1878 "Aesop Narrating His Fables" by R. Fontana. Published as part of the "Exposition Universelle de 1878" by Gebbie and Barrie. Gravure by Goupil Companie. Hand tinted with watercolors and sold for $35 by David Eisler (Aylesbury, Bucks, England) at Baltimore Antiquarian Fair, August, '91. The scene shows a manacled, bearded Aesop entertaining a group of delighted young women. The same engraving appears as the frontispiece to the Ariel Booklet edition (1848/1890?) of Aesop's Fables with the James text and Tenniel illustrations put out by the Knickerbocker press. Click on the picture to see a fuller version.
1906 Print of R. Fontana's 1878 engraving "Aesop Narrating His Fables." The work was originally published as part of the "Exposition Universelle de 1878." $5 from Stephen P. Ryder, Alexandria, VA, through Ebay, Sept., '99.
This black-and-white reproduction of Fontana's work comes nowhere near the lovely hand-colored version I have listed under "Engravings." Who knows, however, when it will come in handy?!
1930? "Una favola d'Esopo/Une fable d Ésope" (R. Fontana). Fot Brogi. Fotocalcografia Fusetti. A. Fusetti, editore, Milano. #773. 20,000 Lire at the Porta Portese flea market, August, '98.
The monchrome oval scene reproduces a larger 1878 engraving I have long enjoyed. Find it here under "Engraving." It shows a manacled, bearded Aesop entertaining a group of delighted young women. The same engraving appears as the frontispiece to the Ariel Booklet edition (1848/1890?) of Aesop's Fables with the James text and Tenniel illustrations put out by the Knickerbocker press.
2006 Foney Fables. 7 cartoons. Warner Brothers: Merrie Melodies. Double D Distribution. $1.99 from Lowell Kotko, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, through Ebay, Oct., '07. One extra copy.
To my surprise, the title cartoon "Foney Fables," second among the seven cartoons here, features several fables. It was directed by Fritz Freleng in 1942. In GA, the cicada answers the ant's critique of being lazy by pulling out a series of war bonds. He will not starve! BW interrupts the series of reinterpreted stories several times. The last time has us encountering not the obnoxious laughing boy but a laughing wolf picking his teeth. The wolf in sheep's clothing meets a second wolf in sheep's clothing already working this herd. The goose who laid golden eggs has converted to aluminum eggs, to help the war effort. By the way, Mother Hubbard's dog turns her in to the authorities. It turns out that she has been hoarding food! Good color.
2004 Foney Fables. 7 cartoons. Warner Brothers: Merrie Melodies. Double D Distribution. $6 from Redmon & Vincent, Cadillac, MI, through Ebay, Oct., '05.
Here, more simply packaged is a DVD already in the collection in a larger jewel case with a date of 2006. Since the front cover is identical with the jewel case, I will show the back cover here, appropriately smaller. As I wrote on that version, produced later but viewed earlier by me, to my surprise, the title cartoon "Foney Fables," second among the seven cartoons here, features several fables. It was directed by Fritz Freleng in 1942. In GA, the cicada answers the ant's critique of being lazy by pulling out a series of war bonds. He will not starve! By the way, I noticed this time through that there is no reference at all to music as the grasshopper's activity. He just rests. BW interrupts the series of reinterpreted stories several times. The last time has us encountering not the obnoxious laughing boy but a laughing wolf picking his teeth. The wolf in sheep's clothing meets a second wolf in sheep's clothing already working this herd. The goose who laid golden eggs has converted to aluminum eggs, to help the war effort. By the way, Mother Hubbard's dog turns her in to the authorities. It turns out that she has been hoarding food! Good color.
1890? 10 colored French cards (and one extra) picturing scenes from Florian's fables. 2½" x slightly more than 4". No artist or printer acknowledged. Seven for $35 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, March, '01. Three Soury cards from Annick Tilly for 10 Francs each, August, '01. Seventeen further cards, including two duplicates, for $85 from Bertrand Cocq, Sept., '18. And five further cards from Bertrand for $5 each, Sept., '20.
