Parallèle des édifices anciens et modernes du continent africain. Dessinés et relevés de 1847 a 1854. Dans l’Algérie, les Régences de Tunis et de Tripoli, l’Égypte, La Nubie, les Déserts, l’Ile de Méroé, le Sennar, le Fa-Zoglo et dans les contrées inconnues de la Nigritie. Atlas avec notices par Pierre Trémaux Architecte Lauréat de l’Institute de France, Membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes. Ouvrage publié avec encouragement de l’Institute et du gouvernement Français.
Paris: Libraire L. Hachette et Cie., Éditeurs, [c. 1858]. Complete with 14 leaves of explanatory text and 82 plates, including tinted and color lithographs, many based on photographs. First edition. Large folio (36 × 52 cm). In publisher’s green cloth, with a large lithographed, colored title vignette on the front panel. The map of Central and Eastern Africa, listed in the contents, is not present. Spine and rear panel renewed. Lithographed frontispiece, depicting a similar image as on the cover. First three leaves with a closed tear and denting. Some foxing, more pronounced on the initial leaves and text pages. Some leaves loose, but overall a very good copy.
Rare first edition of this atlas, part of Trémaux’s monumental architectural survey of Africa—an early attempt to integrate photography into architectural illustration.
Originally issued as part of Trémaux’s Voyage au Soudan oriental, this atlas represents a significant early effort to document African architecture through direct observation. Trémaux (1818–1895), a French architect, explorer, and Orientalist photographer, traveled extensively through North Africa and the Mediterranean, recording his findings in drawings, watercolors, and photographs. While some copies of this work contain original mounted photographs, this copy includes only lithographic reproductions. Trémaux’s pioneering efforts contributed to the architectural and visual history of the region, making this one of the earliest publications to incorporate photographic documentation into illustrated travel accounts.
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Price: €6,000.00