Folio oblong, (332 x 262 mm, lithographs vary slightly but are approximately 175 x 256 mm). 26 lithographic plates, no title page, each lithograph bears the inscription ";Isla de Cuba" in the upper margin and a caption in the lower margin, along with the names F. Mialhe and L. Marquier. Lithographs tinted in shades of bistre, ivory, or grey-green. Contemporary binding in three-quarter red sheepskin (grained to resemble morocco); boards embossed in green cloth featuring a foliage pattern, binding with rubbing and surface abrasion. Lithographs excellent with only light occasional foxing, mostly contained to margins and tissue guards precedingeach print.

The lithographs were published in parts by subscription with independent titles, none of which have survived today except a single one at the University of Mami. The views include: views of Habana from the port, important buildings, Matanzas, Street views,costumes, numerous landscape views of Habana, etc. These views were copied by Bernardo May and published them in Germany, for a lesser price than these original ones, which were produced in Cuba. May took advantage of a more established lithographic industry in Germany and was able to sell them for far less than Mialhe (andthus the Berlin issues are better known). This resulted in Mialhe and Marquier suing May for copyright violation in 1953, unsuccessfully.

Miahle (1810 – 1881) was a French artist; in 1838 he parted for Cuba to fill the position of painter of the lithographic firm of Francois Cosnier and Alezandre Moreau. “One of the most outstanding enterprises of its kind ever attempted in Cuba” (Cueto). In all, this is perhaps the finest pictorial record of daily life, landscape, architecture and such in Cuba of the first half of the 19 th century. The plates have been considered a pirated issue of May’s Viage pintoresco alrededor de la Isla de Cuba, printed in Havana; this in fact lead to a lawsuit against May, incidentally won by him.

Extremely rare on the market of this original Habana edition; only three copies have come to the market in living memory, first in Christie’s 1969 (28 plates), Sotheby Parke Bernet 1977 (28 plates) and Sotheby’s 2010 (30 plates).

Institutionally we locate copies at:
University of Southern California and University of Miami: 27 plates.
Yale and University of Florida: 30 plates.

Palau, 167989; Cueto, Mialhe's Colonial Cuba, pp.1-3; Sabin, 17748 (for May’s edition, Sabin didn’t know this first edition).