La Fontaine Children

 

1947? La Fontaine's Fables in children's scenes.   18 cards produced by M. Barré and J. Doyez, Paris. The artist's signature seems to be "Lack" or "Jack." Series 1426; each card has a different letter following that number. No. 614. The fable is printed in script on the message side of the post card. At about the same time, this publishing firm did a series of colored postcards by Starling.  Imprimé en France. 30 Francs each from Normand Antiquités at the Marché aux Puces, Clignancourt, May, '97 and July, '98. 45 Francs each for eleven cards from M. d'Autreppe at Clignancourt, August, '99.  Click on each image to see it in full size.

A:  Le loup et l'agneau:   A boy with a soldier's cap and uniform and a sword reaches out a hand to a little girl fishing in a stream.  I may be missing something here.... B:  Le corbeau et le renard:   A little boy tries to get the cherries from a girl in the tree.  The children in these scenes wear wooden shoes. C:  La mouche du coche:   A boy cracks a whip made of a stick in front of a large wagon drawn by four horses.   One extra copy. E:  Le lièvre et la tortue:   A little child reaches the tree-goal before a much larger one does.

F. L'huitre et les plaideurs: One child gives an empty oyster shell to each of two others.. G:  Le petit poisson et le pécheur:  A boy fishing holds a small fish.  One extra copy.. L:  Le gland et la citrouille: A child sits at the base of a tree holding an acorn with one hand and a spot on his face with the other.  Next to him is a gigantic pumpkin. M:  Le héron:  A picky young fisherman disdains the fish jumping up in the water near him.

N: Le singe et le chat: One boy steals chestnuts and hands them to another boy behind him, while a man near the oven smokes his pipe and does not notice.  That figure looks suspiciously like Toulouse-Lautrec! P: L'âne chargé de reliques: Two other children bow before a proud third walking into church with a holy object in his hands. One extra copy. Q: Le charretier embourbé: A boy kneels before his stalled coaster, filled with hay and a sickle. An older boy points to the place where he needs to get the wheel out of the mud. R: Le renard et le bouc: One child steps on another to get out of a well. A pair of wooden shoes sits on the well's wall, and there is a windmill in the background.
S:  L'âne vêtu de la peau du lion:  Children holding household weapons attack a child underneath a lion's skin. U: La colombe et la fourmi: A boy with a slingshot hits a man labelled "Loi" as he chases a girl who has apparently stolen some fruit from a tree. V: Le geai paré des plumes du paon: A child strutting dressed in a soldier's uniform far too big for him is laughed at by adult males near a shore-line; presumably they are officers and he thinks the uniform gives him reason to strut. Elements of other uniforms seem to be lying on the lawn. X: Le laboureur et ses enfants: A larger child walks along with two younger ones. All wear wooden shoes and carry farming implements.

 
Y: L'oiseleur, l'autour et l'alouette: We see children of three sizes: the youngest and smallest, a blond little girl, is grasped from behind by a larger boy--even while another yet larger boy reaches for him. Z: Les voleurs et l'âne: While two boys fight, apparently over apples, a third boy carries away a basket of them. Sample verso: Les voleurs et l'âne

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