American Book-Plates

The plate of Thomas J. McKee, of New York City, represents a volume of Shakespeare’s Works, open to the title-page, which is occupied principally by a portrait of the famous author playwright. The arms and name appear upon the fly-leaf of the book, other books are at hand, and the following lines are given at the foot: —

Tu mihi currarum requies, tu nocte rel atra

Lumen, et in solis tu mihi turba locis.

The plate of Paul Lemperly, of Cleveland, designed by Garrett, shows the open book, with the serpent circled about it. The stars shine beyond, and the design is enclosed within a rectangular border of holly leaves.

Another class of plates which claim attention to-day is that which is representative of either the hobby or the vocation of the owner. For special collections, for certain kinds of books, plates are designed which express the particular line of reading, or of collecting, which they are to ornament. This style of plate is coming more and more into use, and earnest pleas have been put forth for its wide adoption; notably, one by Henri Pene Du Bois, in the “Book Lovers’ Almanac,” for 1894. In his worthy article on the “Art of the Book-plate,” this writer argues forcibly for the expression of a genuine idea in the book-plate. Not mere coats-of-arms, crests, pictorial designs or devices and ornaments which look pretty, seem to him suitable for use as book-plates, but an emphatic representation of an idea, a worthy idea, clad in suitable form. He argues for special plates for special collections, for a specific plate for a specific line of books; not an ornamental label simply, to be placed in each book in one’s library, but a different plate, with a reason for its existence, in each different department. Very few, if any, in this country, carry the idea so far; but many plates are now in use which convey at once an idea of the pursuit of the owner, whether it be in literature, art, science, or professional life. The plate of George Edward Sears, with its grinning skull, is perhaps at first glance unpleasant in its effect, but when one comes to unravel the plain meaning of the symbolism, the shudder dies away, and we are prepared to regard the plate as one of the very highest types, and most successful in its way. Mr. Sears has gathered a large collection of books relating to the “Dance of Death,” and finding in

a 1754 edition of Matthew Merian’s work, this plate which seemed no part of the series but an impromptu addition, he adopted it for his book-plate. Mr. W. J. Linton engraved the block, reducing considerably from the original. This plate is used only in the books relating to the topic it suggests. In this plate the skull is placed upon an open book, between a lighted candle and a few flowers in a vase. A wreath encircles the smooth pate, and an hour-glass rests upon it, with the hovering wings of Time, and the scales, just above. The lower half of the plate has a very dark background, while the upper is filled with light.

Henry Blackwell, of New York City, uses a plate in his collection of Welshiana which was designed for the purpose. In this plate we see the sturdy oak raised in the centre of the scene. Upon the right side, the bearded Druid is lopping off the branches of the mistletoe, which seem to be growing with the oak. Opposite to him, the early Briton with his harp makes wild music. A circular medallion upon the tree represents the peak of Snowden, the highest mountain in Wales, and the motto, Cared doeth yr encilion, is given upon the frame. This plate, like that of Mr. Sears, was suggested by an illustration in an old book. A second plate is used for the literature upon the famous voyage of Madoc to our shores in A.D. 1170. In this plate we see the old-fashioned, high-sided ship, with its bellying sails, plunging through the rolling waves, as it passes out to sea with the hardy adventurer and his crew.

As examples of plates representative of the hobby of their owners, we have the following: Dean Sage; an angling plate, very simple in design and very fine in execution, with a large trout, and the rod and the landing net crossed behind it: an enthusiastic fisherman, and the author of a sumptuous volume on salmon-fishing in some of the Canadian rivers, Mr. Sage uses this plate only in the books of his library which relate to the gentle pursuit favored of Walton; —Howland; An angling plate of very handsome design: the shield of arms is surrounded with the implements of the fisherman, with evidences of his success and with the weeds which grow by the water side: the motto Piscator non solum piscator floats on a ribbon above; —Lucius Poole; the masks of Comedy and of Tragedy are brought together in this plate, as indicative of the books collected by Mr. Poole; —Arthur Robinson Stone: a folio volume of music is open to the Largo of the second part of the “Messiah,” by Handel, and is copied from the original score preserved in the British Museum: – in the plate of Martin Hayden two Cupids bear a shield on which the name is given: each little Cupid also manages to hold a mask: the motto, Upward, Onward.

Fred C. Schlaick: in this we see the uppermost part of a column and its Corinthian capital. A little Cupid flies away from the finished piece of work, carrying the veil which had concealed it from view. This design hardly needs the word Architect, which is added just after the name, to express the profession of the owner.

