The Signs - Van Lennep & Ter Gouw - Complete set (2) - Amsterdam 1868

A monument of Dutch folk culture.

This original two-volume edition of De Uithangteekens (The Shop Signs) was published in 1868 by Gebroeders Kraay in Amsterdam. The work by Mr. J. van Lennep and J. ter Gouw is considered an important cultural-historical document on Dutch shop signs, city life, and craft traditions.

The set is richly illustrated with over 300 wood engravings and contains beautiful colored lithographic title plates printed by Tresling & Co. Amsterdam. The illustrations provide a vivid picture of commercial life, folk culture, and iconography from the 17th to the 19th century.

Both volumes are bound in original 19th-century publisher's bindings of brown linen with blind tooling and gold stamping. The bindings feature a classic neo-Gothic decor and gold-printed spine titles with volume numbering.

The set is in good antique condition with visible signs of age. In the first volume, the rear endpaper is damaged, making the inside of the spine partially visible. Otherwise, the bindings are stable and the interior is complete.

An impressive antique set – strong in content, visually rich, and decoratively powerful.

Specifications

• Title: De Uithangteekens

• Authors: Mr. J. van Lennep & J. ter Gouw

• Year: 1868

• Publisher: Gebroeders Kraay, Amsterdam

• Number of volumes: 2 (complete)

• Height: approx. 25 cm

• Thickness: approx. 3 cm per volume

• Illustrations: over 300 wood engravings + colored lithographs

• Binding: original linen with gold print

• Condition: good, with signs of age and damaged endpaper in volume I