Creighton University Archives and Special Collections

Carlson Fable Collection

Item Set

Items

• "Fables" Flip-Overs
  1998 "Fables." Reading Words Flip-Overs. Four flip-over pages using TH, GGE, GA, and FG. Bryan House Publishers, Inc. Printed in the USA. $1.75 from Kim Douglas, Baytown, TX, through Ebay, August, '00. I had not known of the existence of this learning tool. Each of the four stiff pages has a full-color cartoon image of its fable in the upper half with fifteen numbered items. The lower half of the page consists of the names of these fifteen items with an open rectangle beneath each name for the insertion of the correct number. When the page is flipped over, the young reader can check her or his numbers against the correct numbers below each word. Sentences at the top of this page use some of the emphasized words.
• Fairy Tale Stamps
  1910? Five Piedmont Cigarette Fairy Tale Stamps. Reynard the Fox #2 (with an extra), #3, #4, and #5. Sixty in series. Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. Printed in Germany. Berlin and NY: Wentz and Co. $10 for an envelope of many in the series from Clipper Cargo at the Sacramento Paper Fair, Dec., '96. "Fairy Tale stamps explain in picture form the famous childhood stories of the world," says the back of each stamp. The four scenes here show the bear caught in a trap, Reynard called before the king's court, Mrs. Wolf caught in the ice, and Reynard hard pressed. There is an artist's name printed in the lower right of at least two of the stamps, but it is far too small for me to make out even with a magnifying glass.
• Exhibit Guide Pages
  2018 Thirteen laminated exhibit guides for the exhibit "I See That Fable Differently." Together with a duplicate set. 8½" x 11" descriptions of each of the artworks in the exhibit, grouped according to the thirteen fables represented. Gift of the Joslyn Museum, April, '18. Two years after the exhibit I discovered these cards and found them a lovely souvenir of a lovely experience. In fact, they spurred me to put up two different ways for visitors to our website to experience the exhibit. One of those ways was to follow, fable by fable and artwork by artwork, with the appropriate portion of these guides visible under each of the artworks on the work's own page. The text was originally drafted by students. I did considerable editorial expansion and emendation before the texts went to the Joslyn. They were so professional about every aspect of this exhibit!
• 6 Eaux fortes etchings
  1975? 6 Eaux fortes etchings by Daniel Rouvière: "Les fables de La Fontaine." Each matted with a resulting space of 4½" x 6½". €80 from matbooks through Ebay, Sept., '23. Daniel Rouvière (1913-1985) seems to have done etchings like these and oil paintings. FG is signed, apparently with a signature meant to cover the whole group. There are two versions of FC among the six. I would say that something like "dimensionality" marks this set of etchings: each works with the space between two characters or two scenes. The work within the limited space given to either of the two in any case is exceedingly fine. FG and TH include a snippet of text from La Fontaine. My favorite in the group is probably FS, since it contrasts two scenes. The distancing is particularly effective in FG.
• "The Washington Grape." Envelope
  1865? "The Washington Grape." An envelope with an illustration of FG. The Ebay seller describes it as "black printed Civil War Patriotic," and identifies the fox with the South and the grapes with the North. 5½" x 3¼". $9.99 from Douglas Uzakewicz, East Northport, NY, through Ebay, Feb., '02. Notice the "Johnny Reb" crossed guns on the hind quarters of the fox. The fox is apparently Jefferson Davis ("J.D."), and he is hankering after the city Washington, whether as a military objective or as a political "plum." Is the fox's tail bandaged? What might the circle of holes or markings on the end of his tail suggest? Perhaps that he has been shot up?
• Set of four full-color Ciskei stamps
  1989 Set of four full-color Ciskei stamps illustrating "Little Jackal and the Lion." Johan van Niekerk. $3.50 from Carolyn and Dan Lequerica at the CarDan Company, Fairfield, CA, through Ebay, Sept., '01. Ciskei is a former black homeland and nominal republic in southeastern South Africa, one of the "Bantustans" created by the former South Africa. I do not know the story presented on these stamps. It may be a trickster tale that involves getting the lion to climb a vine that will not support his weight. They are pretty stamps! Each is numbered and has a different denomination:
• Chinese Stamps Brochure
  And now I have found a brochure signed by the artist explaining his sense of fable, in sometimes imperfect English. Directorate General of Posts, Republic of China. Unknown source, July, '18. The brochure comes in an envelope dedicated to this stamp, with features of its artistry on both front and back. "Through the issuance of postage stamps, the magnificent fables may plunge into the thick of life of the modern people.
• Chinese Fables Postage Stamps
  1998 Set of four "Chinese Fables Postage Stamps" on an envelope devoted to the series and marked with "First Day of Issue" postmarks: "Taiwan, ROC, 25.9.98." The verso of the envelope gives the title of the stamps' four scenes. FDC Designer: Rolland Chang. Directorate General of Posts, Republic of China. $4 from Don Alexander, Norman, OK, through eBay, Dec., '03. What a beautiful envelope! A fisherman seems to run into a snipe, a clam, and a tortoise. This overall picture thus represents two of the fables well.
