Charlotte's Web

The original sketches by Garth Williams for EB White's 'Charlotte's Web' (1952) were sold by his Estate at auction in October. The collection sold for more than $750,000, including over $150,000 for the book's cover design.

'Charlotte's Web' was listed by Publishers Weekly as the best-selling children's paperback of all time as of 2000. The book has been translated into thirty five foreign languages and is still in print in more than twenty of them.

The illustrations remain under copyright and appear here for so long as no objection is received from any rights holders. The intent with this post is homage to a classic children's book, so you might consider buying 'Charlotte's Web' to keep the goodwill circulating.

"Wilbur is a of a sweet nature--he is a spring pig--affectionate, responsive to moods of the weather and the song of the crickets, has long eyelashes, is hopeful, partially willing to try anything, brave, subject to faints from bashfulness, is loyal to friends, enjoys a good appetite and a soft bed, and is a little likely to be overwhelmed by the sudden chance for complete freedom. He changes the subject when the conversation gets painful, and a buttermilk bath brings out his beauty. When he was a baby he was a runt, but the sun shone pink through his ears, endearing him to a little girl named Fern. She is his protector, and he is the hero.

Charlotte A. Cavitica ("but just call me Charlotte") is the heroine, a large gray spider "about the size of a gumdrop." She has eight legs and can wave them in friendly greeting. When her friends wake up in the morning she says "Salutations!"--in spite of sometimes having been up all night herself, working. She tells Wilbur right away that she drinks blood, and Wilbur on first acquaintance begs her not to say that.

Another good character is Templeton, the rat. "The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything." "Talking with Templeton was not the most interesting occupation in the world," Wilbur finds, "but it was better than nothing." Templeton grudges his help to others, then brags about it, can fold his hands behind his head, and sometimes acts like a spoiled child.

There is the goose, who can't be surprised by barnyard ways. "It's the old pail-trick, Wilbur * * *. He's trying to lure you into captivity-ivity. He's appealing to your stomach." The goose always repeats everything. "It is my idio-idio-idiosyncrasy."

What the book is about is friendship on earth, affection and protection, adventure and miracle, life and death, trust and treachery, pleasure and pain, and the passing of time. As a piece of work it is just about perfect, and just about magical in the way it is done. What it all proves--in the words of the minister in the story which he hands down to his congregation after Charlotte writes "Some Pig" in her web--is "that human beings must always be on the watch for the coming of wonders." Dr. Dorian says in another place, "Oh, no, I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle." The author will only say, "Charlotte was in a class by herself."

"At-at-at, at the risk of repeating myself," as the goose says, "Charlotte's Web" is an adorable book."

From Eudora Weltey's review of 'Charlotte's Web' in the New York Times : 'Life in the Barn Was Very Good', October 19, 1952.

Please note that, aside from the cover design illustration, all the images below have been background cleaned of most stains and extraneous scribbles. Click on any image for an enlarged version.

Garth Montgomery Williams
(American, 1912-1996)
Charlotte's Web, book cover, 1952
Graphite and ink on paper
14 x 11 in.
Signed lower right

'Please don't kill it' (page 2)

"'Where's Papa going with that Ax?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast...'One of the pigs is a runt...so your father has decided to do away with it' said her mother...Fern pushed her chair out of the way and ran outdoors. 'Please don't kill it!' she sobbed."

'Give him breakfast' (page 6)

"But Fern couldn't eat until her pig had a drink of mink. Mrs. Arable found a baby's nursing bottle and a rubber nipple. She poured warm milk into the bottle, fitted the nipple over the top, and handed it to Fern."

Fern's Babies' (page 11)

"If she took her doll for a walk in the doll carriage, Wilbur followed along. Sometimes on these journeys, Wilbur would get tired, and Fern would pick him up and put him in the carriage alongside the doll. He liked this."

'Wilbur's Pen' (page 15)

"Fern came almost every day to visit him. She found an old milking stool that had been discarded, and she placed the stool in the sheepfold next to Wilbur's pen. Here she sat quietly during the long afternoons, thinking and listening and watching Wilbur."

'Loneliess' (page 29)

"'Will you please play with me?' he asked. 'Certainly not,' said the lamb. 'In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump over the fence. In the second place, I am not interested in pigs. Pigs mean less than nothing to me.'"

