Full Calf
Full Calf. Good. Lovely Gothic Revival designs for locks, keys, keyhole plates, other decorative plates, many with escutcheon shapes and designs. N.d., mid-19th century. (Paper watermarked on one sheet "1869".) 4to. 28 by 24.5 cm. 140 plates of pen-and-ink and sometimes watercolored tinting or fuller coloring, on 137 leaves of a light card stock (two leaves with plates on both sides), plus two essentially blank leaves. Several plates with a 4 to 5 cm fold, adding a little length to the illustration. We do not know the enterprise for whom this was created, and for that matter, we do not know whether this was the proof for a printed catalogue, or whether it might have not itself served as the company's catalogue, which in this instance wasn't printed. All bound in a modern full calf binding sympathetic with the material. The calf is of a dark brown, with raised bands on the spine, and a simple impressed roll around the perimeter and also a decorative rectangular centerpiece in the center of the boards. Condition: top and bottom leaf heavily soiled, with some soiling scattered throughout but considerably lighter than on these exposed pages. The card stock used has some brittleness, leading to minor edge chipping, a few short closed tears, and the like. The string tie used to bind the sheets is quite loose.
(Inventory #: 006485)