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Fêtes/Costumes
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[Wine/Costumes] Anonymous. Album officiel de la Fête des vignerons. Vevey 1889. Dessins de E. Vullemin d’après les costumes de P. Vallouy Peintre Officiel. Lausanne, F. Payot / Vevey, Loertscher & Fils, Jacot Guillarmod..
One large folding color lithographed plate in 48 sections [17.3 x ~590 cm, folded 17.3 x 13 cm], contained in original pictorial covers. A few folds weak, cover repaired at fold with 2 minor (unprinted) sections of loss.
$2,250 Rare souvenir of the famous wine-harvesting festival celebrated in the Swiss resort town of Vevey in August of 1889. The pageant, which honors local vignerons and their attributes, has taken place approximately every 20 years since the early 18th century, growing ever more elaborate. In 1889, the procession included more than 1300 citizens, meticulously illustrated in this lithographed commemorative pamphlet. Costumed in the style of the previous century, the parade paused at several locations to perform dances from the court of Marie-Antoinette, accompanied by words and music of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Organized by Vevey’s confraternity of vintners, the festival became an occasion on which the region’s best winemakers were crowned and publicly recognized. Pagan symbolism was embraced as early as 1724, when Bacchus replaced Saint Urbain, the “abbot of agriculture,” as the procession’s focal point. Floats dedicated to Ceres, Silenus, and Palès (god/dess of shepherds) were accompanied by colorfully attired members of medieval guilds, the Swiss Guards, children, local officials and many others. Musicians, including tuba ensembles and yodelers accompanied by alpenhorns, have a prominent place. Several black men are depicted, although it is not clear if they were specially made up for the day to represent foreign largesse, or local citizens of African descent. The procession concludes with a group of newlywed couples, whose families escort them along with representatives from all 22 cantons, lending a nationalistic element to the local festivities.
The original printed wrapper includes a map on the back cover (signed H. Amend, Cart.), an advertisement for a ferry service on Lake Geneva that features top restaurants and electric lights on board.
OCLC lists Princeton, Cal. State-Fresno, Sonoma Cty Libr., RISD, Toronto PL, and U. Waterloo. The BNF erroneously dates the work 1839; Cambridge and the Swedish NL also record copies. The BL copy may be the variant issue referred to by Oberlé 466, as that title provides a specific date of August 5-9, 1889; the library also lists two similar pamphlets from [1819] and 1833. Subsequent festivals in 1905, 1927 and 1955 also received illustrated commemorative publications.
* Oberlé 465 (cf. 466; 467=1905 ed.); Simon, Gastronomica, 1561 (p. 145); Lambert 166; Vicaire, p. 270 (1819, 1833, 1851, 1865 eds.); http://www.fetedesvignerons.ch/bienvenue.htm.
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