La Journée d'une actrice, ou Douze scènes de jour et de nuit,
Paris: Sazerac et Duval, 1826. Item #06722
A Day in the Life of a Parisian Actress
An Exceptionally Rare Complete Copy with the Four Pages of Text and the Original Wrappers Bound in
WATTIER, Édouard. La Journée d'une Actrice, ou Douze Scènes de Jour et de Nuit, Lithographiées par Ed. Wattier. Paris: Sazerac et Duval, 1826.
First edition. Large folio (14 x 10 3/8 inches; 355 x 263 mm.). Twelve superb hand-colored lithographed plates, lithographed by Engelmann & Langlumé. Complete with the four leaves of explanatory text and the original printed pink wrappers. Very light foxing to the four text leaves, front wrapper with expert and almost invisible repair to top inside margin.
Mid-twentieth-century light blue cloth over boards, front cover and spine with black morocco labels lettered in gilt.
A remarkably fresh and well-preserved copy. The original hand-coloring remains exceptionally bright throughout. The first plate ("10 heures du matin. Consul de toilette") with a small stain (from wrapper repair) in the top inside margin - well clear of the image.
Complete with the original printed wrappers and explanatory text. Many surviving lithographic suites have lost these ephemeral components. Their presence substantially enhances both bibliographical importance and desirability.
The lithography was executed by two of Paris's finest early lithographic printers. Engelmann, in particular, was one of the pioneers of French lithography, and his imprint adds significance to the production quality.
One of the most engaging theatrical lithographic suites of the Restoration period, depicting - with wit and affectionate satire - the daily routine of a fashionable Parisian actress from ten o'clock in the morning until midnight. Beginning with the rituals of the dressing room, the actress proceeds through visits to journalists, meetings with playwrights and theatrical committees, rehearsals, an afternoon promenade in the Bois, dinner at the celebrated Rocher de Cancale, preparations backstage, her triumphal appearance on stage, an unexpected fall from favor, the consolations of friends, and finally repose after the day's emotional and professional drama.
The series captures not only the glamorous public image of the actress but also the intricate social and professional world surrounding the Parisian theater during the Restoration. It offers a vivid record of theatrical customs, fashionable costume, contemporary interiors, and the intersection of journalism, literature, and performance in 1820s Paris. The lively hand-coloring further enhances the immediacy and charm of each scene.
The work is of exceptional rarity. We locate only two institutional copies worldwide, at the Boston Public Library and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and auction records appear to be virtually nonexistent.
The authorship of the drawings remains uncertain. According to the Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon (AKL), the designs have variously been attributed to the brothers Édouard Wattier (1793–1871) and Émile Wattier (1800–1868), both accomplished painters, lithographers, illustrators, and printmakers active during the flourishing early decades of French lithography.
The twelve plates are captioned:
10 heures du matin. Conseil de toilette
Onze heures du matin. Visite au journaliste
Midi. Réception de l'auteur
Deux heures après midi. Comité de lecture
Trois heures après midi. Les amateurs à la répétition
Quatre heures du soir. Promenade sentimentale au bois
Cinq heures du soir. Dîner au Rocher de Cancale
Sept heures du soir. Préparatifs de triomphe
Huit heures du soir. Entrée en scène
Dix heures du soir. Disgrâce!!
Onze heures du soir. Consolations
Minuit. Repos
Lipperheide 3694.
Price: $4,500.00