Articles
Set of decorations and characters of paper theater *, by the publisher Méricant in the review "Mon Théâtre" (dated 1905), including fifty characters and 14 different stage decorations, vintage early twentieth century.
These elements are in their juice. We sell the set which includes about fifty characters, with wire for the most part, 14 scenes of theater (lack perhaps elements in each scene), some copies of the magazine cut (see photos).
The present decorations are those of: Ali Baba, The Shipwreck of the Medusa, The Folly of King Charles VI (The Forest), The Transatlantic (Twenty Millions on the Seas), Prince Cascarine (Magic Castle ", Joseph Prudhomme, Tartarin in front of the Alps, the Joan of Arc Trial, a Drama at the South Pole, the Cicada, the Tuner, Don Quixote, the Breach and the Crime of Robert Macaire).
A report: tears and accidents on some characters, stains and yellowing on the papers decorations, wear time, look at the photos.
Handling technique of paper figurines. The paper theater was probably born at the beginning of the 19th century in England. The only tangible document available is the publication by IK Green in London in 1812 of a theater facade to be erected. It can be considered that the paper theater was born on that date. It was composed of several essential elements to play a show: a facade, often inspired by existing theaters, sets and backstages, characters in various positions to evolve during the performance, and a text, summary often unskillful of the original one. These sheets were subsequently colored by the printer with different techniques depending on the country - hand painting, stencil, lithography - or by the buyer himself. At home, the owner of these sheets pasted them on cardboard then cut them out, assembled them and could present his show to his family or his friends. The size of these theaters, which rarely exceeded 50 or 60 centimeters, made it possible to invent an ideal scenography for the salons. Curiously, France published many theaters without connecting them to theatrical life, theaters where one had to invent one's own show. There were relatively few character plates, no room text, and the research in this area was late. The production is however remarkable, mainly coming from picture-makers from the East of France: Wentzel in Wissembourg (from 1833), Didion in Metz and his successors in Nancy (from 1840), Pellerin (from 1840) and Pinot (from 1866) to Epinal, Haguenthal to Pont-à-Mousson (from 1870), but also to Paris: at Ulysses (from 1830), Glémarec (from 1845), Boucquin (from 1862), or Mericand (with the magazine Mon théâtre, 1904-1905).
(see website World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts)
