‎Pettigrew, Jane‎
‎Thé‎

‎Album souvenir. Friedberg-en-Hesse, Allemagne. Album souvenir d'un Officier Français prisonnier lors de la Première Guerre Mondiale. Souvenir album of a French Officer, a prisoner in Friedberg-en-Hesse, Germany, World War 1. Photo album beautifully decorated in an Art Nouveau style and revealing the day-to-day reality of a camp reserved for high-ranking prisoners in enemy territory during WWI. ‎

‎[Friedberg-en-Hesse, Germany], No publisher, unique piece, 1915. Oblong format : 10.8 x 7.5 inch. Bound in full beige cloth (new), with two closing laces. 68 pages. Moving and interesting album relating to the captivity in Germany, during the First World War, of a French officer of the 46th Infantry Regiment, Second-Lieutenant Romain Talabot. It contains a postcard, 114 original photographs, often captioned, and numerous illustrations (mainly ornamental) providing a glimpse, over the course of 1915, of life in the Friedberg-en-Hesse prison camp. Several views, some of them aerial, show the layout and environment of the camp : the large courtyard, the buildings (barracks, gymnasium) and the surrounding landscape (the village of Friedberg and the Taunus mountain range). Portraits make up a majority of the shots : individual or group, they evoke the diversity of nationalities present, with French, English, Belgian, Russian and colonial army officers rubbing shoulders, as well as ranks, arms (infantry, cavalry, etc.) and geographical and military origins (the 46th, 147th and 256th are mentioned). Thus, according to the author's indications, among the French there are the “Bourguignons”, the “5 Batignollais”, the “Africans”, or even an Algerian ; Belgians and Russians form groups that are sometimes separate, sometimes mixed with the others, and there seems to be a certain solidarity among these companions in misfortune, even a frank camaraderie that shows in their faces or attitudes. Added to this, is the variety of religious denominations, alluded to by photos of a Russian pope and those of Abbé Noël Delattre, former vicar of Cambrai and then the camp's Catholic chaplain, posing by the altar in the prayer room. The photographs reveal the day-to-day reality of a camp reserved for high-ranking prisoners in enemy territory, in stark contrast to the extremely harsh living conditions of ordinary soldiers : at Friedberg, Talabot and his fellow prisoners had relatively spacious rooms, a kitchen, a refectory, a café-like “buvette” and a vegetable garden. Although the camera's lens captured the changing of the guards and sentries, as well as Zeppelin and airship overflights of the camp, or the arrival of parcels - reminiscent of the immediate wartime context - it is the many leisure activities that are highlighted here : music and singing in a dedicated room, sports practiced in equipped areas such as the gymnasium or the tennis court, table games (bridge) or outdoor games, such as the traditional Russian gorodky*, the popularity of wich is shown through several photos. Lastly, the photographs occasionally document some out-of-the-ordinary episodes : the transfer of the Belgians to Magdeburg, the organization of religious ceremonies on the feasts of Joan of Arc and the Assumption (August 15th, 1915), the burial of a second lieutenant (who had two services, one Catholic and the other Orthodox, celebrated by French and Russians officers, respectively). As for the illustrations, with the exception of a full-page composition for the album's title, they are meticulously framed, with great finesse, in black (ink) and color (watercolor). Their mixed style, between Art Nouveau arabesques or floral patterns and sober, geometric incoming Art Deco lines, will be noted with interest. A pleasant and unique collection. * gorodki is a traditional sports game that was very popular in 19th-century Russia. On a 22 x 12 m rectangular field, a 2 m square (“gorod”) is marked out and 5 wooden cylinders (“gorodki”) are arranged in 15 set configurations. The aim is to knock down these “skittles”, from a distance of 13, then 6.5 m, using wooden bats, in a minimum time and a reduced number of throws. ‎

