Bella en de Beer
Agatha's Pantomime Prentenboeken no. 4
Agatha (Reinoudina de Goeje)
Amsterdam: Jacs. G. Robbers, [1893]
Chromolithographs by L. van Leer & Co., Haarlem
Mounted on linen, enameled covers. 2 x [7] pages. Size: 12 x 9 in. (31 x 24 cm)
Description:
This scarce Dutch theatrical toy book—Bella en de Beer, or Beauty and the Beast—is the fourth and final volume in the Dutch-language edition of Dean & Son’s Pantomime Toy Books, issued in Amsterdam by Jacs. G. Robbers in 1893. The format is striking: a die-cut panorama book engineered with dual spines, allowing the volume to stand upright like a miniature stage complete with “side wings” and an orchestra pit. Each dramatic full-color chromolithographed scene is captioned in short prose, translated by Reinoudina de Goeje (1833–1893), who published under the pseudonym Agatha.
The plates were produced by L. van Leer & Co. of Haarlem, a well-known Dutch printing firm. The Dutch adaptation retains the vivid theatricality and interactive ingenuity of the English originals produced by Dean & Son in London during the early 1890s.
Condition:
Very good. All scenes are complete and intact. There is a split on the back cover along the top and side, which affects the final interior scene printed on the rear board. No damage to the interior movables. Please see photos for full condition details.
Collector’s Corner:
This book is part of a remarkable international series of Victorian-era movable toy books designed by Dean & Son, whose Pantomime Series included four shaped theatrical titles in English:
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Cinderella
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Robinson Crusoe
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Little Red Riding Hood
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Beauty and the Beast
The Dutch versions, published in 1893 by Jacs. G. Robbers, were retitled Agatha’s Pantomime Prentenboeken and translated by Reinoudina de Goeje. The known Dutch editions are:
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No. 1: Asschepoetster (Cinderella)
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No. 2: Robinson Crusoë
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No. 3: Roodkapje (Little Red Riding Hood)
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No. 4: Bella en de Beer (Beauty and the Beast)
These were not simply translated but adapted for a Dutch-speaking audience by Agatha, a pioneering female translator of children's literature who brought French, German, and English classics to Dutch readers.
According to Theo Gielen, the Dean Pantomime series was also translated into Swedish in 1891, where the same four stories were published as:
The books were further issued in French and in American adaptations by McLoughlin Bros., who pirated the series for the U.S. market.
Gielen discusses these editions in Movable Stationery, Vol. 7 (1999), p. 12. Additional bibliographic dating for the Dutch series comes from Brinkman's Catalogus van Boeken en Tijdschriften, Vol. 1, 1891, p. 11.
References:
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KB National Library of the Netherlands, entry for Bella en de Beer (Beauty and the Beast)
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Gielen, Theo. “The Dean’s Pantomime Series: An International Phenomenon.” Movable Stationery, Vol. 7 (1999), p. 12.
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Brinkman's catalogus van boeken en tijdschriften, Vol. 1 (1891), p. 11
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Klingberg, Gösta. Children’s Literature in Translation: The Translator's Approach, p. 21