'Friendless' (page 31)

"'Will you play with me, Templeton?' asked Wilbur...'Play? I hardly know the meaning of the word.' 'Well,' said Wilbur, 'it means to have fun, frolic, to run and skip and make merry.' 'I never do those things if I can avoid them,' replied the rat, sourly...Friendless, dejected, and hungry, he threw himself down in the manure and sobbed.'"

'Here I am. Look, I'm waving' (page 36)

"Stretched across the upper part of the doorway was a big spiderweb, and hanging from the top of the web, head down was a large grey spider. She was about the size of a gumdrop. She had eight legs, and she was waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting. 'See me now?' she asked."

'Charlotte's web' (page 38)

"A fly that had been crawling along Wilbur's trough had flown up and blundered into the lower part of Charlotte's web and was tangled in the sticky threads..."First,' said Charlotte, "I dive at him.'...'Next, I wrap him up.'...'There!' said Charlotte. 'Now I knock him out, so he'll be more comfortable.'"

'Templeton's Egg' (page 46)

"You may have the egg. But I'll tell you one thing Templeton, if I ever catch you poking-oking-oking your ugly nose around around goslings, I'll give you the worst pounding a rat ever took."

'Bad news' (page 50)

"'I can't be quiet,' screamed Wilbur, racing up and down. 'I don't want to be killed. I don't want to die. Is it true what the old sheep says, Charlotte? Is it true they are going to kill me when the cold weather comes?'"

'Wilbur's boast' (page 58)

"'You there, Templeton?' he called. The rat poked his head out from under the trough. 'Got a little piece of string I could borrow?' asked Wilbur. 'I need to spin a web.'"

'Templeton & Wilbur' (page 59)

"'Everybody watch!' he cried. And summoning all his strength, he threw himself into the air, headfirst. The string trailed behind him. But as he had neglected to fasten the other end to anything, it didn't really do any good, and Wilbur landed with a thud, crushed and hurt. Tears came to his eyes. Templeton grinned."

'I'm going to capture it' (page 73)

"'That's a fine spider and I'm going to capture it....I'm going to knock that ol' spider into this box,' he said....Avery put one leg over the fence of the pigpen. He was just about to raise his stick to hit Charlotte when he lost his balance. He swayed and toppled and landed on the edge of Wilbur's trough."

'The Miracle, Some Pig' (page 78)

"Zuckerman stared at the writing on the web. Then he murmured the words 'Some pig.' Then he looked at Lurvy. Then they began to tremble. Charlotte, sleepy after her night's exertions, smiled as she watched. Wilbur came and stood directly under the web. 'Some pig!' muttered Lurvy in a low voice. 'Some pig!' whispered Mr. Zuckerman.'"

'Secrets are hard to keep' (page 83)

"'So far,' said Zuckerman, 'only four people on earth know about this miracle.' Secrets are hard to keep. Long before Sunday came, the news spread all over the country...People came from miles around to look at Wilbur and to read the words on Charlotte's Web."

'A director's meeting' (page 88)

"'How about 'Terrific, terrific, terrific'?' asked the goose. 'Cut that down to one 'terrific' and it will do very nicely,' said Charlotte. 'I think 'terrific' might impress Zuckerman.'"

'There Was the Handsome Pig, and Over Him, Woven
Neatly in Block Letters, Was the Word TERRIFIC' (page 95)

[this illustration fetched $95,600 at the auction]

'A name for Wilbur' (page 98)

"Below the apple orchard, at the end of a path, was the dump where Mr. Zuckerman threw all sorts of trash and stuff that nobody wanted anymore...Templeton was there now, rummaging around. When he returned to the barn, he carried in his mouth an advertisement he had torn from a crumpled magazine."

'A bedtime story' (page 102)

"'Once upon a time,' she began, 'I had a beautiful cousin who managed to build her web across a small stream. One day a tiny fish leaped into the air and got tangled in the web. My cousin was very much surprised, of course...she swooped down and threw great masses of wrapping material around the fish and fought bravely to capture it.'"