‎A few photographs exposed or damaged (last 2 pages, in particular), old small traces of glue and watermarks (healthy dampness, however), serpents not uniform and sometimes missing or partial, spine very slightly warped, paper endpapers and back covers replaced, otherwise good condition. Formed at the beginning of Louis XIV's reign under the name “Mazarin-Français”, the 46th Infantry Regiment became the “régiment Bretagne” in 1658. It adopted the motto “Rather die than fail”, and its badge featured the figure of Théophile Malo Corret de La Tour d'Auvergne, killed in 1800. Having distinguished itself in the wars of the 19th century, the 46th was formed in Paris on August 7, 1914, with 50 officers (including 38 on active duty) and 3,322 troopers, all under the command of Colonel Malleterre. Engaged in the Meuse from the 8th of August, it took part in the Marne victory, before moving to Argonne at the end of October. Faced with the Kronprinz's troops, it suffered a violent German attack at the Haute Chevauchée on January the 7th and 8th, 1915: many were killed and wounded, and among the missing was second lieutenant Romain Talabot, who was actually taken prisoner and transferred to the Friedberg-en-Hesse camp. This officers' camp (like Magdeburg, Burg, Crefeld and Mainz) is the result of the Germans' conversion of recent barracks. If we are to believe the report signed by National Councillor Eugster, representative of the Geneva International Committee to the German Committee for the Distribution of Gifts to French Prisoners, after visiting 17 prison camps (including Friedberg) in Germany between February 25th and March 10th 1915, the enemy administration had shown remarkable speed and efficiency in erecting these buildings. The Frenchman was full of praise for the hygiene (daily showers, baths every 8-10 days), the comfort of the accommodation and living conditions (light, heating, “model” sanitary and hospital facilities, large and beautiful kitchens equipped with modern cooking appliances, food in sufficient quantity and of good quality), the facilities (sports grounds, halls of worship, libraries) and services (regular mail delivery, cultural activities) enjoyed, in particular, by the officers' camps, concluding that “all these places will make pleasant places to stay in summer”. These observations corroborate the impression conveyed by the photographs in this album, namely that internment conditions were better than those portrayed by propaganda speeches and “rear” press organs. Officer Talabot was new to Friedberg-en-Hesse at the time of this spring 1915 inspection, but we don't know whether he met Councillor Eugster and whether he would have confirmed his statements. Likewise, we still need to clarify the reasons for and means of producing these photographs, the album and its ornamentation, as well as the background of its author, recorded in the archives as a second lieutenant and then a lieutenant under 4 different regimental numbers. A precious and unusual record of the fate of Allied officers taken prisoner in 1914-1918. - Clients Livre Rare Book : Les frais postaux indiqués sont ceux pour la France métropolitaine et la Corse, pour les autres destinations, merci de contacter la librairie pour connaître le montant des frais d'expédition, merci de votre compréhension. Livre Rare Book Customers : The shipping fees indicated are only for France, if you want international shipping please contact us before placing your order, thank you for your understanding. - Frais de port : -Colissimo France 11 € -Colissimo International (Union Européenne + Suisse : 23 €) (Reste du Monde : 55 €) ‎

‎Jeu du Grand Concours d'Aviation de la Champagne. Game from the Grand Concours d'Aviation de la Champagne. Very rare aviation-themed game in fine original condition. ‎

‎ Imprimeur : Georges Dreyfus, 1909. Plateau : 32 x 26 cm ; diamètre des jetons 3 cm. (sans boîte). Ce très rare jeu sur le thème de l'aviation en bel état d'origine se compose d'un plateau, de 2 dés, d'1 cornet tricolore et de 12 jetons en ivoire représentant 12 pionniers français et américains de l'aviation : Louis Blériot (1872-1936) ; Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932) ; Hubert Latham (1883-1912) ; Léon Delagrange (1872-1910) ; Louis Paulhan (1883-1963) ; Étienne Bunau-Varilla (1890-1961) ; Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1878-1930) ; Paul Tissandier (1881-1945) ; Charles de Lambert (1865-1944) ; Henri Farman (1874-1958) ; Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) ; Roger Sommer (1877-1965). Le plateau est divisé en 34 cases, avec un départ et une arrivée à Reims. Les autres cases représentent divers monuments et villes du monde : Paris et son Arc de Triomphe, Londres, Rome, Lima, le Pôle nord, Tokyo, Washington, Nancy, la Tour de Pise, Bruxelles, New-York, Rio de Janeiro, une Prison du Maroc, Bordeaux, Berlin, le Siam, le Mont Saint-Michel, la Tour Eiffel, Alger, Madrid, Venise, les Pyramides, Mexico, Montevideo, Shanghai, les Cataractes du Niagara, Moscou, Marseille, Nantes, Constantinople, Buenos-Aires et Lyon. L'ensemble entouré de 14 drapeaux de 14 pays. Le jeu commémore le premier meeting international d'aviation de Reims ou "Grande semaine d'aviation de la Champagne", qui fut organisé par le Marquis Melchior de Polignac du 22 au 29 août 1909. Après les éliminatoires du 22 au 28 août, mettant aux prises 36 appareils dans des épreuves de vitesse sur des distances de 10 et 30 km, trois pilotes restent en lice le dernier jour pour les finales : l'Américain G. H. Curtiss et les français H. Latham et L. Blériot. Curtiss remporte la course de vitesse devant Blériot (75 km/h). Latham remporte le prix des passagers (course de 10 km avec deux passagers) et le prix de l'altitude (155 mètres). Blériot remporte la course du tour de piste (10 km). Le 28 août, Glenn Curtiss remporte la coupe Gordon-Bennett avec son Curtiss-Herring n°1 « Reims Racer », avec un chrono de quinze minutes et cinquante secondes. ‎

