Part 18
Going still further back in history _E. Irenæus Stevenson_ has brought the very serpent of the Garden of Eden, with the fatal apple of Knowledge in his fangs, into his book-plate. Slipping down between the open pages of a large book, we see this form of his Satanic Majesty, and read upon the apple which he offers _Eritis sicut Deus_, _Ye shall be as gods_. This, from the Vulgate, is in Latin. Upon the open page we read in Greek, _Be ye wise as serpents_. The Shekinah blazes out all about the book. A very interesting and striking plate.
A very simple but effective reminder of the approach of old age is found in the plate of _George Alexander Macbeth_, of Pittsburgh, Pa. In this, an open book of coarse print lies upon the table, accompanied by a large pair of spectacles. The motto appears in the upper left corner,--_Give me your favor: my dull brain was wrought with things forgotten_.
Very many plates have a shelf of books, or a pile of them, accompanied with a favorite quotation, a bust of some author, the arms of the owner, or possibly his portrait. In the plate of _Clifford Julius King_, we see the row of books, the smoke from the waning cigar, as it rises across the open pages of a book, and the bust of Thackeray, while the motto, _A jollie goode booke, whereon to looke, is better to me than golde_, is suggestive of long evenings by the fireside, with choice editions to read and fondle.
The shelf of books in the plate of _Nathaniel Paine_, of Worcester, Mass., is enclosed within a frame which has suggestions of the heraldic shield. Behind it the palm branches are placed,
[Illustration: MARSHALL CLIFFORD LEFFERTS.]
and the motto is below, on a ribbon,--_Duce natura sequor_. The crest is found in its place above.
“Wrenwood” is the name of the home of _George E. Leighton_, if we may judge by the name which appears on the top of the shield, which rests against his books just inside the library window. The window is open, flowers peek around the mullions, and a wren has hopped upon the sill to examine the surroundings which have borrowed his name for their own.
A pile of three books, labelled _Bacon_, _Lamb_, and “_Punch_,” is shown in the plate of _David Murray_. The legend, _Some books are to be tasted, some to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested_, is given on the back of the books. Above the volumes, the scales carrying the heavy pen on one side, and the lighter sword on the other, is surmounted by a liberty-cap, behind which, in a blaze of glory, appears the motto, _The pen mightier than the sword_.
In the plate of _George Imbrie Sill_, three shelves of books are enclosed within a frame of scrolls which bear the name. A shield is placed across one end of the case, with the arms and crest upon it.
Now we come to a plate which takes us below the surface. A wondrous mermaid, at the very depths, flanked by huge dolphins, is receiving a perfect shower of books, which come tumbling down through the water. This is the plate of _H. W. Bryant_, of Portland, Me.
_Marshall C. Lefferts_, of New York City, uses small leather labels on which an open book bearing his monogram is stamped in gold. Different colors of leather are provided for different volumes. This is the only instance of the use of leather for a book-plate in this country, if I mistake not: a very handsome material, too, for the purpose, and meriting wider use.
[Illustration: JOHN HERBERT CORNING]
In the plate of _John Herbert Corning_, of Washington, Atlas, with strained muscles, supports the world of letters. _Litterae_ is inscribed upon the immense globe which rests upon his shoulders.
Two children of the forest, a boy and a girl, with flowing hair and meagre garments, come towards us in the plate of _A. L. Hollingsworth_, of Boston, bearing between them a panel on which is carved the motto _Un bon livre est un bon ami_. The dense forest is close behind them, and were it not for the reader, one feels as if no person would pass their way to see their lofty sentiment. So thick, indeed, is the tangle of brush, that the loss of their clothes must be laid to their passage through it.
[Illustration: D^{r}. G^{eo}. L. Parmele, Hartford.]
In the plate of _Dr. George L. Parmelee_, of Hartford, a herald in court costume is proclaiming, through his long trumpet, the loss of a book. The banner hanging from the horn shows the words he uses: _Verloren! Verloren! ein Buch_.
We are again taken far down below the waves, in the plate of _William Ashmead Courtenay_, of Charleston, S.C. Down indeed, to the very bottom of the ocean, where the weeds grow, and the dolphin feeds. Above, the waves are rolling, and a far stretch of water is seen. The view is enclosed within a square frame which bears the name.
The _Rev. Wm. R. Huntington_, rector of Grace Church, New York City, uses a design which is adapted from a frontispiece by Walter Crane for the “Fairy Tales” of the Brothers Grimm, and which represents a youth, with long curls falling from under his cap, opening the door of a house, with a huge key. Upon the roof, two cupids, in imminent danger of sliding off, are making music with lyre and voice. A few stars shine against the night, and the light of the moon falls across the face of the structure, revealing the huge orange-trees in fruit, which flank the doorway. The motto, _In veritate victoria_, is carved upon the steps, and the name _Huntington_ is given at the very top of the design.
Other plates whose principal features are “bookish” are those of _Henry A. Morgan_, which has simply a large book, open, with blank leaves: on one is inscribed _The page in waiting_; of _Edward Denham_, which has an owl perched upon an open volume, upon whose pages are the following names, _Bede_, _Camden_, _Bradford_, _Chaucer_, _Shakspere_, _Sandys_, with the torch of knowledge and the wreath of victory behind it: the wreath is tied with a ribbon which bears the
[Illustration: JOHN E. RUSSELL.]
motto--_Nulla dies sine linea:_ of _Charles F. Jilson_, Chicago, on whose plate simply a closed book is seen, with a palette resting upon it; the brush and the drawing tools reveal the art of the owner, while the half-covered lyre upon the book-cover may be an indication of his hobby;--of _Alfred Trumble_, of New York City, who displays a table whereon the bust of Minerva, the student-lamp, the scroll, ink-stand and quill, and the books jostle each other in delightful literary confusion;--of the _Hon. John E. Russell_, of Boston, who shows the owl of Minerva seated upon the books of the scholar: the globe, materials for writing, and the lamp of knowledge are disposed about, and the whole is encircled by an oval wreath of holly.
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
[Illustration: Paul Lemperly]
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.
[Illustration: Dean Sage.]
[Illustration: EX LIBRIS--JOSEPH H WHEELER]
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
[Illustration: FRED. C. SCHLAICH.
ARCHITECT]
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.
[Illustration:
CHAUNCEY LAWRENCE WILLIAMS ]
Wholly different is the plate of _Allen Wallace_. In this, one of the Naiadæ reclines upon the
[Illustration: Arthur Robinson Stone.]
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.