Philibert Louis DEBUCOURT

Complete set of 115 copper-engraved plates with an additional plate (116 plates), all printed on either laid or wove paper, all hand-colored with watercolor. Two entirely different plates 39 follow each other, in first issue: "Les Titus et les cache-folies" was published in the 1817 and 1822 sets, and the other "La Politicomanie" appeared in 1827. This is the most complete series, which also includes the 11 new plates published from 1818 to 1822, numbered 105 to 115.

According to Vicaire, the plates were probably all printed between 1801 and 1822, and only the text preceding the plates was reprinted in 1827.

3/4 long-grained cherry half-morocco, smooth spine elaborately framed in gilt lentghwise, gilt tooled center of spine, gilt lettered title at head of spine framed in gilt, marbled boards, marbled paper endpapers and flyleaves. Minor brown spots are mainly confined to the 24 pp. of text, with very few on the plates, mainly on the margins and versos.

A rare and famous collection of costumes, genre and entertainment scenes from the French First Empire and Restoration eras, with very wide margins and magnificently hand-colored at the time. A veritable encyclopedia of thrills, pleasures and pageantry, published by Pierre de la Mésangère, leading fashion editor at the turn of the century. This copy includes two versions of plate 39, both of which are extremely scarce.
 

Set of 52 original plates, etched and enhanced with watercolours at the time, numbered 1 to 52, mounted in pairs under mats.
 
Leaves in red half calf slipcase (early 20th century), red shagreen boards.
The plates vary in size (10.8 x 17.6 cm to 28.1 x 18.8 cm) and paper stock, as was often the case with La Mésangère's publications. Unbound engraved title on a bifolium, printed separately, absent from most copies. It is replaced here by its identical reprint by Gosselin (1893-1903), on antique watermarked paper and bears the publisher's 'G' mark, characteristic of this reprint a century later. All the plates, however, are in their first edition, without the G mark added by Gosselin to the lower corners of the engravings, in the figure or the bowl, occasionally accompanied by a date.
 
Some foxing, a few rare engravings showing traces of pasted tabs on the reverse. Plate 42 restored without missing. A green stain in plate 11 probably due to the watercolour of the landscape. Twelve plates are trimmed to the plate mark: pl. 12 (12.7 x 19.2 cm), pl. 15 (12.4 x 18.7 cm), pl. 19 (11.9 x 19.8 cm), pl. 29 (11.9 x 19 cm), pl. 30 (12.5 x 19 cm), pl. 39 (12.1 x 18.4 cm), pl. 41 (12.5 x 19.1 cm), pl. 42 (12.5 x 19.1 cm), pl. 48 (11.9 x 18.3 cm), pl. 49 (12.9 x 19.9 cm), pl. 51 (12.5 x 18.4 cm), and pl. 52 (12 x 18.1 cm). Plate 37 is trimmed around the black border (10.8 x 17.6 cm). More pronounced foxing in the margins of plates 4, 28, 30, 31, 35, 44, 45, and 47.
 
A rare and precious complete suite of 52 original costume prints from the Directoire and First Empire periods.