Edward Stratton Holloway: in this design, the owl is perched upon a limb, with the palette, brushes, sketch-book, and pencils of the illustrator within his clutch.

A most happy plate is that of Mr. Richard Hoe Lawrence, which is designed for use only in the library housed at his country seat, “Oscaleta Lodge,” and which is mainly botanical. In this plate the partridge-vine, Mitchella repens, is shown in its proper colors, and is surrounded by a double border of red lines, within which the motto, from

Rabelais, Fay ce que vouldras, is given in yellow. The plate was designed by Miss Mary S. Lawrence.

For a Philatelical library, the plate of Mr. John K. Tiffany is exceedingly appropriate, the design being enlarged from the old and rare St. Louis Postmaster’s stamp of 1845. The book-plate was cut on wood by the same man who designed the original stamp. It is an exact fac-simile of the old stamp, giving the two bears holding between them the circular frame which encloses the arms.

A very good example of the Allegorical book-plate is that of George H. Ellwanger, of Rochester. This is designed to illustrate the LXX sonnet of the Amoretti, of Spenser. With all the charming freshness of the early vernal season about her, we see Spring, in graceful drapery, carrying buds and blossoms in her hands, and crowned with a wreath of flowers, approaching us. The garlands, the numerous birds, the new leaves upon the trees, and the sense of warmth in the scene, clearly depict the meaning of the artist.

Turning, now, to the pictorial plates, we find their number rather small. Decorative features, bits of landscape and of interiors are found in many plates; but these little ornamentations do not constitute a real pictorial plate. One of the finest examples is the plate of E. G. Asay, of Chicago. In this we find ourselves intruding upon the councils of the Muses; for we see Art seated upon a throne, with the palette and brushes idle in her lap, while about her, in graceful manner, recline History, Music, and Literature. The lyre of Music is quiet, as, with her hand affectionately placed upon the shoulder of History, she listens to the reading of the just-inscribed record. Art likewise gives interested attention to the recital; and Literature, with her book closed, leans upon the convenient globe, and listens.

Wholly different is the plate of Allen Wallace. In this, one of the Naiadæ reclines upon the

over-turned urn, from which the never-ceasing flow of water falls over the rock, and slips away in a widening stream. With one hand she caresses the limpid flow, as it emerges from the urn. At either side, below her, two dolphins discharge quantities of water from their mouths into an immense shell which receives the stream from the urn as well. Tall sheaves of wheat rise above them, and directly behind the head of the Naiad is the motto, Nil clarius aquis.

Mr. H. E. Deats, of Flemington, N.J., has a most beautiful specimen of steel engraving which he uses in his numismatic library. In this, we see a female figure clad in classic costume, with a diadem on her brow, sitting on the clouds, and having at her side an oval shield, on which a very important peacock is depicted as using the globe for his perch. On either side, cornucopiæ of fruit and flowers barely hold their quantities of produce. The motto, Instauratio saeculi felicis, is placed upon the edge of the shield.

The plate of Frances Louise and Charles Dexter Allen represents a female figure in classic robes seated upon a stone bench at the foot of tall trees. It is twilight, and the glint of the weakening light is seen through the leaves. Books, manuscript, and scrolls are strewn around the solitary figure. The motto, Sapientiam veram petimus, is carved along the top of the wall behind. One arm of the figure is thrown across the top of an open book, on which the names of the owners are given. This plate was suppressed at the request of the publishers of a magazine in New York City, as it so closely resembled the design on their cover.

A very effective plate is that of F. W. Hoyt, of Albany, N.Y. In this an Ionic column forms the whole design. Very beautifully engraved: the lamp of Knowledge is continually burning, and continually fed on the top of the capital, while the names of the “Immortals” are bound around the shaft on a ribbon, —Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Shelley. The name of the owner is carved upon the base.

In the plate of Samuel Wesley Marvin, is depicted the sleeping knight, to whom come

Pleasure and Knowledge, each with her offer of satisfaction and reward. The motto, Courage le diable est mort, is seen on the broad ribbon which is laid about the picture.

The plate of Adam Van Allen, of Albany, is copied from the plate of the brothers Goncourt, and represents the left hand with a pair of dividers held by the third and fourth fingers, while the first and second are placed upon a sheet of paper bearing the initials V A.

Several peculiar plates remain to be mentioned, which belong to no style, but are examples of the individual taste of the owners, which is now so marked a feature of book-plate designing. Not, as formerly, are we controlled as to the style which we shall adopt, but each book-lover can, without appearing eccentric, place whatever design he chooses within his book-covers.

