Woodburn's Gallery of Rare Portraits: Consisting of Original Plates by Cecil, Delaram, Droeshout, Elstracke, Faithorne, Loggan, Pass, Payne, Vertue, Vandergucht, White, etc.

Illustrative of Granger's Biographical History of England, Clarendon's History of the Rebellion, Burnet's History of his own Time, Pennant's London, etc.

Very good copy of the First Edition complete with all 200 copperplate engravings

An eclectic collection of engraved portraits of "persons celebrated for their diplomatic services, military or naval achievements, literary acquirements, eccentric habits, or some peculiar feature in their lives." Includes many equestrian prints from the Illustrated Clarendon, 12 portraits of King Charles I and II, printers Laurence Koster, William Caxton and John Guttemberg, poets Geoffrey Chaucer and John Milton, Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, assassinated bishop Thomas Becket with a sword in his head, Kings Edward I-VI, several portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, Guy Fawkes and his conspirators, pickpocket Cut-Purse Moll, Kings Henry I-VIII, death of King James I, Mary Queen of Scots, water-spouter Floram Marchand, the great eater Benjamin Marriott, dandy Nym the Satirical Puppy, Kings Richard I-III, assassin Francis Ravillac, hirsute woman Barbara van Beck, a Dutch woman "who lived on the smell of flowers" Heva Vligen, collector John Tradescant, many English Civil War generals, Catholic martyrs, 17th century parasitic twins, etc.

Engraved by George Scott and others after original prints and engravings by Thomas Cecil, Francis Delaram, Martin Droeshout, Renold Elstracke, William Faithorne, David Loggan, Simon van de Pass, John Payne, George Vertue, Gerard Vandergucht, Robert White, Pierre Mignard, Samuel Copper, Remigius Hogenberg, Christofell van Sichem, Sir Peter Lily, Antony van Dyke, Wenceslaus Hollar,etc.

Samuel Woodburn (1783-1853) is primarily known as an art dealer, but he got his start dealing in portrait prints, particularly "rare" and "curious" prints such as these, at his premises at 102 St. Martin's Lane. Working with his brothers William, Allen and Henry, Samuel became "the principal art dealer of his period," one of the most prestigious and successful in London. He later handled the sale of Sir Thomas Lawrence's superb collection of Old Master drawings in 1835-36.

Half leather binding, spine with raised bands and gilt titles and tooling, leather chipped, dried and cracking, marble boards heavily rubbed, hinges fragile but holding. Two title pages printed in black and red, list of subjects (15pp) and 200 fine copperplate engravings and mezzotints, a few with slight spotting and age toning, many with pencilled notes describing the subject.

With bookplate of William Leatham (1815 – 1889), banker, poet and Liberal politician who published a collection of Poems (1840), Tales of English Life and Miscellanies.