GDANSK, MATTHÄUS DEISCH (1724-1789). Portfolio containing 36 engravings by the well-known Danzig engraver M. Deisch, most likely according to a drawing by F.A. Lohrmann (1735-1800); they come from a series of 40 engravings titled:Danzig Developers (Danziger Ausrufer), published in 1762-1765. They depict street vendors, people offering various services, as well as fair scenes. At the bottom of each depicted scene is the text of the traders' exhortations, in a peculiar local mixture of German and Polish (the so-called Danziger Platt, Danzig chatter), and - a rare and noteworthy fact - musical notations, making it possible to reproduce the original chants. All done in aquatint technique, color and b/w, good condition, framed in passe-partout, slight soiling on a few; stiff, semi-floated portfolio, folio format. SENSATIONAL ICONOGRAPHIC MATERIAL, DOCUMENTING EVERYDAY LIFE IN XVIII-CENTURY GDANSK!
In the portfolio the following graphics: 1) crab trader - Krabbenie Krabbenie Krabbe-nie; 2) maik (gaik) seller - May gröne may Gröne May; 3) lily trader - Schoene Lellg Konfalge Konfalge; 4) boilermaker - Heu'g Keht'l to fle- -K- -; 5) swede trader - Wrucken gode Wruck; 6) walnut seller - Schoen fresch Wallneet, Wall - - neet; 7) live pike seller - Häkt lebendge Häkt, grote Häkt Häkt; 8) sand seller - Sta - wensand. SandSand Sand Sand; 9) ) gingerbread seller - Resche roll-pep Kock roll; 10) broom seller - Beszem. Beszem, Kupczi Beszem; 11) eel seller - Ahl, drögen ahl, ahl; 12) cherry trader - Karschbeern punt een dütken, Karsch beern, Karsch; 13) grinder - Heu'g Scheern to Schli - u - ip; 14) sawdust trader - Sagelspeen, Sagelspeen; 15) parsnip and cabbage trader- naa gehlmern Posternack, witten Komst; 16) stoneware jug seller - Stenerne bottertep pipkan, pipkan bottertep; 17) a peck tradeswoman- Krietz-Krut Krietz-Krut gröne mir; 18) a plum trader- Schön Ungersche Plumen Ungersche Plu - - m; 19) a boy selling cleaning powder(fine sand) - Schiersant, Schiersant, messeri Sant; 20) a used shoe saleswoman- Ohlt Iser Ohle Sch - oo; 21) a spice and herb saleswoman (m.among others. ruta, sage, hyssop, marjoram, thyme, pepper) - Welgi Rutt, Salwi witten Isop Isop Isop meygeran Timian PeperKrut; 22) seller of penitential songs - Nige Leder vom ahrmen Suender nige Le - d'r; 23) peddler of live cod (slugs)- Pamuchelen, lebend'ge Pamuch; 24) woman accepting chairs for repair - Stöler ut to behttern; 25) milkman - Sehthe - melk dee halw'n - 4 Schellinge Sehthe - melk; 26) dust broom saleswoman- Schonn bunt Beszemkes Beszemkes; 27) salmon trader - Lassgroten Lass Lass, felten Lass Lass; 28) flounder trader - Flinderehn fresch, flinderehn; 29) carp trader - Karpen felte Karp Karp - n; 30) magic lantern peddler (erroneously described as a catariner) - Charmante Katrinn Katrina charmant Kan Zoehne dans, ha, ha, ha; 31) cathariner (erroneously described as a peddler with a magic lantern) - Laterna Magika, Zattenspiehl an der Wandt; there is a hypothesis in the literature that the cathariner and the "lantern maker" work together, which could explain this swap of signatures. 32) ritzken saleswoman - Ritzken, Ritz - Ken. Pepperling; 33) lemon seller - Cetronen Appel Cetro; 34) engraving distributor - Der Prospecten Traeger bedanckt sich [...]; 35) seller of clams, oysters and anchovies - Musch schelin, Oestern fresche, Anschowius; 36) raftsman selling clay pots - Topky Topky Kupczi panky (without passe-partout), aquf. single color).