'Dr. Dorian and Mrs. Arable' (pages 108/109)

"Dr. Dorian had a thick beard. He was glad to see Mrs. Arable and gave her a comfortable chair. 'It's about Fern,' she explained. 'Fern spends a lot of time in the Zuckerman's barn. It doesn't seem normal'..Dr. Dorian leaned back and closed his eyes. 'How enchanting!' he said. 'It must be real nice and quiet down there.'"

'Fern and Avery Go to the Fair' (page 132)

"The children grabbed each other by the hand and danced off in the direction of the merry-go-round, toward the wonderful music and the wonderful adventure and the wonderful excitement, into the wonderful midway..."

'May I have your name?' (page 135)

"'It's a good thing you can't see what I see,' she said. "What do you see?' asked Wilbur. 'There's a big pig in the next pen and he's enormous... I'll drop down and have a closer look,' Charlotte said. Then she crawled along a beam till she was directly over the next pen. She let herself down on a dragline until she hung in the air just in front of the big pig's snout."

'Magnum Opus' (page 145)

""What is that nifty little thing? Did you make it?' 'I did indeed,' replied Charlotte in a weak voice. 'Is it a plaything?' 'Plaything? I should say not. It is my egg sac, my magnum opus.' 'I don't know what a magnum opus is,' said Wilbur. 'That's Latin,' explained Charlotte. 'It means 'great work.' This egg sac is my great work- the finest thing I have ever made.'"

'The rat was swollen to twice his normal size' (page 147)

"'I'm back,' he said in a husky voice. 'What a night!' The rat was swollen to twice his normal size. His stomach was as big around as a jelly jar."

'A special award for Wilbur' (page 152)

"For a moment after this announcement, the Arables and the Zuckermans were unable to speak or move...Mr. Zuckerman hugged Mrs. Zuckerman. Mr. Arable kissed Mrs. Arable. Avery kissed Wilbur...Fern hugged her mother. Avery hugged Fern."

'Wilbur Faints' (page 160)

"Wilbur had been feeling dizzier and dizzier through this long, complimentary speech. When he heard the crowd begin to cheer and clap again, he suddenly fainted away. His legs collapsed, his mind went blank, and he fell to the ground, unconscious."

'A deal for Wilbur' (page 169)

"'All right, it's a deal,' said the rat. He walked to the wall and sarted to climb. His stomach was still swollen from last nights's gorge. Groaning and complaining , he pulled himself slowly to the ceiling. He crept along till he reached the egg sac...Templeton bared his long ugly teeth and began snipping the threads that fastened the sac to the ceiling."

'Who wants to live forever?' (page 175)

"As a result of overeating, Templeton grew bigger and fatter than any rat you ever saw...the old sheep spoke to him about size one day. 'You would live longer,' said the old sheep, 'if you ate less.' 'Who wants to live forever?' sneered the rat. 'I'm naturally a heavy eater and I get untold satisfaction from the pleasures of the feast.'"

'Wilbur's New Friends' (page 181)

"Wilbur looked up. At the top of the doorway three small webs were being constructed. On each web, working busily was one of Charlotte's daughters. 'Can I take this to mean,' asked Wilbur, 'that you have definitely decided to live here in the barn cellar, and that I am going to have three friends?' 'You can indeed,' said the spiders."

• Auction catalogue site
• Amazon link for Garth Williams books
• Amazon link for EB White books
• Wikipedia: Garth Williams | EB White | Charlotte's Web
• A Letter from E. B. White at Harper Collins
• Previously: Beatrix Potter Rarities || Original Winnie The Pooh Drawings || kids
  
• Thanks Kris!

The Dutch Revolt

"The Eighty Years' War, or Dutch War of Independence, (1568–1648) began as a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands.

After the initial stages Philip II deployed his armies and regained control over most of the rebelling provinces. However, under the leadership of the exiled William of Orange the northern provinces continued their resistance and managed to oust the Spanish armies, and established the republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

The subsequent war between the Spanish empire and the Republic continued, although the heartland of the Republic was no longer threatened. The war ended in 1648 with the Peace of Munster when the Dutch Republic was recognised as an independent country." [W]

The images below are essentially a random sampling from a suite of more than 150 engraved prints depicting events of the 80 Years War (or 'Dutch Revolt') made by the Hogenberg family over a forty year period.

