Jules Lemaître (1853-1914), Contes blancs, illus. à l’aquarelle de Mlle. Blanche Odin (Paris: A. Durel, 1900). With an extra suite of uncolored illustrations. Copy no. 45 of 210 copies, for Leon Rattier, with his name printed below the limitation statement and his leather bookplate. Graphic Arts collection GAX in process

Lemaître’s short stories are illustrated with 72 original watercolors by Blanche Odin (1865-1957). In his prospectus for the book, Octave Uzanne writes:

“Ces Contes Blancs de Jules Lemaître au nombre de trois sont intitulés : La Cloche, la Chapelle blanche et Mariage blanc. Ce sont trois exquises et tendres petites nouvelles qui valent par leur grâce ingénue, par la douce pitié qui s’en dégage et par la saveur de style délicieusement simplifié qu’y employa le maître écrivain. Pour illustrer ces trois contes pleins de candeur, il fallait un talent naturel, instinctif éclos dans le recueillement, mûri par l’observation directe, un talent délicat et fleuri de jeune femme n’exprimant rien du chiqué des écoles, mais tirant tout son charme de l’étude consciencieuse de la nature. – Mlle Blanche Odin, une jeune artiste qui développa ses qualités innées de dessin dans les solitudes de la campagne, semblait désignée mieux que personne pour décorer page à page ces jolis contes de Jules Lemaître, pour interpréter et même paraphraser ces textes d’essentielle poésie.”

[Jules Lemaitre’s Whites Tales are three in number, entitled: The Bell, the White Chapel and White Wedding. These are three exquisite and tender short stories that speak with ingenuous grace, through gentle pity that emerges with the master writer’s delightfully simplified style. To illustrate these three tales full of candor, he had a natural talent, instinctive hatched in recollection, matured by direct observation, a delicate flowery talented young woman expressing no false academics but drawing its charm from the conscientious study of nature. — Miss Blanche Odin, a young artist who developed here innate qualities of drawing in the solitude of the countryside, seemed better than anyone designated to decorate page to page these pretty tales of Jules Lemaitre, to interpret and even paraphrase these essential poetic texts.]

The volume is bound in a contemporary binding by Marius Michel (1821-1890), signed in gilt on front doublure, of gray goatskin, the covers with a border of onlaid strips of purple goatskin. The spine divided into six panels, lettered in gilt in the second and third, the others with onlaid strips of purple goatskin, light brown goatskin doublures tooled with a repeated impression of a gilt flower with gray goatskin onlaid petals, textured light blue silk endleaves, marbled paper flyleaves, original covers bound in.

Georges Courteline (pseudonym for Georges Moinaux), Boubouroche Madelon Margot.  Pochoir and hand colored illustrations by Joseph Hémard (Paris: Georges Briffaut, [1927]). Copy no. 10 of 50. Graphic Arts Collection GAX in process

During the 1920s, the French artist Joseph Hémard (1880-1961) was in demand for his humorous book and magazine illustrations with bright pochoir color. He became so well-known that he published an autobiography in 1928, including a self-portrait as a frontispiece [see below. Joseph Hémard (1880-1961), Joseph Hémard (Paris: H. Babou, 1928). Graphic Arts Collection (GAX) NC248 .H44]

In addition to Hémard’s plates, the Graphic Arts Collection’s new copy of Boubouroche Madelon Margot has a contemporary binding by René Kieffer (1875-1963). It is signed in gilt on the front turn-in and with his label in tan goatskin.

The covers have a black goatskin onlay in each corner and a larger octagonal onlay in the center blocked in gilt to a floral design and outlined in gilt with six gilt roundels around the sides.

A smooth spine is lettered in gilt on a black label at the center and a black onlay blocked in gilt at the head and foot and two gilt roundels. The turn-ins and matching inside joints are tooled with two gilt fillets and a quatrelobe, silver and black woven textile doublures and endleaves.

William Agnew Paton (1848-1918), Down the Islands, a Voyage to the Caribbees, with illustrations from drawings by M. J. Burns (New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1887). Graphic Arts Collection (GAX) 2003-0365N

William Agnew Paton (1848-1918) worked as publisher of the New York World from 1877 to 1881; served as trustee of the National Republican from 1881 to 1885; and finally, the first business manager of Scribner’s Magazine from 1885 to 1887.

When he left work for health reasons Paton made an extended trip to the Caribbean and on his return, published Down the Islands, a narrative of his travels. Paton commissioned Milton J. Burns (1853-1933) to illustrate the book, an artist who not only worked for St. Nicholas Magazine, Scribner’s, and Harpers but had also served on fishing vessels and was known for his seascapes.

In 1911, Paton gave Princeton University Library his ‘Paton Spanish War Collection’ of newspapers and magazines. After his death, his brother David Paton, Class of 1874 (1854-1925), donated the entire Paton Library to Princeton in honor of William Agnew Paton.

We also received the entire collection of Milton Burns’s paintings, drawings, and photographs for Down the Islands. It is particularly interesting to see the variety of mediums Burns used, from pen and ink to watercolor to charcoal, in order to accomplish the right artwork for each section of the book. Here are a few examples.

Milton J. Burns collection of drawings, [1880s]. 5 linear ft. (1 solander box). Consists of approximately 75 drawings and sketches, as well as several small oil paintings by Burns that were used as illustrations in William Agnew Paton’s Down the Islands (New York, 1887). Graphic Arts Collection GC093