From
the Hayward’s Library
The bookplate - or ex libris is a
label placed on the inside of the front cover of a book. It is a miniature art form that has developed
specifically to adorn books; it is a way of identifying a book’s owner and the
collection that it came from. It says -
this book is mine!
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Two bookplates used by Ursula Hayward (nee
Barr Smith)
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Bookplates production began in the 1500s when
Albrecht Dürer and other German engravers and print makers began creating highly
decorative bookplates, often featuring armorial devices and coats of arms for
wealthy individuals and institutions. As
the fashion for ornamental bookplates spread, distinctive national styles also
evolved.
In more recent times, bookplates have been
designed by many important artists and engravers. The owners of bookplates are also a
distinguished group - not surprisingly, Queen Victoria had her own bookplate,
as did George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles DeGaulle. Other
famous people include Harpo Marx, James Cagney, Sigmund Freud, Walt Disney,
J.P. Morgan, Jack London, the list goes on and on.
Many
techniques and media are used in the creation of bookplates these include
woodcut and linocut, engraving, etching, simple pen and ink and
screen-printing. The fact that it is all
done on such a small scale plays an important part in the execution of book
plate design as is the use of fine papers and elegant hand printing.
Two of Ursula Hayward’s personal
bookplates can be seen here. One with
her maiden name of Ursula Barr Smith dates from before her 1935 marriage and
appears to reflect the trading interests of her forebears. The other later, more stylish plate was
designed by the Sydney artist Adrian Feint (1894-1971). Adrian Feint and Ursula developed a
longstanding personal friendship and he was well known for his bookplate
designs. Feint worked for the artist and
book publisher Sydney Ure Smith who was another of the Hayward’s’ many artistic
friends.
The Collection Library also holds a
specialist volume: Woodcut Bookplates; byP Neville Barnett, with a foreword by Lionel Lindsay, published in 1934 as
a limited edition of just 275 copies. It
includes many wonderful bookplates designed by Australian, English and European
artists and includes the personal bookplates of the World War II dictators
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
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A selection of bookplates found in books the Hayward’s
library
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In
the year of the centenary year of the birth of Patrick White, regarded as one
of Australia’s most significant 20th authors, it has been
interesting to discover this wonderful bookplate that was used by his uncle
Henry L White (1860-1927). Adhered to the inside cover of an 1862 publication
written about the Colony of South Australia it reflects the diverse interests of
both the original owner and the Hayward's love of books.
Ex libris collectors have created an
international network by establishing societies in forty-one countries and
every two years an International Ex Libris Congress is held in a different
country inviting members of the world’s bookplate societies to attend.
For
more information about collecting bookplates visit the website of the
Australian Bookplate Society @ http://bookplatesociety.com