In these portrait-formatted small (2½" x 4⅛") cards, a blue border surrounds the full-color picture in the upper three-quarters of the card and the five or six lines quoted from Florian below. The title of the fable itself, with Florian's name in parentheses, is written across the blue bar separating the two portions of the picture side of the card. Most cards have no advertising on either front or back, and include only the text of the fable on the verso. In fact, if one exchanges the blue stripe for a gold one, they are almost exactly like the cards in a set done by A. Billon, though they lack both the numbering and signature we find there. The strongest visual images here might be the lovely picture for "L'Ane et la Flute"; the lively one for "Le Grillon"; and the appropriately awkward one for "Les Deux Chauves." Four cards advertise "La Jouvence de l'Abbé Soury ("C'est la Santé de la Femme"!) on both front and back. One card advertises Chicorée Leroux on both front and back. I present our cards here in alphabetical order according to the first noun in each title. I wonder now how large this series might be.
1933 three matted silhouettes by Florence Sampson, taken from or identical with those in "Famous Fables from Aesop." Silhouettes. $6 from janelaine through Ebay, March, '22.
Strong representatives from a good book.
1950? Sixteen of a set (all but the first four of 20?) numbered three-color postcards of La Fontaine's fables, plus extras of #9 and 11. Le Courrier, Laon, France. Villages d'Enfants de France. $77 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, Sept., '18. Extra oF #5, DW, for €4 from Recto-Verso, Strasbourg, July, '19. 4 further cards for €7 from pier-mont through Ebay, Oct., '21.
The artist brings together red, green, and black effectively in these lively cards. Among the strongest are "Wolf and Horse" (#7), "Bear and Gardener" (#17), and OF (#19). The colors are unfortunately poorly aligned on "Heron" (#14). Now to find the other six (?) cards!
1930? 97 of 192 numbered Flan Imperial trade cards with many duplicates. Imperial, La Madeleine lez Lille. Printed by Landouzy Freres, Lambersart. $255 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18. #126, "Elephant, Rat, and Cat" for $3.55 from mumul58 through Ebay, Oct., '20. 23 further cards from Bertrand for $4.50 each, Sept., '20. And a second album including 14 cards, from Erhard Ciolina, Fountain Hills, AZ, through Ebay for $10, June, '22. #5 from segpascal through Ebay for €3.50, Oct., '21. 42 cards for €20 from boiscorbons through Ebay, Sept., '23. 5 further cards for €3.90 each from olivier9862 through Ebay, Sept., '23. "Swallow and Young" for €3.90 from olivier9862, Oct., '23.
"Cards" is an overstatement for these 2½" x 3½" slips of paper. On one side is a colored illustration, title, and number. On the verso is the text of the fable and, after #96, an indication that there are two albums to be filled out, Album No. 1 for Fables #1-#96 and Album No. 2 for Fables #97-#192. Of course, the collector in me is already wondering where I can find the two complete albums. The color work is sometimes better than one would expect for a simple effort like these illustrations. Two favorites of mine are "The Robbers and the Ass" (#4) and "The Lark and Her Young" (#76). I am a little surprised that I have not run into a single card from this large set before this time. I am unsure of the reference of the cabbage and pot in "The Untrustworthy Depositary" (#176). Now see a complete album of cards #1 through #96. The second album fills in several of the cards missing among the individual cards. I recommend keeping it with the cards.
1968 Fables de La Fontaine. Paperbound album. La Madeleine-lez-Lille: Imperial Flan Pudding Entremets. €20 from brocdussac on Ebay, Dec., '20.
Here is a lovely landscape-formatted booklet, 12" x 9⅜". Its 30 pages contain 96 cards, many of which I had collected as individual trade cards, without knowing that they were meant to fit into an album. The images are colorful and well executed. #76, "The Lark and Her Children," is a good example of a colorful image that communicates its fable theme well. This album is a perfect example of one strength of this collection, since it is a piece of ephemera brought together with others and saved from the trash bin! Two more personal comments. First, I had to pay €30 to ship this album that cost €20! Secondly, as I researched on the web to find its date, which is reported to be 1968, I learned that Imperial Flan published a second volume album with an equal number of fable images. I have not yet found it available, but I will be watching for it! A collector's work is never done! This book is listed also under books of 1968.
