The Lady's Album of Fancy Work; Consisting of novel, elegant and useful designs in knitting, netting, crochet and embroidery with clear and explicit directions for working the patterns.
First edition. Pictorial cloth-backed boards, 8vo, [46], 8pp. All edges gilt. Monochrome plates printed in red, blue, green and sepia inks by Stevens & Co.Bound by Bone & Son, London, with beautiful glazed lilac endpapers and autograph bookplate of Mrs. Baddeley. 40 plates on twenty leaves inserted between each text leaf. About Very Good with blunted corners exposing boards; scuffing to covers with small but prominent abrasions, two tidemarks on rear board only, cloth spine possibly an old sophistication. A guidebook for amateurs with sophisticated expectations, the unattributed author's "Address" invoking the needle paintings of Mary Linwood and the desirability of English-made garments, proposing this book, amidst the bounty of ladies' needlework books (especially those released for the Christmas season), is superior in illustration, instructive detail, and aesthetic aspirations. OCLC locates 1 copy in Sweden (and 1 copy of the second edition at V&A).