c.1930 Salesman's Sample Book of Elaborate French Chocolate Box Covers by Parisian Chocolatier Marquise de Sevigne

Paris, France: Marquise de Sevigne, 1930. Near-fine. Some toning, dust soiling. Surface wear to covers.. An exquisite and extensive salesman's sample book of twenty-two (22) luxury chocolate box cover designs, produced in France for the Parisian chocolatier and confectioner Marquise de Sevigne. Each sample is accompanied by a typewritten stock label with its model name, number, price, and the kind of assortment it would be intended for (i.e. special or fine assortments). The Marquise de Sevigne brand was created in 1898 by Auguste and Clementine Rouzaud, and became known for luxury chocolate boxes that evoked opulence and reflected the best of design: in this case, the height of c.1930 Art Deco with some modern influences, and echoes of late 19th-century Japonisme. The designs employ an exuberant mixture of embossing, embroidered trim, pochoir, mixed media, and floral prints by Winifred Walker. Includes designs with frolicking couples, show girls in front of bright ombre backgrounds, and endearing scenes of small children playing. Note the two very modern designs (No. 12, "Tennis" and No. 21 "Eclipses"), as well as the fact that many of the prints were "Printed in England"-- a nice cross-cultural moment in material history. Single vol. (12.75" by 16.5"), 22 samples mounted on 22 leaves of olive green construction paper, bound in original album, boards covered in blue marbled paper.