Recueil des Scènes Familiéres, et de Société de Paris

Paris: n.p. [Chez Martinet], 1824. Familiar Scenes of Parisian Society Caught in the Wry

[SCHEFFER, Jean-Gabriel]. J.S-------, PIGAL, &c, &c. Recueil des Scènes Familiéres, et de Société de Paris. Paris: n.p. [Chez Martinet], 1824.

First (only) issue. Folio (14 1/8 x 10 3/16 inches: 359 x 263 mm.). Three parts in one volume. Printed front wrapper from Seconde Partie as title. Twenty one hand-colored lithographed plates, most signed: Chez Martinet, Lith. de Villain; numbered and captioned, watermarked "J Whatman 1823." Light waterstain at top margin of printed wrapper, also affecting blank top margin of first plate. Wrapper slightly soiled and with very small expert repair on fore-margin. The last two plates supplied from a slightly shorter copy.

Bound ca. 1890 in three-quarter dark green morocco over green marbled boards, ruled in gilt. Smooth spine ruled and lettered in gilt, dark green marbled end-papers, all edges gilt. An excellent copy, the vivid hand-coloring startlingly bright and fresh, of an extremely scarce collection. With the armorial bookplate of Laurence Currie "Ex Libris Laurentii Currie" on front paste-down. An excellent example.

Laurence Currie (1867-1934). British collector of books, prints, paintings and furniture.

Only one institutional copy worldwide, at Yale, but it is incomplete with only three parts (twenty-one plates). No copies have come to auction within the last thirty-five years. Lipperheide's copy contained only thirty-four plates. Not in Colas, Hiler, OCLC or RLIN. Lipperheide 3684 (with thirty-four plates).

The contemporary manners, customs, and costumes of Parisian society in typical scenes, illustrated with great charm and wry, understated humor by Swiss genre painter and lithographer Jean Gabriel Scheffer (1797-1876), who studied with Regnault and was a friend of Corot, Aligny, and Léopold Robert. His work was shown at the Salon de Paris beginning in 1822; his reputation as a designer of many wryly humorous lithographs, typically signed "J.S.," was firm. (See Benezit Vol. 9, p.354). Closely associated with printer-publisher Chez Martinet and lithographer Villain, Scheffer also created Scènes de jeunes gens (1825), Ce qu'on dit et ce qu'on pense (1829), and Petits travers (1830) with them.

Première Partie:
1. 8 heures du soir - signed J.S.
2. 8 heures du matin - signed J.S.
3. Comme on l'écoute - signed J.S.
4. Que je vous y'reprenne... - signed J.S.
5. La Confidence - signed J.S.
6. Il m'a fait des traits ma chère! - unsigned
7. Faut lui répondre... signed J.S.

Seconde Partie:
8. Derniers instans d'une demoiselle - signed J.S.
9. Dépêche-toi donc, n'y aura plus de places - unsigned
10. Dieux! si un homme me battait! - unsigned
11. 'A-ton été bien sage? - unsigned
12. Un Cabinet - le dîner dans une heure - signed J.S.
13. Ça serait joli en blouze... - signed J.S.
14. Surtout n'allez pas la compromettre - unsigned

Troisieme Partie:
15. ´A-ton une tournure? - signed J.S.
16. Le jour de la blanchisseuse - signed J.S.
17. La fin de Décembre - signed J.S.
18. Me soupçonner, moi!! - signed J.S.
19. A belle l'air gamain! - signed J.S.
20. D'ou diable sait-elle tout cela? - signed J.S.
21. On ne passe pas sans payer - signed J.S.