Complete Set of Six Pop-Up Views of Paris (Pop-Up Tableau Series, ca. 1899)
Paris: Imp. Mazerand, 13 faubourg Saint-Denis, circa 1889–1900. Oblong octavo (approximately 7.5 x 8.25 inches / 19 x 21 cm). Complete set of six chromolithographed booklets printed on embossed card stock, each depicting a Paris landmark in a multi-plane pop-up tableau. Illustrated throughout by Charles Arnal, each volume incorporates intricate paper and string mechanisms to create layered scenes.
Complete set of all six Paris views issued as pop-up scenes, created from the artwork of Charles Arnal and produced with rich chromolithography by Mazerand of Paris.
Note: This set was originally issued housed in a publisher’s printed card box, which is no longer present. All six pop-up tableaux are present and very good condition.
Each volume presents a different Paris landmark Each pop-up scene opens into 3 to 5 planes/layers. Each piece is signed “Ch. Arnal.”
The six titles and their respective scenes are as follows:
Place de la Concorde presents the elegant square adorned with fountains, the Luxor Obelisk, and the surrounding Haussmannian architecture, capturing the grandeur of the city’s central axis.
Place de l’Opéra depicts the bustling square in front of the Palais Garnier, complete with horse-drawn carriages and elegant passersby, emphasizing the energy of Belle Époque Paris.
Hôtel de Ville shows the newly rebuilt City Hall, destroyed during the Paris Commune and reconstructed in Renaissance Revival style, framed by public activity and ornamental statuary.
Notre-Dame centers on the Gothic cathedral’s imposing west façade and rose window, surrounded by onlookers, pigeons, and the bustling atmosphere of the Île de la Cité.
Palais de Justice includes a rare string-operated mechanism that animates the scene. It highlights the monumental entrance gate, interior courtyard, and the historic Sainte-Chapelle spire in the distance. The string pulley is a mechanical curiosity unknown in other pop-up books of the era.
Place du Carrousel offers a broad perspective of the Louvre courtyard and triumphal arch, with details including statuary, formal gardens, and ornamental gas lamps that reflect the aesthetics of fin-de-siècle urban design.
Condition: Fine. All six volumes display crisp, vibrant imagery and reliable pop up mechanisms. String pull feature functions correctly. Bindings are secure, with minimal wear to edges and light foxing to covers.
This rare set evokes the charm and historical grandeur of turn of the century Paris. It is smaller and more durable than Mazerand’s Columbian Exhibition series, yet employs equally intricate mechanical engineering. The presence of an automobile in one scene has led some collectors to suggest a date closer to the 1900 Paris Exposition rather than 1889.
Collector’s Corner:
These volumes represent a refined example of late 19th century "vues à système," using chromolithography and movable elements to recreate famous Parisian landmarks. Charles Arnal’s detailed illustrations lend a documentary character to each tableau, and the engineering used—particularly the string pull mechanism in the Palais de Justice—is unlike anything found in other movable books of the time.
About the artist:
Charles Arnal (signed “Ch. Arnal”) was a Parisian commercial illustrator active during the Belle Époque. His name appears not only on the six Paris “vues à système” pop-ups but also on a set of four chromolithograph advertising calendars produced in 1899 for the confiserie/chocolaterie Au Chat Noir, commissioned in anticipation of the 1900 Exposition Universelle. These commissions place Arnal squarely in the milieu of aesthetic commercial work produced for the exhibition market at the turn of the century. These fairs were major engines of visual culture in Belle Époque Paris — publishers, printers, and illustrators created everything from posters and maps to souvenirs and novelty items for the hundreds of thousands of international visitors.
see https://andrewterrykeatsfineart.com/chat-noir
About the Publisher: Imprimerie Mazerand
The Paris pop-up views were produced by Imprimerie Mazerand, a prominent late 19th-century French printing and packaging house founded by Jean-Baptiste Mazerand (1841–1917). Born in Cirey-sur-Vezouze in northeastern France at 13 faubourg Saint Denis, Mazerand began his career modestly in 1872 with a small paper workshop. Over the following decades, this workshop grew into a large industrial enterprise known for its high-quality chromolithographic printing and finely crafted cardboard packaging, especially for confectionery manufacturers. By 1910, the main factory in Cirey employed some 250 workers and had become an important supplier of luxury printed goods, producing everything from richly colored advertising “chromos” and decorative labels to calendars, postcards, and confectionery bags.
To support this expanding operation, Mazerand established two additional facilities: a Blâmont plant dedicated to producing decal transfers for Limoges porcelain (destroyed during World War I) and a Paris branch at 61 rue de l’Ourcq, likely serving as both a production site for box manufacturing and a commercial office for clients in the capital. Even during the disruptions of the First World War, the company maintained operations, reflecting its established reputation and versatile output.
The firm’s focus on souvenir and advertising work places it firmly within the vibrant world of Belle Époque visual culture — the same milieu that produced elaborate chromolithographed keepsakes and mechanical novelties for visitors to the Exposition Universelle of 1889 and 1900. The Six Paris Views pop-up series fits naturally within this tradition, combining vivid chromolithography with inventive paper engineering to create three-dimensional scenes of the city’s landmarks. After Mazerand’s death in Strasbourg in 1917, his children — Marguerite, Georges, and René — continued to manage the family’s operations, with Georges overseeing the main factory and René directing the Blâmont site.
References:
Paris Libris Blog. "Vues à système: L’Hôtel de Ville – Notre Dame." Published November 14, 2020. https://blog.paris-libris.com/vues-a-systeme-lhotel-de-ville-notre-dame/
Biblio.com listing for Arnal’s six pop up Paris views, ca. 1890, Imp. Mazerand. Accessed June 2025.
Letyrosemiophile, “Imprimerie Mazerand (Cirey-sur-Vezouze, Meurthe-et-Moselle),” Letyrosemiophile: Histoire des Imprimeurs, accessed October 8, 2025, http://www.letyrosemiophile.com/images/Imprimeurs/Mazerand-Cirey-54.htm