.75 from Antiquesythier through Ebay, March, '20.
I lose my way in the various chapter headings in this 8-page brochure, which was a supplement in either Ouvrages de Dames or Nouvelle Mode. It consists mostly of patterns and descriptions. The description of FC lists it as a sequel to FG. The design itself is about 4" x 8".
1935? Set of twelve postcard-size (5½" x 3½") cards titled "12 Cartoons for Tapestry by J.-B. Oudry (1686-1765)" by Artext Cards. The twelve are individually labeled as "Artest - A. XXI.1" through " Artest - A. XXI.12." Made in France but titled in English with the general heading "La Fontaine's Fable." $46.05 for the set in a fragile envelope from Heartsdeesire on eBay, Sept., '03.
These are satisfactory renditions of Oudry's work. The seller has the same question I have, namely, "Are these postcards?" I find it unusual that they were printed in France but marketed somewhere in English speaking territory. As the seller also points out, the envelope is torn, but the cards themselves are in very good condition.
1800? 5 reproductions of Oudry's illustrations, perhaps the 1755 edition, with markings of the tissues that protected the illustrations.
I enjoy Oudry's work, and these prints have come out well. I will be on the lookout for the edition that matches this format: pages 8.9" x 11.8" and illustrations 5.75" x 7.7". Oudry is acknowledged on all but one; five different people are listed as the engravers—all, I believe, from the original group that translated Oudry's work into printed form: Cochin and Chenu, LeBas, Tardieu, Beauvarlet, and Pasquier, respectively.
1950? Colored postcard presenting the first phase of Oudry's FS. Van Cortenbergh, Brussels. €2 from Bartko-Reher Ansichtskarten, April, '23.
I am surprised that we do not have other cards from this particular series. The coloring is attractive on one of Oudry's excellent designs.
1907? Fables de La Fontaine. Six unnumbered cards with the title, a reproduction of Oudry's illustration, and La Fontaine's text on the front. The fables are OF, LS, 2P, and FG. The stamp and postmark are also on the front. All were signed and sent from Paris in June/July 1907 to Lucien Lallier. Published by A. Quantin, Paris. Four for 75 Francs from Renaud Teissier at the Paul Bert-St. Ouen Clignancourt Flea Market, May, '97. A fifth card representing WL for €5 from Bartko-Reher, Berlin, April, '21. TMCM earlier from H. Bartij, Kocaeli, Turkey, through eBay.
FG and LS are two of Oudry's best and best-known illustrations, and they retain a good deal of their force in this unusual medium. 2P and OF may be less focused. It is a delight to see Oudry's work reproduced!
1920? Jean de La Fontaine portrait card with his signature. Les Signatures de Personnages Célèbres. Including an illustration of “The Rat Who Retired from the World.” $8 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., ’20.
The verso has a life of Fontaine. I am curious about the two letters or symbols that appear after the “De la fontaine” signature, where, by the way, all three capitals are reversed from the present orthography.
1986. "Fables." Learn As You Play. Illustrations by Gesine Mahoney. Fax-Pax. Great Britain. Gift of Wendy Wright, June, '93, of Mary Pat Ryan, Oct., '93, of Amy Drake, Dec., '93, and of Maryanne Rouse, Jan., '94. Two extra sets for $6.75 each at Puzzle Box, Milwaukee, Dec., '90.
Thirty-six cards, each with a fable printed on one side and a titled colored picture on the other. The style of the illustrations is soft and cute. How one "plays" is not clear. The best illustrations include: "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," "The Trees and the Axe," and "The Stork and the Farmer." The lion has not bad breath but the smell of a skunk from a fight. WC adds a phase: "You only saved me for a reward." The spilt milk is kicked over by a cow; the point is that tomorrow is another day. The FS illustration misses the point by having the fox serve solid chunks of food on plates. The cards' packaging changes slightly in the new edition, apparently from 1989.
1917? "La Fontaine l'avait bien dit!..." "Dessins de Louis Morin." Paris: Imprimerie Montsouris, P. Orsoni, directeur." Essay by Georges Blondel on the verso. 21½" x 14½. Perhaps €15, perhaps in St.-Ouen.
A fascinating piece of work with verses taken or adapted from La Fontaine's fables and applied to the Germans in WWI. I can find another product of "Imprimerie de Montsouris P. Orsoni" on the web, dated 1916. The imagery here is sometimes rough but thoroughly challenging!
1930? Arts and Crafts Movement Metal Original Printer’s Block ‘Aesop’s Fables’ (or ‘Tables’?). 8.25” x 11.6” x 1”. $60 from John Briody through Ebay, July, ’25.
Reversing this printer’s block raises a question. “Fables” or “Tables”? A quick web search reveals several instances of “Aesop’s Tables.” And in either case, where might this have come from? What a curious piece! I put it with “Printed Material” because that is the closest category I can think of. The sweep of the calligraphy is lovely!
