Two partial prints by Emile Joseph Alexandre Gouget. €2 apiece at a flea market in Strasbourg in July, '19.
The Forest and the Woodcutter
The Farmer, the Dog & the Fox
These two present only the illustrations. They do not add text or designs at all.
2012 Two original art works by Zsofia Szeleczky. 7.5" square. .5" thick. Budapest: Hungary. Unknown source.
FC emphasizes the fox by giving him a color of his own. The only other color not black or white is the cheese. Szeleczky again has fun with the scene by adding leaves, sprouts, musical notes, and three pairs of (young fox?) eyes in the left tree.
FS has a number of engaging features. Note the swirling black and white in both trees and both tree stumps. Do not miss the elongated legs of the stork, the little fish inside the bases, the owl in the tree, or the steam arising from the frustrated fox. His angry stare is expressive! Well done, Zsofia!
1950? Two More Disney TH Rugs. Unknown source.
These rugs with fringe on their sides clearly belong to the same series as those above. One featuring the main two characterrs reverses the direction of its twin above. The other presents an unlikely scene of the tortoise and one of Miss Cottontail’s female students running in the same direction. Both are 11.25” high. Their widths are 24” (the mirror view twin) and 18”. Might these have been movie prizes or lottery gifts for viewing the cartoon?
1890? 1 two-piece brass button, 1 1/16" in diameter, picturing two monks. Steel back, wire shank. $10 from Onie Wiedeman, Minot, ND, May, '99.
Might this be someone's conception of the story of the two monks from Bidpai? In any case, there is a large stein or pitcher to the right of the right monk, who clearly holds a drinking vessel. As I study this button more closely, I am not convinced that the two men must be monks. If I keep this button in the collection, I will at least know where to find it when I learn that it really is a fable button!
1900? Two matching tapestries of fables of La Fontaine. 8” x 8’. Unknown source.
Each of these long, slender, exquisite tapestries contains six fable scenes. The style is similar to that on our wider tapestry, but strangely none of the twelve scenes presented here are the same as the seven there. Two of the images here are unclear to me. I would love to have help in deciphering them! The first image here shows them as they stood at the entrance to an on-campus exhibit of the fable collection, "Thundering Tortoises and Horrified Hares," in January, '18.
1940? Two matching decks of TH playing cards. The design shows white characters against a green and a black background, respectively. Self sorting club playing cards. "Deck Copr. 1932." In the sturdy original 3 7/8" x 5" box. NY: Bid-Rite Playing Card Corp. $12.99 from Louie and Annette Fotinatos, Norwalk, CA, through Ebay, March, '01.
The card that comes along with the deck proclaims "Self-Sorting Cards—First Change in over Three hundred years." Wow! I received these cards with the original cellophane still around each deck. Each deck also still has its original inspection notice. In the design the tortoise on a scooter moves to the bottom left corner of the card, while a hare (in mid-air?) bounds after him.
1950? Two Italian TH fable tapestries. Made in Italy. 32.5" x 11.25" and 18" x 11.25". Velour? Fringe-edged sides. $36 from Mrs. Germany, Oakhurst, OK, through Ebay, July, '99.
Another huge surprise from Ebay! The smaller design selects a portion of the larger. In the larger, a female rabbit at left looks right toward a running tortoise and a following rabbit, both running towards the left. The smaller tapestry has the "Made in Italy" label sewn on its back. The characters reproduce with astounding accuracy those found in Disney's early "Toby Tortoise and the Hare." See my versions listed in 1935 (twice) and 1938. My, how Aesopic motifs get around! One of the tell-tale details here is the hat perched on top of the antennae on the tortoise's head. The other is the fence of Miss Cottontail's Boarding School, where Toby stopped to show off to the girls.
1950? Two Italian TH fable Rugs. Made in Italy. 32.5" x 11.25" and 18" x 11.25". Velour? Fringe-edged sides. $36 from Mrs. Germany, Oakhurst, OK, through Ebay, July, '99.
Another huge surprise from Ebay! The smaller design selects a portion of the larger. In the larger, a female rabbit at left looks right toward a running tortoise and a following rabbit, both running towards the left. The smaller tapestry has the "Made in Italy" label sewn on its back. The characters reproduce with astounding accuracy those found in Disney's early "Toby Tortoise and the Hare." See my versions listed in 1935 (twice) and 1938. My, how Aesopic motifs get around! One of the tell-tale details here is the hat perched on top of the antennae on the tortoise's head. The other is the fence of Miss Cottontail's Boarding School, where Toby stopped to show off to the girls.
1970? Two individual playing cards showing FG on the backs. One image is entirely in black and red; the other is in black and blue with a red stripe around the outside. $8 from Dany Wolfs, Roesalare, Belgium, August, '00.
Actually the FG image in the blue card is reduced to include the red stripe inside the white margin, which occupies the same space as on the red card. The only identifying mark is "Grapes" on the 4 of spades on the red card. The blue card is the 2 of clubs. If I keep this up, will I be able to put together a whole deck of individual cards with different fable images?
2006 Two identical mugs, boxed in "Spode Blue Room" boxes with applied seals "Archive Aesop's Fables Mug, 0.5L, 16oz." Information on the bottom of the mug says "First introduced c. 1830." "Dishwasher, Freezer, Microwave Safe."
The design on this cup features, in blue, a simple scene of a lion (?) and a fox apparently simply looking at each other. My best guess is that the scene depicted is that of the fox that first approached the lion and ran away with fear. A second time he came closer. The third time he came right up and addressed him.
1935 Two identical handbills featuring AD and “Les Deux Voyageurs.” Three colored panels with the two fable texts. “Le Printemps est l’ami des enfants.” No. 116bis. Liege: Éditions Gordinne. Printed by George Lang. About 10½” x 8”. $5 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '20.
On the first two illustrations the colors do not quite match the lines. Is it unusual to have a fable from La Fontaine paired with one from Florian? I presume that the “Printemps” in question here is the department store. On the web, I find posters advertising their delivery service but I find no handbills.
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.
