Frost, Arthur Burdett | "Shooting Pictures," with original illustrated wrappers

Frost, Arthur Burdett

Shooting Pictures. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, [1895-1896]

6 parts in one, large folio (490 x 675 mm). 13 leaves of letterpress text, printed recto only, in two columns with in-text uncolored illustrations, 12 chromolithographic plates after Frost on original card mounts; light and primarily marginal foxing, some chips and browning to mounts at margins not affecting images, loss to a few corners not affecting images, letterpress leaves of part 4 toned, neat tissue repairs to margins of most leaves and mounts, particularly in parts 4-6, a few stray stains generally not affecting images, duplicate of “Quail shooting” leaf in part 6. Loose as issued in original illustrated wrappers, original half-roan over illustrated boards portfolio; wrappers chipped and browned at edges, with a few stray stains, paper reinforcement to folds of wrappers, small hole to part 6 upper wrapper, portfolio rebacked, lacking ties, covers scuffed, rubbed at extremities, and a few stains, with dampstaining to lover cover. Housed in a modern half morocco solander case.

A complete copy of Frost’s masterpiece, rarely found in the original illustrated wrappers, featuring large-scale chromolithographs after one of America’s most celebrated sporting artists. 

Described by Bennett as "one of the most famous series of American sporting pictures,” Frost’s evocative hunting and shooting prints capture the drama of the sport and provide an invaluable visual record of rural America. Frost was a successful and prolific artist: he illustrated more than ninety books and produced thousands of illustrations for Harper's Weekly, Scribner's and Life magazines. Frost's most desirable and rare prints, however, are the twelve chromolithographs contained in the present work, depicting various shooting scenes from upland gunning to waterfowling, and accompanied by informative text. 

The subjects of the plates (taken from the wrappers and the text) are as follows: 1. Rail shooting; 2. Bay Snipe; 3. Ruffed Grouse; 4. Summer Woodcock; 5. English Snipe; 6. Prairie Chicken; 7. Ducks from a battery; 8. Ducks from a blind; 9. Rabbit shooting; 10. Quail - a dead stand; 11. Autumn Woodcock; 12. Quail shooting.

REFERENCES

Bennett, p. 44; Reed, The A.B. Frost Book