The Seven Wonders of The World

. . . and a sale on China, Glass and Linen Goods.

Postcards given away by Arnstein & Bonn, a dry goods merchant at 3rd Avenue and 56th Street

The Moon at one Meter

A souvenir from the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, an attraction that allowed visitors to view the moon through a giant telescope.

The imagery for the attraction may be related to the Georges Méliès 1898 film “La Lune à un mètre” (or “The Astronomer’s Dream”)

A Woman’s Paradise

UNION FRANÇAISE DES INDUSTRIES EXPORTATRICES. l’Elegance Francaise. Paris Ateliers d’Impressions et de Cartonnages d’Art, [1940].

A deluxe book showcasing all of the beautiful products a woman can find in Paris. Intended for distribution at the World’s Fair in New York in 1940, this item never made in across the ocean, due to the occupation of Paris in June, 1940. Contributing authors include Marcel Prévost on Robes; Ferdinand Divoire on Chapeaux; Abel Bonnard on Bijoux; and Maurice Rostand on Parfums.

Opened by Censor

A souvenir album, enhanced by printed slips, photographs, and seating charts, of R. Grugeon’s service with the Postal Censorship Office in the United Kingdom during World War I.

The pocket dictionary . . . of Sabotage!

A curious addition to the Beinecke Library’s collection:
This miniature booklet displays a cover title declaring it to be a “thumb dictionary” of French and German terms. The inside cover betrays its true role, since that is distributed by the “Parti Socialiste Clandestin”. Instead of translated words and phrases, this book is full of instructions for members of the French Resistance on how to sabotage German machinery, manufacturing plants, trains, and automobiles.

Dictionnaire Poucet: Français-Allemand (Paris: Garnier Fréres, cicra 1943)

Going Up

The Eiffel Tower under construction, 1888-1889.

And completed, as seen in 1941.

Le champion du monde

Cover image: Leon See, Le champion du monde Jack Johnson,

Paris : Imp. Paul Dupont, [1910?]

Ombres chinoises

A group of French finger shadow puppets from World War I depicting combatants from many sides, along with requisite tools of engagement: gun, sword, bottles of booze.

[Click to enlarge]

In action: