Made by Women
The contributions of women can be too often overlooked in many arenas, and the history of bookbinding is no exception. While there are clear records of women’s participation in some of the earliest histories of bound volumes, the 19th century industrialization of book production led to an even more significant shift with female employees outnumbering men 3:1 in some prominent binderies by 1850 (such as that of Boston-based Benjamin Bradley). Census data shows an overall majority female workforce for American binderies by 1890. Concurrently, female artists dominated the realm of book cover design, outpacing other artistic practices of this period. This page displays a selection of signed bindings which feature design work from eight of these important women designers (all for books that were additionally authored by women).
Jewett, Sarah Orne. Betty Leicester: A Story for Girls.
Cover design by Sarah Wyman Whitman
Sarah Wyman Whitman (1842-1904) is often considered the preeminent pioneer of artist-designed book covers. Whitman was also the first book cover designer acknowledged as having developed her own signature typeface, which is easily recognized by the curved ‘E’, and many of her designs are further distinguished by her iconic “flaming heart” monogram. Exhibited here are two examples of Whitman’s design work for Sarah Orne Jewett, a New England author who became a close personal friend to Whitman. With Betty Leicester: A Story for Girls, we see an example of how Whitman’s design was updated to appear in inverted colors between early and later printings from 1890 and 1899.
Tarbell, Ida M. (Ed.). The Book of Woman’s Power
Cover design by Bertha Stuart; Illustrated by Emma Redding Lee Thayer
From a design perspective, this volume is significant as it represents contributions from not one but two influential female designers of this period. The binding was designed by Bertha Stuart (1869-1953) while the interior illustrations were produced by Emma Redding Lee Thayer (1874-1973). Stuart, who studied in both Chicago and New York, designed nearly 170 known titles, while Thayer was a central member of the Decorative Designers, a collective of artists who produced an astonishing number of book cover designs between 1895 and 1931. As a member of a collective, it is less certain how many books were specifically designed by Thayer, but there are over 25,000 book covers, dust jackets, and other artistic book elements signed with the Decorative Designers’ collective “DD” monogram.
Adam, Juliette. My Literary Life.
Cover design by Amy Richards.
This cover for My Literary Life was designed by Amy Richards, one of the two women amongst 38 contributors of the 1906 publication, The Building of a Book: A Series of Practical Articles Written by Experts in the Various Departments of Book Making and Distributing edited by Frederick H. Hitchcock.
Within this text, Richards authored the chapter on “Cover Designing” in which she provides “a practical account of how these book covers are made” and states:
“the designing of book covers is a minor art, but since there is a constant demand for ornamental covers, the more taste and skill that can be devoted to the making of them, the better. When one looks back to the covers of fifteen years ago, one realizes what an advance has been made, and that the standard has been raised higher and higher.” (p. 220)
Reed, Myrtle. The White Shield.
Cover design by Margaret Armstrong
These are two versions of The White Shield, a collection of short sketches by Myrtle Reed (1874-1911) which was published posthumously in 1912, one year following the author’s untimely death by suicide. Both examples feature the design work of Margaret Armstrong (1867-1944) whose art was applied both to the lavender, vertically ribbed cloth binding in tones of purple, cream, and gold as well as to the limp red leather binding, stamped in gold.
In addition to the title on view here, Armstrong contributed cover art for at least 14 of Reed’s 17 published novels between 1899-1913. Through many of these designs, including the present example, Armstrong’s artistic agency can be witnessed in the decorative use of multiple colors, an expensive process as each color requires its own dye and stamping process. The second example displayed here, with the limp red leather cover, demonstrates also that despite the revolutionary impact of bookcloth, its introduction did not mark a total departure from the long history of decorative leather bindings.
Singleton, Esther. Famous Women as Described by Famous Writers.
Cover design by Alice Cordelia Morse.
This cover was designed by Alice Cordelia Morse (1863-1961). Unlike many of her professional peers who were raised in affluent families, Morse grew up in middle-class conditions, and benefitted from the emergence of opportunities after the Civil War when large numbers of women were left single or widowed and in need of means to support themselves. Morse took full advantage of these new educational opportunities and enrolled both in the Women’s Art School of Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and the New York Society of Decorative Art. By the mid-1880s, Morse had graduated from Cooper Union and began working as a designer and painter of stained glass for Tiffany & Co. while developing an interest in the growing field of book-cover design where she would be remembered as a significant contributor.
Burnham, Clara Louise. The Right Princess.
Cover design by Evelyn W. Clark.
This cover design has been attributed to Evelyn W. Clark, whose design practice extended beyond cloth publishers’ bindings to include other techniques more closely associated with traditional artistic binding methods and other decorative arts. In a 1902 advertisement published in The International Studio, Clark invited readers to apply for her services in “Lessons given during the summer in Carved, Tooled and Modelled Leather, and in Book Cover designing.” Clark additionally contributed a great number of pieces to the Fifteenth Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York in 1890, among other exhibitions more closely associated with interdisciplinary artisanal practices central to the Arts & Crafts movement at this time.
Alcott, Louisa May. A Hole in the Wall.
Cover design by Amy Sackler.
Amy Sacker (1872-1965) was a native of Boston, where she was able to study at the School of Fine Arts (at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts) and work alongside a number of other female designers, including Sarah Wyman Whitman. While Sacker is noteworthy for her broad artistic talents and varied designs, some of her most recognizable work is featured as the cover art for at least sixteen editions of books authored by famed Louisa May Alcott, including A Hole in the Wall (on display here), as well as a 1918 version of Little Women.
McManus, Blanche. The American Woman Abroad
Cover design and illustrations by Blanche McManus.
In addition to contributing the cover art for this volume, the text of The American Woman Abroad was written and “profusely illustrated” by Blanche McManus (1869-1935). Native to Louisiana, McManus traveled extensively in her lifetime and co-authored a series of travel books with her husband. She also benefited from a formal arts education in both London and Paris before establishing a Chicago-based studio for her prolific cover design and illustration practice.
