1950? Black-and-white postcard of "Vie Illustrée" of LaFontaine. Artists Ch. Leclerc and Léon Garnier. Editions L.G. & Ch. L. Série A. €7.95 from Hip Postcard, April, '24.
Is this image supposed to represent La Fontaine's life? It seems to have sparse elements. People interested in fables will notice the sheep and the crow. Might there rather be a whole book of La Fontaine's life for which this is but one illustration? The serrated edge at the top of the card suggests that it once belonged to a series of connected cards. It is hard for me to date this card.
1920? La Fontaine statue postcard. $2.54 Canadian from finscanes through Ebay, Feb., '22.
The verso has a one-word message. Unfortunately the time-stamp is not clear enough to establish an exact date. The statue is dated to 1824 and is situated at Chateau Thierry.
1950? La Fontaine Puzzle Game. 8 cards with three open "hinges" for an additional puzzle piece. Plus 24 cards matching these images. Cards 5.7" x 5.3". Puzzle pieces 2.3" x 1.75".
I played this game and it is really fun! The little cards present each several lines from a fable of La Fontaine. The challenge then is to connect this saying with the fable to which it belongs. I had to set aside a few until I came to the end! There is a confirming clue in the match of the tab of the little piece: it matches the picture it belongs to. One missing piece has been reconstructed, I believe, by a beleaguered parent whose child lamented that one piece was missing!
2004 La Fontaine Playing Card Collection. Art by Dante Moglisi. Turin: Lo Scarabeo. €10 at Variantes, Paris, Dec., '04. Two extra copies.
"54 cards dedicated to some of the most famous tales." The 54 full-color illustrations here are small but delightful. Variantes was a store I came to love for its various puzzles and games. These cards were a great find on my way to Africa, when I wisely took an overnight in Paris along the way.Click on a card to see a larger version of it.
2000? Photograph of the La Fontaine Memorial in Jardin du Ranelagh in Paris. Unknown source.
This statue is dear to me for several reasons. The strongest is that the video team I was a part of in June, 2025 spent several hours in our last morning together doing video work on and around this statue. It pictures La Fontaine’s best known fable, FC. The original statue was erected in 1891, but it was melted down during World War II. The current bronze statue, created by French-Portuguese sculptor Charles Correia, replaced the original in 1983.
