Limited edition - no. 1 of 7 - of the rarer portfolio edition of a remarkable early 20th-century illustrative work by the renowned Dutch artist and illustrator of children's books Nelly Bodenheim. The present work contains the short rhymes (verses) by Lizzy Ansingh, together with the strinking colourful and humoristic illustrations of anthropomorphic fruits,nuts, and vegetables - including lemons, grapes, a pear, radishes, a red pepper, almonds, blackberries, apricots, cherries, and a leek.
Johanna Cornelia Hermana (Nelly) Bodenheim (1874-1951) was, among other pursuits, a popular book illustrator and designer of costumes for stage performances in the Netherlands in the early twentieth century. Like in the present work, she often teamed up with Maria Elisabeth Georgina (Lizzy) Ansing (1875-1959), a Dutch painter. Together they were part of a group of women artists called the "Amsterdamse Joffers", who met weekly in Amsterdam at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. they supported each other in their (successfull) professional careers as artists and most of them were students of and/or affiliated with the renowned Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts).
The present work is beautifully illustrated with hand-coloured lithographs designed by Bodenheim, the verses by Ansignh are written in decorative, ornamental script in varying styles. While the work is by definition rare, as it is a limited edition, this edition is even rarer as it presents the 22 plates loose in a portfolio - of which only 7 copies exist. Additionally, WorldCat records only 4 copies of this title (mainly the book form, of which 100 copies were made) that are held institutionally (3 in the Netherlands and 1 in the USA) and it only very rarely appears on the market (Rarebookhub finds only 5 records for the last 100 years).
All plates, including the title-page and the "colophon" are signed by Nelly Bodenheim (all except the "colophon" are only initials instead of her full name). The cloth around the spine of the portfolio shows signs of wear and the colour has faded slightly, the boards and the first blank leaf are slightly browned, otherwise internally fine and clean. Overall in very good condition. Cotsen 20th century, 488; WorldCat 1340486616 (4 copies)