American painters

American painters

Author: Sheldon, George William, 1843-1914. American painters: with eighty-three examples of their work engraved on wood

Year: 1903

Boston Public Library (Prints Department) copy is a unique item which consists predominately of George William Sheldon's "American Painters: with eighty three examples of their work engraved on wood". Title is derived from spine title ("American painters".) Sheldon's original work appears to have been disbound and integrated into a hand-made scrapbook iteration (itself later disbound and rebound, possibly by the Boston Public Library) in which selections from Sheldon are included, and supplemented by accompanying print material from a variety of sources, the majority of which are art periodicals. The title page from Sheldon is absent, but a partial table of contents can be found in v.2. This copy is half-bound in red leather with gilt trim over marbled boards. Spine includes spine title, volume numeration, original call number (G.304.29), and decorative devices in gilt. Front pastedown of both volumes includes ex libris (bookplate) of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, and identifies this work as "[b]ought with the income of the Scholfield bequests", although it is ambiguous if this purchase refers to the work itself, or merely its binding. A hand-written not