Solution Pautauberge · Carlson Fable Collection

Title

Solution Pautauberge

Description

1900? Fables de LaFontaine. 30 cards (and many picture-duplicates) marked either "Collection de la Solution Pautauberge" (P) or "Collection de la Kolarsine et de la Solution Pautauberge" (K). With colored illustrations after Gustave Doré. Unnumbered. Printed in France. Twelve cards (all P) for $65 from Barense (or B & B?) at Foster City Card Show, Feb., '97. Ten cards (all K) for a total of 140 Francs from Librairie Bailly at Les Puces, Marché Dauphine, July, '98. $15 for FM (also K) from The Cartophilians, March, '96. Thirteen cards (12 K and "Le Gland et la Citrouille" P) for 390 Francs from Delage at Clignancourt, August, '99. One card (P) for $15 from Virginia Makis, Springfield, MA, Feb., '00. One card (P) for $2 at Jamie's Flea Market, South Amherst, OH, March, '00. Five cards (all K) for 135 Francs from P. Bresch, Clignancourt, August, '01. One card (P) for $9.99 from Constantin Sova, Bacau, Romania, through Ebay, Dec., '00. One missing card (P) of FC for $9.99 from Erwin Stubbe, Gent, Belgium, through eBay, August, '05. One missing card (K) of "Le Rat et l'Huitre" and three extras for €5 each from ABC de la C.P.A., Lyon, at Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05. Two P cards of "Le Gland et la Citrouille" and "Le Laboureur et ses enfants" for $6.50 from Sova Constantin, Bacau, Romania, through eBay, Feb., '03. Eleven extra cards for $5 each, Sept., '03. Many cards from St. Ouen, August, '15. Ten Pautauberge cards in very good condition for $15 Canadian, from yvr1 through Ebay, April, '22.

Beautifully colored cards with the full text of the fable on the back. The bright colors, including yellows, pinks, and oranges, bring a new kind of life to Doré's somber illustrations. Beneath the text of cards in the "P" format is a standard pitch for Solution Pautauberge, which cures old and new rheumatism and all forms of bronchitis. It also prevents tuberculosis. On the back of the cards in the "K" format mention of anything but the fable is gone. Imagine my surprise at finding one of these cards that I had never seen before ("Le Berger et son Troupeau") in a paper dealer's stall at Jamie's Flea Market outside Cleveland. Of course it was the last card in the set, and they had not had anything even close when I was there five months earlier. This card alone has an additional advertisement along its short side: "George J. Wallau, Inc., 153 Waverly Place, New York." The Foster City, Bailly, Bresch, Sova and Cartophilian cards are in excellent condition, while the Delage cards--except the one P card--tend to be more worn. Very few of the extras are really duplicates, since they tend to be in different formats. Can I now trust that I have a complete set of 30? The set is complete with K cards, though not with P. The final card, found after the "final" card above, turns out to be "Le Lièvre et les Grenouilles." Very few of the extras are really duplicates, since they tend to be in different formats. See below a comparison of the P and K versions of both sides of "Le Renard et le Bouc." The cards and their formats are listed after all the small representations.

Date

1900?

Source

Twelve cards (all P) for $65 from Barense (or B & B?) at Foster City Card Show, Feb., '97. Ten cards (all K) for a total of 140 Francs from Librairie Bailly at Les Puces, Marché Dauphine, July, '98. $15 for FM (also K) from The Cartophilians, March, '96. Thirteen cards (12 K and "Le Gland et la Citrouille" P) for 390 Francs from Delage at Clignancourt, August, '99. One card (P) for $15 from Virginia Makis, Springfield, MA, Feb., '00. One card (P) for $2 at Jamie's Flea Market, South Amherst, OH, March, '00. Five cards (all K) for 135 Francs from P. Bresch, Clignancourt, August, '01. One card (P) for $9.99 from Constantin Sova, Bacau, Romania, through Ebay, Dec., '00. One missing card (P) of FC for $9.99 from Erwin Stubbe, Gent, Belgium, through eBay, August, '05. One missing card (K) of "Le Rat et l'Huitre" and three extras for €5 each from ABC de la C.P.A., Lyon, at Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05. Two P cards of "Le Gland et la Citrouille" and "Le Laboureur et ses enfants" for $6.50 from Sova Constantin, Bacau, Romania, through eBay, Feb., '03. Eleven extra cards for $5 each, Sept., '03. Many cards from St. Ouen, August, '15. Ten Pautauberge cards in very good condition for $15 Canadian, from yvr1 through Ebay, April, '22.