(Brazil) — Francisco Henrique Carls | Pernambuco, with 53 chromolithographic plates

(Brazil) — Francisco Henrique Carls 

Pernambuco. Recife: F. H. Carls, ca. 1873

Oblong folio (380 x 470 mm). 53 chromolithographed plates (approx. 334 x 440 mm); scattered foxing and toning affecting several plates, tiny pinholes at plate corners, a few small marginal abrasions and short closed tears with some repairs, one or two old creases to margins, pencil manuscript notes. Publisher's oblong red cloth portfolio ruled in gilt and black with stamped corner pieces and gilt-lettered titles, white moiré paper flaps; lightly rubbed at extremities, skillful restoration, flaps slightly worn. Housed in a custom dropback case and folding chemise. 

Rare first edition of Carls’s exceptional visual record of 19th-century Brazil, with 53 striking chromolithographic plates.

The present work, documenting the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, is a comprehensive and detailed representation of the region's vibrant, 19th-century landscape and culture. Its printer, Francisco Henrique Carls (born Franz Heinrich Carls), immigrated to Brazil from Germany in 1858 and established a lithographic printing house in Recife soon after. The plates paint a vivid portrait of Recife, Pernambuco's capital city, and serve as a triumph of early lithographic production in Brazil.

Extant copies of Pernambuco vary significantly, with plate counts ranging from around 20 to 50. The present copy, with 53 plates, is therefore one of the largest collections to appear on the market in recent memory.

Full listing of plates available upon request.

REFERENCES

Brasiliana Itaú, p. 328-329