As bibliophiles, we know too well the appeal of a particularly strong, or sensual image found in a print or piece of original art. These pieces allow us to create a personal museum inspired by the pages of our books, which points to a very subtle relationship between the illustrated book and works on paper. For this e-catalogue, we have pulled together a diverse group of works on paper -- original art, prints, and broadsides -- that we think speak to this relationship. A significant portion of the artists represented in this selection are well-known to collectors of illustrated books: Sarah Chamberlain, Edward Gorey, Rockwell Kent, and Barry Moser, among many others. A few of the works produced by these artists were published, but most were created to stand on their own as prints, broadsides, or works of original art. We hope this offering inspires you to consider a few new volumes for the library on your walls.
(N.p., n.d.). An original linoleum block print measuring 8 by 10 inches, tastefully matted and framed. Valenti Angelo here employs bold use of line and cross-hatching to show the texture of these trees, which are in the foreground, set against a predominantly black backdrop. Inscribed by the artist to Henry..... More
1977. A delightful 15 by 11-inch painting of a large gnarled tree, its branches forming a leafy canopy over a portion of meadow grown thick with green grasses and pink thistle. The tree is painted with a wooden sign nailed crookedly to its trunk, bearing the artist's signature and date..... More
Petrograd: Gosudarstvennoe Izdatel'stvo, (1920). Framed poster measuring 19 inches by 26 inches. This two-color lithograph was printed in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) by the Petrograd State Publishing House and shows a man and a woman reading books while a hammer rests against the man's leg and more books lay in..... More
(Wales): 1980. Print measuring 20 by 17 inches. One of 50 copies. A bold color aquatint in brown, yellow, and tan, signed by the artist. This slightly abstracted sunflower is subtly shaded and textured. The flower's head is cradled within two outstretched leaves. A renowned Welsh book artist, Jones has..... More
1935. Watercolor on paper measuring 13 by 9 1/4 inches, signed by Kent in the lower right margin, along with the inscription, "to his friend Charly Mortensen, 1935." Mortensen was the telegraph operator aboard the Hans Egede, the ship on which Kent made two of his three celebrated voyages to..... More
1987. Original pencil drawing of Capote on white paper. Barry Moser is known for his portraits, especially those of authors. These were usually done as wood engravings, but each portrait often began as a line drawing such as this. In 1987, the same year that this portrait was done, Moser..... More
Cambridge, MA: Pomegranate Press, 1973. Folio broadside. One of fifty copies. Signed by Karyl Klopp, proprietor of the press. A twenty-five-line poem by Mark Van Doren, beautifully printed on cream-colored paper and featuring an illustration by Karyl Klopp beside the text. Van Doren's long career as a poet and writer..... More
