Abstract The verso of these two postcards presents a number (2244/1 and 2244/2, respectively), a title, and a boxed version of La Fontaine's fable text at the upper left. The lively images on the picture side of the card are heavy on pastels, flowers, dressed animals, and block-letter titles. In FC the rapidly falling cheese leaves a visible trail; a mouse in an open portion of the tree trunk holds his ears against the crow's bad music, while the fox laughs below. In TMCM, the country mouse offers a...

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Here is a delightful set of cards. They use fables to offer an initial description of romantic moments, apparently always between soldiers-in-uniform and beautifully dressed young women. Then there is a little poem to advise the participants in the fable's scene. If I read these poems correctly, they at least sometimes urge maidens to gather rosebuds while they may.

Abstract I would guess that there is an experiment in the use of photography going on here. The experiment would seem to be this: can a good photographer show the course of a fable by the facial expressions of a clever young actress? The answer here has plenty of "yes," since the girl is both photogenic and expressive. The five pictures seem to me to follow well La Fontaine's fable's pattern: first distance on the part of the crow; then interest; then sheer joy over the flattery; then perhaps the...

Abstract The fox here tries to get not grapes, but the distilled essence of grapes in a bottle standing on a crate.The fox and stork have neither shallow plates nor tall vases. They do have a bottle of something worthy!In the fable, the dog lets the others have his master's lunch. Here he lets them have the lunch but not the bottle of brandy! This donkey is charged with neither salt nor sponges but with a couple of precious cases of Dom brandy.In an...

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I have been lucky enough to find various cards done by Bergeret as part of a series "Fables de La Fontaine."

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"Le Lièvre et la Tortue": Patt's particular contribution to this scene seems to be the presence of a boy and a girl, both apparently surprised by the results. "Imprimé en France." Never used. Again, this card is smaller than the others.

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This further card in the series of Mauzan's work has the same dynamism and emotionality one sees in his other cards. Her wooden shoes are still flying off, her jug is broken, and she lands on her face. All three of her dreamed of animals are fleeing. Well done! Bertrand tells me that this card completes this series. A German postcard trader knows that I have collected Mauzan and sends me regularly other work of Mauzan, some of it tending toward the pornographic…..

Abstract Several things make this card unusual for me. First, it falls outside the series of Mauzan cards I had already gathered. Secondly, it dates this card – and so helps with the others – in 1944. Thirdly, trying to find out more led me to learn his first names and so to correct what seemed to be an "X" in his signature on cards. Finally, I am cataloguing this card in December of 2020 and presumed that I had received it recently. I was astounded to look at the envelope and see a postmark of 2012!...

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The expressions on all three characters' faces are excellent. The exaggerated mode of dress for each emphasizes the roles well. It is easy to enjoy Mauzan's presentation of each fable!

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The shift to children may not be entirely successful here. The scene thus loses most of its serious bearing. Exploiting each possible element of the scene leads to having the ass fight against the lead of the third thief.

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The fox gains in power by being dressed, and nattily at that. The crow is just his natural self. The script and characterization seem typical for Mauzan.

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This further card in the series of Mauzan's work has the same dynamism and emotionality one sees in his other cards. Her wooden shoes are still flying off, her jug is broken, and she lands on her face. All three of her dreamed of animals are fleeing. Well done! Bertrand tells me that this card completes this series. A German postcard trader knows that I have collected Mauzan and sends me regularly other work of Mauzan, some of it tending toward the pornographic…..

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The unusual thing about this set is the coloration of the photographs. The picturing of the dreaming of the milkmaid in the upper left corner of the card seems so similar to what I have seen in other postcard series of MM. Thils sries of five cards completes the narrative of this fable. Might there be a sixth presenting La Fontaine's following comment on the normal human habit of wishful daydreaming?

Abstract Each picture in this set plays out in front of the same photographic background of trees at a riverside. At the top of each card is a literal artistic picturing of the animal story, from the lamb's drinking to the arrival of the wolf, to a threatening confrontation, to the lamb's answer, and finally to the forceful dragging off of the lamb. The title serves as a marker between this drawn scene above and the photographic human scene below. Do I understand correctly that she is washing...

