Devils, Dragons, and Monsters

general frostWilliam Elmes (active 1804-1816), General Frost Shaveing Little Boney, 1 December 1812. Hand-colored etching. “Invade My Country indeed-I’ll Shave-Freeze-and Bury you in Snow-You little Monkey.”

genius of bazaar arrived

 

John Cawse (1778-1862), Genius, of Bazaar arrived at London, 29 May 1816. Hand-colored etching.

“This Monster who is a Native of Turkey has lately made his appearance in London & such is his power that by first appearing in Soho he got Acquainted with Mr Tr-t-r sinse which he has Spread Destruction through all the best houses in Town to the Great anoyance of all poor Shop-keepers.”

witches in a hay loftThomas Rowlandson (1757-1827) after George Moutard Woodward (ca.1760-1809), Witches in a Hay Loft, 29 April 1807. Hand-colored etchng.

malignant aspects looking with envy2

malignant aspects looking with envyCharles Williams (1797-1830), Malignant Aspects Looking with Envy on John Bull and His Satelites, or a New Planetary System, 21 October 1807. Hand-colored etching.

tyrant overtaken by justice2

 

 

J. Lewis Marks (ca.1796-1855),The Tyrant Overtaken by Justice is Excluded from the World, May 1814. Hand-colored etching.

tyrant overtaken by justice

devil and doctor fostus2

 

Unidentified artist, The Devil and Doctor Fostus or a finishing dose for poor Hibernia, no date [1809?]. Hand-colored etching.

“Doctor Fostus’s invaluable remedy for Bankruptcies, poverty, distress, Nakedness, loss of trade, starvation, and all other Calamities incident to a long oppress’d and suffering people—the Doctor ever anxious to promote the Welfare of Ireland now offers his anti gallic Quintessence to the scrutinising eye of an enlightened populice [sic], with the trifleing advance of 50. pr cent, occasioned by the highly beneficial useful & necessary war, and happy success of our late & present glorious Expeditions— this Noble Medecine is composed of all the Doctors former & present happy compositions—a single Dose of which acts so powerfully on the Nervous System as to rid the patient of all his Earthly Infirmities—”devil and doctor fostus

 

malignant aspects looking with envy3Found in: George M. Woodward (ca.1760-1809), The Caricature Magazine, or, Hudibrastic Mirror ([London] : Tegg, [1807-1820]). Graphic Arts Collection (GA) Kane Room Rowlandson 1807.5f

Trees and Shrubs of Fife and Kinross

trees of fife10

John Jeffrey and Charles Howie. The Trees and Shrubs of Fife and Kinross (Leith: printed for private circulation by Reid & Son, 1879). Photographic negatives by Andrew Young, of Burntisland, printed as woodburytypes by Lock & Whtfield of London. Graphic Arts Collection (GAX) Oversize 2006-0145F

trees of fife9   trees of fife6

The Graphic Arts Collection holds one of 100 privately printed volumes offering an arboricultural study of Scotland. “The following pages are the result of numerous wanderings through the counties of Fife and Kinross during the summers of 1875-6-7-8. The localities visited, and the many fine specimens of Trees and Shrubs which came under our notice, afforded us both pleasure and instruction, and in submitting our observations for perusal, our chief object will be fulfilled if we can interest the Reader in the subject of Arboriculture, or contribute a little to the information and enjoyment of any lover of nature.”-from the Preface.
trees of fife3
The following is a selection from the “Obituary Notice of John Jeffrey, Balsusney,” by C. Howie, St Andrews.

John Jeffrey, Balsusney, Kirkcaldy, along with his brothers, succeeded to an extensive linen manufacturing business, carried on by their father in Kirkcaldy and the west of Scotland. . . . As a relief from the constant routine of an industrious life, he betook himself to the culture of trees and shrubs, planting his park by the side of his works with choice specimens. . . . the recreative study of plant life in the field was his delight, nothing being more pleasing to him than the sight of some majestic tree that stood forth among its contemporaries. He resolved, in conjunction with the writer, to register the dimensions of trees in the Fife district, a dendrometer being obtained from Mr Sang of Kirkcaldy for ascertaining the height.

