1964? Four E.S. Creation Carrère "en feutrine" black-background felt cards of La Fontaine's fables. E.S. Paris. $8 each from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '20. Extra copy of FS for $8 from Cartophilian Collectibles, Cheshire, CT., Jan., '01.
Postmarks on these cards begin in 1965. I have found two other cards from the same firm online: Donald Duck and Snow White. What an unusual concept in postcards!
1979 Cover, The New Yorker, Oct. 22, ’79. Arnie Levin. Xerox copy, 8.5” x 11”. Gift of Tom Beckman.
This tortoise is bedecked with all the stickers and symbols and advertisements of an Indy 500 race car. The two faces tell a lot: the tortoise is eager. The hare is surprised at the livery!
1930? A pinback 15/16" in diameter, labelled "Aesop's Fables - Countess - 23."
Against a white background we find "Aesop's Fables" at the top, "Countess at the bottom, and "23" on the right side. In the cneter is figured a dancing female mouse. I suspect the pin has something to do with the Aesop's Fables movie cartoons that were popular at the time. My, what one does not find! In this case, the price was certainly right!
2003 Le Coq et le Renard. Colored title-card and six black-and-white postcards. Claude Coudray. Les Fables de la Fontaine. Limited edition. 2e Salon de l'Image et de l'Écrit. Montmorillon. €10 from the wife of the deceased artist at the Paris Post Card Exhibition, Jan., '05.
This was my first find at the Paris Post Card Exhibition. I do not understand the verso of the title-card: "Série de 50 cartes (1000 ex.)." I understand better the verso of each of the six cards in this set: "Tirage limité exemplaires 90." The text used in the cards is perfectly faithful to La Fontaine. This is a lively and lovely set! One card done by André le Guilloux was part of the same Salon show in 2003 as presented "Le Coq et le Renard."
2024 Cotton runner with stitched TH title and characters. 18" square. Prize in a trivial-pursuit faculty contest sponsored by Reinert Alumni Library, April, '24.
Here is another surprise addition to the collection. Once it was offered as a prize, I worked hard to win the competition! Then I was told that it was stitched over lunch the day of the contest. Wow! Another unexpected appearance of Aesop!
1985 8 cotton fabric panels by Juliette Mairel. Paris. 18.5" x 15". Brown, Cream, Yellow, Black.
I find the illustrations exceptionally well done. The creator, captured on the edge of one of our clothes, seems otherwise unknown. The use for these clothes remains unclear to me, but I am delighted that they have not been used before!
1999 Cotton baby's bib featuring the tortoise and the hare. 7½" x 8". 100% cotton terry with water-resistant vinyl plastic. Oyster Bay, NY: Baby's 'n Things. With a matching bottle.
One of these bibs came with a baby's bottle which has a similar illustration of TH. This design has the tortoise walking right and wearing a hat. Click on the image to see it enlarged.
1935? Picture postcard. 3.5" x 5.5". "Cortege des Fables de La Fontaine et des Contes de Perrault, Le Meunier, son Fils et l'Ane." $5 through eBay.
If one looks closely, one can make out the sign apparently carried with this cortege: "Il est difficile de contenter tout le Monde et son Pere." It would take great archival work to date and place this photograph! That part of a parade presents the fable is a testimony to people's acquaintance with it and its popularity.
