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Book Plates (cds) The 1493 invention of Gutenberg’s moveable-type press, “the crown of all science” prompted the invention of the bookplate. Bookplates have been pasted in books since the invention of Gutenberg’s press. During the early 1800s, they were primarily used by the upper and middle classes. Since the fifteenth century, distinguished artists and their patrons have given serious attention to this art form. It represents a miniature art developed to adorn books and a convenient, individualized way for the book’s owner to be identified. The bookplate, or ex libris, is a label placed on the inside of the front cover of a book. Bookplates have been designed by artists and engravers such as Albrecht Dürer, Thomas Bewick, Paul Revere, Kate Greenaway, Aubrey Beardsley, Marc Chagall, M.C. Escher, Rockwell Kent, Leonard Baskin, Barry Moser, and others. Many are acknowledged for their work as book illustrators and designers. For example, Rockwell Kent made numerous contributions as book illustrator, designer and author. He was perhaps one of the most popular American bookplate artists of the century. Another important and prolific artist was Leonard Baskin, who was best known as sculptor and printmaker. He illustrated many books and created bookplates. The owners of bookplates are a distinguished group as well. We find that Queen Victoria of Great Britain owned a bookplate, as did George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles DeGaulle. Other famous people include: Harpo Marx, James Cagney, Sigmund Freud, Walt Disney, J.P. Morgan, Jack London, and the list goes on. During the late 19th century, bookplates were often produced in limited editions for their owners. Common printing techniques included copperplate and steelplate engravings, wood engravings, etchings, and lithographs. Many of these original prints were designed by some of the best-known artists of the time. Signed and numbered by the artist, they were eagerly sought after by an increasing number of collectors. As bookplate design evolved into a recognizable art form, serious bibliophiles, historians, and collectors of graphic arts began their own collections. Bookplate collecting around the world has ebbed and waned, reaching its peak during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and declining during World War I, when communications between artists and collectors became increasingly problematic. Shortly after the war, however, new bookplate societies were founded, and renewed interest in collecting proliferated during the 1920’s and ‘30s. Bookplates produced during this time reflect the decade’s innovations in the fields of graphic design and typography, as well as decorative elements inspired by new modernist design. In the past, bookplate collectors often pasted their plates directly into scrapbooks’ today’s collectors tend to place them in clear archival sleeves for safekeeping. This makes it easier for collectors to trade among themselves.
A grommet is placed in the lower right hand corner and I placed a heart brad on the inside so it appears through the grommet. The image on the right is from a stack of 2x2” images I found in a trunk of family photos from the 1890’s. Old pictures are the most incredible items to use for scrapbooking and card making. I recently found an album from the 1930’s full of black and white photos of a woman with her friends. I scanned all of the pictures and I now have over 100 wonderful images of women in 1930’s fashions, photos of friends in different fun poses, high school pictures, etc. |
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