Creighton University Archives and Special Collections

Carlson Fable Collection

Item Set

Items

• KIFO Buvard N. 3 "La Cigale et la Fourmi."
  1970? KIFO Buvard N. 3 "La Cigale et la Fourmi." Les Fables de la Fontaine. KIFO does cleaning and maintenance work. E 12 LePoivre Thellier á St. Venant (PDC). $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '02. This pleasant blotter in red and green on a white background shows the ant and cicada conversing at the front door. "If the cicada had stopped to think, she would have been able to sing and even dance with the savings realized by having used the range of KIFO products." The bottom of the blotter invites people to look forward to the fourth in the series.
• Green and black blotter
  1967? A large (8" x 6⅜") green and black blotter on a cream background. "Le Chat, la belette....Version 67." R.E.P.T.T. Paris: Kergy. $7 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18. This new – 67th! – version of the fable involves, as usual, the Jean Lapin, ousted from his home, and the squatting weasel who ousted him. As usual, the two appear before the judge cat, here presented in a formal court scene. Here, however, the cat does not eat both litigants. Rather, the cat dismisses the case of the weasel and, even better, tells her that she does not need to be a squatter. All she has to do is set up an account with the post office to save up for lodging. It is that easy!
• "Le Corbeau et le Renard" blue and white blotter.
  1965? "Le Corbeau et le Renard" blue and white blotter. "Bon Buvard." 5¼" x 8¼". Pates aux Oeufs Frais Pèr' Lustucru. Grenoble. Paris: E.G.F.P. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '03. The blotter shows the fox running away with a large cheese in his mouth. The text on this blotter is a further advertisement: "Enfants Sages. Pour obtenir trios belles fables illustreés en couleurs envoyez-nous avec votre adresse, 8 Pèr' Lustucru découpés sur nos boites à damiers bleus."
• "le corbeau et le renard" (La Fontaine)" colored blotter
  1965? "le corbeau et le renard" (La Fontaine)" colored blotter. 7¼" x 4¼". La Laiterie Parisienne. Paris: E.G.F.P. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '02. The blotter quotes the first two lines of La Fontaine's fable: "Master Crow perched on a tree held in his beak a cheese" and then adds "It was, of course, a 'Fromage Sélectionné' from The Parisienne Dairy. The best!" The illustration in green, brown, yellow, and orange is striking.
• "Le loup et l'agneau." Dauré Apéritif Naturel.
  1960? "Le loup et l'agneau." Dauré Apéritif Naturel. 5" x 7¾". $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '02. Extra copy in only good condition from Dany Wolfs, Roeselare, Belgium, May, '01. Red ink on a cream background. This fable builds on La Fontaine's WL. Here the wolf proclaims to the lamb as the latter scampers away: "You are lucky that I have not yet taken my Dauré this morning!" Is the point that water comes only after a Dauré aperitif opens the way for it?
• Les Vins des Caves du Plessis Buvard N. 1.
  1960? Les Vins des Caves du Plessis Buvard N. 1. FG. Les Fables de la Fontaine. About 8¼" x 5¼". St. Venant. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '02. In a lovely design using black, green and red inks, the fox claims, as usual, that the grapes are too green. The blotter's text agrees but adds "but the wines of the Plessis Caves are wonderful!" The blotter also invites one to ask for the whole series of blotters at one's local provider of wines. I would love to do that!
• GA blotter from Compagnies Françaises d'Assurances du Groupe Phénix
  1959 GA blotter from Compagnies Françaises d'Assurances du Groupe Phénix. Concours du 140e Anniversaire. 8" x 5 3/8". $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '02. Green, black, and red paint the familiar scene, with winter's leaves sweeping about in the winds. This is one of the few blotters I have with writing on the verso. In fact there is a great deal of writing. It explains a competition for kids between seven and fourteen years old. They are to draw the phoenix of classical mythology for a variety of specific prizes. The deadline for entries (December 31, 1959) gives a rare help to someone dating a blotter like this one. I think that this is my first fable item announcing a contest!
