Title: Chinese at Dinner (top)

Chinese Ladies and Child (bottom)

Date: 1886

Colors: Printed Multiple Colors

Medium: Chromolithography on Heavy cardstock paper

Dimension: image (15.4 x 18.6 cm or 6 1/8 x 7 1/14 inch); paper (20.6 x 26.6 cm or 8 1/8 x 10 1/2 inch)

Credit: George Moerlein (original pictures collector / author); Krebs Lithographing Co. Cincinnati (Lithographer); M & R Burgheim Cincinnati (Publisher)

Special notes: Mr. Moerlein did not venture far inside of China [out of fear, not unreasonable as the boxer rebellion was not far off] but staying mostly around the foreign legations in Shanghai, Canton, and Hongkong, still many of these views were quite interesting and historically significant. Notice the small bound feet of the women, but the child seemed to make a strong impression on Moerlein.

Condition: 

The print is in excellent plus condition [i.e.., clear and clean image, strong and bright paper, original full margins gilded on all three sides, no bend, no tear, never framed, and slight but even age-toning – likely one of the nicest condition you will ever encounter]. The color registrations are very good. It was printed on high quality (cardstock) paper with a blank verso.

Flaws to note: nearly flawless with its original binding nicks along the edge of left margin.

Description:

     While in general poor health, George Moerlein (1852 – 1891) piggybacked on the fortune of his father [Christein Moerlein, the beer brewing fame of Cincinnati] and made a trip around the world in 1884 - 1885. His edited journals along with many pictures he made and collected along the way were published in a book entitled A Trip Around the World by M & R Burgheim of Cincinnati in 1886.

Those pictures of his, especially after been transformed into chromolithographs [a labor intensive printing process, e.g., images were drawn by hand on several stones with one for each color], are quite valuable not only as historical records of the places and times, but also serving as examples of artistry and subtlety of chromolithography printing process. Those prints were entitled in both German and English.

        As always, this item is absolutely and unconditionally guaranteed [with full 100% money back including shipping / handling and your return postage and with no-question-asked return policy] to be original / authentic [i.e., not a later / modern copy or reproduction] and as described.

© The descriptive text above shows the depth of my research and familiarity to the item. It is against ebay policy to copy the text [in part or in its entirety] without my explicit consent or permission.