Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande (1887) – Satirical Danish Anthology with Meggendorfer Movable Plate

Henriques, Axel, compiler.
Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande (Satirical Book published with rare Meggendorfer Movable variant)
Copenhagen: Printed by O. C. Olsen & Co., 1887. First edition.
4to (12 × 9.5 inches; 30.5 × 24 cm).
Collation: [2] ff., 192 pp., [2] ff. Fully illustrated throughout, including one mechanical plate.
Pagination complete and continuous; no signatures or catchwords noted. Typography and layout are entirely in Danish.

Contemporary binding of quarter faux-tortoiseshell calf over maroon leatherette-grained boards, with matching marbled calf tips. All edges marbled in a vein-like pattern. Decorative endpapers; two blank flyleaves at front and rear. Covers with a few small scuffs and surface marks, minor rubbing to extremities; binding remains sound and well-preserved. Printer’s imprint to rear flyleaf: “Bogtryk fra O. C. Olsen & Co., 22 Linnésgade, København.”

This is the only known copy that we have been able to locate that features a fully functional Meggendorfer mechanical frontispiece. integrated as an homage to Meggendorfer himself. The movable is dated 1888, lithographed by Johan Jacobsen, and functions via a pull-tab. This Meggendorfer movable also appears in Meggendorfer's book "Always Jolly" entitled in that book: "The Forgotten Latchkey" While standard copies of Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande are known without a movable plate, no other example with the mechanical frontispiece has been located in bibliographies, auction records, or institutional catalogs checked to date, suggesting that surviving movable-plate copies are extremely scarce. Standard copies of Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande are known without any mechanical component and appear regularly on the Scandinavian market as ordinary illustrated humor books. These non-movable copies are not considered rare and typically command modest prices. The present copy, however, incorporates a fully engineered movable frontispiece—identical to the Meggendorfer plate used in Immer Lustig—a feature not recorded in any other example consulted. This transforms an otherwise common humor annual into an exceptionally scarce Meggendorfer-related variant. This makes the volume, in effect, an exceptionally rare Meggendorfer movable, preserved in a unique Scandinavian issue.

According to Ridderstrøm’s LitteraturogMedie-Leksikon (OsloMet, 2024), a widely used academic reference in Scandinavian book-history studies, Lothar Meggendorfer’s movable books were also published in Denmark in Danish, “including Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande (1887).” (Accessed at litteraturogmedieleksikon.no)

To quote directly:

“One of the true masters of these flap books was the German Lothar Meggendorfer (1847–1925), who became famous for these movable books, which were sold in enormous print runs … and which also appeared in Denmark with Danish text, including Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande (1887)

As a university-produced reference work authored by an OsloMet associate professor and widely cited by scholars, researchers, and museums across Scandinavia, Ridderstrøm’s LitteraturogMedie-Leksikon provides authoritative support for this identification. Source PDF: https://www.litteraturogmedieleksikon.no/gallery/codex.pdf

Description: Illustrated throughout with numerous satirical drawings, caricatures, and parodies; includes one large mechanical frontispiece: a Meggendorfer-style movable titled Titelbillede (after Meggendorfer), operated by a pull-tab and featuring articulated limbs and umbrella. The mechanical frontispiece, labeled “Titelbillede (after Meggendorfer and also seen in Meggendorfer's " Always Jolly"),” is a Meggendorfer movable paying homage to the renowned German paper engineer. This volume includes a fully engineered movable frontispiece directly adapted from Meggendorfer’s iconic plate in Immer Lustig (“Always Jolly”). The humorous comment in the Meggendorfer chapter—“it brought joy to all except one very angry, though highly enlightened contemporary”—is a playful acknowledgement that the plate is an overt homage to Meggendorfer’s famous ‘living pictures,’ not a claim of his authorship.

The highlight is the large pull-tab mechanical frontispiece set in a carnival-like street scene featuring a central figure holding a signboard labeled "Billed Karneval." The sign names contributing caricaturists, including "Meggendorfer," The articulated limbs (head, arms, stomach, and umbrella) move simultaneously via a functioning tab. The piece is affixed to a full page and bound in as an integrated plate. Printed at the bottom of the movable plate is Johan Jacobsen 's Lith Etabl. with 1888 written in pencil.

The structure and cohesion of the book (pagination, typography, and binding design) confirm it was issued as a unified whole, not a post-production compilation of unrelated parts. The spine and edge decoration, matched throughout, reinforce original production intent.

Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande stands out as a rare, early international anthology of satirical illustration, uniting sixteen major and lesser-known European artists—including Meggendorfer, Caran d’Ache, Liljefors, and Kittelsen—within a single Danish volume. This curated mock travelogue offers a unique cross-cultural lens on 1880s visual humor, caricature, and print culture, making it a valuable resource for scholars of transnational satire and illustrated book history.

