In several little etchings, Mr. J. Winfred Spenceley of Boston has shown himself adept at catching the spirit of the book-plate, and of the especially striking ones is that used by Miss M. M. Sands, whose home is by the shores of Pine Lake, Wisconsin, and in which is depicted just a glimpse, not unlikely a favorite view, of the lake through the swaying boughs of an old overhanging pine. In his own plate, Mr. Spenceley has used the heraldic form with chaste and simple ornamentation.
Among the designers, etchers, and engravers of book-plates who have attained especial prominence in this country, are Mr. W. F. Hopson of New Haven, Conn., Mr. Edmund H. Garrett of Winchester, Mass., Mr. Sidney L. Smith of Boston, and Mr. Edwin Davis French of New York City.
Three designs by Mr. Hopson are given here, each one of them of striking interest and eminently suited to the purpose of the book-plate, while well calculated to indicate sufficiently some branch of the owner's literary interests. In the plate of Mr. Stoddard, the medallion of Napoleon, the rows of well-filled book-shelves, the horse, the dog, and the glimpse of the sea furnish a clue to the varied tastes of the owner; while in the plate of Mrs. Josephine E. S. Porter of Hartford, Conn., the showily dressed dame of bygone years, with the peacock of vanity, will tell to shrewd eyes of the owner's interest in the costumes of olden days. Indeed, the plate was specially designed to be placed in the owner's large and valuable collection of books upon the subject of costume. In the plate of the Rev. Stewart Means, Mr. Hopson shows the study of the rector of St. John's Church in New Haven with the rolling clouds now and then disclosing sufficient moonlight to enable one to see the church itself. In the lower panel is the motto, which in translation would say, " Trust in the Lord and abide in thy drudgery." The books of the student are seen, and in the procession just below the book-shelf the designer has indicated the march of the centuries before the eye and mind of the student. First, is the primitive man, then Roman soldiers, a monk, a pope, Luther the reformer, Queen Elizabeth with her cavaliers. Puritans, Indians, and so on to the slave, and the bicycle rider of the end of this century. A most delightful moonlight effect is diffused over the whole plate.
Mr. Garrett is very dainty in his imagination, very pleasing in his designing, and very effective in his manner of etching his designs. In the two plates given here, these qualities are well indicated. Ii the plate of Miss Wheeler of Medford, Mass., the love of books of artistic merit is evidenced;
while in the plate of Miss Norcross of Winchester, Mass., one reads that the owner of the plate is fond of flowers, and that she has a library of books devoted to horticulture.
The two charming plates designed and etched by Mr. Sidney L. Smith of Boston, show a really delightful use of the emblems of the book-lover and the student. Mr. Chase is a book-collector of Boston, and this effective bit of designing and etching is a most pleasing bit with which to prove his ownership in many choice volumes.
Rev. J. B. Troy is a book-loving priest of the Roman Catholic Church, living at Norwood, Mass., and in his plate are incorporated not only the book-lover's emblems, but those of the church as well. The radiant design upon the window will explain itself to the close observer as indicating the life of faith, the need of love, and the surety of reward, as well as the almighty power of the Most High. On the table lie the biretta and the stole, indicating the practical side of the owner's life, while the globe, the lilies, and the skull are adjuncts of easily understood meanings. The reverend gentleman is a devoted book-collector, and has now a library of over three thousand volumes, embracing all branches of learning, science, art, and fiction.
Of the three plates by Mr. Edwin Davis French of New York City which are here represented, but one is his own design, and that is the plate of Mr. Robert Sedgwick of the same city. While the heraldic form is not very generally used in this country, there are, as has been said, a few who have an unquestioned right to show armorial bearings, and among these are Mr. Sedgwick and his wife, whose arms (Renwick) are impaled with his. In the designing of heraldic plates, it is more than a knack that enables the engraver to relieve the plate from being simply and barely armorial, and yet to keep his ornamentation from overburdening the design. This plate is most successful in this very particular, and furnishes a most rich and handsome appearance.
The plate of Mr. Charles H. Taylor, Jr., of the Boston Globe, while engraved by Mr. French, is after a design by Mr. E. B. Bird, a widely known artist of the same city. The silhouette landscape at the top represents Copley Square,—a typical Boston view, — and, as Mr. Taylor is especially interested in books on Boston, on nautical matters, and those relating to " the art preservative of arts," the special fitness of the hermaphrodite brig, the old Franklin press, and the well-bound books will be appreciated.
The plate of Mr. Theodore L. De Vinne, the famous printer of New York City, was designed by Mr. George Fletcher Babb, the architect, who says of his design that " the idea is the motto, with the books placed as has been the custom in a cartouche." The decorative presentment is furthered in all details, and, while the exact purpose of the design may be slight, it has a decidedly sixteenth-century appearance, and will lead the observer at once to think of Plantin and the Elzevirs, of Tory, Wechel, and the Stephens. The caryatides were much used by Christopher Plantin on his title-pages, and in this plate for Mr. De Vinne they are intended to represent History and Prose, while the face at the top is that of Minerva, and at the foot peers Pan. This, too, is engraved by Mr. French.