1850 Erve Wijsmuller Magazijn van Papieren etc. Plaques d'ombre ombres chinoises à prix réduit

Included in this lot are two original antique French prints of childrens shadow puppets published by Erve Wijsmuller in Magazine van Papieren and printed in Metz by Fabrique destampes de Dembour et Gangel.

These prints are framed and were originally part of the Westinghouse corporate art collection. Framed, both pieces measure approximately 19" H x 22" W.

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The content below was drawn from a pamphlet by the Poppenspel Museum in the Netherlands.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, childrens prints, also called folk or penny prints, were in vogue. They were cartoons. The subjects were very diverse: fairy tales, plant and animal kingdoms, caricature prints, etc. In 1850 the company Erve Wijsmuller, Magazijn van Papieren, etc., published nine shadow plates . The originals come from the famous Fabrique destampes de Dembour et Gangel in Metz. Years later they were published in slightly modified form by the Imagerie dEpinal. The plays that appear on it come from Séraphins repertoire. Dominique Séraphin François, who used his middle name as a stage name, opened his own theater in Paris in 1784 where he showed Ombres Chinoises . Each print shows the necessary shadows for a game, with the accompanying decor. The children could paste the pictures on cardboard and cut them out. A tiny textbook was used for the prints: The Séraphin of Children. Manual and plays for the display of Chinese Ghosts. The series includes the following games: 1. Ships, boats, gondolas and fishes. 2. Mammals. 3. Inventors, etc.. 4. Figures for various scenes and The

broken bridge. 5. The Confused Household and The Imaginary Sick.

6. The Wizard. 7. The Beautiful Farmers Wife and Madame Baroness.

8. Great Carnival of Venice. 9. Carriages, etc..