Meek Stock No. 79 "Marianne"

General Comments
Like "Lenore" (No. 78), "Marianne" is based on another work by Austrian painter Bruno Geyer and similarly appears to have had the rights exclusively given to Meek, as we’ve not been able to find an example in another medium. Other than that, this design is a bit of a cipher; we can’t find a clear literary character whom she might be meant to represent. Marianne as a girl's name is of French origin and is a blend of the Latin for Marie, "star of the sea", and the Hebrew for Anne, "grace." To the French, the name symbolizes their spirit for "liberty, equality and fraternity"—hence the rationale as the national personification of France. The name charted in the US Top 1,000 every year from 1906 through 1992, and was at her most popular in 1940s and 1950s, when she regularly appeared in the Top 200.

One possibility might be Marianne the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Some of our Founding Fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson, were greatly inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution and creation of the French Republic. Marianne is a significant republican symbol; her French monarchist equivalent is often Joan of Arc. As a national icon Marianne represents opposition to monarchy and the championship of freedom and democracy against all forms of oppression, something which 18th and early 19th century Americans would have found very appealing.

Sahling does have an entry in May of 1907 for “Stock 13” tray, Marianne” in his workbook. She appears on a few brewery and whiskey trays or signs, a couple of bottlers, a farm machinery company, and oddly “Flower Girl Perfume.”

Size, Shape & Messaging Placement
All of the full-sized tray versions we’ve seen are 13” convex pies with black rims and gold advertising text, although the version in Hager’s catalog has a green rim. From the size of Hager’s image, it’s hard to confirm that is the original color or whether the rim has been overpainted. It shows up just as frequently as a curled corner sign (also with black and gold), but is probably most common as a Dresden Art Plate (DAP No. 208), often with advertising on the back.

Hager & Price
Hager does discuss this design in “The Ladies” subsection and similar to Lenore, the order in which Marianne appears in the DAP sequence (No. 208, near the end) does not sync with the order this design appears in the stock catalog (No. 79), which seems odd given that they all carry 1907 copyright dates. As for pricing, similar to tip trays we do not trace Art Plate prices (a good portion of the examples encountered). Brewery examples, of which there are relatively few, hold decent, but not spectacular prices. Non-brewery prices are on the higher side compared to other designs, although less than brewery examples.