Manufacture Liegeoise D'Armes a Feu, Liege-Belgique

Belgium: Manufacture Liegeoise D'Armes A Feu. Very Good. Leather Flexi-board. Black pebbled leather album 7" x 11" with gilt title on cover and spine. Wear to edges, binding pulling from spine but all pages holding tight. Marbled endpapers. Leaves show light foxing to edges plus definite wear from use. Most pages are linen backed with photo images securely mounted to either album leaf or thinner note paper bound in. Images generally are 4 1/2" x 7 1/2". Album contains 145 photographs plus several pages tipped in from printed trade catalogs. In addition, 6 pages of ledger sheets are tipped in at back of album. This remarkable in-house catalog contains photographs of shot guns, pistols, and revolvers which Manufacture Liegeoise produced for hunting, military and personal use. All photographs are stamped "ML" (Manufacture Liegeoise) or "Cockerill", the English steel supplier and founder of Manufacture Liegeoise (1866). The company continued production until 1929. Five photographs at the beginning of the catalog depict the manufacture's "ateliers" or workshop, each showing a differing stage of production. Most pages show a single weapon or grouping with many illustrating the ornately crafted rifle stocks and ornamentation. Extensive handwritten annotations on every page refer to the types of weapons, prices, technical specs, and model numbers. A photo pasted down on the first endpaper shows various medals awarded the company up till 1897. Many of the photographs are dated in manuscript 1906-7. A rare and valuable record of the manufacture of weapons for aristocrats, the military and common folk. ; 84 pp .