Today is April 1, a day sanctified by the extraordinary French humorist Alphonse Allais; and I am happy to announce that it brings the release of Captain Cap, Volume 2. Allais’s stories of his absurd anti-hero, first published in 1902, have been meticulously translated and illustrated by Doug Skinner, in the second volume of a […]

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“Jodete” was published by Nupro Games, in Buenos Aires.  According to my dictionary, “jodete” means “get lost,” “deal with it,” and other saltier expressions, which I suppose fosters competition.  There are 110 cards, and the objective seems to be to gain 600 points. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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Jean Veber drew several caricatures of Allais in Le Journal, January 6, 1896; here are two of them. Ernest La Jeunesse (who, parenthetically, had a long affair with Allais’s wife, and may have fathered her child) drew this sketch of the unhappy husband.   Pierre le Trividie drew this portrait of the young Allais in […]

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This undated “Authors” deck from Russell gets high points from me for including one of the Founders of the Fortean Society.  I like the curious grisaille portrait and the curlicue as well. The other members of this humble pantheon are: Oliver W. Holmes, Joseph Conrad, Charles Dickens, Sir J. M. Barrie, Rudyard Kipling, Longfellow, and […]

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As I continue to translate and illustrate Alphonse Allais, I’ve been contemplating the many caricatures of him.  Having already offered portraits of his semi-fictional antihero, Captain Cap, I’ll now post some of the man himself.  Internet Allais buffs, you’re welcome. The first is by Cabriol, aka Georges Lorin, from the Hydropathe, January 28, 1880.  Allais’s […]

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This German “Black Peter” deck was issued by Berliner Spielkarten.  The pairs represent men and women of different nationalities; I’ve picked a dashing Spaniard for you.  And here’s Black Peter: (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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As the cardinals convene in the Vatican to elect a new boss, let’s consider for a moment the once flourishing art of cardinal paintings. In the late 19th century, particularly in France, several artists specialized in painting pictures of the red-robed religious. There’s a fine article on the subject by John Fleming, in the 13th […]

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“Peculiar Popularities” attracted a nice large audience.  Thanks to all of you who came out; more Ullage Group events are in preparation.  For those who missed it: Lisa Hirschfield covered the early history of X-Rays in popular culture, with plenty of pictures and early films; Doug Skinner talked about slang, artificial languages, and other fleeting […]

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