Description

The collection includes 11 engravings with additional images that are only visible when illuminated and are accompanied by 9 text sheets. Together, they provide a multi-dimensional perspective on contemporary popular entertainment. Some images and stories reflect traditional motifs, such as seeing your future partner in a mirror. In contrast, others feature modern themes, including popular horror or political imagery. The engravings also demonstrate optical tricks that were used for entertainment in the early 19th century:

Les Marionnettes – An audience watches a performance in a shadow theater, which was popularized in France during the late 18th century by François Dominique Séraphin (1747-1800).

La Psyché – A woman sees an image of her beau in the mirror.

La Silhouette – A mother entertains her son with a pierced cardboard silhouette, which casts a color portrait of Napoleon on the wall, in the presence of her husband, a lieutenant in the former army.

Le Cauchemar – A sleeping woman with a devil on her chest is a motif that became widely recognized through Henry Fuseli’s painting, “The Nightmare”, created in 1781, and Thomas Burke’s engraving from 1783. Both works have been reproduced in various versions over the years. However, the idea of a devil or supernatural being sitting on someone’s chest while they sleep is rooted in much older beliefs. Historically, it was thought that an elf or small ghost could sit on a sleeping person, causing nightmares, which is reflected in the terms “Night-Mare” in English and “Alb-Traum” in German, both meaning “Night-Elf.” By the late 19th century, this motif gained even more popularity through various paintings and engravings.

Le Solitaire [The Solitude] – The image shows a hermit being tormented by devils while in solitude. This theme became popular as early as the 15th century, notably through Martin Schongauer’s engraving titled “The Torment of Saint Anthony.” A similar composition gained prominence in the late 18th century with Goya’s aquatint “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.”

Le Songe [The Dream] – A soldier in a Napoleonic army uniform dreams of receiving a medal after a battle in which his friend died.

L’Ours Magicien [The Magician Bear] – A story about an unattractive magician who resembles a bear and is in love with Princess Aliska. He tricks her into marrying him after demonstrating that he controls her entire family, which appears in a mirror.

Le Talisman – An Oriental story about poor Alidor and Zénaide, who comes from a noble family, set in Baghdad.

La Lanterne Magique [The Magic Lantern] – A story about a man from Auvergne who entertained people with a magic lantern, showcasing various images, including “a short man” on a horse, representing Napoleon Bonaparte.

[Without Text :]

Le Tombeau [The Grave] – A soldier sees an image of Napoleon above a grave.

Le Sorcier [The Magician] – A man sees an image of a woman behind a screen with the help of a magician, possibly involving phantasmagoria.

A Note on Rarity and Completeness

We could not find any other examples of the set, either in the market or in institutions. Additionally, we were unable to locate any bibliographical references to the series.
A similar set, possibly created slightly later, titled “Les portes fermée ou Les doubles surprises,” is known to exist in about five institutions (refer to the video from the New York Public Library, “New Accessions | Les Doubles Surprises,” and note that a Rare toy book found in Northumberland sold for £1,600 at auction). However, most of the surviving examples are incomplete, containing only six or seven cards out of the original twelve.

The current set contains 11 cards and 9 text sheets. It was probably initially published with 12 pairs.

Date and Significance in the History of Horror Stories

The set is likely dated to late 1815 or 1816, shortly after the fall of Napoleon, who appears in several images but is referred to as a former leader. These entertaining cards, featuring stories of ghosts and demons, were created during the rising popularity of horror stories and Gothic novels that began to develop in the late 18th century. The year 1816 was particularly significant for the genre; known as the Year Without a Summer, it was marked by freezing temperatures and dark skies caused by the massive eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815. As a result, people were often forced to stay indoors and seek entertainment in various ways. The harsh weather especially affected central and western Europe, with France experiencing severe impacts as it was recovering from the Napoleonic Wars.

In the dark year of 1816, which many authors found inspiring, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron, and John William Polidori traveled through Germany to Switzerland. After a night filled with chilling stories, Mary Shelley experienced a nightmare that sparked her inspiration for the novel Frankenstein. This competition among the authors also led to the creation of John William Polidori’s “The Vampyre.”