Set of Four Antique Portuguese & Madeira Folk Costume Engravings, circa 1850
DESCRIPTION: Attractive set of four original antique hand-colored engravings depicting traditional costumes, occupations and everyday life in Portugal and the island of Madeira. Published in Paris by Aubert circa 1850 as part of the series “Les peuples peints par leurs Costumes.”
The set comprises:
1. Mde de Poissons de Pardilhé et Murtoja (Portugal) – A Portuguese fish seller carrying her wares in a large tray balanced on her head, an evocative representation of traditional working life.
2. Femme de l’Île de Madère (Portugal) – A woman from the island of Madeira, shown beside a basket of fruit in characteristic regional dress.
3. Mde de Poissons de Tramar (Environs de Lisbonne) – A fish seller from the surroundings of Lisbon, depicted barefoot in traditional costume with a large basket.
4. Paysan de l’Île de Madère (Portugal) – A peasant from Madeira carrying a bundle over his shoulder, dressed in distinctive island costume.
Finely engraved and enhanced with period hand coloring, these four prints offer a fascinating visual record of Portuguese regional dress and working life during the mid-19th century.
The two Madeira subjects are complemented by two occupational figures connected with Portugal’s coastal fish trade, creating a particularly coherent and decorative group. The blue, green, pink and earthy tones work especially well together, while the matching format and typography make the four prints ideal for display in a symmetrical 2 x 2 arrangement.
SUBJECT: Portugal, Madeira, Lisbon, Traditional Costume, Fish Sellers, Peasant Life, Folk Dress, Ethnography
DATE: Circa 1850
PUBLISHER: Aubert, Paris
MEDIUM: Hand-colored engravings on paper
STYLE: Romantic
CONDITION: Good antique condition with visible age-related foxing, spotting and toning throughout, varying between the sheets and more pronounced in some areas. Minor marginal wear and traces from former binding are present. Please study the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.
Original antique prints, not modern reproductions.
DIMENSIONS: Four individual sheets; dimensions available on request.
SOLD: As a set of four, unframed. Any framed or interior images shown are for presentation and inspiration only.
KEYWORDS: Antique Portuguese costume prints, Portugal antique prints, Madeira antique prints, Madeira costume, Madeira folk costume, Portuguese folk costume, Lisbon costume, Lisbon fish seller, Portuguese fish seller, fishmonger, fisherwoman, Portuguese peasant, Madeira peasant, Madeira Island, traditional Portuguese dress, Portuguese regional costume, occupational costume, European folk costume, ethnographic prints, ethnography, hand-colored engravings, hand-colored prints, 19th century prints, circa 1850, Aubert Paris, Romantic period, historical costume, European costume prints, fashion history, Portuguese history, Portuguese folk art, maritime Portugal, antique fashion prints, costume studies, decorative wall art, gallery wall, set of four antique prints.
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