Grolier Club Bookplate Collection, ca. 1700-1977

RLIN ID No.
NYGG01-A70

Main Entry
Grolier Club, compiler.

Title
Grolier Club Bookplate Collection.

Physical Description
11 boxes (6.1 linear ft.)

Historical/Biographical Note
The Grolier Club Bookplate Collection was compiled by Club librarians from ca. 1896-1977. Most of the bookplates were acquired through donations from Grolier Club members, bookplate designers, and bookplate collectors. Club librarian Ruth S. Granniss actively solicited donations during her tenure. After she retired in 1944, George L. McKay continued to build the collection on a more limited scale. After 1956, there was no significant activity until Charles Antin solicited donations for an exhibition of members’ bookplates in November 1976 by the Committee on Modern Fine Printing.

Scope and Contents
Ca. 4200 bookplates, ca. 1700-1977. Correspondence 1895-1977. Ca. 700 signed proofs donated by notable engravers of the 20th century, including Edwin Davis French and Sidney Lawton Smith.

Organization and Arrangement
Bookplates are arranged by designer where possible, by owner, or by type.  There are two series of correspondence, one representing the collecting efforts of Grolier Club librarians, the other relating to the 1976 exhibition by Charles Antin and the Grolier Club Committee on Modern Fine Printing. Wherever possible, large donations of bookplates have been kept together. Examples include the donation of proofs by the widow of E.D. French in the 1920’s, a collection of several hundred bookplates compiled by Beverly Chew and left to the club after his death in 1924, a collection of angling bookplates donated by D.B. Fearing in 1918, and a collection of bookplates given to the club by Andreini. Series include “Bookplates by Designer,” “Bookplates by Owner,” “Advertisements,” “American Bookplate Society,” and “Proofs by designer.” Two small boxes of catalog cards (probably prepared by Ruth S. Granniss) accompany the collection. These provide cross-references where both owner and designer are known. Thomas Proctor bookplate added to box 11 in June 2013 after it was found framed in the club.

General Note
Title devised by cataloger.

General Note
Acquisition dates are largely unknown.

Finding Aid Note
Unpublished inventory available in repository.

Subjects
Bookplates, American.
Bookplates, British.
Bookplates, Canadian.
Bookplates. Collectors and collecting.
Bookplates. Exhibitions.
Bookplates, French.
Bookplates, German.

Genres
Bookplates.
Heraldic bookplates.
Children’s bookplates.
Fishing in bookplates.
Library bookplates.
Literary bookplates.
Typographical bookplates.

Added Entries
Andreini, Joseph Manuel, 1850-1932, collector.
Chew, Beverly, 1850-1924, collector.
Fearing, Daniel B. (Daniel Butler), 1859-1918, collector.
Granniss, Ruth S. (Ruth Shephard), 1872-1954, compiler.
McKay, George. L. (George Leslie), 1895-1976, compiler.
Eve, G. W. (George William), 1855-1914, bookplate designer.
Fisher, William Edgar, b. 1872, bookplate designer.
French, Edwin Davis, 1851-1906, bookplate designer.
Hall, Frederick Garrison, 1879-1946, bookplate designer.
Hopson, William Fowler, 1849-1935, bookplate designer.
Hurd, Nathaniel, 1730-1777, bookplate designer.
Ipsen, L. S. (Ludvig Sandoe), bookplate designer.
Kent, Rockwell,¬ 1882-1971, bookplate designer.
Lipinsky, Sigmund, 1873-1940, bookplate designer.
Macdonald, Arthur Nelson, 1866-1940, bookplate designer.
Rogers, Bruce, 1870-1957, bookplate designer.
Ruzicka, Rudolph, 1883-, bookplate designer.
Smith, Ismael, 1886-1972, bookplate designer.
Smith, Sidney Lawton, 1845-1929, bookplate designer.
Spencely, J. W. (Joseph Winfred), 1865-1908, bookplate designer.
Stone, Wilbur Macey, bookplate designer.

Occupation Reflected in Collection
Bookplate designers.

Related Collections at the Grolier Club
Beverly Chew Papers, 1883-1926.
Spencer Van B. Nichols Bookplate Collection


Location
Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, N.Y. 10022-1098.

Grolier Club Bookplate Collection: Inventory

Summary

Box Series Contents
1 1 Bookplates by Designer, A-R
2 1 Bookplates by Designer, S-Z
2 2 Bookplates by Owner, A-F
3 2 Bookplates by Owner, G-Z
3 3 Angling Bookplates Presented by D.B. Fearing
4 4 Beverly Chew Collection
5 5 Miscellaneous Bookplates
6 6  Correspondence, 1895-1956
7 6 Correspondence, n.d.
7 7 American Bookplate Society, 1919-1924 and n.d.
8 8 Advertisements, sorted by country
8 9 Charles Antin, Correspondence for exhibit, 1976-77
9 9 Charles Antin, Bookplates from exhibit
10 10 Proofs by designer, A-F
11 10 Proofs by designer, F-Z and misc.

