Sand Toy for Grands Magasings Du Printemps
Paris, France: 1890s. This paper toy depicts a woman on one side milking her cow and a little girl drinking milk at the table on the other side. Both the little girl's glass of milk and the stream of milk produced by the cow are tissue paper with a capsule of sand behind it. This means that as you turn the postcard over, the sand gives the illusion of milk gushing from from the cow's utter into the pail on one side, and the milk disappearing from the glass as the girl drinks it on the other side. The toy was sold by Printemps, a French department store, sometimes called Grands Magasings Du Printemps, with 'Grands Magasings' (translates to big store) being the class of store it was. The store focused on beauty, lifestyle, fashion, accessories and men's wear. It was founded in 1865 by Jules Jaluzot and Jean-Alfred Duclos. Printemps is credited with revolutionized retail business practices as they marked their goods with set prices rather than the haggling style (that started the price based on the customer's appearance) that was predominate at the time. The store is still open today.
The product itself was made in Japan. Measures 4 3/4" x 3 1/4"
Price: $95.00
Item #29007108