American Book-Plates

Waste not a moment. Wethersfield Library.

What is, is best. Laurens.

Wisely for pleasure and for profit read: thus hold high converse with the mighty dead. Woodbridge.

Y cadam ae cypwyn. The mighty and cunning. Williams.

Zyt bestindig. Be constant. Dyckman.

A FEW RECENT EXAMPLES

ALL book-plates which do not have the flavor of age about them, and which were made quite within the memory of the collector, are classed as recent plates. This is a term of doubtful application; but in a general way it has come to mean all plates made since about 1830. Their number is legion, of course, and no attempt is here made to enumerate them, or even a small part of them, but only to note briefly those of the more recent additions which are especially noteworthy. And now we part with the old styles of plates. The early armorial, with the profuse denticulated mantling, is never used, the pure Jacobean is not seen, the graceful Chippendale has been discarded, and the Ribbon and Wreath, with its fanciful festoons and garlands of roses, is also a thing of the past.

This is of course natural, as the armorial plates, which are the only ones demanding any of these styles of decoration, are very little used now. But we have still the Library Interior, the Literary, the Pictorial, and the Allegorical; but these have changed their appearance so much

as to be hardly recognizable as the lineal descendants of those of the same type which went before. Indeed, the recent plates have little in common with the old, – new motives, new designs, new methods, and new conceptions of what a book-plate can be have come in, and the change produced is very marked.

Heraldic plates are still in use, and still being made, but the number of plain armorials is quite small. Usually, now, those who wish to show the family arms on the book-plate do not display it all by itself, but accompanied by literary accessories, or pictorial, or with decorative features to relieve what would to-day appear a bare and unfinished plate, but which in the older days would have been the pink of perfection.

Among the plain armorial plates of recent days may be mentioned that of Henry B. Anthony, the late senator from Rhode Island, which, without even a motto, presents the arms of the family, with the crest, and the name. Another plain armorial plate is that of John H. Buck, of the Gorham Manufacturing Company, and the author of “Old Plate.” This, too, is perfectly plain, with no motto. Frank House Baer and Charles W. Burrows, of Cleveland, both use the plain armorial style, relieved by slight mantling or scroll work, and with the mottoes on ribbons beneath the shield. Mr. Appleton Morgan has a plain armorial plate, quartering the Morgan and Appleton arms. Mr. Daniel Ravenel, of Charleston, also uses a plain armorial shield, relieved with sprays of marigold (the Huguenot emblem) and of wall-flower (the French name for which is Ravenelle). A plain armorial plate, in colors, is used by the compiler of “America Heraldica.” An imposing helmet with blue mantling surmounts the shield, and the motto, Moins faire mieux faire, is given on a ribbon which encloses the whole design. Harry Allen Castle, of Hartford, uses a design borrowed from the plate of Mr. Thomas Bailey Aldrich. The castle on its wreath is enclosed by a square frame in which the name appears, with the words His Mark. In the corners of this frame are the letters I.H.S.V., standing for the motto, In hoc signo vinces. A punning friend, upon seeing this plate, remarked to Mr. Castle, that the letters would seem to mean, “I have some volumes.” Dr. J. S. H. Fogg, the late well-known collector of, and authority on, autographs, used a plain armorial plate, with the motto, Aut pax aut bellum.Prof. J. Max Hark, of the Moravian Seminary at Bethlehem, Pa., has a plain heraldic plate, with thin mantling about the shield. The motto occupies two lines above and below the shield, and is in imitation of the ancient manner. What mon a

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. This is printed with red capitals, on very fine parchment paper with rough edges, and is a very pretty plate. Dr. Joseph Henry Dubbs, professor in Franklin and Marshall College, uses a plate which exhibits the arms on a shield which is fastened to a spreading oak-tree.

At either side, scrolls are drawn, which bear the motto, Ex recto decus, and the following dates, which refer to the migrations of the doctor’s ancestors: Styria, 1446; Helvetia, 1531; America, 1732. A plate of unique history is that of The Rawle Law Offices, Established A.D. 1783, Philadelphia. This inscription is given on a circular band which encloses the shield of arms, and the motto, Morte, Virtute. Below this, the name of the successive proprietors of the law-offices are given, as follows: William Rawle, 1783-1836, William Rawle, 1810-1858, William Henry Rawle, 1844-1889, William Brooke Rawle, 1867. Melvin H. Hapgood, of Hartford, uses an oblong plate, which exhibits the shield of arms at the left of the name space, and which is surrounded by a fine running vine which bears both fruit and flowers, and among the twistings of which the motto, Inter folia fructus, is woven. The implements of the architect, and the secondary motto, Penna ferro potentior, are also cleverly worked into the decorative frame. Monsignor Seton, D.D., of Jersey City Heights, uses a

small heraldic plate, in which the arms are given in colors, and are surmounted by the clerical hat and tassels. A plain armorial plate is used by John F. Winslow, a descendant of Governor Winslow, and one to whose means and energy we owe the building of the first “Monitor.” Prof. Charles Eliot Norton, of Harvard, uses an heraldic plate, in which the crest only is given. Beneath this, a pile of books is covered by a scroll, which bears upon it the motto, Amici et amicis. The Rev. Morgan Dix, of Trinity Church, New York City, uses an heraldic plate, in which also the crest only is given. This is surrounded by a circular garter, on which the motto, Quod dixi factum est, is printed. This ends our list of plain armorial plates.

