Lausanne, n. d. [c. 1820-1822].
Folio [370 x 278 mm] of (8) ll. on blank paper, (44) ll. on grey paper, (6) ll. on blank paper including (4) bl. ll., (38) ll. on grey paper, (8) ll. clean grey, 18 pictures, 1 large painting, 107 watercolors, 1 calendar plate, 11 printed pictures. Bound in green half-morocco, blind-stamped double fillet on the covers, blind-stamped initials “C. G.” on the center of a decorated medallion, flat spine with black and gilt fillets. Contemporary binding.
Charming watercolor album from the beginning of the 19th century representing the alpine flora.
The album comprises 107 watercolors of a great delicacy of execution. Some are painted on brown paper and mounted on white paper whereas others are painted on white paper and mounted on grey paper, thus providing a frame to these flowers.
Their bright and realistic coloring evokes to the reader the tradition of herbariums, especially as the title leaf has been elaborated in this spirit. Indeed, a variegated mix of leaves and countryside flowers circles the handwritten title in black ink.
We recognize along the pages: thistles, dandelion, campanulas, iris, digitalis, etc. The watercolors are occasionally dated, from November 1820 to February 1822.
Charming watercolor album dedicated to alpine flora which belonged to the famous Swiss-French alpinist, Henriette d’Angeville.
Provenance: handwritten ex libris at the bottom of the title-leaf “Lausanne, juin 1863, Htte d’Angeville”. “When Henriette d’Angeville (1794-1871) reached the summit of Mont Blanc on September 5th, 1838, she deeply and durably marks the history of feminine mountaineering. Thanks to her perseverance against the bans of public and family opinion; thanks to her physical and moral bravery against stereotypes about women inferiority; thanks to her independent spirit against the prescriptions of the Napoleonic civil code, Henriette d’Angeville became the first ‘pioneer’ of feminine mountaineering and added her name next to her male counterparts.” (P. Liotard, Sport et genre, Excellence féminine et masculinité hégémonique, p. 31).
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