[PARIS]. A picturesque history of Paris. - Lot 50

[PARIS]. A picturesque history of Paris. Surprising model of a 19th-century publishing project. S.l., s.é., circa 1870. 1 volume in-folio, half brown basane, spine ribbed with gilt fleurons. 55 tabbed leaves, 112 pages. Binding rubbed, spine epidermized and edges dulled, minimal foxing to first leaf. An astonishing model, probably unpublished, of this ancient history of Paris, a city destined "to become the queen of civilization" (disclaimer). It alternates numbered printed leaves and 29 illustrated pages printed on albumen paper and laminated on strong paper (indication in the prints: studio Alexandre Bertrand et son successeur Verrneuil, 34 rue Dauphine). The "Fin" stamp at the foot of the last leaf underlines the meticulous attention paid to the layout of this publishing project. Alexandre Bertrand (1822-1889) opened his rue Dauphine studio in 1846. A very active daguerreotypist and photographer, he kept over 35,000 numbered plates so that his customers could "obtain other similar or larger prints". In 1868, he sold his studio to Auguste Verneuil. A fine example of a 19th-century publishing project.