"The Eighty Years War was far more than a merely regional event and its last three decades coincided with the Thirty Years War. It was also entwined with the Religious Wars in France and dynastic disputes in England that were partly fought out on Netherlandish battlegrounds. The third sub-series of the Geschichtsblätter [history sheets], for example, depicts events of the French Religious Wars (1559–1573) while the fourth series shows events in France as well as in England." [source]

Schlacht bei Austruweel (c 1567)

Battle of Austruweel [Oosterweel] (Antwerp)

"The Battle of Oosterweel took place on March 13, 1567, and is traditionally seen as the beginning of the Eighty Years' War. The battle was fought near the village of Oosterweel, north of Antwerp*. A Spanish professional army under General Beauvoir defeated an army of radical Calvinists rebels under Jan de Marnix. The prisoners were considered rebels and all were killed. Some 700-800 Protestants died. William the Silent, the Burggraaf of Antwerp, did not allow the Protestants of the city to come to their aid, because he, as lord of the city, was bound by oath to support the Spanish king."

Entsetzung von St. Gilles durch die Protestanten von Nimes (c 1562)

Relief of St Gilles (town in Languedoc, France*)
by the Protestant reinforcements from Nîmes

Verkundung des Waffenstillstands in Antwerpen (c 1609)

The 1609 Treaty (armistice) of Antwerp*
(which initiated the Twelve Years Truce)

Anschlag des Pierre Chastel auf Heinrich IV (c 1594)

Pierre* Chastel's Attack on Henri IV

*almost certainly refers to Jean Châtel,
who attempted to assassinate King Henri IV of France

Leichenzug Wilhelms von Oranien in Delft (c 1584)

Funeral Cortège for William of Orange at Delft

"William of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt against Spain, was assassinated by Balthasar Gerardts in Delft on 10 July 1584. The Prince's funeral took place in Delft on 3 August. A stately procession bore the 'Father of the Nation' to his tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk." [source]
{also: another extraordinary engraving of the procession at Wikimedia}

Schleifung des Castells zu Antwerpen (c 1577)

Slighting of the Castle of Antwerp {?}

Belagerung und Vergleich von Chartres (c 1568)

Siege (and Accord) of Chartres [in France]

"The Siege of Chartres in February to March 1568 was the pivotal event which ended the Second War of Religion, an episode of the French Wars of Religion.

The Huguenot army besieged the town at the end of February. The Prince of Condé had five battering cannons and four light culverins.[3] Part of the army acted as block and the rest, about 9,000 men, encircled the town and used their nine guns to breach the north wall. The Huguenots assaulted the town on March 7, but the Royal garrison of Nicolas des Essars, assisted by inhabitants defended stoutly. The assault was repelled and the breach sealed off.

Following the lifted siege, the Peace of Longjumeau was signed, on March 23." [source]

Arnheim - Knodsenburg - Nijmwegen (c 1600)

Wie der Hertzog Alenson die Statt Camereich
Proviandeert entzetz und erobert (c 1581)

The relief army under the Duke of Alençon enters (conquers)
the city of Cambrai in Northern France (?) [Duke's bio]

Gefangennahme von Egmont und Hoorn (c 1567)

Capture of Egmont and Hoorn

The Duke of Alba (Alva), carried out the brutal repression of Protestants in the Netherlands from 1567 to 1573 at the behest of Spanish King Philip II. The Duke ordered the arrest, torture at the hands of the Inquisition and subsequent beheading of the two most important noblemen in the country, Counts Egmont and Hoorn. They became martyrs and figureheads of the resistance.

Eroberung von Sichenen (Sichem) bei Diest (c. 1578)

Conquest of Zichem, near Diest in Flemish Brabant*

Geertruidenberg durch die Geusen entsetzt (c 1573)

Geertruidenberg (North Brabant town*) relieved by
the Geuzen (rebel Calvinist sea 'beggars' or pirates)

Niederlage des Martin Schenk bei Amerongen nahe Utrecht (c 1585)

Defeat of Martin Schenk [Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen]
at Amerongen near Utrecht (1585)

Stammbaum Ludwigs IX. Zum Anstand vom 26 April, 1589

Family Tree of French King Louis IX (13th c.)

