Aphrodite; (Ancient Manners) Translated into English from the French of Pierre Louÿs
Privately Printed, 1925. Clara Tice. Limited Edition. 8vo; 7 5/8 x 5 3/8 inches (193 x 132 mm); xiii, 252, (1) pp. on laid paper. Hand-colored frontispiece illustration by Clara Tice, tissue guard. 3/4 bound in orange morocco, gold fillets, batik brown and tan paper boards and endpapers; raised bands, gilt title and decorations on spine, t.e.g. Pages clean with even toning on borders and edges, binding tight; small tears at top and bottom of frontispiece at gutter, not affecting the plate. Colophon reads "Published at the Sign of the Black Archer." Limited edition of 1500 (1000 for America and 500 for Great Britain); this copy is not numbered.
"Aphrodite: Ancient Manners" is a description of courtesan life in Alexandria by French poet and writer Pierre Louÿs (1870 – 1925) who is best known for the classical and lesbian themes in some of his writings. The book became an instant success when in was published in 1896 and became the subject of several editions, including this privately-printed edition accompanied by the a fanciful nude by Clara Tice (1888 – 1973), whom Vanity Fair dubbed "The Queen of Greenwich Village". Tice drew racy illustrations at a time when ladies did not engage in such things, and when Anthony Comstock's Society for the Suppression of Vice was very active. Tice attracted their unwanted attention for one of her early exhibitions at Polly's Restaurant in Greenwich Village in 1915, and it helped to jump-start her career. According to The New York Times (27 June 1920) she was the first woman in Greenwich village to bob her hair. Tice also created a cartoon strip and posters, and she is included in the New York Dada Movement.
Condition: Fine.
Item number: 746
Price: $900.00
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