EMBELLISHED WITH THE ARMS OF EACH STATE AND OTHER APPROPRIATE ENGRAVINGS. Containing the AUTOGRAPHS of the President and Cabinet, Twenty-eighth Congress, Supreme Court, Ministers, and other Officers of Government.

[Published in] Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. 1844-45.

Arranged and designed by J. Franklin Reigart. Engr[aved] by P.S. Duval, Philadelphia.

In 4º. [25x20 cm]. With 63 folios printed only front page. Followed by 44 (of 50) blank folae.

Binding: full morocco with gilt publisher’s pictorial devices framed with blind tools on covers; the front cover depicts “The Capitol of the United States” (captioned), and the back cover the “President’s House” [The White House] (also captioned).Gilt edges

Title page in gold typographical ink, initial text in blue ink, facsimile plates printed in gold, black, and brown ink. Copy with some foxing or minor stains.

Rare book. Only edition.

Illustrated with 6 coloured intaglio lithographs as follows: President of the United States, James K. Polk (1845-1849); Members of the Senate at the time with autographs of some of them; Vice-President of the United States, George M. Dallas; The Senate Chamber; The Flag and Motto of the USA; and The Representatives’ Room; numerous plates and facsimiles; and, at the end, 44 (of originally 50 sheets) of blank writing paper, as issued by the publisher, to be used for personal memorabilia. Each folio is separated by leaves of tracing paper.

The blank pages of this copy present contemporary personal memorabilia, dated Georgetown, D.C. Sept. 4th, 1845. There are 9 folios with handwritten good luck romantic farewell messages in form of poems and identified as follows: signed C. de H. - Farewell, Farewell; signed Maria da Glória de Figanière - Doux Souvenir [she dates the manuscript]; followed by signed “Let” - Soie Mûr + Manhood; signed M.L.B. – Je t’aimerai; signed Carrie – I’ll wish of thee; signed Charl[llote?] - Forget me not; signed Lissie - We do not know how much we love. These messages are followed by a romantic engraving reproducing a painting.

Next there are 4 folios with 14 original miniature silhouettes (professional paintings of the period by an unknown artist), depicting 14 young students with their college uniforms, some of them identified with their names, namely: Möink; Noltenius; Newman; Gernet; Cohn; F.A. Wonneberg; and Theodor Meyer. This section is followed by 7 folios with black and white postcards from Scotland. After there is a pencil-drawn bust. The next 4 folios contain engravings of Sintra (Cintra) and Lisbon. After two blank folios there are 4 drawings of men in 19th century attires.

Along the book there are clippings of 1845 newspapers with some news, such as: The Extent of the Oregon Territory (placed in the page of North Carolina); View of the Floating Church of Our Saviour (placed in the page of Michigan); and Saratoga Springs (placed in the page of Alabama/Arkansas/Connecticut).

Very unique bibliographical item due to its contents; text; engravings; and memorabilia, as well as other add-ons showing the American patriotism of the first decades and the pride of the USA democratic institutions.

Ref.: SABIN 69099-69101 lists three other titles published by the author on the following decade but does not mention this one.