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La Poule aux Oeufs

1900 Exposition Universelle 1900 GGE. Five slightly larger than 6½" x 4" cards, titled "La Poule aux Oeufs d'Or," printed by B. Sirven, Toulouse-Paris.  €8 for four cards (of 6?): #1, 2, 3, and 5 in St. Ouen, August, '13.  Extra copy of #1 for 60 Francs from Annick Tilly at the Clignancourt flea market, August, '99.  Extra copies of several cards and a first copy of the last missing card, #4, from Caveron Devey, Paris, August, '14.  The truly last missing card for €12 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricquart, France, Sept., '18.

In the first image, a little girl seems to be putting coins into a stocking while a little boy watches. This seems the "before" of the story itself, establishing that the couple is poor.  The second scene shows the young man delighted to have found a golden egg.  The young man believes in the third scene that this black hen contains a whole treasure.  The fourth card introduces the sinister knife with wondrous eagerness!  In the fifth scene, the hen lies dead and the two humans grieve.  Now in 2020, I have learned from Bertrand Cocq that there are actually six cards in the series.  Of course!  There are always six!  Lovely colors!