Emile Bluteau Canadian Folk Art Sculpture of Strongman Louis Cyr picture of lighthouse and one blank page) plus

and one blank page) plus a few pages of old notes tucked in

including on the bottom of both the box and the interior tray

On the back side of the rack is a small area of residue I'd guess from the surface of a wall

Finely made

I've found sets in both wood and bone produced by a few different British makers in the late 19th century which came in a labeled box with printed instructions--but these are more diverse in form and more finely made

Emile Bluteau Canadian Folk Art Sculpture of Strongman Louis Cyr picture of lighthouse and one blank page) plusAt first I was thinking of this guy as a sort of beefy bathing beauty (!), but thanks to a handy attribution written by his maker on the back of the base, I realized he is famous Canadian strongman Louis Cyr (1863 1912), whose recorded feats included lifting 500 pounds with one finger and backlifting 4,337 pounds! Born Cyprien No Cyr in Saint Cyprien de Napierville, Quebec, Cyr changed his name to Louis when his family moved to Lowell, Massachusetts