• "Le Fou et le Sage."
  1958? "Le Fou et le Sage." #28 from Snels Biscottes de Luxe au Lait. 5¾" x 6¾". St. Ouen (Seine). Créat. I.M., Paris. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '02. A large colored cartoon dominates this blotter. La Fontaine XII 2 is, in Spector's edition, "Un Fou et un Sage," whereas this blotter has "Le Fou et le Sage." This is clearly the fable, a replay of Aesop's rewarding the fool who threw a stone at him and then encouraging him to throw one at a richer man for a bigger reward. Here the well-dressed man has, I gather, a coin in his hand, while the fool has a large rock that he is ready to hurl. The latter is marked as a fool, I think, by the cooking pan he wears for a hat.
• Biscottes Exona
  1956? Biscottes Exona. 8. OF. Biscottes de Régime. 5¾" x 6½". Société des Produits Rationnels d'Alimentation Exona. Essonnes (S.-&-O.). Paris: Imp. S.E.R.T. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '03. A multicolored picture of the expanding frog graces the upper left of this colorful blotter. Poids Moyen 350 Grams.
• "Le Renard Se Modernise."
  1955? "Le Renard Se Modernise." "Ric et Rac," Fabrications Françaises KAOL, a manufacturer of shoe polishes. The illustration is signed "Pol Pab" or "Pol Rab." 8½" x 5 3/8". $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '02. Here is a simple blotter with brown ink on a light pink background. The left section of the blotter consists in a traditional sketch of FC. The fox is, however, asking the crow to pass the Ric et Rac, and then he will be the most brilliant inhabitant of the forest. I gather that the crow is holding not a cheese but a can of shoe polish! The bottom lines have a nice jingle: "Your shoes creek, your shoes crack./Polish them with 'Ric et Rac.'"
• "La Cigale et la Fourmi: Version Moderne"
  1952? "La Cigale et la Fourmi: Version Moderne" compliments of Crédit Coopératif de France, Paris. Signed "Pomandre 52." R.C. Seine 352.357 B. 50 Francs from Annick Tilly, Clignancourt, August, '99. In this modern version, the young cicada, unlike her mother, did not forget winter while she sang all summer. To avoid having to cry famine, she trusted in the Credit Cooperative to have a house on long-term credit. She knew that she could sing in peace for ten, fifteen, or twenty years. The house of the cicada's dreams is pictured in a nice bubble above her as she sings. Lively read and blue art on a 6" x 9" blotter.
• "The Wolf and the Crane."
  1951 "The Wolf and the Crane." Twenty-Third in a Series of 24 Aesop's Fables. With calendars for December, 1951 and January, 1952. Compliments of the Tulsa Agency, J.G. Brinkley Manager. Minneapolis: Northwestern National Life Insurance Company. $2.50 from Rocky Trading, Neodesha, KS, through Ebay, Jan., '02. This blotter, about 3½" x 6¼", presents an oval line drawing of WC in the upper left, with a full text and moral below it. The right half of the card presents its title, the series, a calendar, and the local Tulsa sponsor. The bottom of the blotter shows the national sponsor. This blotter may be among the most prosaic fable items I have.
• Blotter presented by Les Excellentes Gaufrettes Rivoire et Jeandet
  1950? Le Coq et le Renard." Blotter presented by Les Excellentes Gaufrettes Rivoire et Jeandet. "Fables de la Fontaine." $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '02. This blotter seems to be rather an advertisement for a series than a member of it. Apparently Rivoire and Jeandet's wafers come in various kinds of packages, and the latest package is titled "Fables de la Fontaine." The collection comprises 84 images in, as the blotter proclaims, very pretty coloring. The story in the lovely cartoon here is UP. The (fictive?) dog seen by the cock appears on the top of the hill. The climax of the advertisement is classic: "Collect a unique collection of the fables of La Fontaine while enjoying the wafers of Rivoire & Jeandet." As it happens, now, three years later, I have found the full set of 84 cards!
