This complete set of six Au Bon Marché publicity cards, dating to circa 1900, depicts French folklore characters, including the Sandman and Croquemitaine. From the collection of Eugène Dubillon, the cards measure 17 × 10.5 cm each and are in very good condition. The set is described as never distributed.
This beautifully printed set of 6 publicity cards from Au Bon Marche depict some pretty scary characters from folklore but were handed out to children, although this set never were as they were from new in the collection of Eugene Dubillon.
Each card measures 17 x 10.5 centimetres.
The first card 'L'Homme au sable', or the Sandman, is a figure from French and Germanic folklore traditionally tasked with putting children to sleep by sprinkling sand on their eyes. While modern interpretations portray him as benevolent, his literary origins in E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1817 tale L'Homme au sable (The Sandman) depict him as a terrifying, demonic figure who steals children’s eyes.
The second is 'Croquemitaine et sa Hotte'.
The *Croquemitaine* (or *croque-mitaine*) is not a fable in the traditional literary sense (such as those by La Fontaine), but rather a figure from folklore and childhood mythology, used as a cautionary, fear-inducing device for educational purposes.
He appears primarily in traditional nursery rhymes and urban legends, rather than in classic moral fables. Here are the key distinctions:
Role of the character: The *Croquemitaine* is depicted as an evil monster with long arms and a long beard, who carries disobedient children away in a basket or sack—either to devour them or simply to take them off somewhere.
The others in the set are much more cheery :)
Another extremely rare set of publicity
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