ÉDOUARD FOURNIER, PAUL LACROIX, A. DE MONTAIGLON,... Lot n° 353

Paris through the ages. Aspects successifs des monuments et quartiers historiques de Paris depuis le XIIIe siècle jusqu'à nos jours, fidèlement restitués d'après les documents authentiques par M. F. HOFFBAUER, architecte. Paris, Librairie de Firmin-Didot et Cie, 1875-1882. 2 vol. in-folio (447 x 317 mm). Complete with 92 hors-texte plates, including 68 in chromolithography, most in color, 764 in-texte vignettes and 24 hors-texte plans. Plans are accompanied by captioned serpents. Some foxing. Contemporary brown half-chagrin with corners, titled spine. Ex libris of Sir George White, baronet, on both volumes. In 1868, the City of Paris asked the architect Feodor Joseph Hoffbauer (1829-1922) to represent the districts of the capital that were to be the subject of urban planning work before their demolition and after their reconstruction. This was the starting point for "Paris through the ages", published in twelve issues between 1875 and 1884, to which many historians contributed and which made Hoffbauer famous. This considerable work includes a large number of renderings, often in full color, evoking the appearance of Paris's monuments and neighborhoods in various eras. Hoffbaeur designed the renderings himself, and was assisted in their execution by several draftsmen and engravers. He frequently used photography, as some of his drawings reveal. Numerous new, credible views and dioramas of famous buildings were exhibited to the public and met with great success: the Louvre, the Châtelet, the Temple, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, etc. The accompanying maps, with their captioned serpents, make it easy to follow the evolution of these neighborhoods. Despite their uneven scientific value, depending on the quality of the documents provided and the advice of historians, these images and plans have made a major contribution to the movement to save the city. They made a major contribution to the heritage preservation movement of the 19th century. A good copy.