1995? TH postcard: Rien ne sert de courir il faut partir a point." Delta Productions. Z.I. de la Lauze. Saint-Jean-de-Vedas. Imprimé en France. Postmarked from Henday Plage Jan., '97. €1.50 from Gerard Crucy, Yerres, at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05. Extra copy for $5 from an unknown source, Feb., '22.
The art work seems to be signed "Dalle" or something similar. It is a heavily pastel scene of the finish line, drawn for young children. The exhausted blue hare wears a runner's shirt. Various birds and mice are at the finish to celebrate the tortoise.
The rendering of two things is excellent in this decanter. First, the dog's left ear is arched up as he looks down intot he water with the bone in his mouth. Secondly, the flat reflection in the water below is well done.
The lion is kissing or licking Androcles, whose one eye squints as he removes the thorn from the crying lion's paw. The decanter plays the tune "What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love." See a detail of the scene below.
1890? "Edition Populaire a 5 Cmes." Debauve & Gallais, 30, Rue des Sts-Pères, à Paris. Nineteen cards that apparently accompanied chocolate. All illustrate "Fables Choisies Illustrees," each with a title above a framed scene of children. Imp. H. Laas, Paris. 2273.B. 3⅛" x 4½". $7 each from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '20.
Would one have been able to purchase a candy bar for 5 Centimes back then? We have other cards from H. Laas, some showing the same scenes of children. These cards have an elaborate pattern complementing the ornate frame for each illustration. Debauve & Gallais, which still thrives near the Du Bac metro station, had several series of cards, two of them also illustrating fables. I can find no evidence online of this set – and therefore of its size.
