119 - [Russia]. HOUBIGANT, Armand Gustave.

[Russia]. HOUBIGANT, Armand Gustave. Customs and Costumes of the Russians... Paris: Treuttel and Wurtz; printed by Firmin Didot, 1821. Small folio (40 x 26.5 cm), (3) folios, 20 folios, 46 lithographed plates (out of 50, excluding 3, 7, 20, and 23). Contemporary red half-percaline with corner pieces, plain, unmarked spine (binding slightly rubbed, scattered stains but plates remain clean, margins short or restored, a few pages with missing sections extending to the title (restored in pencil at the top of the plate); title page restored at the margin, tear restored on pl. 30, a few loose leaves, and one inner joint slightly worn). Very rare. A beautiful and significant series of 46 lithographic plates printed in black by Lasteyrie or Bellangé, finely hand-colored at the time. While it is largely devoted to Russian games and entertainment, it also depicts various aspects of their daily life in the early 19th century, picturesque scenes—including traditional costumes—and laborious activities. It depicts a wedding, a baptism, the game of babki, “Russian” ice mountains, and a market selling frozen foods Based on compositions by the French illustrator A.-G. Houbigant (1790–1863), heir to the Grasse perfumer François Houbigant. Some plates bear the author’s initials printed at the bottom of the scenes. Second printing, identical to the first published in 1817. Calame Près stamp (Switzerland). Lipperheide 1352, Colas 1496 (for the 1817 edition).