1990? Two dimensional Fève illustrating GGE. €2 from collecstore 13 through Ebay, March, '24.
The golden egg helps to define the not-so-easy-to-define hen here. I continue to be amazed at how many different sets of fèves there are. They keep appearing!
2018? Two Victor "Featherweight" Slides by Victor Animatograph Company, Davenport, Iowa. $4.95 for black-and-white LM and $6.95 for colored FS from Alboxman through Ebay, July, '18.
3¼" x almost 4". These slides are indeed light. It seems that the glass of the slides is very thin. I am still seeking the best solution for illuminating slides like these for web presentation. Patented Oct. 5, 1915.
1990? Two tall water glasses with bold black designs and morals. FG and TH.
The hare is nicely slumped over as he sits leaning against a tree. The TH moral is a clever adaptation of the usual moral: "Slow but sure is quickest in the end."
The inspiration for the FG design looks very much like Artzybasheff's squirming fox. The moral is, I would say, surprising: "Don't try to fool yourself." I gather you will not succeed.
1920? Two simple knife rests or porte couteaux, about 3⅜" inches long, made from folding over a plate of metal to form a triangular tent. On one panel of each is a fable scene: 2P or TH. Unknown source.
The designs on these two are really quite intricate and include a good background: the houses, trees, and fences along the road of the race in TH and the vegetation along the trail for the iron and clay pots. I wish there were some markings to identify the maker of these lovely knife rests!
1995? Two Russian postage stickers to indicate fast or slow delivery using both a hare and a tortoise. From Michael Petoukhov, Moscow, through eBay. Sept, '09.
The "tortoise" sticker is about 2½" by ¾" while the "hare" is about 2" by ¾". My, but these stories get around! Click on either sticker to see a bigger version.
1870? Two Pellerin broadsides presenting multiple stories. #924 and #925. €3.25 each from "antikobjet 84200" through Ebay, Dec., '23.
I have created a third "epoch" of Pellerin broadsides because the numbering system for these two does not fit with either of the numbering systems I have already found at work and put under "1850?" and "1890?" Both are on very light paper, and one deals with three stories and the other with two. Each uses three colors: red, blue, and yellow. There is surely fascinating history behind these strong presentations of La Fontaine's fables!
Two partial prints by Emile Joseph Alexandre Gouget. €2 apiece at a flea market in Strasbourg in July, '19.
The Forest and the Woodcutter
The Farmer, the Dog & the Fox
These two present only the illustrations. They do not add text or designs at all.
2012 Two original art works by Zsofia Szeleczky. 7.5" square. .5" thick. Budapest: Hungary. Unknown source.
FC emphasizes the fox by giving him a color of his own. The only other color not black or white is the cheese. Szeleczky again has fun with the scene by adding leaves, sprouts, musical notes, and three pairs of (young fox?) eyes in the left tree.
FS has a number of engaging features. Note the swirling black and white in both trees and both tree stumps. Do not miss the elongated legs of the stork, the little fish inside the bases, the owl in the tree, or the steam arising from the frustrated fox. His angry stare is expressive! Well done, Zsofia!
1890? 1 two-piece brass button, 1 1/16" in diameter, picturing two monks. Steel back, wire shank. $10 from Onie Wiedeman, Minot, ND, May, '99.
Might this be someone's conception of the story of the two monks from Bidpai? In any case, there is a large stein or pitcher to the right of the right monk, who clearly holds a drinking vessel. As I study this button more closely, I am not convinced that the two men must be monks. If I keep this button in the collection, I will at least know where to find it when I learn that it really is a fable button!
1950? Two Italian TH fable tapestries. Made in Italy. 32.5" x 11.25" and 18" x 11.25". Velour? Fringe-edged sides. $36 from Mrs. Germany, Oakhurst, OK, through Ebay, July, '99.
Another huge surprise from Ebay! The smaller design selects a portion of the larger. In the larger, a female rabbit at left looks right toward a running tortoise and a following rabbit, both running towards the left. The smaller tapestry has the "Made in Italy" label sewn on its back. The characters reproduce with astounding accuracy those found in Disney's early "Toby Tortoise and the Hare." See my versions listed in 1935 (twice) and 1938. My, how Aesopic motifs get around! One of the tell-tale details here is the hat perched on top of the antennae on the tortoise's head. The other is the fence of Miss Cottontail's Boarding School, where Toby stopped to show off to the girls.
2006 Two identical mugs, boxed in "Spode Blue Room" boxes with applied seals "Archive Aesop's Fables Mug, 0.5L, 16oz." Information on the bottom of the mug says "First introduced c. 1830." "Dishwasher, Freezer, Microwave Safe."