‎Jeu en fort bel état de conservation, d'une très grande rareté. No place (France), Printer : Georges Dreyfus, (1909). A very rare game in excellent condition. Dimensions : board : 12.6 x 10.24 inch ; diameter of portrait tokens : 1.2 inch. (no box). This very rare aviation-themed game in fine original condition consists of a board, 2 dice, 1 tricolor dice rolling cone and 12 ivory tokens representing 12 French and American aviation pioneers. The board is divided into 34 squares, starting and finishing in Reims (France, Champagne). The other squares represent various monuments and cities around the world: Paris and its Arc de Triomphe, London, Rome, Lima, the North Pole, Tokyo, Washington, Nancy, the Tower of Pisa, Brussels, New York, Rio de Janeiro, a Moroccan prison, Bordeaux, Berlin, Siam, the Mont Saint-Michel, the Eiffel Tower, Algiers, Madrid, Venice, the Pyramids, Mexico City, Montevideo, Shanghai, the Niagara Cataracts, Moscow, Marseille, Nantes, Constantinople, Buenos-Aires and Lyon. All surrounded by 14 flags from 14 countries. The game commemorates the first international aviation meeting in Reims aka “Grande semaine d'aviation de la Champagne”, which was organized by the Marquis Melchior de Polignac from the 22nd of August to the 29th, 1909. After the eliminatory rounds during which 36 aircrafts competed against each other in speed events over distances of 10 and 30 km, three pilots reached the finals : the American G. H. Curtiss and the Frenchmen H. Latham and L. Blériot. Curtiss won the speed race ahead of Blériot (75 km/h). Latham won the passenger prize (10 km race with two passengers) and the altitude prize (155 meters). Blériot won the lap race (10 km). On August 28th, Glenn Curtiss won the Gordon-Bennett Cup with his Curtiss-Herring n°1 “Reims Racer”, with a record time of fifteen minutes and fifty seconds. - Clients Livre Rare Book : Les frais postaux indiqués sont ceux pour la France métropolitaine et la Corse, pour les autres destinations, merci de contacter la librairie pour connaître le montant des frais d'expédition, merci de votre compréhension. Livre Rare Book Customers : The shipping fees indicated are only for France, if you want international shipping please contact us before placing your order, thank you for your understanding. - Frais de port : -Colissimo France 9,5 € -Colissimo International (Union Européenne + Suisse : 20 €) (Reste du Monde : 40 €) ‎

‎The Insurrectionists' Shadow, Surrealism in 1979.‎

‎ Saint Peters, Experimental Art Foundation, 1979. 17,5 x 25 cm, 16 pp. Très bel état. Rare exemplaire du premier numéro de la revue publiée par les membres du groupe surréaliste, The Surrealist Group in Australia fondé à Adélaide en 1977 : Hilary Booth, Michael Vandelaar, Anthony Redmond, Ronald Vandelaar, Leon Marvel et Ian Jones. La revue ne comptera que deux numéros. Influencés par la revue et le mouvement Phases de Paris, le groupe des surréalistes australiens affirmaient leur soutien aux mouvements sociaux et révolutionnaires au sein de leur Manifeste : Devoid of any interest in the maintenance of such a social regime, we thus find ourselves inextricably linked with all others who form the vast base of the pyramid of oppression. Acutely aware that the emancipation of thought and the emancipation material life constitute an indissoluble dialectical relationship, our alignment with the struggle of the working class against the continuous plunder conducted by the ruling financiers, the struggle of women and children against the fetters of patriarchal ideology, the struggle of colonized people against imperialist exploitation – our alignment that is, with the struggle of all oppressed beings against all forms of oppression - is incontestable ‎

‎Cours de dessin. 1re Partie, Modèles d'après la bosse. 29 original lithographs (from a total of 70) from the first part of the Drawing Course ('Cours de dessin'). ‎