• Set of five PRC China postage stamps
  1981 Set of five PRC China postage stamps. "Marking the Gunwale" Series Presentation Folder. Mint. Issued March 10, 1981. £7.19 from Simon Andrews Stamps/The Cecil Court Stamp Shop, London, through eBay, Nov., '02. This is a favorite fable of mine. It has the right leap from one category to another that sometimes makes a fable take our breath away. I will let the presentation folder tell the fable itself. The other side of the folder identifies the five scenes in the series: Marking the Gunwale to Find the Sword Crossing the River The Sword Dropping into the Water Marking a Mark on the Gunwale Jumping into the Water to Find the Sword
• Four Grasshopper and Ant stamps from Cape Verde
  1995 Four GA stamps celebrating the 300th anniversary of the death of Jean de La Fontaine. FDC from December 15, '95. On an FDC envelope celebrating "Contos Infantis" with an image of the grasshopper and ant, including a cameo of Jean de La Fontaine. From an unknown source. The denominations of the stamps are 10, 25, 38, and 45. "Courvoisier." The style of the images is that of graphic novels: lively, colorful. In the first image, the grasshopper is making music with the help of maracas. The second presents rain and the warm light of the ants' home. The third, perhaps out of order, shows the ant working hard. The fourth has the grasshopper standing at the door, crying, and being rejected. "Dance!" Each stamp has a bit of the narrative in block letters.
• Set of eight "Republique du Burundi" postage stamps
  1987 Set of eight "Republique du Burundi" postage stamps . Mint. Issued Sept. 14, 1977. Scott Numbers 524a-d and 526a-d. Purchased for $4.00 from Bulldog Stamps, Bethesda, Feb., '92. In a series with four each of Grimm (5F: 523a-d), Anderson (14F: 525a-d), and Les Contes des Anglais (26F: 527a-d). Extra copy, cancelled, with Grimm and Anderson (but without Les Contes des Anglais) for $4 from J.R. Stamps, Chelsea Antiques Building, NY, April, '96.
• Four stamps from Botswana
  1979 Four stamps celebrating the international year of the child, 1979. Botswana appears as Bophuthatswana. Stamps have textual material in English or Dutch. Value of each stamp ranges: 4c, 15c, 20c, and 25c. The 25c stamp features two humans walking with a donkey or mule, which appears to have significant burdens. Unknown source. Might the story behind this stamp be MSA? It would only be a sign that Aesopic stories get around!
• One FDC envelope from Australia celebrating the World Masters Games
  1994 One FDC envelope from Australia celebrating the World Masters Games in Brisbane during September and October, '94. The postmark from Sydney confirms the first day of issue as August 11, '94. The left half of the envelope presents TH in three different forms. $3.25 from Lawrence and Rose Bove, St. Ives, New South Wales, Australia, through Ebay, July, '00. The hare leads the tortoise in swimming and cycling, but the tortoise seems to have arrived first at the goal in running. The 45c stamp, which is part of the envelope's own material, lists events from archery through weightlifti
• Set of four uncancelled stamps from Albania featuring "Zhan de la Fonten."
  1995 Set of four uncancelled stamps from Albania featuring "Zhan de la Fonten." The three conventional full-color stamps display each a variety of fable characters. The fourth, larger item worth 60 leke presents La Fontaine himself with several fable scenes. $3.35 from John Ortz, Montreal, through eBay, Oct., '02. Extra copy of the 60 leke stamp for $1.75 from Mr. Y. Fuks, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, through eBay, Oct., '06. Earlier I had found the FDC with the three cancelled stamps. Now I have a set of the stamps uncancelled and the fourth piece that goes with them. This larger piece is not perforated. It presents La Fontaine, LM, FC, OF, "The Eagle and the Tortoise," and a final scene which I cannot specify. This scene involves a man and a snake, but I cannot understand their relationship. It bears the name "A. Matsoukis, S.A." It is numbered 0032252. To allow closer viewing of the stamps, I present each enlarged: click on the stamp to see the enlarged version.
• One FDC from Albania featuring "Zhan de la Fonten."
  1995 One FDC from Albania featuring "Zhan de la Fonten." Postmarked August 20, 1995. The three full-color stamps used for posting the letter display each a variety of fable characters. Even the postmark is peculiar to La Fontaine. $20.50 John Rydzewski at JR Stamps through Ebay, Feb., '02. Now here is a surprise! I would not have thought of Albania as a country that would celebrate Jean de la Fontaine. The spiffy design on the envelope, rendered in brown, blue, and violet, slenderizes and stylizes La Fontaine as he almost dances up to a book with pen in hand. The first of the stamps, worth 2 leke, includes TT, BC, WC, and LM. The second stamp, worth 3 leke, features FG, FC, FS, and DS. On the third, worth 25 leke, I think I can make out AD, OR, and perhaps OF. The characters seem to be rendered in pastels of some sort.
• Separated page print of two engravings, "Fortune and the Young Child" and "The Doctors."
