BANVILLE Théodore de Les Camées parisiens. [suivi de] Les Camées parisiens, deuxième série.

Carteret, I, 97 ; Oberlé, “Auguste Poulet-Malassis, 171 ; Talvart et Place, I, 203, 28 & 29; Vicaire, II, 270.

First editions printed in very small numbers.

The etching frontispiece by Ulm shows Banville in a medallion surrounded by cameos representing various characters such as Venus, Pierrot and George Sand.

These personalities are the subject of a literary portrait by Banville. The author has fun depicting the life of Parisian artists in a succession of small portraits. The entire artistic scene is represented. Banville makes no distinction, whether his protagonists come from painting, like Delacroix or Rosa Bonheur, writing, like Renan or Vigny, theatre, like Anaïs Fargueil or Déjazet, or photography, with Nadar.

Banville gives pride of place to women artists in all fields in these two volumes. He focuses on the actress Amédine Luther, the clown dancer Rigolboche and the singer Adelina Patti. There is a third series, published in 1873 in a slightly larger format.

A very fine copy.