1950? Original hand-painted card, 5½" x 3½", presenting CW. Nantes: Madame Yvonne. €10 at Recto-Verso, Strasbourg, July, '19.
There is a story somewhere behind this handmade card! This cat-woman has seized the mouse. The room shows evidence of her mad dash to catch the mouse. Is that a TV in the background? And is that something like a Billiken on top of the TV? I am a little confused about the cat-woman's clothing. Where does dress stop and skin start? Her lower half seems to indicate something like a dress or robe. Her upper body seems uncovered. There is not only a story behind the creation of this card. I would love to learn something of its history. What a surprise find!
Orange Crush Fables from Aesop. Pamphlet. Text and image from The Aesop for Children. Inside: "The Fox and the Goat." On the back is a page of advertising for Orange Crush from the Orange Crush Bottling Company of Cleveland, OH.
1935? Orange and blue dust-jacket provided by "la Neige de Savoie" illustrating FC, in which the cheese that the fox has acquired is "la Neige de Savoie" in its usual round cheese-container. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05.
The back cover of this dust-jacket shows the portions of France. Inside flaps explain that if you want to grow up to have strong teeth, you will eat "la Neige de Savoie". The fox here seems particularly eager to get what the crow does not want to give up!
1935? Two handbills, executed in mostly orange and black, depicting LM and "Fortune and the Young Child." $6 each from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '20.
The artist here has the usual difficulty in depicting a lion. This lion ends up to be more like a human being in his face as well as his body. Elements of these two apparently monochrome handbills may have also had colors that have faded.
1880? One white-colored plate with a multi-colored illustration of TT in the indented center of the plate. Around the outside of the plate run four vines; their stalks are at about 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30.
The central picture is just before take-off. The two birds and the tortoise all grip the long stick. Besides the greens of the grass around and the browns of the three animals, there is blue mixed with green in the birds' heads and wing tips. There are also lovely little blue flowers on the top of the nearby stalks. One of the manufacturer's marks on the base seems to be "2I."
1880? One white-colored plate with a multi-colored illustration of TH in the indented center of the plate. Around the outside of the plate run four vines; their stalks are at about 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30.
The central picture has the tortoise apparently reaching the finish line, where a bird sits on a branch. There are greens of several shades, browns, and some lovely blue in the bird. One of the manufacturer's marks on the base seems to be "2I."
1972 One uncancelled La Fontaine stamp. Mint. Never hinged. $1 from Kevin Lo, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, through eBay. Sept., '03.
Monaco is a new source for a fable stamp. The stamp itself is green and black and includes FC, FS, TH, and perhaps "The Lion and the Ass." The verso of the card proclaims "La Fontaine: 350 ème Anniversaire de sa naissance.
1880? One tile, "The Sow and the Wolf," produced by Minton, Hollins and Company. Stoke on Trent. Slight fritting on the edges. 6" x 6". $82 from Chris Hawkins Antiques, UK, through Ebay, Feb., '02.
The design for this tile is apparently taken from the engraving done by Samuel Howitt—in fact page 14 of my copy of his 1811 A New Work of Animals Principally Designed from the Fables of Aesop, Gay, and Phaedrus. Though the piglets may not be clear, the sow's udder is. The wolf's pose is a surprisingly good mix of non-chalance and eagerness.
1880? One tile, "The Foxes and the Grapes," produced by Minton, Hollins and Company. Stoke on Trent. 6" x 6". $29.95 from Steward Hoins, Nordland, WA, through eBay, Oct., '03.
This particular illustration has long been a fascination for me. Is it likely that three foxes together would jump for grapes that they could not get? And would they concoct the same explanation of why they did not achieve what they wanted? And would they put up with each other's stories?
1972 One three-holed landscape album page, almost 8½" x slightly over 12", containing stamps of Charles Baudelaire (1,30), Camille Saint-Saens (0,90), and Jean de La Fontaine (0,50). Besides the stamps, there are a large illustration and some explanatory text in French. The three stamps are all postmarked "18 - 1 - 72 Monaco A, Jour d'Emission." No. 35 du catalogue CEF. No. 1549 of 5,000 offset exemplars. Imprimé par Editions CEF à Nice. $7 from Topical Paradise Limited through eBay, Dec., '08.
The composite picture of the three men includes a crow with cheese, a tortoise, and perhaps both an oak and a reed near the portrait of La Fontaine. The common feature of the three men seems to be the year 21, since La Fontaine was born in 1621 and Baudelaire in 1821, while Saint-Saens died in 1921. Each of the three stamps includes the appropriate "21" date along with 1971. Did something perhaps go wrong with publication of the stamps, so that the first day turned out to happen in 1972? French-speaking stamp-collectors seem indefatigable! Click on the sheet to see a larger version of it.
1960 One stamp marked "Magyar Posta," "Zombory Éva" and "40" with a simple picture of MSA. $.09 from Julie Collins of Valparaiso, IN, through Ebay, Nov., '99.
The ass seems contented enough as he is carried uphill by one older and one younger man in native costume.
