Charles Léandre and Maurice Eliot, France, circa 1890. A large folded fan, autographed, the double cotton sheet painted on both sides with small scenes signed by various artists including Charles Léandre (1862-1934). One, monogrammed "HLO", shows an artist looking desperate while his dog draws a figure on a fan. In the centre, caricatured figures are signed and dated "C. Léandre 87", perhaps referring to Léandre himself and Maurice Eliot (1862-1945), close friends who met in Montmartre and shared a studio? Then there is a couple in evening clothes bantering, signed "Maurice Eliot 88"; a lover shooting an arrow, signed "E. Huillard", possibly for Esther Huillard (1855-1928), a painter and president of the Society of Women Painters and Sculptors; a nest whose chicks seem to be protesting, holding up a sign reading "Tu reviendras" ("You'll be back") to a bird on a branch of red carnations; and pages from the newspaper "La Cocarde", signed Lacour. On the other side, a woman sitting on a chair, seen from behind, accompanied by a poem signed "G. Ferré", probably for Georges Ferré (1853-1924). G. Ferré was a pupil of Émile Blin (1825-1897) in his Montmartre studio, as were Eliot and Léandre. This is followed by a long poem in tribute to Maurice Eliot, somewhere between mockery and admiration. Signed "R. Lenoir" (?). In the centre, a woman with a fan is flanked by two caryatids surmounted by portraits of the central figures, monogrammed (C.L.), echoing those in the centre of the front signed Léandre. This is followed by a handwritten dedication dated 1892. The illustration is completed by a score based on a fragment of the opera "Djoüa (?) (ballet)"; a shadow couple walking with a monkey and a poodle, reminiscent of the works of Caran d'Ache, one of the men has a wooden leg. A poem by H. Mottes follows. Wooden mounting. Metal hanger. (Moisture stains.) Height 35.5 cm; Height of leaf: 21.7 cm. In a box marked Eliante Paris. Expert : Georgina Letourmy-Bordier