Album d'Articles de Voyages d'après les Modèles de Messieurs Godillot Père et Fils, Brèvetès Malletiers du Roi.
Paris: Fabrique Générale d'Articles de Voyages, no date [circa 1840].
First Edition.
Alexis Godillot (1816-1893) was a contemporary of Louis Vuitton (1821-1892) and first achieved renown in Paris for his beautiful hand-made luggage. With a workshop situated just a few blocks away from Vuitton's, this catalogue comes from this very early period of Godillot's life before he had revolutionised footwear by differentiating the moulding of the left shoe from the right and become the famous shoemaker who would go on to equip over one hundred thousand French soldiers for The Crimean War.
'Godillot' remains a slang French term for 'boot' to this day.
The album features superb hand-coloured lithographs with an original sketch showcasing nearly one hundred accessories including bags, picnic baskets, apparel, wonderful old trunks, tents, and hammocks- true 'objets nomades' - many of which are in surprisingly bold and modern designs. A beautiful, rare, and precious catalogue of the articles a traveller might require for voyaging elegantly and safely.
Illustrated catalogue, 305 x 465mm, 9 lithographic plates (of which six are coloured by hand), original decorated wrappers rubbed and chipped; beautiful original pencil drawing loosely inserted; preserved in elegant modern folding case with ribbon ties.
Price (AUD): $12,500.00 other currencies