The two branches atop the tree refers to the truce agreed on 26 April 1589 between King Henri III of France and the Huguenot Henry of Navarre, so that their forces could be combined against the Catholic League. The print also shows the assassination of Henri III in August of 1589 by a Dominican friar. Henry of Navarre succeeded as Henri IV, King of France and Navarre.



The highly detailed engravings were produced by Franz Hogenberg and his son Abraham between 1570 and 1610 in Cologne. The elder engraver/publisher most famously contributed to the enormous Braun 'Cities of the Earth' book.

• The Hogenberg prints of the 80 Years War are available among the Digital Collections of the Princeton University Library. The vast majority of text on the prints is in German, but there's a smattering of French and Dutch as well.
• Wikimedia has a selection of images pertaining to the 80 Years War including some of the Hogenberg suite from Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
• Google's cache of a detailed 80 Years War timeline.
• Some biographic background to the Hogenbergs.
• Thanks very much to Nina Stössinger^t for the help with translations.
• Via Archivalia.

The Dutch Revolt

"The Eighty Years' War, or Dutch War of Independence, (1568–1648) began as a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands.

After the initial stages Philip II deployed his armies and regained control over most of the rebelling provinces. However, under the leadership of the exiled William of Orange the northern provinces continued their resistance and managed to oust the Spanish armies, and established the republic of the Seven United Netherlands.

The subsequent war between the Spanish empire and the Republic continued, although the heartland of the Republic was no longer threatened. The war ended in 1648 with the Peace of Munster when the Dutch Republic was recognised as an independent country." [W]

The images below are essentially a random sampling from a suite of more than 150 engraved prints depicting events of the 80 Years War (or 'Dutch Revolt') made by the Hogenberg family over a forty year period.

"The Eighty Years War was far more than a merely regional event and its last three decades coincided with the Thirty Years War. It was also entwined with the Religious Wars in France and dynastic disputes in England that were partly fought out on Netherlandish battlegrounds. The third sub-series of the Geschichtsblätter [history sheets], for example, depicts events of the French Religious Wars (1559–1573) while the fourth series shows events in France as well as in England." [source]

Schlacht bei Austruweel (c 1567)

Battle of Austruweel [Oosterweel] (Antwerp)

"The Battle of Oosterweel took place on March 13, 1567, and is traditionally seen as the beginning of the Eighty Years' War. The battle was fought near the village of Oosterweel, north of Antwerp*. A Spanish professional army under General Beauvoir defeated an army of radical Calvinists rebels under Jan de Marnix. The prisoners were considered rebels and all were killed. Some 700-800 Protestants died. William the Silent, the Burggraaf of Antwerp, did not allow the Protestants of the city to come to their aid, because he, as lord of the city, was bound by oath to support the Spanish king."

Entsetzung von St. Gilles durch die Protestanten von Nimes (c 1562)

Relief of St Gilles (town in Languedoc, France*)
by the Protestant reinforcements from Nîmes

Verkundung des Waffenstillstands in Antwerpen (c 1609)

The 1609 Treaty (armistice) of Antwerp*
(which initiated the Twelve Years Truce)

Anschlag des Pierre Chastel auf Heinrich IV (c 1594)

Pierre* Chastel's Attack on Henri IV

*almost certainly refers to Jean Châtel,
who attempted to assassinate King Henri IV of France

Leichenzug Wilhelms von Oranien in Delft (c 1584)

Funeral Cortège for William of Orange at Delft

"William of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt against Spain, was assassinated by Balthasar Gerardts in Delft on 10 July 1584. The Prince's funeral took place in Delft on 3 August. A stately procession bore the 'Father of the Nation' to his tomb in the Nieuwe Kerk." [source]
{also: another extraordinary engraving of the procession at Wikimedia}

Schleifung des Castells zu Antwerpen (c 1577)

Slighting of the Castle of Antwerp {?}

Belagerung und Vergleich von Chartres (c 1568)

Siege (and Accord) of Chartres [in France]

"The Siege of Chartres in February to March 1568 was the pivotal event which ended the Second War of Religion, an episode of the French Wars of Religion.

The Huguenot army besieged the town at the end of February. The Prince of Condé had five battering cannons and four light culverins.[3] Part of the army acted as block and the rest, about 9,000 men, encircled the town and used their nine guns to breach the north wall. The Huguenots assaulted the town on March 7, but the Royal garrison of Nicolas des Essars, assisted by inhabitants defended stoutly. The assault was repelled and the breach sealed off.

