Memoirs Of Harriette Wilson Written By Herself; "Tis from high life, high characters are drawn."
London: T.J. Stockdale, 1825. First edition. leather_bound. 433 (viii), 435, 432, 308 (58). 17 x 11 cm. Twelve original parts in 10, with half titles and titles in all four volumes, and with all the original front and back buff printed paper covers laid-in.Twenty hand-colored plates mainly by Piercy Roberts plates of which several are folding and include a frontispiece portrait of Harriette, together with scenes from her memoirs.Roberts was an English publisher, printmaker, and caricaturist active between 1785 and 1824. Most of his prints are caricatures, some after his own designs and some after others such as George Moutard Woodward. He collaborated with Thomas Rowlandson on several prints, most notably a pair of portraits of Josephine Beauharnais (in the Royal Collection) and Napoleon (in the British Museum). This work, considered the most famous tell all of the 19th century includes ten full length portraits (including Wellington) by George Cruikshank, signed with his initials which were issued separately as a series of plates, but are here bound-in. More importantly, since the character of this work was scandalous Cruikshank in his latter life denied authorship. In the many later editions of this work his initials do not appear. COHN (853) in his catalogue raisonne confirms the ten plates herein contain the original color copper plates initialed by him. Harriette Wilson was at one point the lover of the Duke of Wellington, Beau Brummell, and four future Prime Ministers. In 1825 Robert Blore, the sculptor was partly subject of the scandalous "Memoirs of Herself and Others" by Harriette Wilson of Mayfair published by Stockdale in London which rapidly ran to 30 editions and made Mrs. Wilson at least £10,000, and most certainly succeeded in her goal of providing for herself in "old-age", since her former lovers had failed to fulfill their promises of annuities. Blore, by then married, successfully sued the publisher for £300 in libel damages which appears here at the end of Vol. IV as "Blore vs. Stockdale." Some offsetting plates to text, interior generally clean. ABBEY LIFE. 326 (see pirated edition). Early black morocco stamped signed by Riviere, raised bands richly gilt, marbled endpapers, inner dentelles. Teg. Fine. 4 Vols. Item #23176
Price: $3,250.00