Oblong folio (10 3/16 x 13 1/2 inches; 258 x 342 mm.). Twenty-eight plates (twenty-five lithographed three engraved), twenty-seven of which are vividly hand-coloured, some heightened with gum arabic. Bound by Poole & Boult of Chester (ticket on front pastedown) in contemporary half dark green roan ruled in gilt over marbled boards. Green roan gilt lettering label on front cover spine ruled in gilt with four raised bands decoratively ruled in gilt marbled endpapers. A bit of rubbing to binding. Occasional foxing or toning to plate margins. Plate no. 7 has had a fore-edge chip professionally restored at an early date. An attractive and unusual album featuring many rarities. The caricatures are by or after J. J. Grandville (5) Ch. Philipon (1) C.J. Travies de Villers (1) Cari (4) Juliern (1) Langlumé (3) Champion (1) Fournier (1) E. Forest (1) Augte. Bouquet (1), de Valmont (2), Delarue (1), and others are a sampling of the period's busiest political and social satirists. In all, a superb representative view of the art of French caricature in the immediate post-Bourbon monarchy era at the dawn of the Golden Age of French caricature. With two (of nine) plates by Grandville from his phenomenally scarce Voyage pour l'éternitié, no copy of which has sold at auction in the last thirty years. OCLC locates only one copy (at the Houghton Library at Harvard University with the nine plates in two states, plain and hand-coloured). We have only been able to locate one other copy (at the Wellcome Library ) with only four of the nine plates (Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 6). And three plates from Grandville's rare burlesque on the ancient gods depicted as members of the French lower class Galerie mythologique. Another series [in addition to Les Métamorphoses du jour (1828) and Galerie mythologique (1830)], Voyage pour l'éternité, a satirical dance of death, was so unsuccessful that its publication was never completed though it was admired by Balzac. These works were executed in pen lithograph in a style lending itself to hand colouring, a technique Grandville shared with Monnier" (Beatrice Farwell The Charged Image p. 95). It also includes three plates by Godissart de Cari from the exceedingly scarce Musée Grotesque, which OCLC and RILN locate on one copy (at NYPL). Four plates are embossed stamped "La Silhouette Album" at the lower margin. La Silhouette, the first satirical weekly publication in France, was co-founded by the great caricaturist and publisher Ch. Philipon (see plate 23) as well as Honoré de Balzac Emile de Girardin-Ratier and De Varaigne. It was founded shortly before the collapse of the Bourbon Monarchy in December 1829. It appeared only until January 2, 1831. Includes two military scenes by Nicholas Toussaint Charlet (unsigned), one of France's most famous lithographic artists of the early nineteenth century for Gihaut Freres. Eugène Forest was a sometime collaborator of Grandville. Charles Joseph Travies de Villers was a founder of and contributor to La Charivari, the successor to La Silhouette. The Who's Who of publisher/printer/lithographers represented here include Aubert Gihaut Freres Hautcoeur Martinet Ratier Delaporte Bassetrue Colbert et Tirot Bullu, etc. Coloured plates in order: 1. Le Directeur dans L'Embarras ou le Combat des Atrists. 2. La Partie de Plaisir. 3. La Lecon de danse. 4. La Lecon d'Equitation. 5. Le Cheval emporte en Omnibus. 6. Un banc d'Omnibus "Trois, six et trois....huit, encore une place! Serrez-vous Messieurs et Dames". 7. Ce polisson de Racine!...si j'avais vecu de son temps nous nous serions mesure's l'epee a la main ( historique). 8. Je creverai dans l'oeuf ta panse imperiale. Sublime d'Hernani plat Romantique. **(uncoloured lithograph)** 9. Artillerie du juste milieu. Excercice de la pompe a... Commande par Le beau general en Chef des apothicaires. 10. Un Cafe. "Je vous dis que c'est a moi la pose!!". 11. "Bah! Il en fait son e'tat, v'la trois fois qu'il est ecrase c'te s'maine". 12. Un abus de Confiance. 13. Deux Contre Un. 14. A peine le pasteur la voit, il soupire, il se trouble, la pomme lui echappe, Junon, Minerve, l'Olympe, tout disparait a ses yeux. 15. C'est -y peu galant ces hommes, cane ferait pas tant seulement une place aux Dames. 16. "Pour lois y m'dit... qu'ydit...dit y...quil avait-z-entendu des gens qui disaient qu'on leu'y avait dit comme ca....la republique va-'t-et proclamee-z au Luxembourg!....et...voila!.." 17. Une Audience de Police Correctionnelle. 18. "Dis-donc Benoit...Il m'a lair d'un fameux farceur le chef!...Il ne recoit que les jolies femmes". 19. Je Crois qu'il est un peu ferme. 20. "Messieurs! Messieurs....pour les Danes!". 21. "Maman, Euphrosine et Aglace demandent si nous allons a l'Elysee de Dames ou au salon de Mars? Non, Mesdemoiselles on y danse la Chahue". 22. Des Poupees sur des chaises, des Manequins charges de faux cols, de faux cheveux, de faux attraits; des habits ridicules e'tal's dans des voitures, sur des chevaux ou traines dans la boue.....voila Longchamps! 23. Longchamps. 24. Soyez tranquille, j'ai un Garcon qui ne se trompe jamais. 25. Voila, Messieurs, un plat de mon metier. 26. Les Mesaventures, No. 5. Nous sommes surs que la noitre avoit des yeux noirs. 27. Inconvenient de se Balancer sur la chaise.