- WITH 75 VANITY FAIR CARICATURES AND A SELECTION OF AMUSING ENGRAVINGS -

VANITY FAIR (British weekly magazine founded by Thomas Gibson Bowles in 1868, who aimed to expose the contemporary vanities of Victorian society, A full-page, colour lithograph of a contemporary celebrity or dignitary appeared in most issues, and it is for these caricatures that Vanity Fair is best known today. It closed in 1914.); 'APE' (pseudonym of Italian artist Carlo Pellegrini, who for 20 years was caricaturist for the London periodical Vanity Fair, 1839-1889)

Vanity Fair, Punch etc. - a composite album containing 75 Vanity Fair caricatures,  as well as a variety of amusing engravings from publications such as Punch.

Vintage album, which has been filled from start to finish with caricatures and engravings. Seemingly complete, with nothing removed. Pictures laid down on recto of leaves, with verso left blank in all but a few cases. Contains a total of 75 Vanity Fair colour caricatures, mainly after 'Ape', and 17 pages of plain engravings (a number of which are folding) and 1 original pen & ink sketch. Green half calf over green cloth boards. Size of album - 37.8cm x 27.5cm x 5cm.

Good condition. Rubbing to binding and some wear to corners. Short split to spine at top of rear outer hinge. Many of the Punch caricatures are trimmed quite tightly up to the margins, with loss of date and title along upper edges in many cases, but retaining the whole of the image. Some light wear to fore-edge margin of caricatures towards the end of the album. Some light creasing and age-toning. A few of the plain engravings age-toned and / or with some foxing.

Please ask if you require a more detailed condition report, or view gallery images closely.

An interesting composite hand-curated album of 75 Vanity Fair caricatures, and a number of other b/w or tinted caricatures, including some from Punch, all dating to 1869 and 1870.