The design on this cup features, in blue, a simple scene of a lion (?) and a fox apparently simply looking at each other. My best guess is that the scene depicted is that of the fox that first approached the lion and ran away with fear. A second time he came closer. The third time he came right up and addressed him.
1935 Two identical handbills featuring AD and “Les Deux Voyageurs.” Three colored panels with the two fable texts. “Le Printemps est l’ami des enfants.” No. 116bis. Liege: Éditions Gordinne. Printed by George Lang. About 10½” x 8”. $5 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '20.
On the first two illustrations the colors do not quite match the lines. Is it unusual to have a fable from La Fontaine paired with one from Florian? I presume that the “Printemps” in question here is the department store. On the web, I find posters advertising their delivery service but I find no handbills.
1959 Two French View-Master Reels with Envelope. Photos en Relief. B 3091-3092. Unknown source.
Here is yet a third language represented under View-Master. The lead fables on these two reels are GA and TMCM. Also included is a booklet of French texts of the fables on the three reels of the set.
1890? 2 FS buttons, 1.25" in diameter, with black celluloid background. Unknown source.
These two were found among uncatalogued materials in 2025 and seem to match other buttons in design but not in size. It is not clear that they were originally purchased together.
1955 Two FDC envelopes celebrating the 12 Franc stamp from 1955 featuring a portrait of Florian. Both have a postmark "Premier Jour Sauve - Florian - 2 Avril 1955." One envelope features a duochrome bust of Florian. The other presents a full-color collection of scenes from his fables. $4 each from Loic Marchat, Villeurbanne, France, through eBay, Oct. 11, 05.
I had not been aware of this Florian stamp. He was born in Sauve in Gard in 1755. Poor Florian. Even this celebration of him includes, in the prose under his portrait: "Author of lovely pastorals and especially of numerous fables, which rank him as the follower, even if from a great distance, of our own good La Fontaine" (italics mine). Perhaps the easiest scene to recognize on the fable composite has the monkey lecturing with a magic lanterne. The stamp itself classifies him as "Fabuliste Romancier Autour Dramatique." Click on either stamp to see an enlarged version of it.
1925? Two cream-colored small plates 5" in diameter with 2½" green-and-blue stencilled figures of FS and FC at the center. Around the central picture runs a yellow band. Most likely made by Montereau or Choisy-le-Roi. The theme of this tea-service set for children or "service de poupée" was, no doubt, the fables of La Fontaine. $20.50 from Mary Ellen Kennedy, Larchmont, NY through Ebay, Nov., '99.
I was and am sure that there must be a number of such sets around France, and so I was delighted to find these two little dishes on Ebay. Their paint-work is very attractive. Particularly well done is the stance of the fox with one paw on the vase he cannot penetrate for its food, while the stork does so easily. The two-color approach, which works effectively here, means that the cheese in the crow's mouth is green! Both plates seem to have a registry mark of "Z" inprinted in their backs, and FC adds a "P."
1980? Two Choco Rem blotters using GA and FC, respectively. GA has brown ink on a beige blotter, while FC has red ink on a yellow blotter. Each piece effectively uses two white areas. 5¼" x 8". Reims: Choco Rem. Paris: Elvinger. $5 each from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '02 and May, '02.
In GA, the cicada is asking for the ant's Choco REM in order to survive. In FC, the verse parodies the finish of La Fontaine's fable: "He swore--but a little late--that no one would ever again take … his Choco." The fox carries away the chocolate rather than the usual cheese or meat dropped by the proud crow. Both blotters announce that in each package there is a photo of a French soccer champion, which one can keep in the magnificent REM album.
In about 2016, I was surprised to find two Chinese teapots on Ebay. Except for their material and wear, they are identical, though the markings on either base are worn or unclear. These two appeared in our on-campus show, "Thundering Tortoises and Horrified Hares: Aesop in Popular Culture," in early 2018. Our guess is that the silvery (aluminum alloy?) copy is the original and that the copper is the replica. Both include, on one side, a cartoon of the race between the tortoise and the hare.
1850? Aluminum-alloy (?) Chinese Teapot and Lid Featuring TH. 4.25" long, 2.5" high.
The whole teapot is tortoise-like, the handle is a hare, and the lid's handle is a full-tortoise. The maker's mark on the base and the cartoon of the race on the side have both become less distinct.
2000? Copper-alloy (?) Chinese Teapot and Lid Featuring TH. 4.25" long, 2.5" high.
The whole teapot is tortoise-like, the handle is a hare, and the lid's handle is a full-tortoise. The maker's mark on the base and the cartoon of the race on the side have both easy to read. An identical object is on sale on Ebay as I write this comment in April, 2025.
