Australian Bookplate Society
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THE NEW AUSTRALIAN BOOKPLATE SOCIETY collectors, bibliophiles, artists and others dedicated to promoting bookplates Newsletter No. 31, December 2013 Editor/President The earliest known Australian bookplate Dr Mark Ferson Matthew Fishburn, Hordern House, Sydney; 4 Sofala Ave reproduced with kind permission of Nicholas Ingleton, Sydney Riverview NSW 2066 02 9428 2863 [email protected] This is perhaps the earliest known Australian detail. P Neville Barnett in his Australian book- bookplate, engraved by convict artist Samuel plates and book-plates of interest to Australia Secretary Bronwyn Vost Clayton for the visiting American merchant (1950) lists designs used by figures prominent 59 Gladstone St, Charles Izard Manigault (1795-1874). While in the early years of the Colony of New South Enmore NSW 2042 visiting Sydney on a trading voyage in 1818, Wales: John Palmer, C Grimes, John Blaxland [email protected] Manigault, an American merchant, and book and Ellis Bent – however, Barnett argues that all Designer and antiquarian collector, from Charleston, seem to have migrated here with their owners. Mary Keep South Carolina, commissioned Clayton to In the following chapter, ‘Early engravers’, he PO Box 555 produce a bookplate for him. As Manigault shows some bookplates engraved by Raphael Dulwich Hill NSW 2203 [email protected] wrote to his family, Clint who started a business in Sydney around 1835 and died in 1849. Clayton’s design for I had some of my visiting cards engraved by Manigault pre-dates Clint’s work by possibly two one of those talented convicts, S. Clayton of decades (or more) and is currently the earliest New South Wales, by placing my signature documented bookplate of Australian origin. with its usual flourish in his hand, he imitated it and engraved it perfectly, .... He also did several hundred of my Coat of Arms, now my book plates. Later, in Canton, Manigault’s engraved bookplate was copied as the centrepiece on his personal commission of Chinese porcelain. Clayton (1783-1853) was a Dubliner transported to NSW in 1816, reputedly for forgery. In Sydney he went on to have a distinguished career as a silversmith, engraver, art teacher and portraitist. The first recorded CONTENTS notice of his work is an advertisement in the The earliest known Australian Sydney Gazette for 4 January 1817, and further bookplate 1 advertisements appeared over the ensuing Bookplate and bookmark years which reflected his diverse abilities. He is project in Maryborough, Queensland 2 perhaps most famous for engraving the plates The first American for the first issue of notes by the Bank of New bookplate ...? 3 South Wales in April 1817, and some of his The first American bank notes and trade cards are recognised as bookplate, reconsidered 4 being of preeminent importance as a record of Bookplates in Canberra, early Sydney printing. It is not known, however, April 2013 4 whether he made any other bookplates. Notes and happenings 5 It would be interesting to investigate the Engraved bookplate by Samuel Clayton, Editorial 6 question of early Australian bookplates in more Sydney, for Charles I Manigault, 1818 www.bookplatesociety.org.au/ ISSN 1833-766X ISSN Further reading studio became a reality after the generous homes and commercial buildings. Eight John Houstone, Richard Neville. ‘Samuel donation of printmaking equipment to printmakers designed and printed 100 Clayton’. Design and Art Australia Online, see: the community by Sue Flavel, widow of bookplates or bookmarks each, based http://www.daao.org.au/bio/samuel-clayton/ local artist and printmaker Merv Flavel. on some of the beautiful buildings and biography/? Situated in an old warehouse close to monuments in the town and these were ‘Raphael Clint’. Design and Art Australia the gallery, built in the 1880s to service made available to visitors on Open Online, see: http://www.daao.org.au/bio/ the booming Mary River port, Gataker’s House, 26 October 2013. Prior to Open raphael-clint/biography/? Printspace has become a focus for House, several of the bookplates were also Maurie D McInnis. In pursuit of refinement: printmakers of the region and a centre for presented as souvenirs to a visiting Chinese Charlestonians abroad, 1740-1860. Columbia, workshop participation. delegation here on a Sister Cities exchange SC : University of South Carolina Press, 1998 A little while ago, the printmakers were visit – Council was looking for suitable invited to participate in the popular Gatakers gifts for the group and jumped at this by Night event – a monthly music, food opportunity to push the Printspace and Bookplate and bookmark project and art event in the gallery courtyard on a the printmakers. in Maryborough, Queensland Saturday night – when the gallery hosted The bookplates have been very popular Jenny Rogers, Pt Vernon, and a flood fundraising concert; among other and the project has been a wonderful start Susan Rogers, Maryborough, Qld things, the printmakers