‎Paris, Goupil & Cie Editeurs, no date (1868) ‎

‎[This course taught Vincent van Gogh how to draw human figures.] Loose-leaf plates on grey paper with the original white/grey paper backing. Dimensions: 44 x 59 cm. All plates are numbered. The following plates from the first series (Première partie) are on offer here: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9-12, 15-17, 19-22, 24-26, 28-29, 32, 36, 40, 42, 46, 49, 52-53, 56. Details: All plates have a small printed colophon in a frame, with the general title, the part number and title, the plate number and the publishers name. In fine print at the bottom of the sheets the name of the printer Lemercier in Paris is mentioned on most plates. 27 plates also have a small blind stamp of the firm Goupil in the lower margin. See for this stamp the French database 'marquesdecollections', stamp no. L.1090. Condition: Mosts lithos are in rather good condition. The plates have evidently been used, a few have tiny pinholes. Some of them have been folded, showing creases. Most of the plates are frayed and worn at the edges, with a few small tears and dog-ears. Several plates are foxed or spotted. Four plates are in lesser condition: plate 2 has large folds, the lower corners are damaged and there is foxing; plate 26 has two long creases and a large tear; plate 36 has a crease, a damaged corner and a tear of six cm.; plate 56 is almost torn through the middle. NOTE: The beautiful plates of the famous Drawing Course (Cours de dessin) by Bargue and Gérome were made for beginning students of drawing schools and art academies to copy. In this way they could become familiar with the principles of contour, light, and shade, and at the same time develop an appreciation for 'good taste' by looking at examples of great art. The drawings of the first part of the course were made after plaster casts of famous classical and renaissance statues. The series starts with simple forms of isolated body-parts and then offers images of gradually increasing complexity. To help the student to manage the essential forms of a head or torso, many plates are divided into two parts. A schematic outline with straight lines and angles stands beside the finished drawing. The plates of the drawing course are now hard to find. Of the original publication of 197 loose-leaf lithography plates, divided into three parts, there are only a few complete sets known. Our collection is a part of the first volume: 'Modèles d'après la bosse' (Models after casts), which consisted of 70 plates. It was published in 1868. The second series, completed in 1870, was: 'Modèles d'après les Maîtres de toutes les époques et de toutes les écoles' (Models after masters of all periods and all schools). The third series, completed in 1873, was: 'Exercices au fusain pour préparer à l'étude de l'académie d'après nature' (Charcoal exercises in preparation for drawing the academic nude). The first two sections were meant for schools for design and decorative arts. The third section with live models was used only in art academies. There were no instructions published with the plates, that was left to the teachers in the schools. It was common practice in the schools to start with copying prints and drawing from plaster casts of classical statues. As a second stage, students copied old masters. In the art academies, they then went on to live models. This training was part of the tradition of 19th century neoclassicsm. The imitation of nature was the only goal for artists. Objects and human bodies should be drawn and painted meticulously. Works of art were both realistic and idealistic, following the concept of 'good taste'. In France, this resulted in smooth and finished works, influenced by the standards of the French 'Académie des Beaux-Arts'. This so-called 'Academic Art' came under criticism at the end of the 19th century when the concept of art changed radically. The Drawing Course is the last great document of the 19th century tradition of art education. It was widely used in France and England. Vincent van Gogh writes about it in his letters, he has worked through the whole course at least once. Van Gogh worked very hard on this course because he hoped to gain some income with the sale of his drawings. In a sketchbook owned by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam there are several pencil drawings made after Bargue's plates. Nowadays, the didactic and artistic quality of the course is greatly admired by both amateur and professional artists. The firm Goupil & Cie was an important publisher of original prints and art reproductions in Paris. They hired skilled engravers and lithographers and used the latest techniques. The firm also developed into a renowned art dealer. The 'Cours de dessin' sold very well for Goupil, and loose plates were still sold until the firm was dissolved around 1920. Charles Bargue (1826-1883) was a French draughtsman, lithographer and painter who has left a small number of paintings. Jean-Léon Gérome (1824-1904) was a French painter and sculptor, an esteemed representative of academic art. The main source for information on the course is: G.M. Ackerman. Charles Bargue with the collaboration of Jean-Léon Gérôme, Drawing Course. Paris, ACR, 2017 (first edition 2003). A copy of this book is added. ‎

‎The two first books of Philostratus, concerning the life of Apollonius Tyaneus: written originally in Greek, and now published in English: together with philological notes upon each chapter. By Charles Blount, Gent. ‎

‎London, Printed for Nathaniel Thompson, next dore to the Sign of the Cross-Keys in Fetter-Lane, 1680. ‎