• "Buvard a Conserver" ("a blotter to keep") from Joannic Fabrics
  1950? "Buvard a Conserver" ("a blotter to keep") from Joannic Fabrics, featuring a crow holding a piece of cloth over an expectant fox. 5¼" x 8¼". $5 from Dany Wolfs, Roeselare, Belgium, Nov., '01. This very large cream-colored blotter with a black-and-white design of FC advertises a fabrics store "that impresses through its prices." It seems to sell all sorts of cloth. Might the telephone number with only three digits be a clue to its date?
• Blotter from Biscottes Soleil d'Or
  1950? Blotter from Biscottes Soleil d'Or" picturing the fox and crow in vivid colors. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, May, '05. In this clever design, the well-dressed fox holds out his high silk hat to catch the cheese when it falls. As in so many cases, this is a "Bon Buvard," a bonus gift that came in a package of "Sun of Gold" cookies.
• La Mutuelle Générale Française insurance company blotter
  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.
• "Aesop's Fables" blotter
  1927 "Aesop's Fables" blotter featuring FG, compliments of The Ohio Valley Oxygen Company, Cincinnati. Besides a semi-circular illustration and a lively moral, there is some advertising information and a calendar of October, 1927. $9.99 from Matthew Johnson, Middletown, OH, through Ebay, Feb., '01. This blotter, about 3 7/8" x 9", shows the evidence of some use on its back. The moral here is "He who waits for a windfall usually gets a crop of overripe fruit." The company offers oxygen, hydrogen, acetylene, welding and cutting apparatus, and supplies. Would there have been a set of twelve fable blotters?
• "The Aesop Blotter"
  1889 "The Aesop Blotter" compliments of Davis & Casey, Druggists. Headquarters for all School Books and School Supplies. Seneca Falls, N.Y. Copyrighted 1889 by Scrantom, Wetmore & Co., Rochester, N.Y. $10 from Dave Cheadle, Englewood, CO, Sept., '99. This blotter, about 3¾" x 8", shows the evidence of some use on its back. On its front, it has a good classic rendition of TH (I wish I could establish that this pudgy bunny was done by Weir) with James' text and moral verbatim. Nice job of blue and red printing on what might be a difficult medium.
• Biscottes St. Honoré
  1960? Biscottes St. Honoré. Three blotters roughly 6" x 6½" picturing LM (cream), FC (yellow), and TH (pink). Each is labeled "Buvard extra a conserver." Vauréal: Biscottes de France. 40 Francs each from Annick Tilly at Clignancourt, August, '99. A similar blotter but advertising Biscottes Ch. Bezard with the same FC design, now in pink. €3 from argos30 on Ebay, Oct., '21. Each blotter also gives an address in Seine. Might the telephone numbers (LON 20-32 in Seine and just 36 in Vauréal) be the best evidence for dating these? The pictures are fun. The lion, released from his nets, is opening a box of St. Honoré biscuits. The tortoise and hare are racing almost neck and neck for a biscuit prize. And you can guess what the fox has in hands while the crow either weeps or sweats visible drops! The addition of a second brand name not in Seine but in Vaureal raises good questions!
• Fables of La Fontaine. Five blotters from Chocolats fins Menier.
  1960? Fables of La Fontaine. Five blotters from Chocolats fins Menier. 5½" x 8¼". DW, "Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin," and OR. Buvard Extra. Imp. Typo Noisiel. $5 each from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '02, May, '02, and May, '03. Blotter advertisement for Menier vignettes for $7 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18, along with, for $7, an extra copy of "The Robbers and the Ass.". FC added for $10.05 from Olivier Pierres, Vendat, France, through Ebay, Oct., '20. LM a gift of Susan Carlson, Dec., '23. DW, OR, "Les Voleurs et l'Ane," and "Les Animaux Malades de la Peste" are brown on gold, while "Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin" is red on white. Each blotter announces that this image and many others will be found in Menier's chocolate tablets. "Les plus fins des chocolates fins." The cartoons are simple. The tree and reed have faces. The dog is not only plump but almost round, while the wolf is skin and bones. The third thief is very proud of himself, while the ass looks back in wonderment. In "Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin," only the bunny appears; he is hopping over a fence. "Les Animaux" presents a very sorry-looking group of four. One can find the "vignettes" here among chocolate cards.
