Matrimonial Advice

“A little book of advice to be given to all those contemplating matrimony, married or engaged.” Embossed gold lettering adorns the linen cover of this charming and humorous book of advice for wedded bliss. The book is divided into two sections: “Advice to the Man” and “Advice to the Woman,” in which pages alternate between 17 polychromatic drawings on watercolor paper, colored by the author, and black and white pages with sketches and quatrains elaborating on the simple advice. The 30 pages of this rare first edition book embody the spirit of the frivolous Gilded Age of the late 19th century. The floral linen fabric on the front and back cover of the book symbolize the light-hearted nature of the advice, including “Don’t even playfully remind your Husband that everything was bought with your money including himself” and “Don’t think your wife an angel Because she looks like one.”