El Ama del Cura

“Dear reader, it will not have escaped your insightful sensitivity that you are the friend to whom I have written from the beginning.” — Jose Maria Tenorio, loosely translated by Luise Poulton

Los Espanoles pintados por si mismos por varios autores
Madrid: Gaspar y Roig, 1851
DP48 E76 1851

This compilation of pieces, written by the most notable Spanish writers of the time, was published by bookseller Ignacio Boix, a central figure in the Madrid publishing world. The collection was first printed in two volumes between 1843 and 1844, and reprinted in 1851 in a single volume for the Illustrated Library of publishers Gaspar and Roig. Writers included journalists, essayists, critics, and a few anonymous characters, such as “The Solitary,” and “Curious Speaker.” The increasing diversity in the Spanish literary voice during this period of nationalist romanticism is highlighted in this collection, which focuses on Spanish personality and cultural identity. The collection is illustrated with woodcuts, a technique at which Spanish engravers became particularly adept during this period. The whole project was based on the French publication, Les français peint par eux-mêmes (The French painted by themselves), printed in 1849-42.

El Escribano

La Gitana

La Cigarrera