The Costume of China, illustrated by sixty engravings: with explanations in English and French. Costumes de la Chine, représentés en soixante gravures [...].

Folio: [8] ll (2 titles, publisher's advertising, table of contents, 2 forewords); 60 pls

Contemp. dark blue long-grained leather, several blind and gilt roll-stamps & fillets on boards, gilt spine with flat bands, a.e.g. (corners and caps dulled, some scratches, somewhat rubbed).

Second edition of this luxurious work. Complete with 60 large water-coloured lithographs after the drawings of the Cantonese Pu-Qua, each plate facing a bilingual leaf of explanation. A larger part of these "costumes" represents workers & craftmen e.g. the tea sorter, the bookseller, the blacksmith, the frog catcher, the basket maker, the fisherman, the embroiderer... The upperclass is less frequently represented. The work is a part of 11 books concerning "The Costumes of Various Countries" published by Miller and later distributed by Mac Lean, comprising a.o. "Costumes" of Turkey (by d'Alvemart), Russia, Italy, Great Britain (by Pyne), Rio de Janeiro (by Chamberlain), etc. Ref. Colas 2009. - Brunet III:325. Prov. Romain Roels (stamp).