Malerische Ansichten / Picturesque Views (of first railway lines in Slovenia); To commemorate the opening of the railway line from Cilli to Laibach by his k. k. Majesty Emperor Franz Josef I on September 16, 1849

Vienna: Rauh, 1849. First Edition. Very Good. Oblong folio 12 3/4 x 17 3/8 inches (315 x 435 mm). Chromolithographic title, 2 text leaves, 10 hand-colored lithographic plates (image dimensions are 8 1/2 x 12 1/4 in. - 215 x 210 mm) with early coloring. Waterstain to outer margin that does not touch the text, scattered foxing, some slight spotting). Contemporary green percalline covers, cloth spine. A rare collection of views of the Ljubljana-Celje railway section, inaugurated in 1848. This was among the first railway lines in Slovenia after Maribor was connected to Graz in 1844. The plates include beautiful views of of Celje,Marija Gradec, Lasko, Zidani Most 2x, Hrastnik with the coal railway tunnel Zagorje ob Savi (Sagor), Breginjski kot (Poganegg) with the American railway bridge (Poganig), and Ljubljana.
Title in German reads: Malerische Ansichten. Zum Andenken an die Eröffnung der Bahnstrecke von Cilli bis Laibach durch seine k. k. Majestät den Kaiser Franz Josef I. am 16. September 1849

František Xaver Sandman (also known as Franz Xaver Josef Sandmann, 1805 - 1856) was a German-French draughtsman, lithographer and painter who was particularly know for his realistic representations of landscapes and cityscapes. From 1836 to 1839 Sandmann worked on lithographic view series of Alsace, starting with the "Vues des villes et bourgs... de l'Alsace" (Strasbourg, 1836). In 1841 he moved to Vienna until the end of his life. There he worked with several publishers and artists including Jackob Alt (1789 - 1872) for a well received book of views from a trip down the Danube.