Illustrated metamorphosis

Handmade, color illustrated booklet with overlaps, also known as a metamorphosis. Used for teaching morals to children near the mid-nineteenth century. The metamorphosis booklets can each portray three different scenes. Each booklet is made of a long strip of paper folded vertically so that the two shorter ends meet in the middle to create two flaps. By raising the top flap or lowering the bottom one, a new scene is created.

On the left side of the first booklet, Adam and Eve are depicted being tempted by a snake, as Eve transforms into a mermaid. The right side of the first booklet shows a lion's transformation into a griffin, which subsequently transforms into an eagle with a baby grasped between its talons. The second booklet is a continuation of the story, and the baby who was once the eagle's prey is now a successful man with gold and silver. He is of the impression no worldly cares can bother him, until the last flap shows a skeleton hovering over him on his deathbed and reads, "O! Man now see thou art but Dust, Thy Gold & Silver is but Rust, Time now is come thy Glass is spent, What worldly cares can Death prevent."