Series Descriptions

I. Bookplates by Designer
Bookplates mounted on cards by compiler and filed alphabetically by the last name of bookplate designers. The word “designer” seems to be used synonymously with “engraver.” In many cases, notes about the donor or cross-references to the correspondence series have been written on the cards. Occasionally, the compiler also mounted correspondence from the designers on cards and filed them with the bookplates. Envelopes of plates sorted by designer have been interspersed. These are likely to have cross references or donor information. Two boxes of catalog cards compiled by Ruth S. Granniss also provide cross references when both owner and designer were known. The cards also contain some provenance information. (1 linear ft., Boxes 1-2)

II. Bookplates by Owner
Bookplates mounted on cards or inserted into envelopes and filed by the last name of the bookplate owner. Donor information or cross-references have been written on the occasional card. (.8 linear ft., Boxes 2-3)

III. Angling Bookplates Presented by D.B. Fearing
Inscription reads: “Bookplates of authors and collectors of angling bookplates presented by D. B. Fearing, Feb 1918.” (.1 linear ft., Box 3)

IV. Beverly Chew Collection
Ca. 500 bookplates, filed by designer. Chew interfiled his correspondence with the bookplates. Notes in Chew’s hand can be seen on the back of the cards, which give some provenance information. See Beverly Chew Correspondence, Bequest of 1924, also in the Grolier Club collection. (.8 linear ft, Box 4)

V. Miscellaneous Bookplates
This series is only partially processed. Roughly 1000 are loosely grouped by country or type and stored in envelopes. (1 linear ft., Box 5)

VI. Correspondence 1895-1956, n.d.
Letters to Grolier Club librarians from bookplate collectors and designers. The letters discuss the design and provenance of bookplates, and in many cases the bookplates under discussion are still in the envelopes. There are approximately 500 bookplates in the correspondence files. Correspondence is from libraries, clubs, and book collectors. In many cases, donors are requesting a Grolier Club bookplate in exchange for their own, or responding to a similar request from the Grolier Club librarian. The letters are arranged chronologically. (.8 linear ft., Boxes 6-7)

VII. American Bookplate Society, 1919-1924, n.d.
This series consists of several publications of the Society. These include the Society’s constitution, two exhibition announcements from 1920, The Bookplate Bulletin I, no. 1-5, advertisement for Books and Bookplates, The Bookplate Calendar for 1920, and The Bookplate Chronicle II, no. 5. (3 folders, Box 7)

VIII. Advertisements
These are catalogs from bookplate designers, exhibit announcements, and other publicity materials related to bookplates. They are sorted by country. The collection is strongest in American and German advertisements. (5 folders, Box 7)

IX. Charles Antin
In November 1976, Charles Antin curated a small exhibition of members’ bookplates as part of the Committee on Modern Fine Printing’s series of small exhibitions held in the clubhouse lobby. The bookplates and related letters are grouped by the style of bookplate. The compiler’s organization has been maintained. Box 8 contains correspondence (1976-77) from club members about the exhibit. Some bookplates are still filed with the correspondence from their owners. Box 9 contains bookplates used in the exhibit. Roughly 500 bookplates are in this series. (.8 linear ft, Box 8-9)

X. Proofs By Designer
This series consists of several hundred proofs arranged by designer. Many are signed. The series also contains a large collection of signed proofs by E.D. French, donated by his wife after French’s death. This represents an almost complete set of the bookplates designed by French. (.8 linear ft., Boxes 10-11).

XI. Mark Samuels Lasner Collection.
This series consists of 18 bookplates collected by Mark Samuels Lasner and donated to the Grolier Club in June of 2015. (1 folder, Box 11).

XII. Members Bookplates.
Subseries A consists of the bookplates of 53 members collected and exhibited as part of the exhibition “Grolier Club Bookplates Past and Present”, on display from November 17, 2016 – January 14, 2017, curated by Mark Samuels Lasner and Alexander Ames. The exhibition also featured a number of bookplates from the Club collections having belonged to former and deceased members. 

Subseries B consists of the bookplates of Grolier Club members collected for various purposes. Includes a group of bookplates sent in response to an appeal written by Eric Holzenberg in an October 1997 newsletter. Many of the plates are accompanied by notes identifying the artist, medium, and/or other details. Further additions to this series are expected. Arranged alphabetically.

XIII. Grolier Club Bookplates.
This series consists of examples of Grolier Club bookplates and original artwork for the bookplate designs. Includes some designs that were rejected. See also 

XIV. Joseph Manuel Andreini Collection.
Evidently collected and/or donated by Joseph Manuel Andreini (member 1907-1932*) or Norman G. Andreini (member 1933-1934); likely the same gift described in Gazette of the Grolier Club, 2.1 (1931), p. 8. One Andreini also donated a set of early Grolier Club exhibition catalogues. The collection appears to focus on E.D. French’s bookplates and other engravings, as well as bookplates by Sherborn. The collection may have a connection to any number of auctions (19070603, 19121018, 19270228) or bookseller catalogues (Dodd Mead). It is incorporated into the Grolier Club collection guide for Bookplates, alongside the general, Messenger, Helfand, and other bookplate collections. Arrangement: Grouped into bookplates by French, other engravings by French, and bookplates by Sherborn. The bookplates and other engravings are arranged alphabetically by commissioner (e.g. bookplate owner). **Not currently housed with the rest of the of the Grolier Club Bookplate Collection, see Print Boxes: 33-35