LAFFON Louise. Photographic album of the uniforms of the
French Army.
This album photographed in the factories of Mr. Alexis GODILLOT, supplier of the
Armies, follows other albums including artillery equipment, ambulances,
camping objects, harnesses and equipment...
Ais, 1866-[1868].
In-folio containing: title and table of plates followed by 69 plates mounted on
strong paper and captioned with a laminated cartouche, including 66 prints on salted
albumen paper enhanced with watercolor colors, and 3 salted paper prints (26bis,
29bis and 67, dated 1867 to 1868) by Pierre PETIT.
Green half-calf, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets and dots, cold-stamped frames on
the green cloth covers, title pushed in gilt letters in the center of the upper cover
(modern binding).
A good copy.
A very rare photographic suite, probably the first to systematically illustrate the
uniforms of a given army, on the model of classic engraved suites. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France attributes the creation of the
prints to the photographer Louise Laffon, active since 1859, specializing in portraits
and still lifes made with collodion. As for Alexis Godillot (1816-1893), who
gave his name to the famous military shoes that his company produced, he was the
son of a saddler of the First Empire and a manufacturer from Besançon who worked both
in the field of tanning and in the organization of official celebrations given
in the localities during the visits of Napoleon III.
This album is enriched with 3 beautiful salt print photographs by Pierre Petit.
Absent from Colas and Glaser.
Price on request