‎Folio. (VIII),243,(1 blank) p. Calf 32 cm (Ref: ESTC Citation No. R4123; Hoffmann 3,82; Ebert 16760 'Wurde verboten, weil man die Noten antichristlich fand'; Graesse 5,274) (Details: Back with 5 raised band. Blind tooled double fillet border on both boards. Title in red and black. Woodcut text illustration, which represents a diagram of the philosophic schools in antiquity) (Condition: Binding scuffed. Back rubbed. Joints weak, partly starting to split. Boards spotted. Paper browning and foxed. Endpapers worn and browning) (Note: Few books have over a long period of time aroused so much upheaval among Christians as this biography of the neopythagorean ascetic and wandering philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, written by the Greek sophist and rhetor Philostratus at the beginning of the 3rd century A.D. This is the first English translation of the first 2 books (of 8) of this Life of Apollinius of Tyana. The translation was speedily condemned and suppressed by the Church of England, because it was held to be a most dangerous attempt against the church. Only a few copies were sent abroad. Apollonius was born in the same year when Jesus Christ is supposed to be born. It is almost impossible to reveal Apollonius' true identity, or to decide wether this is a biography of a real or fictionalized hero, or just an Heliodoran romance or a romantic hagiography, or even a documentary romance. The question can be dealt from so many angles, that the Philostratean studies constitute a separate branch in the research of the culture of the Early Roman Empire. The problem is 'that Philostratus, as a man of letters and sophist full of passion for Greek romance and for the studies in rhetoric, was hardly interested in the historical Apollonius'. (Dzielska,M., 'Apollonius of Tyana in legend and history', Rome 1986, p. 14) A fact is that contemporary sources reveal next to nothing about Apollonius. Philostratus wrote the biography at the behest of the empress Julia Domna Augusta. 'To satisfy the empress's demand, who asked him (Philostratus) to narrate the life and achievements of Apollonius, he had to invent this figure as it were anew. Thus using his literary imagination, this moderately gifted writer turned a modest Cappadocian mystic into an impressive figure, full of life, politically outstanding, and yet also preposterous'. (Idem, p. 14) Nothing proves that the 'Vita Apollonii Tyanensis' was widely read in the 3rd century. It would probably not have survived, were it not for the gouvernor of Bithynia, Sossianus Hierocles, one of the inspirators of the persecution of the Christians in 301 A.D. in his province under the emperor Diocletian. At the beginning of the 4th century he published his 'Philaletes', a treatise against Christianity, in which he ridiculed the divine attributes of Christ, and praised Apollonius' virtues and thaumaturgic abilities. In the 'Philaletes' Hierocles propagated his pagan Christ Apollonius. The Christians were furiously enraged, because Hierocles dared to contrast Apollonius with their Saviour. The Christians won under Constantine, and the 'Philaletes' vanished soon from the face of earth. It is only known through the 'Against Hierocles', a treatise of the Churchfather Eusebius. The 'Vita Apollonii Tyanensis', in which it was believed that Apollonius was presented as the equal, if not the superior of Christ, survived however the burning of pagan literature by Christian mobs in early christianity. Translations of the 'Vita' which began to appear in the 16th century were immediately put under ecclesiastical ban. The English translation of 1680, by the leisured gentleman Charles Blount, 1654-1694, a deist and freethinking philosopher, and especially his notes, raised such an outcry among christian believers in England that the book was condemned by the Church of England in 1693, banned and its further publication forbidden. Hoffmann observes that the stock might have been burned (vielleicht verbrant). On what ground he thinks so, is not clear. Still, 'fierce passions were let loose. Sermons, pamphlets and volumes descended upon the presumptuous Blount like fireballs and hailstones, and his adversaries did not rest until the authorities had forbidden him to print the remaining six book of his translation'. (R.W. Bernard, 'Apollonius, the Nazarene', 1956, p. 10) Blount persisted that if the miracles of Apollonius were untrue, so were those of Jesus. In his preface Blount is very cautious. He presents the 'Life' as being 'no more than a bare narrative of the Life of a Philosopher, not of a new Messiah'. Philostratus never even mentions Christ, he says. 'And if one Heathen Writer (Hierocles) did make an ill use of this History, by comparing Apollonius with Christ, what is that to Philostratus, who never meant nor design'd it so'. (Preface p. A2 verso) Blount had already finished the translation of all 8 books, he tells the reader, 'when I found the Alarm was given in all parts what a Dangerous Book was coming out; (...) which might therefore prove of pernicious consequence of the Publick'. He fears for his life he says, and therefore publishes only the first 2 books. 'I have thought fit to proroque the remaining part of this history'. (p. A3 verso) Especially Blount's very elaborate illustrations and annotations to the text were considered to be dangerous atheist freethinking. A century later Blount's notes were translated into French and published in Amsterdam in 1779. It was ironically dedicated to Pope Clement XIV by one 'Philaletes') (Collation: A-Z4, Aa-Gg4, H6) (Photographs on request) (Heavy book, may require extra shipping costs) ‎