Cendrillon [Cinderella] and L’Equitation [The Horseback Rider].

It is unlikely there was any mercantile establishment that produced more chromolithographed trade cards (or “chromos”) than the Parisian department store, Au Bon Marché. It is reported that from 1895 to 1914, the department store distributed 50 million chromos. The movable ones are of the highest quality and complexity. Cards were given out free to customers. There would easily be cause for excitement in acquiring these, such as the fairytale theater series Cendrillon, in a set of six, where the roof holds the diorama open to view the tableau and the cellophane moon when lit from the rear, or a dissolving disc card like L’Equitation, in a set of four. Pull one string and the “blades” circle over each other to expose another chromolithographed image. Both are quite fragile, and I’m grateful they’ve survived and function.