Ad 1: Finely coloured series of folk costumes from the Netherlands (then forming the northern part of a united kingdom with what is now Belgium and Luxemburg), with a preface and explanatory text in French and English. It shows mostly women and couples, but sometimes also children and in one case two men. Heavily inspired by Evert Maaskamp's publications of folk costume prints, the firm of Frans Buffa aimed to compete in this popular genre. The costumes in Buffa's book, drawn by Hendrik Greeven, are nearly identical copies of those in Maaskamp's Afbeelding van kleeding, zeden en gewoonten. However, Greeven's drawings excel in the quality of their composition and drawing and the placement of the figures against scenic backgrounds. The most revolutionary aspect is the use of the modern technique of lithography, produced and coloured in Paris.
Ad 2: Very rare series of hand-coloured lithographs of Dutch folk costumes (all women) and views, probably intended as a souvenir album for tourists visiting Amsterdam and vicinity. The current issue, with an 1838 title-page, is complete with its present 14 lithographs, for it includes a (letterpress-printed) list of the 14 prints. We have located no other copy with a title-page or idnetical contents. Buffa produced several series, often including the same image in several series, bound in albums with titles such as "Souvenirs de la Hollande" or "Souvenirs des Pays-Bas" and often lacking the title-page. Some may have been assembled ad hoc and the individual prints were sold separately as well. Several of the plates were reissued in Album de costumes des Pays-Bas (1848) and Souvenirs des Pays-Bas (1845).
Binding worn at the edges and spine damaged. With a small tear at the top of the text describing plate XIII of ad 1; 4 of the plates from ad 2 remounted on stubs and several of the tissue interleaves missing; slightly foxed but nevertheless very good copies. Ad 1: Colas 1311; Landwehr, Coloured plates 289; Lipperheide Gb 48; ad 2: cf. Colas 2777 (citing Lipperheide); Landwehr, Coloured plates 219 & 443 (11 prints, apparently without title-page or contents); Lipperheide Gb 49 (16 prints without title-page or contents); SPL Bobins, no. 5448 (12 prints without title-page or contents, not in printed cat.).