Whatever sarcasm and disgust may be stirred up by the assumption of arms by persons not entitled to them, no word can be said against the display of authenticated arms upon the book-plate. Many coats-of-arms run back for several centuries, and an honored ancestry has borne them. A rightful pride in such memorials of past family history induces many who are entitled to them to use their arms thus; and while the plain armorial plate has had its day, and has passed the stage of wide popularity, it is still in use.

Coming, now, to the Library Interior style of book-plates, we mention first the finest example of recent work in this style, – the plate of Richard C. Lichtenstein, of Boston. Mr. Lichtenstein is one of the old collectors of plates, a member of the Council of the Ex Libris Society of London, and a recognized authority upon American plates. As we would expect, he has indicated his hobby in all details of his design. The scene is laid in the corner of the owner’s den, in which are well-filled shelves, framed prints, photographs, and the usual accessories. In the immediate foreground, a Cupid is seated at a desk, and in his outstretched hand holds a plate upon the globe which stands at hand, while he reads, from an open book, the description, presumably, of the treasure lately acquired. Two other Cupids are at his back: one bearing the Journal of the Ex Libris Society, and the other returning from a successful quest for plates, if we may judge by the packet under his arm. The presence of the globe indicates the cosmopolitan character of the collection the Cupids are examining and adding to. A finely foliated border surrounds the interior picture; and in a space at the right side is a package of mounted plates; and on the left, a tied-up bunch of book-covers, in which Mr. Lichtenstein keeps his plates. The name appears in white letters upon a black scroll at the bottom, and behind it is seen a castle of white stone, – a play on the name of the owner. The plate is dated 1893, and is signed by the engraver, George Moore, and the designer, L. Y. Van Tiffele.

The plate of James Phinney Baxter reveals a most pleasing interior, which is probably from the actual room. A tall clock is flanked by long rows of books, a table and easy-chair are in the

foreground, and bric-à-brac is disposed upon convenient shelving. At the left of the picture, a portrait of the owner is given, with a fac-simile of his autograph. The following motto, Who learns and learns but does not what he knows, Is one who plows and plows but never sows, is also given in fac-simile of handwriting.

The plate of William Vanamee shows what is also an actual interior, probably. The stairs enter the room at the left, and the space under them is occupied by books. Pictures adorn the walls, and a cosey bench before the shelves invites the visitor to recline and read. The motto, Carpe diem, is given above the picture, and the name below, both in fac-simile of handwriting.

Actual comfort and enjoyment are expressed in the plate of Louis J. Haber, of New York City. In this interior, a fire is blazing on the andirons; the drowsy dog lies asleep before it; the hanging lamp sheds a brilliant light over the room, and furnishes the means of reading which the owner is enjoying, as he sits in an easy chair, in lounging-coat and slippers. The rows of books at the far end of the room add to the effect of comfort, and the motto which envelopes the whole design —My silent but faithful friends are they– discloses the attitude of the owner towards his volumes.

The plate of Albert C. Bates, of the Connecticut Historical Society, at Hartford, is a reproduction of an early woodcut which represents the interior of an old library (University of Leyden, 1614), with long rows of books chained to their desks. Globes are protected by brass covers, the patrons salute each other in apparent silence, and over all there is an air of repression and elevated learning. No seats are provided, and light is admitted through long windows filled with small lozenge-shaped panes of glass.

The beautiful colored plate of Gerald E. Hart, of Montreal, represents the interior of a cell in some mediæval monastery; for the tonsured monk is sitting upon his stone bench, illuminating a large volume. The Gothic window admits light through its highly colored design, and rows of vellum lie beside the desk of the old monk.

The plate of W. E. Baillie, of Bridgeport, Conn., represents a corner of a modern library, furnished in the Louis XV. style, having some half-dozen frolicsome Cupids, rolling on the rugs, peeking out of the window, reading in arm-chairs, or discussing the volumes taken from the elaborately carved case. This plate is the second one to make use of the half-tone process direct from the pencil sketch.

Continuing with the plates which come properly under the classification “Literary,” we find them to be very numerous, very various in design, and very unlike in shape and treatment. A plate which represents the past is used by Henry M. Brooks, of Salem, Mass. In this the old ink-pot and quill, the box of wafers, the wax and seal, and the sand for blotting are disposed about the letter, which, being used before the days of postage stamps and envelopes, bears the amount due and the address upon the back of the sheet. The address seen is that of the owner.

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,

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.