Papeterie [educational miniature writing box for children]. N.K. Atlas. Paris. Circa 1919.

Original folding presentation box in with blue and gold clover design. Art Nouveau paper label "PAPETERIE" on top. All six original miniature postcards of Paris still present and also marked 'N.K. Atlas Paris'. In the centre is a storage box of Dresden gold paper decorated with an angel, containing small writing implements. The interior is in antique French old pink colour and equipped with compartments and decorated with small lithographs. It appears predominantly complete with the original pieces: tin set of postal scales; metal miniature bowl; 2 glass inkwells with metal stoppers; blue cardboard ink blotter; paper, notepad, and envelopes; contemporary ink hand-written letters; spare unused dip pen nibs in cardboard box with original chromolitho image pasted on the lid; wooden stamp with capital letter 'A' for the original owner, Alice; cloth pen wipe; boxwood centimetre ruler with brass handle; small old eraser; old dip pen and two old pencils. Dimensions of box: 14 cm. high; 25 cm. wide; 16 cm. deep. N. K. Atlas moved in 1904 to 23 rue Atlas in the 19th district of Paris, and until 1924 manufactured wooden games and toys, tableware and cardboard, board games mostly with very lithographed illustrations: examples include miniature globes, lotto, puzzles, fishing games, magnetic games, construction games, play sets (including a toy school room). The company was named from the founders Leon Nicolas and Charles Keller, and from the street where the company was headquartered. NK Atlas was bought in 1925 by G. Bonnet. Nicolas was a representative of the Simonin-Cuny house, Keller, originally from Munich, had settled in France at the end of the 19th century. The business started in 1904, the same year that  RT (Revenaz and Tabernat) and JJF (French toy games) started - resulting in a concentration of similar French educational toy and games activities manufacturing companies.