Flowers from Nature

London. No. 26, Haymarket: Thomas M'Lean, 1824. 1st Edition . Soft cover. Near Fine. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. PASQUIN Peter [ie ALKEN Henry]. A Scarce work Probably by Henry Alken, with Six Humorous Hand Coloured Plates First edition, oblong folio, cover title, one blank leaf, and six hand coloured engraved plates (unnumbered and signed Peter Pasquin, Delt.), each with six figures, plates watermarked 1824. Original publishers brown wrappers, expertly rebacked and repaired to style, back wrapper advertising other works by McLean, including many Alken, plates very bright and fresh, with minimal finger soiling. Housed in a navy blue buckram portfolio, gilt titles, with book label (Alfred N Beadleston). Overall an excellent copy of this very scarce work. A witty series making ingenious connections between the characters depicted and common flowers, six designs with floral captions appearing on each plate. (371*262 mm). (Dixon 69 (without wrappers); Siltzer, p. 71. No listing at Abbey or Tooley). Though William Henry Pyne is frequently associated with the pseudonym Peter Pasquin, the Dictionary of National Biography attributes this work to Henry Alken, a frequent illustrator at the time of caricatures and humorous plates for McLean; indeed, these thirty six portraits, with their punning flower name captions, resemble other series of Alken's plates from the period. [Alken's] earliest productions were published anonymously under the signature of 'Ben Tallyho'; but in 1816 he issued with his name 'The Beauties & Defects in the Figure of the Horse comparatively delineated.' From this date until about 1831 he produced many sets of etchings... mostly coloured, and sometimes humorous in character, the principal of which were 'Humorous Specimens in Riding,' 1821-3; 'Symptoms of Being amazed,' 1822; 'Symptoms of being amused,' 1822; 'Flowers from Nature,' 1823-5... The fertility of Alken's pencil was amazing.. In all Alken's works there is a freedom of handling and a happy choice of subject which rendered them very popular in their day (DNB)