Collection des uniformes de l'Armée Francaise présentée au Roi
Paris: Au depot General de la Guerre, 1823. Item #06739
The Rare First Issue of One of the Earliest and Most Beautiful French Lithographed
Military Costume Books
Officially Presented to Louis XVIII by Marshal Victor, Duc de Bellune, Minister of War
AUBRY, Charles. Collection des Uniformes de l'Armée Française Présentée au Roi par S. E. M. le Maréchal Duc de Bellune, Ministre de la Guerre. MDCCCXXII. [Paris]: Au Dépôt Général de la Guerre, 1823.
First Edition, first issue.
Elephant folio (20 7/8 x 16 1/4 inches; 530 x 412 mm.). Pictorial hand-colored lithographed title-page, twenty-eight superb contemporary hand-colored lithographed plates (including the frontispiece), and the lithographed table at the end. The plates remarkably fresh and clean throughout, with brilliant contemporary hand-coloring.
Contemporary quarter red roan over red paper-covered boards. Smooth spine ruled and lettered in gilt. The binding with only some minor rubbing to the corners, otherwise an unusually fine, well-preserved copy.
Provenance: Officially presented to King Louis XVIII by Marshal Victor, Duc de Bellune, Minister of War.
Published at the direction of the French Ministry of War during the Bourbon Restoration, this magnificent elephant folio ranks among the earliest and most impressive military costume books produced by the new medium of lithography. Conceived as an official record of the uniforms of the restored French Army, it documents the reorganization of the military establishment following the fall of Napoleon and the return of the Bourbon monarchy.
The work was issued under the authority of Claude Victor-Perrin (1764-1841), Marshal Victor, Duc de Bellune, one of Napoleon's most distinguished marshals who, after the Restoration, transferred his allegiance to Louis XVIII and was appointed Minister of War. Under his direction the French Army underwent an extensive reorganization as the Bourbon government sought to reconcile the traditions of the ancien régime with the military realities inherited from the Empire. This publication formed part of that official effort, presenting the newly authorized uniforms in a sumptuous format worthy of presentation to the King himself.
The artist Charles Aubry was among the most accomplished military illustrators of the Restoration period. His figures combine exceptional precision with an elegance rarely equaled in official costume books. Each plate depicts two soldiers posed against a minimal background, allowing every detail of uniform, insignia, headgear, weaponry, and equipment to be studied with remarkable clarity. The plates possess a freshness and vitality that distinguish them from the more rigid military engravings of the eighteenth century, while the rich contemporary hand-coloring enhances both their documentary value and their aesthetic appeal.
The lithography was executed by Charles Motte, one of the pioneers of artistic lithography in France. Motte played a central role in establishing lithography as an artistic and commercial medium during the first decades of the nineteenth century, publishing works by leading artists including Horace Vernet, Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet, and Géricault. His workshop was instrumental in demonstrating that lithography could rival engraving in both precision and artistic quality, and the present work stands among the finest examples of his early production.
This is the rare original issue described by Colas as No. 177. It should not be confused with the greatly enlarged editions issued later in the same year or in 1828. The first issue contains the lithographed title, frontispiece, twenty-seven numbered hand-colored plates, and the lithographed table. The expanded issue of 1823 increased the series to eighty-four hand-colored plates, while the 1828 edition eventually comprised ninety-seven plates. Although less extensive than its successors, the original issue is considerably rarer and represents the publication in its earliest and purest state.
Military costume books of this scale and quality were produced in relatively small numbers owing to the enormous expense of lithographic printing and contemporary hand-coloring. Their large format made them particularly susceptible to damage and rebinding, and copies surviving in original contemporary bindings and with bright, unfaded coloring are increasingly uncommon. The present example is especially desirable, retaining its original binding and displaying unusually fresh plates whose brilliant coloring has remained exceptionally well preserved.
Beyond its importance as a military reference, Aubry's Collection des Uniformes occupies a significant place in the history of French lithography. It belongs to the formative years of the medium, when publishers such as Motte transformed lithography into the principal vehicle for illustrated costume books, military studies, and Romantic printmaking. Together with the great military publications of Charlet, Bellangé, Vernet, and later Raffet, Aubry's work helped establish the visual language through which nineteenth-century Europe understood the appearance and pageantry of its armies.
Today the work is prized equally by collectors of military history, French lithography, Restoration costume, and early nineteenth-century illustrated books. In its original 1823 form it remains one of the rarest and most handsome official French military costume books of the Restoration period—a monumental production that successfully combines historical authority with extraordinary artistic refinement.
References: Colas 177; Hiler, p. 52; Rahir 234; Vinet 2256.
Price: $8,500.00