Vaucanu, Émile (1864-1894). Vieux Quartiers d'Alger

Suite d'eaux-fortes originales et gravures sur bois formant album. Tiré à cinquante exemplaires seulement. Épreuves grandes marges, avec marques particulières. Series of 10 prints on Japanese paper, loose as issued in orig. wr. w. wood-engr. illustration on frontwr., indicating in pen "Marque particulière de cet Album" above, with blindstamp in the shape of a sm. square w. 36 tiny holes (present on each print) and with the address of the artist "Vaucanu 93 Av. Kléber Paris", w. small. loose letterpress card acting as title and colophon, the series in turn in orig. (?) wr. w. blindst. print imitating crodile skin and w. gilt-lettered "Alger" on front, 31 x 26 cm. Extremely rare; no other copies traced, and no copies recorded in OCLC.

Émile Vaucanu, French engraver, draughtsman, watercolourist and sculptor, was killed in Uzbekistan during a journey. His works relating to Algiers are scarcely documented. From 1890 onwards he resided at the address mentioned on the frontwrapper. See the exhibition catalogue: Émile Vaucanu (1864–1894): graveur, dessinateur d'ici et d'ailleurs (2015).