La Fille du Fermier | 1858 | Deuxième Édition

A lovely mid-19th century French novella in a striking cartonnage romantique binding, published in Lille by L. Lefort in 1858. The blue boards are richly decorated in ornate gilt tooling, framing a beautifully hand-painted pastoral scene inset to the front cover. The back board features the same elaborate gilt design without the illustration. The spine is gilt-decorated with floral motifs, showing light rubbing consistent with age.

Inside, the text is printed on clean, lightly toned pages with an engraved frontispiece. The binding is tight and sound, making this an exceptional survival in both condition and artistry.

Condition: Very Good

Size: 4” x 6 3/4”

This is a quintessential example of French decorative publishing in the mid-19th century — combining literary charm with elaborate gilt artistry and a hand-painted vignette. Such bindings were often produced as treasured gift books, making them highly sought after by collectors of cartonnage and fine French literature.

A true jewel for any rare book shelf or French decorative binding collection.