One of the highlights of the 1001 Nights portfolio is this lithograph in colors by American artist Robert Lewis Reid. The drawing features figural renditions of a nude woman at left holding a veil behind her while a cherubic naked baby (signifying the coming new year?) sits at her feet; another woman resembling a dancer at upper right holds out a glass of red wine (hand-colored) and a top-hatted gentleman most likely representing costume party host James Breese waves at lower right. These figures are arranged around a dinner menu for the event done as a humorous take on the festivities: the artist has even cleverly inserted a play on his own name as one of the menu items: Reid birds a la Bobby.

Menu:  Cocktails preliminaire | Oysters sans Typhoid | Champagne | White Bait a la Stanford | Beer | Croquettes a la Coquette | Champagne | Reid birds a la Bobby | Champagne | Beer | Salade mystérieuse | Glace froid | Whiskey  ! | Chez Jimmie Breese | Whisky Whisky

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Robert Lewis Reid (July 29, 1862 – December 2, 1929) was an American Impressionist painter and muralist. His work tended to be very decorative, much of it centered on depiction of young women set among flowers. He later became known for his murals and designs in stained glass. -Wikipedia (2025) continues…

One of perhaps only 50-70 copies produced, with almost all believed to be either lost or destroyed, this rare mammoth album of original carbon photographs, including of artwork produced by notable artists and an original multi-color lithograph, was compiled by amateur photographer James Lawrence Breese in early 1897. An important and historical photographic and artistic record of America’s Gilded Age, it was produced as a lavish “souvenir” album of a gathering of 70 invitees of the New York City elite, including members of The Four Hundred. The occasion was a costume party at the photographer’s “Carbon Studio” and townhouse at midnight on December 17, 1896.

The album contains ten carbon prints, laid down on oversized cards and individually matted, all with Breese’s “The Carbon Studio” blindstamp, and an original lithograph of  the party’s “menu” printed in colors by American artist Robert Lewis Reid. (1862-1929)