Antiquarian's Museum – Very Early Dean & Co. Movable Print
London: Dean & Co., Threadneedle Street, [n.d., circa 1840s].
31 × 21.3 cm (approximately 11¾ × 8¾ inches).
A rare early movable lithograph issued by Dean & Co. during its earliest phase, before the firm became known as Dean & Son. The image, titled Antiquarian's Museum, consists of a finely hand-colored lithograph featuring a flap-style movable overlay. When lifted, the flap reveals a hidden interior scene beneath, showcasing one of the earliest forms of interactive paper design aimed at children or young collectors.
The print bears the imprint "Dean & Company," which places it between 1838 and 1847, before the publisher’s rebranding. Movable prints of this kind are rare survivors and serve as precursors to the more complex Dean movable and pop-up books of the later Victorian era.
Condition: Near fine. Colors clean and bright. The flap mechanism is intact, though the hinge is splitting approximately one-third of the way from the bottom; flap should be lifted gently. Minor toning consistent with age.
Before Dean produced their infamous movable books – there were the movable prints. Their production of movable prints (and loose prints in general) seems to have diminished entirely, by the 1860s. Quite fragile and scarce, we have identified only a few in collections worldwide.
Other similar Movable Novelty Prints by Dean & Co.:
The Museum of Natural Curiosities (12½ × 10 inches): Depicts a man sitting on the back end of a horse-drawn cart. As the back panel is lowered, the cart swings open to unveil two tigers and a lion, sending the man tumbling. Sold for $2,400 at Potter & Potter Auctions in February 2023.
The Royal Railroad Carriage: Twin doors open to reveal Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their children inside their royal train at Windsor, with Windsor Castle in the background.
The Royal Oak: A pull tab reveals six oval portraits of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, the Princess Royal, King Edward VII as Prince of Wales, Princess Alice, and Prince Alfred.
To the Queen’s Private Apartment: Twin doors open to reveal Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
A Peep at Windsor Terrace: Twin doors in a forest scene open to reveal children and a dog.
Prince Albert Driving His Favorites: The side of the carriage folds down to reveal his children riding within.
And a different flap print by Dean:
Royal Aquatic Excursion (323 × 260 mm): Depicts the Royal barge gliding on the water, adorned with the Royal Standard, manned by a crew of ten rowers and a helmsman, with ships visible in the distance. The print features a flap that opens to reveal the cabin's interior, where Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, three children, and a nurse are illustrated.
References:
Wood, Sileas. "Moving Pictures: Nineteenth-Century British Mechanical Prints." Print Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, June 2017, pp. 162–176. Print Quarterly Publications. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45137227
Homans, Margaret. Royal Representations: Queen Victoria and British Culture, 1837–1876. University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Yale Center for British Art. https://britishart.yale.edu/
British Museum. "The Torn Hat..." https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1952-0403-2
Royal Collection Trust. "The Royal Oak." https://www.rct.uk/collection/605965/the-royal-oak
British Museum. "Biography of Dean & Son." https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG21257
National Portrait Gallery. "Prince Albert Driving His Favorites." https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw133139
All books are returnable within 14 days of receipt if not delighted for any reason