CARICATURE PROVISOIRE (LA). Paris, Aubert, Nov. 1, 1838 (ori - Lot 68

CARICATURE PROVISOIRE (LA). Paris, Aubert, Nov. 1, 1838 (origin) to Dec. 31, 1843 (last issue). Five large in-4 volumes, half-brown calf binding, smooth spines decorated with gilded arabesques, eb (Pagnant). An absolutely complete (text and plates) and extremely rare collection, more so than its predecessor, of this romantic periodical that followed on from La Caricature. After a three-year hiatus, Charles Philipon relaunched the journal under the title La Caricature provisoire, which in the process reverted to its original title. The five series run from November 1, 1838 to December 31, 1843. 423 lithographs, mostly in black but some colored and gummed, and numerous woodcut vignettes interspersed with the text; Daumier takes the lion's share (130), Grandville's participation is less important than in La Caricature (14), the other artists are Traviès, Gavarni, Raffet, Henri Monnier, Victor Adam... The texts are by H. de Balzac, who made a major contribution to this publication, as well as Dumas, Gautier, Janin, Soulié, Desnoyers and others. Nos. 1, 2 and 4 of the first year are in a state unknown to Vicaire, without supplements but with their lithographs printed on the last page of the nos. in question; the title of no. 5 is printed in black and not gold, as indicated by Vicaire; the drawing on page 1 and that on page 3 are printed in black and not bistre, as indicated by Vicaire. Our copy contains all the (extremely rare) published titles, as well as the January 3, 1841 issue, which Vicaire claims never to have seen! This issue contains 2 lithographs: Emotions parisiennes (by Daumier) and Les Débardeurs (by Gavarni). Also present is no. 53 of the 4th series (Dec. 31, 1843), which is the last of this publication, which Vicaire claims ended with no. 52 of December 24. Sparse, light foxing. Minimal marginal tears and small restored loss in the lower right-hand corner of the color plate by Granville: Grand Bal masqué (3rd series, no. 6). Carteret, III, pp. 132-134: "no less precious than the collection of the first Caricature (...) Daumier dominates in this artistic ensemble of the first order (...) "the set of these five series is extremely rare. To be sought, even trimmed, in contemporary binding"; Vicaire, II, 88-112. PRECIOUS COLLECTION, BINDED IN THE TIME PERIOD BY PAGNANT, circa 1890.