The plate of the well-known litterateur, W. Irving Way, of Chicago, is simply a very small bit of paper with his initials in cipher upon it. The plate of Fred J. Libbie, of Boston, one of the largest collectors of plates, is a cryptogrammic arrangement of the letters forming his name.

An old plate of Richard Hoe Lawrence caricatures each of his three names: the first, by the “dickey bird”; the second, by the agricultural implement suggested by the middle name: and the third, by a picture of the emaciated Saint Lawrence frying over a fire of flaming fagots. As he fries, he reads from a book entitled, Lawrence on Gridiron.

The plate of Marcus Benjamin, of New York City, is a punning plate, and represents the gentleman himself riding his hobby-horse, which is in the form of a big folio. With a long quill for a lance, and wearing a crucible for a hat, he rides his horse, full merrily. The plate of J. Hiestand Hartman, of Lancaster, Pa., is very curious. In this, the shield is borne by a skeleton, who stands erect, with the lance resting in the right arm. A banner floats from the lance-head, ribbons rise in profusion on either side, and the grinning sentinel is enclosed in the fluttering ends. E. A. Hitchcock, of the United States Army, has a plate of peculiar and hidden meaning. In this, the prominent feature is a huge dragon, winged, scaly, with forked tail and snakelike head. With the end of his tail in his mouth, he forms a frame of oval form, and repulsive kind, for a picture of a little girl, who seems to be sitting upon a honeycomb, and who holds a necklace in her left hand. The motto, Non nisi Parvulis, must contain some reference to the event recorded in the book-plate.

The plate of George Dudley Seymour has the unusual feature of a large representation of an old door, with its carved posts, and pediment of high-boy style. In the centre of the design, above this, at the right, a small view is given of the whole house from which the door is taken, and in the opposite corner a scroll bears the words: Captain Charles Churchill, hys house at Weathersfield in the Colony of Connecticut in Newe England, 1754-1885. This plate is by W. F. Hopson, of New Haven, Conn., and is very effective. Mr. Hopson’s own plate is also a very beautiful specimen of his skill. In this, the central panel is filled with three old folios in aged condition, tumbled together upon the table. In the upper corners, a press for plate work and a painting on an easel are seen. Below the central space, a closed portfolio affords space for the record of the number of the volume. About all, are elaborate scrolls of rustic design. Over the space, a small kettle holds a number of fine brushes, and the motto is on a ribbon which is well carried through the scrolled sides. The motto is an adaptation of one of older date, and reads as follows: Old books to read, old prints to scan, old wood to carve, old friends to greet.

As yet, we have but one example of the work of C. W. Sherborn, the celebrated engraver, of London, among our American book-plates. This is the beautiful plate of Mr. S. P. Avery, of New York City. This is not heraldic, but of a decidedly personal bent, and very indicative of the special lines of collecting to which the owner is devoted. The upper part of the plate is filled with a conventionalized tulip design, which is extremely rich in appearance and graceful in disposition. A ribbon bearing the name, Samuel Putnam Avery, flutters in and out among the curves of the tulip stems and leaves. Grouped at the lower edge of the plate are a number of books, in artistic bindings, one being noticeable as having a Grolieresque design. The titles of most of the books can be read, and among them

are De Bury, Shakespeare, Goethe, Emerson, Montaigne, Ruskin, Bewick, and Washington Irving. Rembrandt’s “Three Trees,” also found among the accessories at the foot, is indicative of the collector of etchings. The graver, eye-piece, cushion, and block on which the portrait of Washington is cut, denote the art of engraving, and the head of Minerva, which rests proudly upon the volume of Ruskin, represents the patron of Art. This plate is a fine example of the peculiar personal flavor which Sherborn has infused into his revival of this particular kind of German work. The grouping of the books at the bottom is excellent, and the graceful sweeps of the tulip pattern, as it fills the upper two-thirds of the plate, are very pleasing. The motto, Far more seemly were it for thee to have thy Study full of Bookes than thy purse full of money (Lilly), is placed beneath the design.

Two specimens of the work of Paul Avril, for American owners, are of exceeding daintiness and delicacy in design and execution. The plate of Clarence H. Clark represents Venus in gauzy drapery, with a looking-glass in her hand, reclining upon a pile of books, some of which are closed. A fragment of the scroll of a Chippendale frame, with one or two roses about, complete the decoration. The motto, Amat victoria curam, is seen upon the open page of a folio volume. The plate is very light and pretty.

