Illustrated Children's Book

Les etrennes du temps, et le saint usage que les chrétiens en doivent faire, indiqué dans de courtes réfléxions sur les représentations, en taille-douce, des sujets de l'Ancien & du Nouveau Testament, relatifs aux parties de l'année ecclesiastique & civile.
Paris: Pierre Prault, 1741.
(BRE0032)

Intended for both adults and children, this book of religious instruction includes a preface for parents emphasizing the importance of high-quality images in education, while fifty-two etchings illustrate the central text written for young readers. An unusual detail is the female figure in the frontispiece—an allegorical depiction of Piety rather than the Virgin Mary. The Bridwell Library copy includes the ownership inscriptions of several generations of children on the front fly-leaves of the book.