82 - [COSTUMES] JACOB THE BIBLIOPHILE. Historical Costumes of France Based on the Most Authentic Sources. [...] with a descriptive text.

[COSTUMES] JACOB THE BIBLIOPHILE. Historical Costumes of France Based on the Most Authentic Sources. [...] with a descriptive text. A monumental and renowned study, richly illustrated with plates enhanced with watercolors. Paris, Administration de Librairie, n.d. [1852]. 8 tomes in 8 in-8 volumes, each bound in red half-shagreen, with ribbed spines. Minimal scuffing on the bindings, foxing, and some water stains on the text pages, some of which have been restored. Missing pages have been replaced with photocopies neatly mounted within the binding: the plates catalogs and notes in volumes II and VII, plus a few pages in volumes VI and VIII. Traces of old labels removed from the title pages. A comprehensive iconographic reference study devoted to the history of French fashion, from the reign of Clovis to that of Louis-Philippe. Each volume contains 80 engraved plates enhanced with watercolors (the last plate in Volume VI is missing), many of which depict historical figures. Conceived by the writer and curator Paul Lacroix (1806–1884), who signs here under his famous pseudonym, “Bibliophile Jacob,” this work brings together a collection of historical notes and in-depth articles on the evolution of costume, the manufacture of accessories, and the fashion industry throughout the centuries. [Vicaire IV, 840]. Handwritten bookplate reading “Ch. Dureau notaire” on the title page of Volume VIII. A pleasant, restored copy in later bindings.