decided to design to the printmakers’ participation in town and sell (for a gold coin) some generic events – Council is looking at involving the Throughout 2013, a group of enthusiastic bookplates to show just how easily prints printmakers again in Open House in 2014, printmakers, staff of Gatakers Artspace could be produced. with a different series of images each year (Maryborough’s city art gallery) and the After this, the group was invited to with the bookplates becoming collectors’ Fraser Coast Regional Council have been design bookplates and bookmarks for the items – and who knows, even providing an working to develop a community access Fraser Coast Regional Council’s Open introduction to the gentle art of bookplate print studio in the historic city. The House, showcasing Maryborough’s historic collecting. Printmakers at Gatakers. (l-r) Carol Seeger, Jennifer Rogers, Ann Brown, Kaye Doeke and Sophia Holm (not in photo, Val Macintosh, Helen Pinchen and Coralie Gunn.) 2 Linocut universal bookplate ‘Customs House’ by Linocut universal bookplate ‘Foresters Hall’ by Coralie Gunn, 2013 Val Macintosh, 2013 The first American bookplate ...? By Rebecca Rego Barry, Editor, Fine Books & Collections, USA This week I am at the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School taking a week-long course called ‘Provenance: Tracing Owners and Collections’, taught by David Pearson. Topics include ‘inscriptions, paleography, bookplates, heraldry, bindings as provenance evidence, sale catalogues, tracing owners, and the recording of provenance data in catalogues’ – in other words, absolutely fascinating stuff, and a lot of it. I intend to write up a better report once the rigorous week comes to a close, but for now, perhaps an answer to a question posed today during a discussion of bookplates. What was the first American bookplate? Sources report that the 1642 bookplate of Massachusetts printer Stephen Daye (printer of the Bay psalm book) was the first. Finding an image, however, proved more than a quick Typographic label by Stephen Day for himself, 1642 Google search away. So classmates – and 3 interested readers – is this the first American The question is simple enough but the claim that Steven Day’s printed book label bookplate? answer is more complicated ... Once bearing his own name is not, in fact, the According to The Bookplate Annual for you start delving into early 18th century earliest American book label. He reveals 1921, which is where I pulled this image American bookplates you are probably several reasons why he believes this to be the from, ‘The general consensus of opinion dealing with Anglo-American plates from case; mainly, it seems, because the fleur-de- is that it is indeed the bookplate of the the libraries of royal governors and large lis type ornament used was ‘not found until Cambridge printer.’ (No matter the spelling land holders like Lord Baltimore. Most of 1693 in America, but prevalent in England difference; as we are learning this week, that the bookplates were not dated so I suspect at the time of his label’. Instead, Naumberg was very fluid in the 17th c.) However, is it your quest is a major research project. writes, ‘the earliest authentic dated American not truly a book label since it was printed book-label, printed by Samuel Green on David Szewczyk of Philadelphia Rare and not engraved or etched as bookplates Steven Day’s press at Cambridge’ is that of Books & Manuscripts Co gently chastised generally are? Samuel Phillips May 31 1652 (twelve years me for the Anglo-centric use of the word after the Bay psalm book). It looks like this. Reprinted with permission from: ‘American’. He wrote, Thanks to those above for contributing to http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine_ Libraries, both institutional and private, this conversation. Further comments and books_blog/2013/07/the-first-american- existed in Spanish America more than additions welcomed! bookplate.phtml 100 years before they did in the English Reprinted with permission from: colonies. The earliest bookplates for http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine_ Mexico, as far as we know (but much The first American bookplate, books_blog/2013/08/the-first-american- research is still needed) are in books that reconsidered bookplate-reconsidered.phtml belonged to the Jesuit establishments and By Rebecca Rego Barry, Editor, were a woodcut stamp on pieces of paper Fine Books & Collections, USA that were affixed to pastedowns and other Bookplates in Canberra, blank areas. Other times the stamp was Prompted by a question raised at Rare April 2013 simply used as a stamp. These date from Book School a couple of weeks ago, I By Jürgen Wegner, Sydney as early as the 1580s. blogged about what might be the first American bookplate. Since then, some And, Steve Ferguson, the curator of rare Encountered on a recent visit to the Lifeline further ideas and opinions give reason for books at Princeton, sent me a PDF of a Book Fair in Canberra, a number of reconsideration.