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.
1950? Two decks of playing cards showing FG and CP, respectively, on their backs. The fox is as above in the three-deck Canasta set. For CP, against a tan background, a black crow stands over a white pitcher. A banner in white and blue-gray proclaims the title underneath the scene. In the sturdy original 3¾" 5" slipcase. Cel-U-Tone Finish. Congress Playing Cards. $6 from Harry Glogower, New York, NY, through Ebay, June, '00.
The style and artistry of the two cards make them a nice complement to each other. I am especially pleased that someone had sense enough to put two fables together in one set.
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.
1926 Two blotters almost 4" x 9" for the months of September and October, 1926. The blotters advertise "Remembrance Advertising--Engraved Christmas Greeting Cards for Business Houses--Genuine Mission Calf-Skin Leather Desk and Pocket Pieces." Apparently the maker of this series is C.W. Bloom of Brown & Bigelow on Milk Street in Boston. $18 from Carolyn Dias of Norfolk, VA, through eBay, Feb., '03. Extra copy of Sept., '1926, for $9 from Carolyn Dias of Norfolk, VA, through eBay, June, '08.
Each long landscape-formatted blotter has a fable on the left. September has LM with "A kindness is never wasted--Aesop" and October has "Deeds count--not boasting words--Aesop." The latter has a rooster crowing and a hare sawing. For texts to match some of the questionable "fables" here, like "The Hare and the Rooster," see Aesop's Fables with Compliments of Chelmsford Ginger Ale, listed under "1926?" and apparently produced by the same printer.
2005 Two 2005 Mardi Gras dubloons showing Proteus with trident and, on the verso, a lion with a book "Fables Famous and Familiar." $2.50 twice from Patricia Albert, Metairie, LA, through Ebay, July, '19 and Feb., '20.
I look forward to catching up well enough that I do not repeat myself in the future!
A fourth group of twelve has elaborate printer's designs around the (identical) illustration and text. Each has these three signatures: Gouget Dir. Ex"; "N. PA. Xardo Sc."; and "LeMercier."
2020? Twelve 1¾” square thin wooden tiles representing each a page from Walter Crane’s book of Aesop’s fables. $10.72 from ShapeShifterUK, London, through Etsy, Jan., ’21.
Delightful, exact woodwork! I think Walter Crane would be delighted to see his work carried on this way! The twelve tiles include the front cover and list of illustrations.
1930? Packaged set of twelve reproductions of illustrations for Francesco del Tuppo in Naples, 1485. Victoria and Albert Museum. Numbered 33-44. $9.99 from Mike Marsland, Cheshire, England, through Ebay, Jan., '01. Multiple extra copies of all twelve cards from Charlie and Rich Heckroth, Tucson, AZ, through eBay, August, '10.
Under a black-and-white reproduction of the Tuppo original is a block-print title and then this uniform statement: "Reproduction of an illustration in the edition of Aesop's Fables Printed by German Printers for Francesco del Tuppo, at Naples, 1485." Just below, the picture-side lists the number of each card and "Victoria and Albert Museum." The verso is blank except for divisions into message and address compartments and instructions to use them as such. The envelope adds a price of one shilling. One can see here a good example of how lions looked in renditions of them done by artists who had never seen a lion! The following are included:
1915? Aesop's Fables Up To Date. Thirty unnumbered colored post cards, including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Portugese printings. There are six basic 1915? Aesop's Fables Up To Date. Thirty unnumbered colored post cards, including English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Portugese printings. There are six basic pictures--or at least I have found that many so far. F. Sancha seems to sign each card. Fables are used here to satirize Germany. The fable texts on the message side appear in Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, or English on individual cards; any words printed on the image side shift correspondingly. English cards are all marked "Raphael Tuck and Sons' 'Oilette' Postcard No. 8484." Copyright London. Printed in England. Raphael Tuck and Sons. One set in English came in its own frail original envelope: "German Aims, Shown up by the Celebrated Spanish Artist Francisco Sancha in Aesop's Fables Up -to-Date." $66 from Sue's Stuff, Huntington Beach, CA, Nov., '02. Spanish versions of FG and GGE for a total of $15 from marupostcards in Uruguay through Ebay, Jan., '21. The envelope for this "Oilette" Series 8484 claims that Oilette cards are "veritable miniature oil paintings." Click on any of the small images to see a fuller version and comments on each card in its several language versions.
D1. "The Wolf and the Stork." In this parody of WC, A wolf dressed in a German officer's great coat with spurs and sword menaces a Turkish stork, who holds a bone in his hand. The card's own explanation is "It seems that Turkey, and the other friends of Germany, have to be content with very little gratitude for the help they have given." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplars for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99, for $25 from Dick Lightle, April, '00, and for $4 from Betty Jette, Epsom, NH, through Ebay, July, '99.
F1. "The Hare and the Tortoise." In this parody of TH, a large helmeted turtle with a number of countries' names written on its back ("Japan, Belgium, England, France, Russia") arrives before a German-coated rabbit at a flag-festooned memorial labeled "Victory." While the Allied turtle has weapons galore on its back, the German rabbit has a few small satchels labeled "Lies," "Poison," and "Asphyxiating Gases." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplars for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99; for $7.50 from Philip Weyland, Downey, CA, through Ebay, Nov., '01; and for $8 from Scott Zagoria, Arcata, CA, through Ebay, Sept., '01. Extra for $10 from Barbumer6, Jenkintown, PA, through eBay, March, '04.
C1. "The Tortoise and the Eagle." This parody of "The Eagle and the Turtle," is explained well by the card itself: "Bulgaria, having let herself be dragged into the war by Germany, will have to pay the penalty for her own rash ambition." Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplar for $11.25 from Carolyn Nimmer Dias through Ebay, March, '99. Extra for $10 from Barbumer6, Jenkintown, PA, through eBay, March, '04.
B1. "The Hen That Laid the Golden Eggs." A man smoking a pipe and dressed in a Kaiser helmet has killed a goose labeled "German Commerce." The goose's innards are graphically displayed. Nearby is a basket of golden eggs labeled "1912," "1913," and (cracked) "1914." A safe full of coins is open in the background. Series title: "Aesop's Fables Up to Date." $11.17 as part of a complete set from Susan Brouwer, Hesperia, CA, through Ebay, July, '00. Extra exemplar for $10.45 from Philip Weyland, Downey, CA, through Ebay, Oct., '01.
