I have the volume of Le Jeudi de la Jeunesse for 1912/13. Each page measures 30cms high by 21 wide. The pages show a standard of colour printing and illustration that is high for the period, although the paper has not survived well.

The subject matter is clearly aimed at the 10 - 14 year old market, with fables, fantasies and low interest eighteenth tales of derring do.Its main interest for me was the ingenuity of the framing of the episodes and the high quality of draftsmanship.

The obvious comparison is with Meggensdorfer's where the colour illustration is equally as fine - acurate register, clear contrats and, when required, subtle balancing of contiguous tones and hues.

Jeudi is strongest in robustness and ingenuity of action and consequence. Illustrators it boasts of include ASY, BLONDEAU, JOHN DRAWER, FALKE, LANDELLE, LAJARRIGE, LORTAC, MALHERBE, MOTET, NADAL R.DE LA NEZIERE SAMIVEL, STEIMER, THOMEN(PROLIFIC) AND ZUTNA.

three galleries of pages

06 07 2003