Adrienne Segur Biography: Relationship with Flammarion
Home Shop First Time Here? Stories Site Map FAQ Contact
Latest The Fairy Tale Book Adrienne Segur Art Prints Art Tile
Home Shop First Time Here? Stories Site Map FAQ Contact
Latest The Fairy Tale Book Adrienne Segur Art Prints Art Tile
In a file given only to us, an American publishing house announced around 1953 that the work Il etait une fois [The Fairy Tale Book] "is considered one of the most beautiful books for children published in France. It is interesting to note the number of copies anticipated for the first edition (20,000 for example) is more than three times higher than the average first edition of 5000 copies. This indicate the confident the editor had in the popularity of Adrienne Segur's illustrations and the quality of her work." The editor collaborated with the printer Hemmerle, Petit et Cie, which is a huge indication of the quality. However, it seesms that some of her colleagues may have regretted the chosen format. Thus, a press kit contained an unsigned article stated, "It is nevertheless regrettable that the large format prevents the spread of the books to an even larger number of readers." Around the same time, Flammarion's attention was perhaps more focused on the small formats of Pere Castor... Adrienne's drawings were thus not the vanguard of "popular" editions.
The contract that bound Adrienne Segur to Flammarion, signed in 1956 for one volume to appear in 1957, has many clauses. Tasked in this document with illustrating different tales of Hans Christian Andersen in the usual format, the contract specified the number of images to be provided (16 or 8 inset in the text in black or 8 in colors) and the price that would be paid: 60,000 francs for the black and white boards, and 90,000 francs for the boards in color. Flammarion reserved the right of modification on these works, for which it had negotiated complete property rights with the artist (It was mentioned that she was not a member of the Syndicat of Artistic Propriety [which, for a nominal subscription fee, protected the artist's copyrights and "moral right" to direct the disposition and use of their work- XA]