The ages of peonies
Contributors: White, Clarence Cameron, 1880-1960; BFK Rives (Firm); Morgan Conservatory
Publisher: [Ellen Sheffield]
Published: 2018
Place of publication: Gambier, Ohio]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 22
Subjects: Artists' books; Specimens; American Found poetry; Peonies in art; Performances; African Americans; African American women; Pictorial works; History
Notes: "Edition of 16"--Bookseller's prospectus.

Publication information from Vamp & Tramp website.

Inkjet prints and letterpress on Rives paper with handmade Morgan cotton abaca paper on the covers and a musical score in Miss Anderson's handwritnig printed on bookcloth. In phase box with image of the March 11, 1930 performance program on the cover.

"Peony (Paeonia) bushes can live for a century. Mine was transplanted from my husband's grandmother's garden after her death. Grandma Bertha Hammonds was a so-called colored cleaning woman her entire life in our small town where Marian Anderson performed in 1930. So too were Ethel Reynolds, Gertrude Jones, Viola Booker, Mable Mayle, Anna Sites, and Midge McGee. Miss Anderson's mother in Philadelphia also scrubbed floors to support her young daughters. This artist's book is inspired by these women and their drive to bring beauty into their communities in the face of exclusion and racial prejudice."--Colophon.

"My thanks to Ric Sheffield and Nancy Zafris for their research and wrting about colored women's clubs and Marian Anderson. Studio support for this project was provided by the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Educational Foundation Artist Residency Program during which I printed the text in letter-press from polymer plates and wood type."--Colophon.

"Images are courtesy of the Shared Shelf Commons of Penn Library's Rare Book & Manuscript Library Image Collection Marian Anderson Archives and the Knox County Black History Archive. Additional images include my photos of Mount Vernon, Ohio's historic Woodward Opera House's vintage wallpaper and Grandma Hammonds still blooming peonies. The Ages of Peonies is my found poem constructed from newspaper accounts and historical research. Additional text includes the lyrics to the spiritual song Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child."--Colophon.

Rare Book copy: No. 16; signed by the artist