Twenty Four Subjects Exhibiting the Costume of Paris

London: Published by Rodwell and Martin, 1822. A Tall Copy and Rare
With the Lithographic Title-Page

CHALON, John James, illustrator. Twenty Four Subjects Exhibiting the Costume of Paris, The Incidents taken from Nature, Designed and Drawn on Stone by J.J. Chalon. London: Published by Rodwell and Martin, 1822.

First edition. A Large Paper copy bound from the original four parts. Large folio (17 5/16 x 12 inches; 443 x 306 mm.). Lithographed title and twenty-four hand-colored lithographed plates. Plates printed by C. Hullmandel. The title-page is watermarked 1821 and the plates are watermarked J. Whatman 1821.

Contemporary (truncated) quarter tan roan over marbled boards. Spine decoratively tooled in gilt, black morocco gilt spine label. Joints a little rubbed. Armorial bookplate (unidentified) on front paste-down. A very attractive, remarkably clean copy with vivid hand-coloring.

The plates are captioned: “La Marchande de Tisanne;” “Les Bonnes;” “La Petite Fruitiere;” “La Dame du Café;” “Le Café;” “Les Tondeuses de Chiens;” “Les Brodeuses;” “L’Escamoteur;” “La Porte Cochère;” “Le Journal des Débats;” “Le Restaurant;” “La Loueuse de Chaises;” “Une Matinée aux Thuilleries;” “Le Marchand de Brioches;” “Le Porteur d’Eau;” “Le Petit Décrotteur;” “Le Marche aux Fleurs;” “La Prise de Tabac;” “Les Adieux;” “Les Dames de la Halle;” “Le Cimetiere du Pere la Chaise;” “Les Dames Artistes;” “La Charette du Blanchisseur;” and “La Marchande de Modes.”

“According to Beraldi (XII, 232) this ‘very curious and rare album’ appeared as a small quarto in London. These plates, which are large folio in size, may represent a French issue of the work, though the English edition had captions in French. Jean-Jacques Chalon was a French artist born in Switzerland who eventually settled in England. His designs are by no means mere costume plates. Instead they are animated and faithful studies of Parisian manners and costumes in the years 1820 to 1822. There is hardly a touch of caricature, though the profiles of his personages have a family likeness which suggests a domesticated Girodet” (Ray).

"Published in four parts. The plates show people of various occupations, shoeblacks, venders, politicians, and general scenes, etc" (Hiler).

This copy is unusually tall: Abbey's copy measured 15 x 11 1/4 inches uncut, and lacked the lithographed title-page, as did Sadleir's (though Sadleir's copy was slightly larger than the copy under notice).

Only four copies with the lithographed title-page have come to auction within last 31 years. Five copies only located in KVK/OCLC but the presence of the title page is not noted. Quite rare.

Abbey, Travel, 108. Colas 588. Hiler, p. 156. Lipperheide 1185. Ray, The Art of the French Illustrated Book, 124. (Inventory #: 02555)