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'What One Says And What One thinks' Forty-Eight Fine Hand-Colored Lithograph Plates by Jean-Gabriel Scheffer [SCHEFFER, Jean-Gabriel]. Ce qu'on dit et ce qu'on pense [What one says and what one thinks]. Paris: Gihaut Frères, [1829-30]. Folio (13 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches; 343 x 260 mm.). Forty-eight (of sixty) hand-colored lithograph plates numbered consecutively up to 36, at which point they jump to 49 and then continue consecutively up to 60, for a total of 48. The last plate with two expert fore-margin repairs, some occasional light marginal foxing otherwise fine. Contemporary half red roan over diced red paper boards, smooth spine ruled, decorated and lettered in gilt. Near fine. This is only the second time that we have ever seen this exceptionally rare series of plates. They depict the many manifestations of hypocrisy in French society of the time. That copy, which we sold in 2001 also had the same forty-eight colored plates. We have only been able to locate only one other complete example - the Bobins copy (The Exotic and the Beautiful - the World in Color) which has a lithographed title and sixty hand colored plates. OCLC locates just three copies of this very scarce suite of plates - Morgan Library, (NY), USA) Ex. Gordon Ray ; Bibliotheque de Geneve (Switzerland) and Bibliotheque Publique et Univ. Neuchatel (Switzerland). All three of these copies have forty-eight plates (like the present copy), and there is no evidence whatsoever that anything was ever excised from this book. It is possible that the missing numbers (37 through 48 inclusive) were deliberately withdrawn for some reason unknown to us. Providing some circumstantial backing for this theory is that Plate No. 49, the first of the final group, depicts a crowd greeting Louis Philippe with "Vive le Roi!" after the July Revolution in which he rose to power. Four of the early plates were lithographed by Villain. Almost all the plates, including one of the ones credited to Villain, are also marked by Gihaut, unless there are no names at all. Adding to the confusion or complexity of the printing is that Charles Tilt, the London publisher, is credited, along with Gihaut, on plates 31 thru 36. Swiss genre painter and lithographer Jean Gabriel Scheffer (1797-1876), who studied with Regnault and was a friend of Corot, Aligny, and Léopold Robert. His work was shown at the Salon de Paris beginning in 1822; his reputation as a designer of many wryly humorous lithographs, typically signed "J.S.," was firm. The plates: 1. Eh bonjour, qu'elle aimable surprise! / Bete de Lisette! 2. Adieu, soyez donc moins rare / Je te consignerai vieux fou 3. Je veux mourir si l'on donne plus de 30 ans / de mariage 4. Mais que dites vous donc? vous avez une mine d'empereur / Le pauvre cher homme n'ira pas loin 5. On n'est jamais laid avec une figure distinguée / ……………… ! 6. Toujours de l'esprit! / Grand benet! 7. Monsieur, vous pouvez disposer de moi, je vous suis tout devoué / Encore un diner à celui-là 8. Charmée d'avoir eu le plaisir de faire votre connaissance / Quel lourdaud! 9. Que je suis donc enchanté, mon cher oncle, de vous voir rétabli / Ca recule l'héritage, mais c'est égal 10. Vous pouvez compter, Madame, que j'y emploierai tout mon crédit / C'est vieux, c'est laid, et ca sollicite! 11. Qu'avez-vous donc de si pressé, chère amie? / Elle ne démarrera pas 12. Allons, bon voyage, et revenez nous bien vite / Bon dèbarras! 13. C'est ressemblant, mais vous etes bien mieux que cou / 14. Mademoiselle Delphine a là un bien beau talent / allons, faut avaler le Concerto 15. Ils sont vraiment charmants / C'est a n'y pas tenir 16. c'est délicieux,… c'est un petit paradis terrestre / Il ne me fera pas grace d'un oignon 17. adieu, nous comptons sur vous donnez nous quelques jours ou je ne vous aime plus / Je tremble qu'elle ne vienne 18. et n'oubliez en grosses lettres bon pere, excellent époux, il laisse une veuve inconsolable / 19. eh parbleu ce n'etait pas si pressé / enfin! … j'en avais déja fa.
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