Exposition Universelle de Paris en 1878
Paris: Vve A. Cadart, 1878. First edition. Hardcover. Folio, 48 x 34 cm, Inscribed and signed by Martial on the etched title page. 48 etched india proof plates with descriptive text mounted to stiff paper. Each plate about 6 1/2 x 5 inches. This exposition, larger in scale than any previous covered some 66 acres. More than 13 million people paid to attend, making it a great financial success. The French exhibit filled one half of the entire space, the United Kingdom occupied one third. Alexander Graham Bell's telephone was on display, as was Thomas Edison's megaphone and phonograph. On June 30, 1878 the completed head of the Statue of Liberty was showcased in the garden of the Trocadero Palace. There are two separate images of the latter herein. Another advance consisted of low cost temporary building materials for statues and exhibit structures invented two years earlier in Paris -- consisting of jute fiber, plaster of paris and cement. Interior contents clean and fresh, gilt front cover lettering. Both a fine etcher and painter, Martial studied under Cogniet and Felix Brissot. He was a regularly invited exhibitor at the prestigious Paris Salon from 1846 to 1882. By 1865 etching dominated almost all his creative output [see: (Potemont) BRYAN Vol. IV, p.148]. OCLC lists one entry: Bibliotheque Nationale De France. Interior contents clean and fresh, gilt front cover lettering, marbled endpapers. Three quarter red morocco, original red aubergine cloth recased with original leather spine label laid-down. Teg. Near fine. Item #20493
Price: $3,250.00