Album Hamburgischer Costume

Hamburg: Verlag von B. S. Berendsohn, 1850. Quarter Morocco. Paper pastedown on boards. Very Good. N.d., circa 1850. 8vo. 20.5 by 14 cm. Title page, followed by 50 hand-colored lithographic plates. Title page with four hand-colored vignettes, three with a pair of human figures, the fourth, a mother and two children, and these are set in the corner of ornate Rococo border decoration. The vignettes are smaller versions of four of the plate illustrations that come after. These illustrations are notable, in our view, for their showing not just quintessential costume of various classes and professions but also the people engaged in whatever their activity (truncated) or profession was. While many of the people do not pretend that they are not posing -- many of them seem to be making eye contact with the unseen artist as if they are looking at a camera, they also seem to be fully engaged in the work. The dress, though, should not be de-emphasized, as this album was created at a time that dress still was a clear denoter of someone's station in life, and various professions had a type of attire that was virtually an uniform. We would observe, though, that there is probably more depiction of traditional Trachten than one would encounter day-to-day. This makes sense inasmuch as the artist wants to bring out the more unusual as well as heighten interest by focusing on the more unusual. Berendsohn, the publisher, issued other versions of this collection, sometimes with a different title, such as "Trachten aus Alt-Hamburg", and the plate count could vary from one issue to the next, but using the same plates. This is a later issue -- the first issue had 96 plates plus text, and was issued a few years prior. Condition: Spine rubbed moderately, as is the paper pastedown, which has many small spots of surface loss. Standard edgewear with board exposed especially in corners. Remnants of what look as if they had been wax seal on the FEP. Title page a little grubby looking, with light foxing, especially around perimeter. Some of the subsequent plates have finger smudging and light fox marks here and there. The former can be removed by eraser if one makes the effort. Still, the plates are mostly clean, and the color and general impression is of brightness and appeal. (Inventory #: 008015)