1905? Benjamin Rabier, "Le Rat qui s'est retiré du monde." Chocolate Lombart, Paris. €12 from Les Larmes d'Éros, Éditions Astarté at Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05.
Instead of living in a big Dutch cheese, the hermit rat here lives in a tin of fine chocolate from Lombard. As with the other Rabier card I have found, this one was expensive. It came from a dealer in erotic cards who had proclaimed that he had nothing to offer me. It always pays to search!
I have found two cards designed by Benjamin Rabier to advertise Lombart Chocolate. I found them in very different places in the world! Click on either card to see it enlarged and to learn more about it.
1905? Benjamin Rabier, "Le deux Rats et le Renard." Chocolate Lombart, Paris. $35 at Foster City, Feb., '97.
Instead of carrying an egg, the rat being pulled by his tale in this version carries on his belly a large can of Lombart's "Melange de Thés Noirs"—and smiles! The upper right corner is creased. I was aware of paying a lot of money for this card, and I still think it is worth it!
1950? "les belles décalcomanies," two sets, each with 16 "transfer pictures" of La Fontaine's fables. R.S. Paris. €6 each from labuandrie, through Ebay, Oct., '23.
The seller designates these two folders in good repair as coming from 1910, but I believe they are more likely from about 1950. At first I thought these images were what we called "transfers," instant tattoos. I changed my mind when the instructions urged "coating with varnish the next day to make them permanent"! Though there are two sets, there are repeaters between the two sets. There are repeat images even within the same collection.
