71 - Jacques-Philippe Le Bas (1707–1783)

Jacques-Philippe Le Bas (1707–1783) Three designs for guardhouses on the Pont-Neuf. 1769. Etching after Charles Cochin. Each 205 x 110 [approx. 250 x 165 mm]. I.F.F. 134. Very fine prints on laid paper, two annotated at the bottom (one in pen and sepia ink, the other in pencil). Small binding holes on the left margin. Light foxing, small traces of glue, and small ink stains along the edges. Good margins. AABM stamp (Lugt 3075). Set of 3 pp. The guardhouses built by Soufflot on the Pont-Neuf in the 18th century were demolished after 1855. "We still remember the twenty shops designed by Soufflot, which curved out over the parapet and seemed to extend the piers: they sold clothes, hats, and Fumade lighters; all of that has finally disappeared, and in place of those ugly and unpleasant little stalls, semicircular benches have been installed that do not obstruct the view, do not hinder traffic, and serve tired passersby. " (Maxime du Camp, *Paris, Its Institutions, Functions, and Life in the Second Half of the 19th Century*, Vol. I, Paris, Hachette, 1879, p. 301).