The Saint-Memin Collection of Portraits, Consisting of Seven Hundred and Sixty Medallion Portraits; Principally of Distinguished Americans

New York: Elias Dexter, 1862. Small folio, later black cloth, viii, 104 pp. Complete with sixty-three plates, as well as a photographic title page. One of 100 copies. Very Good. A very scarce and important reference on Saint-Memin, also important as one of the earliest books illustrated with unique sets of photographic prints. This copy generally well preserved, with some occasional fading to plates. Some dampstaining to text portion at margins. Light marginal creasing to corners of plates, not affecting images. The photographic title page appears to be a copy of an earlier edition, reading: Partie de la Collection des 818 / Portraits graves / par / Ch. Balt Julien Fevret de Saint Memin, ancien Officier / aux Gardes Francaises, pendant son emigration aux Etats-Unis. 1793 - 1814, and includes sixteen portraits surrounding the text. This title page detached, all other pages soundly attached, with a sound 20th-century cloth binding in generally excellent condition with some slight bowing to boards. A nice copy of a very scarce work. Title continues, "Photographed by Gurney and Son, of New York, from proof impressions of the original copper-plates, engraved by M. de St.-Memin, from drawings taken from life by himself, during his exile in the United States from 1793 to 1814. To which are prefixed a memoir of M. de St.-Memin [by Ph. Guignard] and biographical notices of the persons whose portraits constitute the collection, compiled from authentic and original sources by the publisher [E. Dexter]." Miles, Saint-Memin 212; Howes F107, "b"; Sabin 75444, OCLC 4827791.