28¾x22 inches, 73x55¾ cm. De Lemercier, Paris. Condition A: small stain in lower right corner; slight darkening in margins.
A connoisseur of the bizarre and keen observer of societal folly, French illustrator, political cartoonist and writer Grandville was intrigued by human behavior and philosophy. In a time of political unrest and censorship, he shifted his focus from satirical journal cartoons to illustrations of popular literature, injecting his talent for anthropomorphization and biting social commentary into the field. This eccentric and whimsical poster advertises Grandville's most [posthumously] famous original work, using a pared down version of the book's cover art. Un Autre Monde, published in 36 monthly installments, was written by Taxile Delord, under the supervision of Grandville, the text secondary in importance to the illustrations. The full title, humorous in itself, translates as "Another World: Transformations, Visions, Incarnations, Ascensions, Locomotions, Explorations, Peregrinations, Excursions, Vacations, Caprices, Cosmologies, Reveries, Whimsies, Phantasmagorias, Apotheoses, Zoomorphisms, Lithomorphosies, Metamorphoses, and Other Things." Each of the novel's 36 wood-engraved illustrations explores a theme in this imagined world, from reversals of social status, to gender roles, to humanity's insignificance in the universe. Though this otherworldly image of insect-like tennis rackets appears on the illustrated wrappers of the 1st edition, and was used for the promotional material, it curiously does not appear as an illustration in the story. There is a small racket character on the frontispiece, as well as at the feet of the protagonists.
Grandville was acknowledged by the Surrealists, including André Breton himself, as a precursor and major influence on their movement. His impact on later artists like Dali, and even Walt Disney becomes apparent in his human-like depictions of flowers in Les Fleurs, and a scene of the Battle of the Playing Cards, which appears to have been a direct inspiration on John Tenniel's illustrations for Alice in Wonderland. In the 1963 facsimile of Un Autre Monde, noted surrealist Max Ernst provided a frontispiece for it with the legend, 'A new world is born. All praise to Grandville.'" (https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/grandville-visions-and-dreams).
