ALEXANDER, William (1767-1816). Picturesque Representations and the Dress and Manners of the Chinese. London: James Goodwin, [c. 1820]. A splendidly illustrated volume by the artist William Alexander (1767-1816), renowned for his graphic skill and historical-ethnographic approach to China, also developed through his post at the British Museum. As a draughtsman, Alexander took part in the Macartney diplomatic mission to China (1792-1793), organised by the East India Company to open new Chinese ports to British trade. After contributing drawings to the official account of the expedition, he published several works on Chinese customs. This work; similar but more comprehensive than Mason's The Costume of China; offers an encyclopaedic view of Chinese society at the time, covering not only dress and portraiture but also occupations, pastimes, religious rites, and corporal punishments, all based on direct observation. 4to (235 × 160mm). 50 hand-coloured numbered plates including frontispiece and engraved title-page (occasional light foxing). Contemporary morocco, spines and boards decorated in gilt (slightly worn). (1)