• Aesop's Fables Insurance Blotters
  1935? Aesop's Fables. Five blotters 7" x 3 5/8" combining a three-color scene, fable text, and insurance reflection. $15 from Steven Kawalec, Clifton, NJ, through Ebay, Feb., '02. Extra copy of "The Bald Huntsman" compliments of Bovard-Anderson Co., Real Estate, Insurance & Rentals, Beaver, PA, for $5 from T.A.I.L.S., Inc, Vincent OH, through Ebay, Feb., '00. I had to buy thirteen blotters to get the Bovard-Anderson blotter, but it was worth it. Hat and hair both go flying. So almost does the huntsman, but he keeps smiling. The text is an adaptation of Croxall. The blotter adds this application: "Could YOU laugh if a severe windstorm or tornado seriously damaged your property? Windstorm and tornado insurance costs so very little--its protection is extremely important." Then two years later I found the whole set including this blotter on Ebay, though not from any particular insurance agent. Each blotter applies its fable to insurance, and I find the fables well selected for that purpose.
• LUC Super Mousseline Biscottes
  1950? One blotter for "Super Mousseline Biscottes LUC" of Chateauroux, depicting FS. 6" x 7". Printed by Sofoga, Alfortville. $6 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18. LUC TMCM for $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05. By contrast with other LUC blotters, these blotters are labeled "Buvard Extra." Its format -- white background behind an image of, e.g., FS on the upper half, with bright yellow background behind the product and company name on the lower half -- reverses the format of three three other blotters printed for LUC by Sofoga. I presume that one blotter came in each box of cookies.
• LUC Blotters Printed by Beuchet & Vanden Brugge
  1950? Three numbered blotters for "Biscottes LUC" of Chateauroux, each depicting a single La Fontaine fable. 6" x 7". Printed by Beuchet & Vanden Brugge, Nantes and Paris. $18 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18. These blotters are similar in format to the blotters printed by Sofoga in Alfortville, but with different artistry, different typeface for the fable titles, and added numbering. These three present "The Fish and the Cormorant" (#6); "The Magpie and the Dove" (#10); and "The Rabbit and the Frogs" (13). I presume that one blotter came in each box of cookies.
• LUC Blotters Printed by Sofoga
  1950? Three blotters for "Biscottes LUC" of Chateauroux, each depicting a single La Fontaine fable. 6" x 7". Printed by Sofoga, Alfortville. $18 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18. LUC GGE and "Cock and Fox" for $5 each from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05. Bright colors and dramatic action characterize these three blotters, presenting "The Angler and the Small Fish"; TB; and "The Cat, Weasel, and Small Rabbit." I presume that one blatter came in each box of cookies.
• Johnson Insurance Blotters
  1947 Aesop's Fables. Twelve blotters 9" x 3 ¾" combining text, picture, and a monthly calendar. The blotters advertise insurance from Manfert A. Johnson in Rochester. Printed in the USA. $6.99 from Ronald Krause, Rochester, MN, through eBay, April, '04. The text in each case has two parts. The first part recounts the particular fable pictured for this month. The second part turns the point somehow to insurance. The central panel naming and illustrating a fable is good, simple, lively full-color work. These "references" may hit a low point when, in November's blotter-calendar, the "Fable of the One-Eyed Doe" is applied to the "John Does" of fact, not fable. December offers not a fable but an account of Aesop surrounded by simple pictures of animals.