1978 Flamex 3 envelope. Postmarked 11 - 3 -78 (March 11, 1978) at Chateau-Thierry. The postmark includes text and illustration of FS celebrating Flamex 3, April 22-23, 1978. The envelope itself has a duochrome illustration of FS and text: "Flamex 3, 22-23 Avril 1978, Chateau-Thierry." $4 from Loic Marchat, Villeurbanne, France, through eBay, Oct., '05.
This envelope was sent by C. Ablard of Chateau-Thierry to J.C. Coste in Hérouville-St.-Clair. Flamex 3 seems to have been a philatelic exposition at Chateau-Thierry.
2000? Five Necklaces With Two Fable Characters. Beads, tiles, and charms. Unknown source.
Though with different kinds of beads and tiles, all five of these feature two fable elements related to each other. The exception is that there is more than one bunch of grapes. I tried hard to find the maker on the web. No luck!
1986 Five identical labels, 3½" x 2", for placement on the neck of a wine bottle. Each says "1986er" below an image, in red, green, gold, yellow, and black, of a fox looking up at grapes. From the vineyards of Friedrich Fuchs? The five were a gift of Herr von Fuchs, July, '98.
It would be just like Herr von Fuchs to put this playful label on his wine.
Adapted by Louis Untermeyer. Voices and Music by Marshall Izen. Directed by Jim Timmens. Produced by Arthur Shimkin. Previously released by Children's Records of America and Columbia Book & Record Library. A Benanty Entertainment Group, Inc., Product. NY: Children's Communications Corp.
2015? Set of five matched pairs of fèves representing fables of Jean de La Fontaine. Fabophile. €17.81 from fabofolies through Ebay, Sept., '22.
I am beginning to sense how many sets of fèves must be out there representing La Fontaine's fables. This set by Fabophile is well executed. The only description I can get from a vendor -- or perhaps the manufacturer? -- is "Série de fèves représentant les duos célèbres." These are among the best fable fèves I have seen, and the set seems to be rare.
1950? Five cards identified only as #2-6 of Serie 5340. €14 for the set at St. Ouen, August, '13
These cards can be identified by their "instepped" borders, which always have a jagged central inside portion of the border. The five scenes represented include standard fables. #2 presents "Renard Ermite," complete with papal bulls to show what a pilgrim he is! #3 shows Renard at a well ready to bid farewell to the wolf, whom he will leave in his bucket in the well without help. #4 switches to WC. #5 returns to Renard to show him with the snake whom he has outwitted as he freed the human who was silly enough to believe the lying snake. The final card again moves away from the fox to show the horse who uses his hoof to teach the wolf something. Nice chromolithography on cards 4¼" x 2¾".
"The Fisherman Piping" pipes as usual to the fish; as usual, they do not jump out of the water. Disappointed, the man opens a can of Fairbank Canning Company meat, eats a hearty lunch, and then catches plenty of fish!
1955 First day Cancellation of Florian anniversary stamp and postcard, April 2, 1955. Cancelled at his birthplace, Sauve (Gard). $5 from Topical Paradise Limited, Oct., '12.
This postcard is made out in print to Editions Bourgogne, Dijon, France. I do not understand that. The short description assigns Florian his usual place: "Il est, après La Fontaine, mais d'ailleurs bien loin derrière lui, notre fabuliste le plus remarquable."
2023? Figurine of tortoise and hare walking arm in arm. Resin? 2½" high. Made in China. $10 from Judaicaman: Joshua Jacobovitz, Shilo, Israel, Jan., '25.
Two things are curious about this small pair. One is that they seem happy buddies. What a lovely interpretation of the fable! The runner's numbers are unusual: why three digits apiece?
