1900 Exposition Universelle 1900 GGE. Five slightly larger than 6½" x 4" cards, titled "La Poule aux Oeufs d'Or," printed by B. Sirven, Toulouse-Paris. €8 for four cards (of 6?): #1, 2, 3, and 5 in St. Ouen, August, '13. Extra copy of #1 for 60 Francs from Annick Tilly at the Clignancourt flea market, August, '99. Extra copies of several cards and a first copy of the last missing card, #4, from Caveron Devey, Paris, August, '14. The truly last missing card for €12 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricquart, France, Sept., '18.
In the first image, a little girl seems to be putting coins into a stocking while a little boy watches. This seems the "before" of the story itself, establishing that the couple is poor. The second scene shows the young man delighted to have found a golden egg. The young man believes in the third scene that this black hen contains a whole treasure. The fourth card introduces the sinister knife with wondrous eagerness! In the fifth scene, the hen lies dead and the two humans grieve. Now in 2020, I have learned from Bertrand Cocq that there are actually six cards in the series. Of course! There are always six! Lovely colors!
1950? Large 5¼" x 8¼" blotter put out by La Mutuelle Générale Française insurance company of Le Mans. Around the top and both sides are eight small square illustrations of the more popular fables of La Fontaine. $5 from Dany Wolfs, Roesalare, Belgium, May, '01.
The fables presented by the simple block illustrations here are OR, OF, WL, FC, TH, FS, MSA, and "The Lion and the Mosquito." A short adage praises La Fontaine for extolling prudence, economy, and wisdom.
