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.
[Illustration: SAMUEL·WESLEY·MARVIN]
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
[Illustration:
F.W.
HOYT.
]
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.
[Illustration: V A]
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.
[Illustration: MARCUS BENJAMIN.]
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
[Illustration: GEORGE DUDLEY SEYMOUR.]
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.
[Illustration: EX LIBRIS. JULIA DEXTER COFFIN]
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.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: FRANCIS · WILSON]
AMERICAN COLLECTORS AND COLLECTIONS.
[Illustration: C]ollectors of book-plates are not very numerous in the
United States; but, small as their number is, it has reached the present
figure almost at a bound, for we now count about seventy, who are
collecting, while, four years ago, there were scarcely a score.
A survey of our collections shows that all are particularly interested
to collect American plates. The early American examples are few, and
daily becoming scarcer, as the search for them grows hotter, and the
competition between prospective owners increases.
The scarcity and value of our early specimens are not appreciated fully
by our brother-collectors over the sea, nor is our national pride in
keeping them within our borders realized. Having so few, we cannot be
lavish with the rare examples we are able to find; and so it comes about
that the demand for our plates is not met as it once was. The
book-plates of our ancestors are not so easily found as are those of the
past generation in the older countries. Books were fewer here,
devastation by fire and pillage has ruined much that we lament over, and
the good old plates turn up but rarely now.
Our collections are not large as compared with the gigantic aggregations
which we hear of as being made in England. Think of one collector having
one hundred thousand specimens! The largest collection here will not
exceed six thousand, and those next nearest to that fall some two
thousand behind it. Our collections are good, representative of the best
foreign styles and dates, and do not include much that is valueless.
“Small, if need be, in numbers, but excellent in quality,” would seem to
be the maxim of those who collect over here. German plates, particularly
of the oldest engravers, French plates, and the English plates of men of
prominence, are well represented. Plain heraldic plates are not held in
high esteem, while the Pictorial, Literary, Library Interior, and
Ladies’ plates are all sought for.
Among the very first to enter the field as a collector of book-plates in
the United States was the late James Eddy Mauran, of Newport, R.I.
Mr. Mauran was a New Yorker by birth, the son of a West India merchant.
He was a painstaking collector, a close student, and a man fully
acquainted with the foreign languages, and the literature of the times
he felt an especial interest in. While deeply interested in other lines
of research and collecting, he found time to gather a good collection of
American and foreign book-plates, which were mounted with the nicety and
taste shown in all branches of his collecting.
At the time of his death, in 1888, he had about 3500 plates in all, and
they were appraised by Mr. Hewins, a friend of Mr. Mauran, at three
hundred dollars, and were sold to a Philadelphia gentleman. Mr. Mauran
had a way of mounting his plates which was original and unique. He
pasted them down on pieces of marbled paper, and other kinds of paper
used in the ornamental binding of books. He was at pains to obtain from
binders, stationers, and booksellers all the pieces of paper of this
kind that could be found, in order to have as many different mounts as
possible. These papers were all mounted on stiffer white paper, and
formed a good substantial ground for the final mounting.
His titled plates were mounted on gold and silver paper; and the ladies’
plates on bits of silk, damask, satin, or old pieces of brocade and
other things pertaining to ladies’ wear. The American plates were
mounted on the older styles of marbled papers, and on fancy patterns and
colors in use years ago. They were numbered on the back, and were kept
in alphabetical order. Very often the back of the mount was covered with
notes about the owner of the plate. Portraits, autographs, views of
houses, and sketches of the owners from newspapers, were also mounted
and placed with the plate they were identified with. The plates were
kept in old book-covers of fine, polished calf, beautifully tooled on
the back and edges. An interesting history is connected with these
covers. Mr. John Austin Stevens, of New York, had made a fine collection
of the poetry, ballads, and romances of the mediæval ages, which was
bound in the sumptuous style mentioned. Upon the occasion of a visit to
Europe, Mr. Mauran, who was a friend of Mr. Stevens, saw them carefully
packed in boxes, which were deposited in the vaults of the Chamber of
Commerce building in New York, and insured for ten thousand dollars.
During the absence of the owner, the negro janitor of the building broke
open the boxes, and, tearing out the insides of the treasured volumes,
sold them for waste paper! Portions were recovered; but the covers were
of no further use as originally intended, and they fell to Mr. Mauran,
who used them to hold his book-plates. This collection was quite rich in
the early plates of America; for Mr. Mauran, being well-nigh the first
in the field, had the cream of collecting for some time, and was able to
secure plates which now are not to be had.
