Chevalier - Femmes d'Autrefois - 1899

WOMEN OF OLD TIMES: GREATEST FEMALE FIGURES IN FRENCH HISTORY - ILLUSTRATED
Elegant nineteenth-century edition dedicated to some of the most illustrious female figures in French history, published in 1899 by the prestigious Maison Alfred Mame et Fils of Tours. Through a refined interweaving of biography, history and fashion, A. Chevalier recounts the lives of women who played a decisive role in France’s political, religious and cultural life, from the ladies of the Ancien Régime to great benefactors and protagonists of the national spirituality. The volume is adorned with numerous portraits and engravings in the text that illustrate characters, monuments and historic places, making it an interesting testimony of late nineteenth-century French illustrated publishing.
WHY TO BUY
Interesting biographical collection dedicated to the great protagonists of French history.
Numerous original engravings and portraits in the text of notable quality.
Elegant editorial binding in rich red cloth with gold-impressed decorations on the spine.
Edition from the famous Maison Alfred Mame et Fils, among the major French publishers of the nineteenth century.
Appreciable volume for collectors of French history, female biographies and illustrated books.
MARKET VALUE
Illustrated works published by Alfred Mame et Fils dedicated to historical and biographical dissemination retain a stable market among collectors of nineteenth-century French publishing. Complete and well-preserved copies are generally valued between 180 and 260 euros, with higher prices for particularly fresh copies or those from prestigious libraries.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Original publisher’s binding in full red cloth with debossed frames on the boards and gold decorations on the spine. Numerous black-and-white engravings in the text, including portraits and historical views. Some edge abrasions to the headcaps and corners, small losses of the cloth at the ends of the spine and modest signs of wear to the hinges. Interior with typical marginal browning. In old books, with centuries of history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 366; 2nn; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Femmes d'Autrefois.
Tours, Alfred Mame et Fils, Éditeurs, 1899.
A. Chevalier.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
From the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, historical biography with educational aims experienced wide diffusion in France. Femmes d'Autrefois fits perfectly into this tradition, offering a gallery of female figures who, through charitable works, political influence, culture or spirituality, contributed to the construction of French national identity. The volume alternates historical narrative and iconographic apparatus, offering an idealized yet documented image of French society in the Ancien Régime and the early modern era.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
A. Chevalier is best known for his works of popular science and history intended for a broad audience. His works, published by Alfred Mame, are characterized by accessible, rigorously documented style and a focus on the cultural formation of readers, in keeping with the pedagogical tradition of late nineteenth-century French publishing.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Founded in Tours in the eighteenth century, the Maison Alfred Mame et Fils became in the nineteenth century one of the leading European publishing houses, famous for typographic excellence, elegant editorial bindings and high-quality illustrations. Its historical and biographical publications, often awarded at world fairs, were distributed throughout France and in Francophone countries, entering family, school and religious libraries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
BnF – Bibliothèque nationale de France.
WorldCat.
Catalogue général de la Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Carter, ABC for Book Collectors.
Ramsden, French Bookbindings 1820–1940.
Glaister, Glossary of the Book.