L'ECLIPSE. Journal Hebdomadaire Satirique et Illustré. No. 1 (26 Janvier 1868) - No. 166 (31 Décembre 1871). Première - Quatrième Année.

Paris., 1868 - 1871.. Red calf-backed red buckram boards, titles gilt to spines, some splitting to hinges.. 2 vols. Folio. (444 x 340 mm).. Pictorial cover with large illustration with additional colouring by hand, printed text in French in triple columns and numerous monochrome vignettes throughout, occasional double-page central illustrations also with additional colouring by hand, from the 'Quatrième Année' many of the illustrated rear covers also with additional colouring; supplements as applicable, title pages for the individual volumes and 'Designations des Charges' listing the satirical cover illustrations. A very good set with some occasional minor spotting or creasing. An excellent unsophisticated, extensive run of this celebrated satirical journal, with the coloured illustrated covers, titles and tables, as well as a large number of 'bis' issues.L'Eclipse was founded by Polo after the suspension by the censor of the journal La Lune, and was to become the base for the great talents of caricaturist André Gill. It was Gill who produced the majority of the colour caricatures which illustrate the front covers of each issue of L'Eclipse. Together with Gill, other leading caricaturists produced work for L'Eclipse, including Paul Hadol, Albert Humbert, Alfred Le Petit, Moloch, Gedeon, Lorentz, etc.The range of the journal's visual ridicule was wide and encompassed all aspects and personalities of French society, from literature, musicals, and the theatre, to the politicians and the miltary. As well as one of Gill's favourite targets, the French president Adolphe Thiers, many other renowned figures found themselves on the front covers of L'Eclipse: Alexandre Dumas, Ponson du Terrail, Emile Zola, Jules Valles, Charles Monselet, Edouard Manet, Richard Wagner, Victor Hugo, Alphonse Daudet, Theophile Gautier, Edmond de Goncourt, Offenbach, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Henry Monnier, Napoleon III, the President of the United States (Grant), Bismarck, Gambetta, Proudhon and many others.As well as the numerous 'bis' issues listed below, this set includes the scarce supplement for issue 119, 'Belisaire' and the 5 supplements issued at the end of the 'Troisième Année'.An extensive number of 'bis' issues were published, together with some numbers published with duplicate numbers (i.e. not strictly 'bis' numbers but issues with matching numeration, listed here in brackets) and this set includes the following: 14 bis, (15bis), 29 bis, 37 bis, 44 bis, (46 bis), 49 bis, 51 bis, 53 bis, 55 bis, 59 bis , 71 bis , 87 bis, (92 bis), 98 bis, 99 bis, 103 bis, (105 bis), 106 bis, (114 bis), 116 bis, (127 bis), 128 bis, 129 bis, (132 bis), 133 bis, 134 bis, the five supplementary issues published at the end of the 'Troisième Année', 149 bis, 151 bis, 156 bis, (160 bis), (164 bis).