Each chapter is introduced with a different artist heading and several pages of illustrations featuring work from that artist, often accompanied by short captions or humorous texts. Artists include:

Lothar Meggendorfer (German)

Alfred Schmidt (Danish)

Bruno Liljefors (Swedish)

Caran d’Ache (French)

Woerth, Hamstead & Cie.

George du Maurier (British)

Adolf Adam Oberländer (German)

Theodor Kittelsen (Norwegian) *

Fritz Jürgensen (Danish)

Wilhelm Busch (German)

Léonce Petit (French)

Grévin (French)

Richard Doyle (British)

Hans Schliessmann (German)

harles Keene (British)

* The artistic importance of Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande is underscored by the fact that Theodor Kittelsen—today one of Norway’s most celebrated illustrators—was a central contributor to the anthology. Published in 1887 by the prominent Danish publisher Ernst Bojesen, the book represented a turning point in Kittelsen’s early career, allowing him to display a more personal and inventive style than in his contemporary fairy-tale illustrations. Here we see the beginnings of the traits that would define his later work: bold caricature, exuberant imagination, and satirical depictions of human society through animal figures. This makes the volume not only a rare movable book, but also a significant early showcase of Kittelsen’s emerging artistic voice. For additional context on Kittelsen’s importance as an illustrator, see his biography in the Norsk biografisk leksikon, the official Norwegian national encyclopedia:
https://nbl.snl.no/Theodor_Kittelsen
Kittelsen’s contributions to Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande gain additional significance when placed within the context of his crucial developmental years in Paris and Munich (1882–1887). This period marked the moment he discovered he could make a living as an illustrator and began forming the imaginative, satirical visual language that would define his later fame. That the book includes ten illustrations from this formative phase—including his parody of Tidemand and Gude’s iconic Bridal Procession on the Hardanger Fjord—greatly enhances its cultural and collectible value. As a rare early work created during the years when Kittelsen was emerging as one of Scandinavia’s most important illustrators, the volume stands as an exceptionally desirable artifact for collectors of Nordic art, early illustration, and 19th-century humor and satire.

The Meggendorfer section is a full two-page homage to Lothar Meggendorfer, the legendary German illustrator renowned for his mechanical picture books. This biographical essay, written in a playful first-person style, recounts a visit to Meggendorfer’s Munich studio, describing his artistic process, family life, and his rise to fame through Fliegende Blätter and his celebrated "Levende Billeder" (Living Pictures). The narrative blends fact with gentle satire, portraying Meggendorfer as both whimsical inventor and shrewd businessman, beloved by children but occasionally baffling to critics. A telling moment notes that the movable frontispiece adorning this volume—styled after Meggendorfer's paper-engineered designs—"brought joy to all except one very angry, though highly enlightened, contemporary," confirming its deliberate place as a tribute to his innovations. The section closes with a visual gag in Meggendorfer’s style, underscoring his signature humor and enduring influence.

The movable frontispiece in this volume is identical to the celebrated Meggendorfer plate used in Always Jolly (Immer Lustig, c.1891). This is not merely “in the style of” Meggendorfer: it is the same two-page mechanical scene, reproduced here intentionally as part of the book’s extended biographical–satirical tribute to him. The Meggendorfer chapter explicitly highlights his fame for movable “living pictures,” and the inclusion of this fully engineered plate underscores the publisher’s intent to honor—and playfully imitate—his innovations. Contemporary commentary within the book even notes that this frontispiece “brought joy to all except one very angry, though highly enlightened, contemporary,” confirming that its presence was recognized and discussed at the time.

The frontispiece of this Danish edition is directly based on Meggendorfer’s original movable from Immer Lustig, first issued by Braun & Schneider in Munich. The central figure, pose, umbrella, and composition are all preserved, clearly demonstrating that the publisher intentionally reused Meggendorfer’s well-known design. In this edition, additional background details—including expanded street scenery, signage, and auxiliary figures—have been incorporated, yet the underlying Meggendorfer artwork remains unmistakable.

Image below shows the original Meggendorfer version from Always Jolly:

Condition: Very good. Binding tight and square. Mechanical frontispiece intact and fully functional with all joints moving easily. Minor rubbing to corners and board edges. Some foxing to interior pages, particularly at margins, but no markings or repairs. A few pages with light age toning or surface wear. Overall a well-preserved example of an uncommon Danish satirical volume with original Meggendorfer movable.

Intro Description: The book opens with a satirical letter dated 22nd June 1887, signed by the fictitious “Kammerraad Turesen”—a bureaucratic-sounding persona likely created by Axel Henriques, the real compiler of the work. The title “Kammerraad” (roughly “Councilor” or “Privy Counselor”) was often used in Denmark and Germany to refer to mid-level civil servants or honorary officials. Its use here injects an intentionally pompous, self-important tone, lampooning officialdom and setting up the bureaucratic absurdity that runs through the volume.