  1850? Separated page print of two engravings, "Fortune and the Young Child" and "The Doctors." Artist not identified. Tome 1, Page 117. €10 from a bouquinist, Paris, July, '23. It will be fun to watch out for which book this page comes from. The images and the style both look familiar. The search is on!
• Motorcycle Tortoise and the Hare
  The print depicts a pen drawing of the tortoise and the hare. The hare rests by a tree while reading a newspaper with the headline “Hare Favored to Win Race”. He is alerted by the sound of tortoise whizzing by on a motorcycle. This drawing humorously reflects the moral behind the original Aesop fable.
• Rat-N-Decker
  The print depicts the Lion and the Mouse, with the mouse holding a large chainsaw labeled “Rat-N-Decker”. Adam Rhine was the artist who made the print. The vibrant colors make for a very appealing fable illustration.
• Fontana: Aesop Narrating His Fables
  1878 "Aesop Narrating His Fables" by R. Fontana. Published as part of the "Exposition Universelle de 1878" by Gebbie and Barrie. Gravure by Goupil Companie. Hand tinted with watercolors and sold for $35 by David Eisler (Aylesbury, Bucks, England) at Baltimore Antiquarian Fair, August, '91. The scene shows a manacled, bearded Aesop entertaining a group of delighted young women. The same engraving appears as the frontispiece to the Ariel Booklet edition (1848/1890?) of Aesop's Fables with the James text and Tenniel illustrations put out by the Knickerbocker press. Click on the picture to see a fuller version.
• Heinrich Leutemann's Reineke
  1880? Three framed Renard engravings by Henrich Leutemann. $40 from magnolia.boudoir through Ebay, March, '24. Two of these three steel engravings are easy to identify and enjoy: FK and "The Ass and the Lapdog." The seller identifies the scenes as coming from La Fontaine. The third image puzzled me. It is identified as "Reynard and Merknau/Reineke und Meiknau." I could not identify who Merknau is until some searching through German sites brought me to "Merkenau" the talkative crow. This illustration faces page 200 in an edition of Reineke composed by Julius Eduard Hartmann and published by Payne in Leipzig. In Canto VII, Merkenau describes to King Noble how he and his wife came upon the apparently dead Reineke. Merkenau's wife came close to his snout to see if there were some sign of life. Reineke snapped off her head!
• François Bouchot
  1850? Three matted circular colored engravings of fables of Jean de La Fontaine. €150 from lefennec205 through Ebay, Sept., '22. Our collection has abundant editions using black-and-white illustrations from François Bouchot, but here are three lovely engravings in color. I fear that it is hard on the web to render the detail I find in this well-executed illustrations!
• Encyclopedia articles, "Aesop's Fables among the Jews" and "Fable."
  1901? Encyclopedia articles, "Aesop's Fables among the Jews" and "Fable." Isidore Singer, Managing Editor. NY: Funk and Wagnalls Company. Included in some one of the Jewish books purchased for the collection though Joshua Jakobovich, Shiloh, Israel, July, '22. This article sees two streams of fables coming together after the first century: the Greek fables of Aesop and the Indian set under the name of Kybises. In the second century these two come together under the rhetor Nicostratus. In the third, these are turned into Greek verse by Babrius. The articles trace the place of fable in Hebrew Literature. Jewish fables take on some prominence with the 107 fables of Berechiah ha-Nakdan, apparently deeply related to the fables of Marie de France. The "Fable" article also mentions John of Capua. Jacobs "Fables of Aesop" is one of several sources mentioned here.
• Poudre St. Eloi
  1935? Two dust-jackets provided by La Poudre St. Eloi against wheat-decay. "The Little Fish and the Angler" and MM, both designed by J.T. Péras. The back cover of each dust-jacket offers a map of districts of France. The former has a claim that Colorado Beetle is radically destroyed by Doryx St. Eloi. "The Little Fish and the Angler" for $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05. MM for $6 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '20. The flaps on the inside of the dust-jacket offer tables of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Both fable illustrations are done with red and green coloring, and offer a rich background to their foreground focus.
• Pastille Pulmoll Dust Jackets
  1960? Brown, red, and gold presentation of FC designed by R. Odoul with a long cartoon advertisement on the back cover. Pastilles Pulmoll. $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05. Pulmoll is here using the same catch-phrase as on the dust-jackets from a different era. The side flaps still present districts of France. The cartoon on the back cover seems to say that Grandpa gets over the cough from smoking cigars by taking Pulmoll tablets.
• Pastille Pulmoll Dust Jackets
  1940? Three French dust-jackets, 9½" x 7", apparently for a school book, advertising "Pastille Pulmoll" €6 each at St. Ouen, August, '13. One duplicate of TH without the "Grande Pharmacie La Fontaine" stamp on the cover for $5 from Mme Denise Debuigne, Rennes, France, Feb., '05. The title continues "calme la Toux * flatte le Gout" (perhaps "calms the cough, soothes the taste"?) Two marked "Face au Pont Grand Pharmacie. J. Fontaine. Compiegne." Highly colorful cartoons of TH, GA, and TMCM grace the covers of these three dust jackets. The back cover has basic road signs. Inside on the flaps are lists of districts of France.