A French Alphabet Book of 1814 for Alfred Bourdier de Beauregard created by his uncle Arnaud at the Château de Beaumont de Beauregard

Book Summary

This uniquely detailed series of watercolour drawings was made in 1814 as a primer or alphabet book for the two-year old Alfred, by his uncle Arnaud. It brings alive the education and everyday life of a young French aristocrat after the Revolution, Napoleon and the return of the Bourbon King Louis XVIII. The drawings now preserved for posterity give fascinating views of the family château and its surrounds, its interior with elegant furnishings, the private chapel, kitchens, workshops and stables. The boy's clothing, occupations and pastimes are all minutely depicted. His instruction in polite manners, music, the arts and architecture, and even the facts of nursery life is all illustrated. Plants and animals in colourful watercolours abound. The pages are filled with amusing puns and now obscured meanings, a source of pleasure as well as knowledge, preserving a life of enchantment and privilege which has long since vanished. The French captioned images are translated into English of the period, as a primer for children of today.