Tableaux Lumineux et Ombres Chinoises

Paris: Mauclair Dacier, 1903. Very good to fine.. An ornate, and rather stunning, turn-of-the-century French shadow theater set, housed in a large chromolithographed box (15.5" by 19.75" by 3") depicting the Revue du 14 Juillet à Paris, as well as two smaller scenes of the 1893 Fêtes Franco-Russes. Underneath the lid, a printed label explains how to assemble the shadow theater, and lists the various punched paper scenes available in the various models. This model contains three punched paper scenes that, when illuminated from behind, mimick fireworks or starlight. They include: Fêtes du Centenaire de Victor Hugo; La Fête des Fleurs à Paris; and La Fête de la Mi-Carême à Paris. Also contained the stage box with with a fine and elaborate Ombres Chinoises proscenium with scrolls with colored paper (for a background); a 144 pp. booklet with scenes and characters; a large quantity of cut paper shadow figurines; the chromolithographed stage box is also for mounting shadow performances with the shadow figures. A marvelous object filled with joie de vivre.