SET of TWELVE FABULOUS IMAGES of HUMANIZED VEGETABLES and ANIMALS - ADVERTISING FRENCH FOOD COMPANY "AMIEUX FRERES" - INSET MAPS

Item Details

PARIS

This set of twelve trade cards advertises Amieux Freres, a French food company.  

Eight of the cards feature fanciful anthropomorphic images of vegetables (and one fruit, if you want to be technical) with amusing and detailed facial expressions  - peas, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, artichokes, and two with assorted vegetables (a macedoine of vegetables and vegetables pickled in vinegar).  

Four of the cards feature images of humanized animals.  These animals were used in the company's canned meat products, including cassoulet, pate de foil gras, veal head tortue (because the product resembled the markings on turtle shells), and tripe stew.

The reverse text is identical on all twelve cards.  They are in mint condition (a term I rarely use).  2 15/16" x 4 1/2" - printed by J. Charles of Paris.

Jean-Maurice Amieux (1839-1919) and his brother Émile, established the Amieux Frères company in 1866.  Their father had been a sardine packer. By 1900, the company owned eleven factories in Brittany and Vendée and employed 4,000 workers. At that time, Amieux Frères began diversifying its activities (Amieux and St Clair jams and chocolates, mustards, brines, charcuterie, foie gras).