No title. 12 sheets with watercolours on pith paper (fragile) with pale blue-grey silk ribbon borders mounted onto recto of white paper sheets, bound between original red cloth covered card boards, and with thin string ties. Corners are worn, boards are scuffed in places. Paintings include imperial courtiers, both young and old, set on carpeted foregrounds. Somewhat inevitably there are a few minor cracks, one is more so than others, but generally a bright and clean set. Pith came into use for painting to satisfy the increasing demand for small, inexpensive and easily transportable souvenirs, following the massive growth in the China Trade in the first quarter of the 19th century. Paintings in oils, on board and canvas were often costly and difficult to transport home. Earlier and more prestigious export watercolours had often been on a larger scale and painted on fine Chinese paper or on paper imported from Europe. The albums of pith paintings (and later the little glass-fronted boxes) were inexpensive, light, and easy to pack and gave the pictures some vital protection on long voyages back home. Because many were sold in albums and hence protected from sunlight, they retain their bright, vibrant original colours to this day. All paintings are untitled. 1. [An imperial man faces left while seated on an elevated chair]. 2. [An imperial young noblewoman faces to the right, while seated on an elevated chair]. 3. [A young boy holds a baton and the ties to his robe]. 4. [A young girl of the court holds her hands in the generous sleeves of her gown, and faces to the right]. 5. [A nobleman is seated. He twirls the end of his moustache with his right hand]. *Damaged, but missing original pieces available. 6. [A young courtly girl faces to the right while seated on a chair. She hold a single rose and stem in her left hand]. 7. [A nobleman is standing and faces to the left]. 8. [[A young girl of the court is standing and holds an ornamental fan with her left hand]. 9. [A man of the court stands and faces to the left]. 10. [Another image of a young girl of the court with her hands in the sleeves of her gown, facing to the right]. 11. [A young boy is standing holding an ornamental fan in his left hand]. 12. [A young girl of the court holds a closed fan with her right hand, and holds a handkerchief in her left hand].