When Mr Jeffrey resolved to publish, we restricted our pursuits only to taking note of the largest trees, and those of more recent introduction . . . no expense was spared in photographing specimens, the plates being forwarded to London to undergo the Woodbury process. There were only 100 copies printed of this labour of love, many were given away to friends, and the rest were readily disposed of. A copy was presented to the then prime minister, with the authors’ compliments. —Transactions and Proceedings, vol. 17-18 (Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 1889).

trees of fife

Engraved musical tutors “rendered easy”

music tickets1
The Graphic Arts Collection recently acquired a Collection of Seven Musical Tutors, for Instruction in Playing the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon or Fagotto, Violin, Violoncello, and German Flute (London: [1800-1830s]). Each of the seven engraved booklets run approximately 30 pages with covers and advertising included. A label on the front board is lettered in gilt “T. Eaton/ 1834.” Here are a few examples.

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music tickets4

music tickets3

 

A look inside Charlie Hebdo

image002Today’s issue of Charlie Hebdo sold out but the Irish Times posted a pdf of the centerfold. Here is a higher resolution version: http://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.2065387.1421224156!/menu/standard/file/CHARLIE_HEBDO.pdf. Additional copies of the weekly magazine are already being printed.

CDV of Bible

cdv of book5 Nineteenth-century cartes-de-viste were most often portraits of celebrated figures who posed at the commercial studios of local photographers. They sat or stood holding various books or other personal effects to indicate their occupations and interests. Seldom do we see the objects of affection on their own, such as with these three CDVs of a large Bible taken at the People’s Popular Photograph Rooms, in Bridgeport Connecticut, ca. 1860-1870.

cdv of book4
cdv of book3 In trying to identify the book in the photographs, Steve Ferguson had the good suggestion to look at the first edition of Luther’s German translation of the Bible posted by the Special Collection Division of the University at St. Andrews Library.lib1836-1

http://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/new-acquisitions-hand-coloured-1589-luther-bible/

Created in the early 16th century, the binding is similar, as are the illustrations by Jost Amman and his workshop. I have yet to find a collector in Connecticut who might have owned such a bible in the 19th century.

If you have other suggestions, we would be grateful to hear them.

 

Charlie Hebdo Lives

12-charlie-hebdo.w245.h368.2x“Tout est Pardonné.” Translation: “All Is Forgiven.”

The latest issue of Charlie Hebdo went to press last night, with an anticipated print run of three million. A spokesperson for the satirical weekly said, “We have requests for 300,000 copies throughout the world – and demand keeps rising by the hour. [One] million will go. As of Thursday, the decision will probably be taken to print extra copies… So we’ll have one million, plus two if necessary.”

The cover was drawn by the staff cartoonist known as Luz (Rénald Luzier), who was born on January 7, 1972. Because of his birthday, the artist was 30 minutes late in arriving to the editorial meeting at the Charlie Hebdo office last week and escaped the terrorist attack.

 

Unusual trade cards, chromatic and oleographic

trade cards1“I use Schaffhausen Glasses.”  “I wish I did”

trade cards9    trade cards9b

 

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trade cards6b           trade cards6a

 

trade cards5a trade cards5b

 

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trade cards4b

 

trade cards3b
trade cards3a

trade cards2b     trade cards2a

“Send us the outside wrapper from a box of the Genuine Dr. C. McLane’s celebrated Liver Pills, and we will send you a magnificent Package of Cards, Chromatic and Oleographic.”

Cape Henlopen Lighthouse

a view of the lighthouse on cape henlopen

A View of the Lighthouse on Cape Henlopen; taken at Sea, August 1780. Engraving. Gift of Charles C. Abbott (1843-1919). Graphic Arts Collection GA 2015- uncatalogued prints.

