171 - LABOUREUR, Jean Émile, and ALLARD, Roger. Small Images of the War on the British Front.

LABOUREUR, Jean Émile, and ALLARD, Roger. Small Images of the War on the British Front. First edition and first printing of one of the most beautiful and rare series of illustrations by Jean-Émile Laboureur (1877–1943), consisting of 9 original engravings depicting British soldiers at the front or in town. Paris, A. Vernant, 1917. In-4 (230 x 290 mm), loose-leaf, cover printed in black and green. XII and 9 original en-plaque engravings by Jean-Émile Laboureur, presented with the engraved letter and preceded by a title page, followed by 2 ff. (table of contents and “printed”). Corners very slightly dog-eared and minute marks on the cover; paper slightly browned on plate IV. First edition and first printing of this series of 9 original Cubist-inspired engravings, composed and executed at the front by the British Army (Flanders, Artois, and Picardy) during 1916 by Jean-Émile Laboureur (1877–1943). Through slender, elongated figures of extreme delicacy, the artist depicts here the daily lives of British soldiers at the front or in town. The collection is introduced by a previously unpublished letter from Roger Allard on the spectacles of war. Allard states regarding Laboureur’s engravings: “Dufy, who has seen them, declared them superior to your etchings and to everything you have shown.” Limited edition of 120 numbered copies (No. 72) signed in pen by the artist, all on thin laid paper. Each plate is presented with the letter engraved and numbered in pencil by the artist himself, except for plate No. IV, “Le Retour aux tranchées,” which is a specimen print. The plates are of exceptional finesse and are well preserved.