This is a rare lift-the-flap book made by a child in 1698
The four sets of pictures are arranged side-by-side, transforming as the flaps are lowered and raised. Adam turns into Eve who becomes a mermaid. A rampant lion turns into a griffin, which becomes a baby-snatching eagle. The infant, who escapes and becomes a miser, mutates into an inverted heart, which then becomes a money bag. And finally, the rich man, once old and ill, withers to a skeleton.
The opening stanza commands readers: “Lift up and see the bride.” From there, the story–literally–unfolds as they choose.
Currently on display at "Come Together: 3,000 Years of Stories and Storytelling." The Morgan Library & Museum, New York
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