The letter serves as a mock-preface, in which “Turesen” claims to have assembled this Billedkarneval (Picture Carnival) during a tour of various humorous and exotic locales—thus setting the stage for a fictional travelogue through the world’s “gemytlige lande” (good-humored lands). This fictive tour becomes the device that ties together the internationally themed illustrations and satirical commentaries found in the rest of the book.

This kind of framing was common in 19th-century satire and travel parody. By using a fictional editor with bureaucratic airs, Henriques was aligning with a broader tradition of mock-travelogues, in which imaginary authors recount absurd or humorous journeys through fictional lands that reflect and critique real-world society and politics.

The tone of this opening is dryly ironic and self-important, as if the compiler is cataloging a serious anthropological record—only for readers to realize the “lands” visited are populated by caricatures, stereotypes, and comic exaggerations. This juxtaposition between formal prose and outrageous content is a classic hallmark of Henriques’ theatrical and journalistic satire.

Rarity

Collector's Corner:

The book’s printer, O. C. Olsen & Co. of Linnésgade 22, was active in quality Danish book production in the 1880s.

Axel Otto Henriques(1865–1933) was a Danish author, journalist, art critic, and satirical playwright, widely recognized for his wit and contributions to stage comedy and illustrated publications. He also co-owned the Copenhagen printing house O. C. Olsen & Co. and was active in Danish literary circles into the early 20th century. O. C. Olsen & Co. born into a Copenhagen merchant family, initially pursued training in engineering before continuing his education in Paris, where he studied the printing trade. Upon returning to Denmark, he became a partner in the prominent Copenhagen printing firm O. C. Olsen & Co., a position he held from 1877 until 1914. Concurrently, Henriques developed a parallel career as a cultural commentator, serving as an art and theatre critic for several leading Danish publications, including Dags-Avisen, Morgenbladet, Politiken, Berlingske Tidende, and Illustreret Tidende. His talent for composing topical songs led him into the world of theatrical revue, and by 1905 he was a well-established satirical playwright. He collaborated first with John Buntzen and later, from 1889 onward, with Anton Melbye. Together, they were central contributors to the Danish satirical annual Blæksprutten ("The Cuttlefish") for over four decades. Henriques also translated and produced a variety of French and German operettas and comedies, which were performed at notable venues such as the Casino, Nørrebro Teater, Dagmar Teatret, and Folketeatret.

About the Movable Plate Lithographer: Johan Frederik Jacobsen (1818–1895)

Johan Frederik Jacobsen was a prominent 19th-century Danish lithographer and the proprietor of Johan Jacobsens lithografiske Etablissement, a well-regarded lithographic printing house based in Copenhagen. Born on March 27, 1818, in Copenhagen, he became a respected figure in Denmark’s print and publishing industry during a period of rapid growth in illustrated books and printed ephemera. He married Dagmar Nielsen (1860–1898), and their son Georg Jacobsen (1887–1953) later gained international recognition as a painter, professor, and member of the Danish modernist movement. Johan Frederik Jacobsen died in Copenhagen on January 7, 1895. His son, Georg Jacobsen (1887–1953), became far more well known than his father, achieving international recognition as a modernist painter, professor, and theorist. He was a leading figure in bringing Cubist and Constructivist principles to Danish art.

Content Note – Racial Caricatures and Satirical Imagery

References:

Google Books. Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande: Billedkarneval saml. af Kammerraad Turesen. Copenhagen: 1887.
For bibliographic confirmation of title and compiler, see Google Books entry: Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande: Billedkarneval saml. af Kammerraad Turesen, compiled by Axel Henriques, 1887. https://books.google.com/books/about/Fra_Alverdens_gemytlige_Lande/EpxpQwAACAAJ

Weinreich, Torben. Historien om børnelitteratur. Aarhus: Lex.dk, 2006. https://bornelitteratur.lex.dk/Billedark. ( discusses the influence of Lothar Meggendorfer in Denmark and references Danish-language editions of his flap books, including a title called Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande.)

Henriques, Axel. Svundne Dage; Glade Aar. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske Boghandel Nordisk, 1929–30. (Autobiography.)

Sotheby’s. “Lot 2: Ludvig Kabell View from the Artist’s Garden at Fredensborg.” 19th Century European Paintings Auction Catalogue, London, November 21, 2017. Accessed July 20, 2025. https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/19th-century-european-paintings-l17101/lot.2.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com. ( more bio information on Axel Henriques)

Jørnæs, Bjarne. “Georg Jacobsen.” Dansk Biografisk Leksikon. Last updated 2016. Accessed July 20, 2025. https://biografiskleksikon.lex.dk/Georg_Jacobsen.

Vibeke Stybe, Fra billedark til billedbog (2022), describes Fra Alverdens gemytlige Lande as “a picture collection for young and old… edited by Axel Henriques” and notes its movable title page showing “a stout man ringing the doorbell at Ernst Bojesen’s house.”

Norsk biografisk leksikon. “Theodor Kittelsen.” Store norske leksikon. https://nbl.snl.no/Theodor_Kittelsen