EUROPEAN GRAND TOUR PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM IN A VIENNESE PORCELAIN-DECORATED BINDING

c.1870-1880. Superbly bound by August Klein of Vienna. Contemporary dark purple morocco over thick bevelled boards, the upper board decorated with a floral design composed of exquisite hand-painted porcelain segments and two decoratively engraved brass cornerpieces. Blue moiré silk endpapers. Binder's gilt stamp to front turn-in. Containing 313 albumen print photographs mounted rectos and versos to 68 thick card leaves, with contemporary manuscript captions in French in black ink throughout. Condition is very good, the binding firm with some expert refurbishment to the morocco in places, a few very small dents/holes to the lower board/spine and a little wear/chipping to board edges. The contents, with a little wear to the silk endpapers and the very occasional light mark to page edges are otherwise in very good order and clean throughout. A wonderful grand tour album containing photographs of landscapes, city views, architectural studies and ethnographic 'types' in Gibraltar, Andalusia, Madeira, Switzerland, Austria, northern Italy, France, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, as well as a number of photographs of paintings and statuary. Among the photographs of Andalusia are ethnographic studies of North Africans, captioned 'Femme maure', 'Soldat maure', 'Jeune fille juive, Mogador' and 'Femme de Tarifa'. There are also many images of engineering interest, including the mountain railway at Righi and salt mines at Berchtesgaden. The Scottish views (showing sights in Edinburgh and elsewhere) are signed in the negative by George Washington Wilson; the English views include Lake Windermere and Oxford and Cambridge colleges (Magdalen, Christ Church, Trinity Cambridge, and Clare). August Klein (1824-1890) learned his craft as a bookbinder in Bavaria as a young man, moving to Vienna in 1845, and establishing his first business in 1847. He quickly found success, receiving awards at numerous exhibitions and gaining a significant international reputation, opening outlets in Paris and London. As a result of the standing of his company, and the quality of his leather products, Klein was made an imperial and court supplier for such items, and in 1881 was made a 'Knight of Honour' by Emperor Franz Joseph I. The current album, which commences with a photograph of the Austrian royal family, forms a beautiful and highly unusual example of Klein's inventiveness and skill, incorporating a strikingly lifelike, sinuous floral study in porcelain, including a delicately painted butterfly and even tiny water droplets to the veined, curling leaves. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.