Not very long ago, this collection changed hands again, as the first
purchaser, having no time to make use of the plates, was willing to sell
them to some collector who could make them of greater use among others
interested in the same topic. In some way the collection became
disrupted, and parts of it are owned by different collectors.
Mr. E. N. Hewins is one of the older collectors among us. Mr. Hewins has
a very interesting album of American plates, in which a goodly number of
the rarer specimens find a resting-place. Other albums are used for the
foreign examples, and the number of plates in the collection places it
well up towards the head of the list of large and valuable collections.
The plates are classified by styles.
Mr. Richard C. Lichtenstein, of Boston, has a large collection of
book-plates. A part of his collection is arranged alphabetically in a
large quarto bound in brown morocco, with gold tooling, and made
especially for the purpose with leaves of very thin tinted paper.
Individual mounts are also used. This collection is one of the largest
and probably the best, as regards Americana, of all in the United
States.
Another Boston collector who has been collecting for some time, and who
has a valuable collection, is Mr. Fred J. Libbie. Mr. Libbie has a copy
of _Warren_, most beautifully bound in crushed levant, which is
extra-illustrated by the insertion of rare original plates, autograph
letters, portraits, and views. The volume is extended to fully three
times its original thickness, and is an elegant specimen of the
book-binders’ art, as well as a most valuable storehouse of fine
book-plates. Other works on the subject of book-plates are in process of
extra-illustration by Mr. Libbie, who is an enthusiastic collector,
confining himself to no specialties, but making an excellent collection
in all lines.
The largest collection of plates is that belonging to Mr. H. E. Deats,
of Flemington, N.J. This industrious collector, while a rather new
comer, has distanced all the older men, and, being the owner of the bulk
of the Mauran collection, has some very fine examples, as well as large
numbers, to boast of.
Dr. Henry C. Eno, of Saugatuck, Conn., has a large and valuable
collection mounted in volumes bound in full levant.
We number among our collectors several ladies, and it is earnestly to be
hoped that here, as in England, we may have plates designed by lady
artists. Probably the earliest lady collector is Mrs. Richard J. Barker,
of Warren, R.I., who has several albums filled with good plates, and who
has contributed an interesting article on the subject of early American
plates to the literature of our topic. Other ladies who are collecting
are Miss Helen E. Brainerd, of Columbia College Library; Mrs. C. H.
Duhme, of Cincinnati; Mrs. E. M. Gallaudet, of Washington; and Miss
Louise Fitz, of Newton Centre, Mass.
The mounting and arrangement of plates are vexed questions among
collectors. The really satisfactory method has not yet been discovered.
Many ways are tried; and experience shows that while one may at
different times think he has found the very best way, its disadvantages
are sure to appear, and a new method will be looked for.
Mr. E. H. Bierstadt, of New York, keeps his collection in large albums
constructed for the purpose. The leaves are of double thicknesses of
heavy calendered manilla paper. The plates are pasted down on mounts of
a stiff white ledger paper, and are then placed in the book, four to the
page, by slipping the corners of the mounts into slits cut for the
purpose in the page. This allows the easy readjustment, the easy
exchange of a poor specimen for a better one, the re-placing of a plate
wrongly classed, and the extension of alphabetical arrangement _ad
infinitum_. The appearance of the volume is handsome.
Mr. Henry Blackwell, of New York, is mounting all his plates on rather
large sheets of a stiff paper, of a dark tint, which shows off the
plates to good advantage. They are arranged in alphabetical order, and
are kept in neat wooden boxes.
The plates of Mr. Pickering Dodge, of Washington, D.C., are mounted on a
dove-colored mount, which is an advantageous tint. The plates are
arranged according to styles. This collector, however, is about to
change to albums.
Mr. Nathaniel Paine, of Worcester, Mass., has his plates mounted
directly upon the pages of an album made for them. Portraits, views,
etc., are also interspersed.
The present writer used originally the individual mount; but becoming
dissatisfied with that method, because of injury by careless handling,
adopted the albums, using in both instances the “hinges” of the stamp
collector to fasten the plates down with. He is now changing back to the
individual-mount plan, as it admits of more freedom in comparison, easy
changes, and the better display of the collection, either to a few, or
to an audience.
The larger part of our collectors do not mount their plates at all, or
have any system of arranging them. They are kept in odd envelopes,
boxes, between the leaves of books, or in a desk-drawer, and there await
the new arrival, or the shaking up incident to the search for a
particular specimen. This is ruinous.