The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-01

a pictorial device symbolic OF MS pro-
fession or his tastes.
Book-plates themselves are not a new
fancy--it is only the gathering of them
into collections that is Of recent date.
The earliest plate known is of German
origin and Is supposed to be of the
year 1450-so that it belongs to the
days of Gutenberg and Faust and is
as old as the art Of printing, The old
est English plate is that of Cardinal
Wolsey, probably between 1916 and 1880.
There is but one copy. The earliest
English plate bearing a date is that of
Sir Nicholas Bacon, 1874. But plates
that may be attributed to a date ear
her than 100 are few, and few out of
reach of the ordinary collector. The
earliest recognized American plate with
a printed date is that of John Williams.
1t Is al coarsely printed label, Johannes
| Williams His Book 1879" doubtless
struck off in colonial printing office
AT that date, and for some years later,
engraved plates must have been of
| English make. The first native Anerl-
can engraver OF book-plates was Ma
thaniel Hurd, and the earliest dated
| specimens of his work are those made
for Thomas Dering in 1749. Paul Re
we're, the hero of that famous midnight
ride, was an engraver by profession,
| and book-plates Of his engraving are
| highly priced by collectors. IL Is
| fact that the greatest artists of modern
times, and the best engravers. did not
| consider the book-plate unworthy Of
their highest skill and as the design
of the plates followed the prevailing
fancy of the day in art, they are now
valued both as samples of the artists
work, and as showing the changes in
popular taste in design. The initiated
can judge of the date of a book-plate
from the style Of its ornamentation and
engraving
Two exhibitions OF book-plates have
been held in New York; one by the
Grolier club, at which were shown
twelve hundred plates representing
every phase of the art from its begin
ming down to the present day. Another
collection, that Of Henry Blackwell, the
bookbinder, was shown at Brentanos
This is supposed to be the largest coll
lection in the United States, compris-
ing four thousand specimens, and in
Guiding some particularly rare and In
teresting examples of early English and
American plates.
Interesting as such collections are, 1t
seems hardly right that an old book
plate at least, should be separated from
the book whose ownership 1t proclaim
ed. The plates Of Washington, Web
ster, Wilberforce, Lord Nelson, Macau-
ley, Tennyson, Holmes (Which, by the
way, bears a representation of the
"chambered Nautilus"), would be, 1t
seems to one outside the circle of fad
dists, doubly valuable If 1t remained
where the owner placed 1t. But this is
a matter unregarded by the collectors,
who delightedly paste into their scrap
books all they can buy, or exchange, or
take out of any book that comes into
their hands. One English author, at
least. Mr.. Edmund Gosse, objects to
this craze. He complains that he is
continually receiving letters from his
own countrymen and from Americans, |
asking for his book-plate and offering |
to exchange. But he holds that a book
plate is no more to be "swopped" than |
pocket handkerchief; it is an individ- |
ual possession intended to denote that |
certain book belongs to one person |
and to that person only. Collectors |
doubtless esteem him "crank," and a |
selfish one at that.
The second fad is of still later date |
and deals with peculiar product of |
the present day 1t is but a few years |
since publishers took to advertising |
their wares by means of startling de-
signs in curious combinations of color,
displayed in bookstore windows or upon
Some are decidedly artistic
and some grotesque and bizarre, but all
must be daring, since they are designed
to catch and hold the public gaze. This
fashion began In Paris and an incurable
mania for collecting the posters, "af-
fches," seized upon the people there
There are shops in which the only goods
for sale are posters, and every week
auctions are held when eager collee-
tors bid for the work Of Cheret, who is
for the entire movement, or
Of Grasset, or other French designers,
more or less notable. OF course the idea
spread across the Channel and English
artists found market for all the oddi-
ties they could invent, doubtless think
Ing with Aubrey Beardsley, whose only
color work has been done on advertis-
ing posters, that 1.-THE poster fills a use
full place in the world and is therefore
not to be scorned." Perhaps the first
Of these curious works of art in this
was that designed by Mr.. Ed
ward Penfleld for Harper's Magazine
Of April, 1893 Now each of the great
has an artist Of merit en-
gagged in creating a design for the adj
of each issue. And though
the fancy for collecting book and mag
azne and newspaper posters has not
reached the dimensions of a mania In
.kis country, it is already a fad" and
spreading rapidly. An exhibition re-
,ently given in New York city was vis-
ted by crowds of people, all greatly in
crested in the unique display which
vas made up from the private collee-
ions of prominent artists. And young
artist of Rochester has just exhibited
IN almost complete collection Of Amer
can posters. One needs an entire hall
n which to display such collection i
Ind they must be grouped with extreme
are, else the pronounced colors will
conflict and '1kill" each other. But the
collector who is at all interested in art
will do we'll to begin at once to secure
pecimens Of this peculiar manifestation
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