19c Jumping Jack/Puppet-Imagerie Epinal Pellerin-French

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I have MORE ANTIQUE Pellerin and other paper toys listed. I will COMBINE multiple items, where possible, to save you shipping costs. Weight will determine price. This is a rare antique 19th century (circa 1860) hand colored French Pantin printed on paper. It is titled 'Pierrette-Pantin' (Pierrette-Puppet). Additional text: 'Imagerie Pellerin' & 'Imagerie D'Epinal No. 1346'. Made by the Imagerie Pellerin (Imagery Of Epinal) in Epinal, France. The company became famous across the world when they decided to embark on the adventure of paper theatres. Antique Jumping Jacks have been produced for children for hundreds of years, but during the 18th century, this unusual toy reached its height of popularity in France. Famous artists designed these delightful pantins and members of the French court competed with each other for the largest collection. This and the other two I have are based on the traditional characters from the Commedia dell'Arte. Pellerin's sheets, like the rest of his products, were often sold by peddlers selling them throughout the small villages. They were intended to be cut out, glued on to cardstock and move like a marionette or "jumping jack". These prints are very rare and highly sought after by antique paper doll, puppet & early French print collectors. Not many have survived because of the fine fragile paper. I have 2 other Pellerin Imagerie D'Epinal prints listed. SIZE: 11 1/2" x 15 1/2" CONDITION: Most of this print is excellent except for the few tears around edges (one goes 1/2" into plate--a clean tear) and a soft fold in center. Very fragile paper so I am surprised at the great condition...think of where it could have been, being peddled through the hills of France. Beautiful hand coloring with no fading. It is attached by dots of glue in the corners, to a heavier piece of paperboard. Guaranteed vintage and original. YOUR ITEM(S) will be packaged & mailed with care. Shipping price MAY or MAY NOT INCLUDE SOME insurance - every listing has an unknown outcome and the final amount it sells for cannot be predetermined. Please email me if you have ANY PROBLEMS. Give me a chance to fix them before you give feedback. A long but interesting history of this company: Jean-Charles Pellerin, card maker and woodcutter in Epinal at the end of the XVIII century, made card games and prints. His presence in the area is due to a privilege accorded to Epinal and to Nancy who were the only towns in Lorraine in the XVI century who were permitted to accommodate master card-makers. Until the years 1800-1810 he printed cards and religious images. Little by little, more and more genre work was produced in addition to the fine prints, and religious images seemed to make way for products illustrating popular events. It was illustration which, in the name of engravers like Réveillé and Georgin, allowed Jean-Charles Pellerin to cement his fame, the Napoleonic saga doing the rest. In fact the First French Empire provided engravers with very varied themes that were very influential on public opinion. It was possible at that time to buy a battle scene or a portrait of the Emperor from peddlers, engraved on wood with a special "sparing" technique, then coloured with stencils. Despite the restoration of the monarchy and as a consequence of censorship, the series of imperial prints assured the prosperity of the Pellerin studio. In 1822, Jean-Charles' son Nicolas Pellerin (29 years old) and Pierre-Germain Vadet, his brother in law, took over the business. At this time the manufacture of cards definitively replaced that of images. The Imagerie d'Épinal was growing. Between 1832 and 1846, 40 workers were taken on and Pellerin images were distributed around the world. On 30 October 1858 the company was formed under the collective name "Pellerin and Company" with Nicolas Pellerin, Charles Pellerin, his son, born in 1827, Pierre-Germain Vadet, son in law of Nicolas Perrin, and Léon-Joseph Letourneur-Dubreuil, son in law of Pierre-Germai... read more

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