Abstract This is a curious set, first of all for its size: most sets of photographic fable postcards include six members, while this set has ten. It is curious next for using a single child to play both parts in this visualization of the fable. Fable depends so much on interaction of two parties; it is a surprise to see each card in this whole series picture just one character. Finally, it is curious for an inversion in Verse 10: Card 5 has "Le Corbeau à ces mots ne se sent plus de joie" whereas...

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I never want to disagree with Monsieur Cocq, but I wonder if there is not a missing fourth card in a series of six. This set quotes La Fontane but, at that point, excises a few lines of his text. Is there an extra card out there somewhere, to complete this series? As it is, this photographic series presents a strong contrast between the luxuriously dressed city rat and the simpler country rat in her plain red dress.

Abstract This seems to be a story built off of La Fontaine's fable, since it features Perrette, a jug, and a male. Perrette fills her jug as Colin looks on. She fills her jug, but he loves her. He describes to her the happiness of lovers. He puts his arm around her. Her jug falls and breaks, and Colin is happy over his mischief. Seeing her cry, he leads her into his house. As Bertrand writes of the set, "largely inspired by La Fontaine." Are these good lessons to be teaching French kids in...

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In Card #1, two men live in peace. By Card #3, they are distracted from their friendship by a woman. "And voila! War is enflamed!" I will include a photo from the web with the others of the series that I will be looking for.

Abstract Do I read this series wrong by understanding it to portray a romantic relationship that does not turn out as the initiator desires – and so he rejects it? Notice that the sender dates his five cards in April on the 5th, 16th (twice), and 25th (twice). Was he trying to suggest something to Mademoiselle M.L. Pouchan in Pau? Did she come down from her ladder? "Femina" has a distinctive cursive signature, clear on each of these cards, for its publications in the early 20th century,...

Abstract These cards exhibit lively artistry. They are marked by a common orthography in presenting the fable title on the image side and a common format on the message side. Montmorillon is known as a book town and describes itself on the message side of the cards as "Cité de l'Écrit et des Métiers du Livre." One of the liveliest cards, UP by Claude Coudray, is the title card for a set of black-and-white cards found earlier from the wife of the artist at a card fair in Paris in Jan., '05. "The...

Abstract This is one of the liveliest sets of illustrations of La Fontaine's fables that I have encountered. Card after card has surprises! The ass who has crossed the river with salt holds onto a bush with a fingered hand in #2. In #9, the angler is wondering about the small fish he has caught just as a huge Jaws-like shark is ready to break the surface just below him! In "Acorn and Pumpkin" (#15), La Fontaine is walking away from and looking back at the bumpkin about to get hit on the nose by a...

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The six numbered photographic postcards show the cast at six moments in the presentation, marked by a portion of text from La Fontaine's fable. The scenes show summertime singing, wintertime hunger, pleading for food, declaration by the grasshopper of singing for the pleasure of any listener, rejection by the ant, and "Choeur Final." Blank versoes.

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The Carlson Fable Collection is a gathering of primary fable materials at Reinert Alumni Memorial Library at Creighton University. It grew out of the personal collection of fable materials gathered by Rev. Gregory Carlson, S.J. and was given to the Creighton Libraries in 1996. There are more than 10,000 books and approximately 8,000 artifacts in the collection.From plates to stamps, from cards to whiskey decanters, from toys to posters, you'll find just about anything you can...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The Carlson Fable Collection is a gathering of primary fable materials at Reinert Alumni Memorial Library at Creighton University. It grew out of the personal collection of fable materials gathered by Rev. Gregory Carlson, S.J. and was given to the Creighton Libraries in 1996. There are more than 10,000 books and approximately 8,000 artifacts in the collection.From plates to stamps, from cards to whiskey decanters, from toys to posters, you'll find just about anything you can...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The Carlson Fable Collection is a gathering of primary fable materials at Reinert Alumni Memorial Library at Creighton University. It grew out of the personal collection of fable materials gathered by Rev. Gregory Carlson, S.J. and was given to the Creighton Libraries in 1996. There are more than 10,000 books and approximately 8,000 artifacts in the collection.From plates to stamps, from cards to whiskey decanters, from toys to posters, you'll find just about anything you can...