London, for Rodwell and Martin, 1822.
Folio [486 x 337 mm] of (3) ll., 50 full-page lithographs in colors. Brown three-quarter shagreen, flat spine with gilt fillets, some wear. Contemporary binding.
First edition of this rare album depicting some views of the Alps drawn from life by the Major-general Cockburn at the very beginning of the 19th century.
Graesse, Trésor de livres rares, 207 ; Brunet, II, 116 (neither of these bibliographers mention a colored copy).
James Pattison Cockburn (18 March 1779 – 18 March 1847) was an artist, author and military officer. He was born into a military family and received his military training at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich where he received training in drawing which was related to the skills required for topography. Cockburn had a long military career and retired with the rank of Major-General. Throughout his time in the army, which took him to many parts of the world, he sketched and produced a steady flow of travel books which he illustrated himself. They include A Voyage to Cadiz and Gibraltar, with 30 coloured plates, published in 1815; Swiss Scenery, with 62 plates, in 1820; The Route of the Simplon, and the Route of Mont Cenis in 1822; The Valley of Aosta, in 1823 and Pompeii Illustrated, in folio, in 1827.
« He was of much ability, and drew and published many views of foreign scenery, but is reputed to have made use of the camera lucida in sketching ».
The present album contains 50 superb lithographs engraved by Hullmandel from Cockburn’s drawings.
They depict views of the Alps such as the valley of the grande chartreuse, Chambery, Montmelian, Termignon, Susa, St. Sorio, the Mont Cenis, etc.
All the 50 lithographs of this copy have been finely colored at the time, an exceedingly rare condition.
Indeed, no bibliographer mentions any copy in colors.
An exceptionally fresh and wide-margined copy, with vivid colors, preserved in its contemporary binding.
