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The current exhibition of American Publishers' Bindings on the books of Amelia E. Barr 1882-1919 includes covers from Eastlake style through Japonism, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Poster style, and Text as Art.
Charles Eastlake’s popular book Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details was published in England in 1868, and in the USA in 1872. During the last quarter of the 19th century many book covers were produced that capitalized on the popularity of “Eastlake style.” Although it was considered “modern” at the time, some of it looks more like a vestige of the Victorian era than a precursor to Modernism, while other elements are timeless. Here are some examples of Eastlake book covers on Amelia Barr’s early books.
Cluny MacPherson
by Amelia E. Barr
American Tract Society, n.d., ©1883
This was a uniform cover style, not specific to this title. Princeton's copy of this book can be read online via HathiTrust, and is in the same design on green cloth. That year ATS also issued a collection of her short stories:
Scottish Sketches
by Amelia E. Barr
New York: American Tract Society, n.d., ©1883
The Hallam Succession
by Amelia E. Barr
New York & Cincinnati: Phillips & Hunt, and Cranston & Stowe, 1885
The Hallam Succession
by Amelia E. Barr
Toronto: William Briggs, 1887
The Lost Silver of Briffault
by Amelia E. Barr
by Amelia E. Barr
New York & Cincinnati: Hunt & Eaton, 1892, ©1885 Phillips & Hunt.
It's hard to photograph the amazing effect of the gold on this book, which changes depending on the angle you view it from, or light it from, or move it through. Here is a detail from a different angle. The effect is achieved by engraving the stamping die at different angles to control the reflections.
