1908 Puck cartoon cover “The Republican Hare and the Democratic Tortoise.” L.M. Glackens. Vol. LXIII, No. 1636. July 8, 1908. 10” x 13.7”.
The tortoise says “If that chap only goes to sleep, I’ll win out by a mile.” Viewers may want to notice the tortoise’s hands. The two faces are very well done. Are they Democratic tortoise William Jennings Bryan and Republican hare William Howard Taft? Apparently Taft did not go to sleep!
1950? Two postcards advertising Pro-Pax Insecticide. "The Lion and the Gnat" and "The Gardener and the Bear." €9.50 each from Gil Derudet, Saint Cloud, France, through Ebay, April, '22.
Lovely art work, which the seller describes as art nouveau, particularly in "The Gardener and the Bear." The artist seems to sign his or her name "Deratt." So now: Are there more cards in this series?
2002? Prints of LM and TH by Adam Rhine. $15 each from Adam Rhine, March, '03.
LM has the mouse holding a large chainsaw labeled “Rat-N-Decker”. The vibrant colors make for a very appealing fable illustration -- and a humorous glance back at the fable's rope-chopping element.
TH shows the hare resting by a tree and reading a newspaper with the headline “Hare Favored to Win Race”. He is alerted by the sound of tortoise whizzing by on a motorcycle. This drawing humorously reflects the moral behind the original Aesop fable. Is there in fact something of the tortoise's shell in the image of a hard riding motorcyclist?
2000? Page from “The Book of Fables. XIVth Century. Animal Scenes” from “Turkey 1621.” Paris: UNESCO World Art Series. New York Graphic Society. Printed in Italy. 13.1” x 18.6”. Unknown source.
The two images are familiar: the lion king speak with a jackal and the lion king converses with his mother. The images seem so peaceful. There is bloodthirsty work going on in them!
1940? Printer’s Block of George Ade’s “The Fable of The Good People Who Rallied to the Support of the Church.” Mounted on wood, with a hook for hanging. 9.7” x 2.7”. Unknown source.
What fun! Our collection has a number of individual George Ade “Fables in Slang” cut out of newspapers – unfortunately not featuring this one. We have a number of his books. For those who do not want to read either forwards or in mirror-fashion, I lay out the text here. By the way, I was surprised how easy the printer’s block was to read when I flipped it in my computer!
2023? Print of WC by MarkesArt. 16" x 12". $18.88 through Redbubble, Dec., '24.
The artist describes this as the climactic moment of the fable. I would say that it is the dramatic moment. I believe that the climactic moment is when the crane is not looking into the wolf's throat but rather when he is waiting for his reward and gets the wolf's snarl instead. Good, dramatic black-and-white artistry suitable for use in a lecture.
1920? Print of “La Cigale” by E(mile) Metzmacher, painted in 1886. With slipsheet offering “La Cigale” by Marton. $30 from pdiddyt through Ebay, Jan., ’26.
This piece touches on some unusual history. I had acquitted two prints of Metzmacher’s “The Grasshopper and the Ant,” in black and white. Researching the original, I was surprised to learn that Metzmacher has done a colored oil painting rather similar but featuring only one person instead of two. I was happy to purchase a copy. We have that copy, and it quotes a poem “Cigale,” which is a poem about returning home after a tragic betrayal. As far as I can tell, this grasshopper has nothing to do with a fable. I did my own lamenting, but checked again, and several responsible sources on the web immediately relate this painting to La Fontaine’s fable. Maybe I can add to the next researcher’s surprise and discovery!
1957 Print Facsimile of Marc Chagall's Etching "Wolf and Fox Before Monkey Judge." Printed in West Germany in 1957 based on Chagall's 1952 etching. Mounted in acid free black board. Overall size 12" x 15". $149 from TxArtGallery through Ebay.
This is a nice representation of Chagall's work, well framed and matted. We will need to compare someday to the original. The Ebay seller describes it as "facsimile ink signed." I wonder what that means.
1994 Press Photo of Texas Mime Theatre Members in Production of "Aesop's Fables," July 22, 194, at Heinen Theater. Houston Chronicle, July 22, 1994. Photo by Alvin Gee. $10 from Historic Images, Nov., '16.
This show had already run two days, apparently. One cannot tell much about the fable presentation from these costumes!
