(Chocolate) Album of French chocolate trade cards & paper dolls

44 pages, with numerous chromolithographs trade cards & paper dolls mounted to recto & verso of each page. 13.5x10.25", gilt-lettered red cloth album with cover label of a bullfight. France: c.1890's-1910's.

A massive and remarkable collection of trade cards and paper dolls issued as souvenir collectibles with French chocolate companies around the turn-of-the-last-century. Companies represented are Poulain, Guerin-Boutron, Felix Potin, Chocolaterie de la Drome, Chocolat des Gourmets, and Dutch chocolatier Cacao Blooker. These trade cards were issued in series, and you could collect them all. They depict soldiers, trades, holidays, fairy tales, famous chateaux, French colonies and scenes, sports, romance, and a lot of dogs. The paper dolls were also issued in series, and this particular collector clearly enjoyed laying them out in artistic compositions on each page. 

Tanning to paper, chipping or short tears to extremities (not affecting cards), one page detached, otherwise very good; a fantastic and rare collection of wonderful chocolate advertising cards.

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