In the plate of George B. De Forest, by the same artist, we are ushered into the library of the owner. Here a cherub draws back the curtain, and affords a view of the treasures upon the well-filled shelves, not only to the beholder, but also to a scantily clad female who, with one foot upon the step of the shelf-ladder, appears to halt in an ecstasy of delight. An open book on the floor, and a portfolio standing near the shelves, complete the accessories. The whole is surrounded by a frame of foliated scrolls.

In the plates of Dr. Henry C. Eno we have examples of the owner’s personal skill as an etcher. In one design, a lighted candle is placed upon a closed book, which is labelled Ex Libris Volume, and is presumably filled with rare treasures among our very early American plates. The second plate represents a lighthouse, with rolling waves at its foot. The broad bands of light stream from the lighted lantern, across the black night. The scene is enclosed within a circular frame. This is set upon a background, which may represent a fish-net, and is finally enclosed by a border of rope. A bit of rope tied in a sailor’s knot lies under the lighthouse picture, and supports the name, Ex Libris H. C. Eno.

Among collectors, there has been of recent years a strong desire to secure specimens of the plates of the ladies. In England, where the heraldic features of a lady’s plate are required to be in some respects very different from those of the gentleman, they may be said to constitute a class by themselves. But with us, while of equal interest, they do not show any marked difference in their design from the gentlemen’s. Indeed, most of them, if not all, would serve just as well for one as for the other. The plate of Charlotte Cushman, which is heraldic, is incorrect, if judged by the rules of the art. The arms are not in a lozenge, the crest is given, and the motto is displayed. But the plate has none the less a deep interest to the American collector, who indeed can well afford to overlook any trifling irregularities which may be pointed out by a student of a science not in vogue with us. Habeo pro jus fasque is the motto on the plate. Two other heraldic plates are now used by American ladies. The plate of Mrs. E. H. L. Barker, of Warren, R.I., is designed by Mr. J. McN. Stauffer, and is heraldically correct, in that no crest is given, and that the frame enclosing the arms is of the required form. However, the motto is given, and the animal of the crest is made to do service as a supporter of the rod on which the shield rests. The plate is small, and very neat in appearance. The plate of Miss Jessie Brewster, of Shelton, Conn., is a plain armorial, displaying the arms claimed by the descendants of Elder William Brewster of Massachusetts. Another Rhode Island plate, and one which is representative of the hobbies of the owner, is that of Mrs. Alonzo Flint, of Providence. This is a large plate, in the centre of which is an arrow-head of flint, in reference to the name of the owner. In the corners are displayed books, easel and palette, violin, music and ‘cello, and two cathedral spires, – all indicative of the likings and pursuits of the user of the plate. A wreath of ragged chrysanthemums and ivy leaves surrounds the central design, on which a beehive is placed, among hollyhocks. This is, as was intended, a plate whose every part is illustrative of the interests of the owner, who was also its designer.

The plate of Mrs. Julia Dexter Coffin, of Windsor Locks, Conn., was designed and is used wholly for books of music, or in her library of musical literature. The scene is within the choir of some temple. A flood of light enters the lofty apartment from the open door at the far end of the wall, and the small diamond panes of the large window reveal nothing of the outside world. Seated upon the stone bench, in the foreground, clad in classic robes, a member of the chorus, inspired by some longing, has come alone, to pour forth her feelings in song. The lyre in her hands is of old and ornamental design. Behind her, upon the wall, runs a dado on which the sacred dance is pictured; and above this a large mural painting can be seen. In the niche by the door stands a statue of Terpischore. The sound of the music seems to fill the room.

Purely decorative, and having no particular meaning beyond illustrating the motto, is the plate of Ophelia Fowler Duhme. The motto, Inter folia fructas, is given at the top of the plate, and the strawberry plant, bearing both flower and fruit, fills the whole space below.

Two Cupids disport themselves among sweet roses, in the plate of Frances Louise Allen.

In the plate of Margaret M. Miller, a cherub, with the hair in a Psyche knot, sits upon a closed book, and inscribes the names of the “Immortals” upon a scroll.

In the plate of Miss Ada Stewart Shelton, of Derby, Conn., the motto, Plus penser que dire, is given with the name and a single pansy blossom within a rectangular frame which has pansies at each corner.

In the plate of Mary Bayliss, we have a frame of Chippendale tendency. The scrolls are edged with shell-work, and the flowers are free and natural.

Very interesting and successful work in designing and engraving book-plates is now being done by Mr. E. D. French, of New York City, Mr. E. H. Garrett, of Winchester, Mass., and by Mr. W. F. Hopson, of New Haven, Conn., all of whom are represented in this volume by prints from the original coppers.