Aaron MARTINET (1762 - 1841) and Louis François CHARON (1783 - Lot 369

Aaron MARTINET (1762 - 1841) and Louis François CHARON (1783-c.1840) and other Parisian publishers of caricatures Line and/or stipple engravings, enhanced with watercolors at the time of publication Exceptional set of 21 plates, including a copy in counterpart of Jean-François Bosio's famous engraving "Les musards de la rue du Coq". Proofs on vellum. H. 26 cm - L. 21 cm, the compositions, approximately according to the plates H. 40 cm - W. 28.5 cm, AC leaves Slight wetness and spotting on some proofs. Beginning of tear and very marked crease on the "Contrast" plate. Le Contraste" and soft crease on "Mylord Richepanse". Otherwise in good general condition. Aaron Martinet (1762-1841) was a renowned French print dealer, notably for his caricatures. Born in 1762, he was the son of François-Nicolas Martinet, a Parisian engineer and engraver, and Marie-Jeanne Darain, daughter of a Parisian bourgeois who looked after the affairs of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld. With the advent of the Directoire, he set out to establish himself as a print merchant and publisher. With his wife and daughter, he set up shop at 124 rue du Coq-Saint-Honoré, a busy shopping street with several booksellers, print dealers and a café. Martinet became one of the most famous print dealers in Paris under the Consulate and Empire. People flocked to his store to admire theatrical costumes, portraits of actors and musicians, and the uniforms of French and foreign troops. But it was mainly caricatures that made his store so successful and famous.