A. Capendu (Publisher)
Histoires Pour Rire (Movable Book)
Paris: A. Capendu, Editeur, [ca. 1889]. First French edition. Folio (302 x 222 mm). 14 pages. Original chromolithographed pictorial card boards. Illustrated by Lothar Meggendorfer; text by Adeline Reynaud. Contains six large mechanical scenes operated by pull-tabs, each with accompanying sepia-toned illustrations and text.
Condition: Very good. All six movable plates are original, complete, and in working order. Movables are bright, clean, and colorful, with minor staining to lower edges and finger-smudging around pull-tabs due to handling. Typical tears near the tabs have been expertly repaired. Specific repairs are documented per scene. Pages remain securely bound and are generally clean. See photographs for full details.
This delightful French-language movable book by Lothar Meggendorfer features animals as the main characters in six humorous, mechanical tales. Originally issued in English as Artistic Pussy and her Studio. Moving Pictures with other tales. A Moveable Toybook, this version was adapted by Adeline Reynaud and published in Paris by A. Capendu.
Each story is presented with one full-color mechanical illustration and accompanying sepia narrative drawing. The text of each tale appears on the facing verso of the pages, illustrated with finely drawn black-and-white vignettes. The six humorous scenes include:
Un Vaniteux (A Vain Bulldog) – A bulldog reclines in a fancy chair as a cat paints his portrait. The cat flatters him while internally mocking his looks. A pull-tab reveals the cat’s eye-rolling expression while the bulldog remains smug and self-satisfied. Minor tear at Santa's hand and repair noted.
Farce de Singe (A Monkey’s Prank) – A pet monkey sits with a crying baby, playing with its doll and rattle. The monkey greedily drinks from the baby’s milk bottle. The mother rushes in, retrieves the child, and punishes the monkey. Minor wear around the pull-tab with light staining.
Un Vaniteux, Suite (Continuation of the Vain Bulldog) – The cat artist resumes painting his faithful dog, Azor, after enduring the bulldog’s vanity. Pulling the tab moves the paintbrush and palette. Page includes a small fold, reglued brush, and minor staining.
Les Deux Chasseurs (The Two Hunters) – A fox outwits a hunter hidden behind a tree. In the movable, the fox flees with two geese, taunting the unseen hunter. The pull-tab animates the geese’s expressive heads. Light staining and repaired tear at page bottom.
En Famille (In the Family) – A mother hen scolds her chicks for overeating berries and rocks them in a cradle. The tab animates her leg and cradle. Leg has been reglued, and minor repair to cradle coil noted.
Lièvres et Choux (Hares and Cabbages) – Three hares play hide-and-seek with a dog in a cabbage patch. The pull-tab makes the hares rise and fall while the dog’s head bobs in confusion. Page has light wear and small tears near pull-tab.
Unlike most other Meggendorfer movables, this title does not appear to have a corresponding German edition. The only other known edition is Artistic Pussy and Her Moving Pictures, published in Chicago. Notably, the French edition includes one additional black-and-white vignette not found in the American version.
Collector’s Corner:
This rare French version is part of a multilingual suite of Meggendorfer publications, demonstrating how his mechanical books were translated and adapted across countries. In English, the same movable content appeared under multiple imprints, including L.W. Walter Co. (Chicago), Thompson & Thomas (Chicago), and H. Grevel & Co. (London). The mechanics and artwork, however, remain distinctly Meggendorfer in design.
Capendu’s production retains the quality of chromolithography and humorous complexity associated with Meggendorfer’s name. French issues like Histoires Pour Rire are far scarcer than their English or German counterparts and provide critical evidence of the broad international appeal of movable books during the late 19th century.
References:
Meggendorfer, Lothar. Werkverzeichnis 1847–1925. comboxx, 2012.
Oettermann, Stephan. The Panorama: History of a Mass Medium. Zone Books, 1997.
The Movable Book Society. Movable Stationary, vol. 8, no. 2 (2000).