This 18th century engraving only recently turned up in a folder. Created by an unidentified artist, the view documents the Cape Henlopen lighthouse only 13 years after it was built in 1767. The print was published in the February 1788 Columbian Magazine or Monthly Miscellany, opposite page 108, although it may well have been used as an illustration earlier.

Our print was donated in 1901 to Junius Spencer Morgan II, Class of 1888 (1867–1932), while he was working at the Princeton University Library, given by the American naturalist and author Charles C. Abbott (1843-1919).

a view of the lighthouse on cape henlopen letter

Here is a brief history of the lighthouse by Eric A. Pearson Jr. “Bits and Pieces on Fabulous Cape Henlopen”:

“Before collapsing in April 1926, the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse guided vessels from the Atlantic Ocean into the Delaware Bay for more than 150 years. Built in 1767 with money raised from a series of lotteries in Philadelphia, the lighthouse was made of stone brought down from the Brandywine River north of Wilmington, Del., near the Pennsylvania border. The tower was 26 feet in diameter, 6 feet thick at the base, 69 feet, 3 inches tall, and 17 feet, 6 inches in diameter and 3 feet thick at the top. It was built on the north side of the Great Dune, 46 feet above sea level, to obtain additional height. Because the dune moved 3 to 5 feet a year, it eventually claimed the lighthouse.”

Philippe Lançon, PLAS Visting Fellow for AY15, Injured in the Paris Terrorist Attack

Reposted for our friends in the Program in Latin American Studies (PLAS)
Philippe Lançon, a journalist specializing in Cuba and Latin America who is on staff at Libération, was gravely injured last week during the terrorist attack at Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Philippe was attending an editorial team meeting when the two gunmen broke into the room and opened fire. He is now in intensive care at a Paris hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.

Philippe has been involved with PLAS since 2012. He has been a guest speaker at some of our courses, attended our events, and he was recently selected as a visiting fellow for next year. His plan was to spend the fall semester in Princeton, teaching a course on “Writers and Dictators in Latin America” and researching a new book on Cuba.

Philippe has reported extensively on Latin American culture and literature. He is one of the most serious critics of Latin American literature in Paris and he has published extensive interviews with many writers, including Jorge Edwards and Mario Vargas Llosa.

Recently, Philippe had been covering the developments in Cuba. His last published article is an interview with visual artist Tania Bruguera after she was detained in Havana. You can read his piece here:

http://www.liberation.fr/monde/2015/01/06/tania-bruguera-premiere-artiste-a-tester-les-limites-du-regime_1174963

As members of the Princeton community we should do everything we can to show our support for Philippe during these difficult moments. If you want to write him a note, a postcard, or a letter, please drop it off at the PLAS office and we will send it to him by express mail. If you prefer to use e-mail, you can address it to plas@princeton.edu; we will print it out and include it in the package.

I will post more news as soon as I can speak to Philippe, after he leaves the intensive care unit.

Written by Rubén Gallo

50 Books / 50 Covers

booksDid you have a favorite book last year, with a captivating cover or graphic design? Want to suggest the book as one of the 50 best designed books of 2014?

Entries for 50 books/50 covers are now open over at the Design Observer Group: http://designobserver.com/feature/5050-2014/38720. The artists at this New Haven based organization partnered with the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) in 2011 to host the oldest continuously operating graphic design competition in the United States. This year the rules have been expanded to include books by students and e-books. Double check your bookshelf.

Eligibility: A book must consist of at least 24 pages. Printed books must be either case-bound or paper bound between covers. Portfolios of loose pages do not qualify. Digitally produced books are eligible. Books and book covers published between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 are eligible. Books produced as limited-editions are eligible, but in general print runs should be in excess of 25 copies. Entries should be for sale to the general public, or, if offered gratis, should not be publications whose primary purpose is to advertise or serve as an annual report or other corporate literature. Student publications are eligible.

Good luck.