AI vs. Brown's Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Citizens

I have a copy of the book above, Brown's Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Citizens and Fac-Similes, dated on the title page in Roman Numerals, MDCCCXLV - 1845. I started researching online.

Some similar books have the date 1846, MDCCCXLCI

These versions are different - 1846 has 3 full color prints. 1845 does not...for example, there is a silhouette of George Washington in the both versions, but only the 1846 version has a blue background..Otherwise, they have the same silhouettes and letters printed, slightly different in size and book bindings.

One version was mostly destroyed in a fire, one wasn't - not sure which.

Then I did an AI search which said this: The version of William Henry Brown's "Portrait Gallery of Distinguished American Citizens" that includes color frontispieces is the first edition published in 1846, which features "27 tinted lithographed silhouette portraits" along with facsimiles of handwriting.

My book doesn't have color frontispieces, but it is dated 1845 - doesn't that make mine the first edition, not the 1846 version?

Or is AI right?

 

Would/could you post photographs of the cover, title page and reverse title page?

Debora

 

The Met and the Brooklyn Museum mention a 1844 version
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/346743
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/54750

1846 version at Sotheby's
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/_wi...similes-of-original-letters-first-edition87d7

AI might have used the Sotheby's text as source, as they mention the 1846 edition is a first edition copy, but Sotheby's might mean that it's the first edition of this version with the coloured frontispiece.