Illustrateurs

1869 · 35984 — Boston: Bradlee Whidden 1869. Folio. 15 chromolithographic plates after Frederic Remington A.B. Frost Fred Cozzens R.F. Zogbaum Henry Sandham and others. 32 ff. letterpress. Expertly bound to style in full dark purple straight grained morocco.<br/> <br/> A rare large-format work on sport in late 19th-century America including Frederic Remington's first two published prints in color a rare A.B.Frost image of deer-hunting and images from Fred. S.Cozzens and other top illustrators of the day.<br/> <br/> The present work includes six angling plates three of fly-fishing four plates of game-bird hunting and five of hunting larger game. Each of the fifteen subjects is first described in general terms on a single leaf of text followed by a second leaf giving a first-hand account of catching or shooting the subject followed by a chromolithograph illustrating the first-hand account. According to Gould's preface the plates are all from water-colours especially commissioned for the work which were subjected to the critical scrutiny of a group of anglers/sportsmen who judged them for technical accuracy. The plates are as follows: 1. Killing the Salmon. Henry Sandham. 2. A Moose hunt. Henry Sandham. 3. Trout fishing. Henry Sandham. 4. Fly-fishing for Black Bass. S.F. Denton. 5. Hunting Antelope i.e. Prong-horn. Frederic Remington. 6. Catching a Tarpon. Fred. S. Cozzens. 7. Mallard shooting. S.F. Denton. 8. Catching a Mascalonge. Frank H. Taylor. 9. A Wild Turkey hunt. R.J. Zogbaum. 10. Sailing for Bluefish. Fred S.Cozzens. 11. Hunting the Virginia Deer. A.B. Frost. 12. A day with the Prairie Chickens. R.F. Zogbaum. 13. A hunt above the timber-line Big-horn. Edward Knobel. 14. Canada Goose shooting. Frederic Remington. 15. Stalking the Wapiti. Henry Sandham. The two plates by Frederic Remington Hunting Antelope Hassrick & Webster 434 and Goose Shooting Hassrick & Webster 435 are also listed by Peggy and Harold Samuels Remington The Complete Prints New York 1990 pp.152-3 with the comment that they are the first and second Remington prints to appear in color. They were preceded only by a series of four monochrome photogravures for John Muir's Picturesque California 1888 and two other individual prints both black and white. Arthur Burdett Frost is now perhaps best known for his sporting pictures and prints but an aversion to deer-hunting meant that he rarely pictured shooting scenes that featured anything other than small game. His image Hunting the Deer is recorded and illustrated in Henry M.Reed's The A.B.Frost Book Charleston 1993 pp.101 104-5 but the author was apparently unaware that it was issued as part of the present work which is not included in the extensive appendix of books illustrated by Frost.<br/> <br/> Phillips p. 141; Wetzel p. 146; Sherwin sale 1946 lot 238; Bruns G120; Heller 1:502; Bennett p.48; Tyler Prints of the West pp.127 & 174; not in Reese Stamped with a National Character. Bradlee Whidden unknown