Henrique Neun, 1878

Very rare album of these surreal scenes in Venezuela. Venezuelan military leader and president Antonio Guzmán Blanco, whose portrait features as the frontispiece, had embarked on an ambitious program of borrowing and building, in the grand beaux-arts style of Hausmann's renovation of Paris. Several of the plates feature these buildings: the capitol, the theatre and some churches all bear the additional legend "Edificado bajo la Administration del General Antonio Guzman Blanco." Guzmán Blanco's first term as President of Venezuela ended in February 1877. His first successor died in office and his second successor (the half-brother of the first) was overthrown, so Guzmán Blanco was reinstated just two years later. This album was issued in the two years he was out of power, evidently to shore up support for his leadership. A facsimile edition was issued in 1968 which reproduces the images in more elaborate yellow frames, whereas this edition is printed with simpler gilt frames. 27 loose duplicate plates with yellow frames accompany this lot and they are mostly slightly smaller than the bound versions and also exhibit some changes to the plates. Possibly this copy is a second or later edition.