Following the lifted siege, the Peace of Longjumeau was signed, on March 23." [source]

Arnheim - Knodsenburg - Nijmwegen (c 1600)

Wie der Hertzog Alenson die Statt Camereich
Proviandeert entzetz und erobert (c 1581)

The relief army under the Duke of Alençon enters (conquers)
the city of Cambrai in Northern France (?) [Duke's bio]

Gefangennahme von Egmont und Hoorn (c 1567)

Capture of Egmont and Hoorn

The Duke of Alba (Alva), carried out the brutal repression of Protestants in the Netherlands from 1567 to 1573 at the behest of Spanish King Philip II. The Duke ordered the arrest, torture at the hands of the Inquisition and subsequent beheading of the two most important noblemen in the country, Counts Egmont and Hoorn. They became martyrs and figureheads of the resistance.

Eroberung von Sichenen (Sichem) bei Diest (c. 1578)

Conquest of Zichem, near Diest in Flemish Brabant*

Geertruidenberg durch die Geusen entsetzt (c 1573)

Geertruidenberg (North Brabant town*) relieved by
the Geuzen (rebel Calvinist sea 'beggars' or pirates)

Niederlage des Martin Schenk bei Amerongen nahe Utrecht (c 1585)

Defeat of Martin Schenk [Maarten Schenck van Nydeggen]
at Amerongen near Utrecht (1585)

Stammbaum Ludwigs IX. Zum Anstand vom 26 April, 1589

Family Tree of French King Louis IX (13th c.)

The two branches atop the tree refers to the truce agreed on 26 April 1589 between King Henri III of France and the Huguenot Henry of Navarre, so that their forces could be combined against the Catholic League. The print also shows the assassination of Henri III in August of 1589 by a Dominican friar. Henry of Navarre succeeded as Henri IV, King of France and Navarre.



The highly detailed engravings were produced by Franz Hogenberg and his son Abraham between 1570 and 1610 in Cologne. The elder engraver/publisher most famously contributed to the enormous Braun 'Cities of the Earth' book.

• The Hogenberg prints of the 80 Years War are available among the Digital Collections of the Princeton University Library. The vast majority of text on the prints is in German, but there's a smattering of French and Dutch as well.
• Wikimedia has a selection of images pertaining to the 80 Years War including some of the Hogenberg suite from Rotterdam's Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
• Google's cache of a detailed 80 Years War timeline.
• Some biographic background to the Hogenbergs.
• Thanks very much to Nina Stössinger^t for the help with translations.
• Via Archivalia.

Marbled Paper Designs

Marbled paper refers to a variety of decorative appearances that resemble the vein-like texture of marble. The technique of marbling entails floating colours on a liquid and mixing them by chemical and physical means to achieve a pattern. A sheet of paper is placed on the pattern and is then removed, essentially forming a monotype print. It's a complex process involving delicate interactions and manipulations of buoyancy, surface tension, capillarity and viscosity, with even the ambient temperature and humidity affecting the outcome.

"Until after the middle of the nineteenth century, when the development of mechanized bookbinding methods first diminished and afterward virtually did away with the need for their services, hand bookbinders utilized marbled paper and the marbler's craft to embellish many of the books that were bound during the previous several centuries. Marbled papers were employed outside the book trade as well to adorn a great many products of everyday use.

They served, for example, as wall coverings; as linings for the interiors of trunks, boxes, wallets, musical instrument cases and other containers; for covering boxes and other receptacles; as ornamentation in the panels of cabinets, furniture, and even harpsichords; as wrappings for toys, drug powders, and other consumer goods; for enclosing blank books used for writing, and for other stationary purposes; and as shelf papers for lining cupboards and cabinets and for many home-decorating purposes.

Despite their prior popularity and extensive employment, marbled papers and the marbler's craft have remained the most obscure, and least investigated and understood, of all aspects of book arts. [..] For about two and a half centuries after its introduction into Europe about the year 1600, marbling was one of the chief means available for producing the colored papers used in bookbinding and other decorative work. It performed a similarly important role in the day-to-day life of the Near East, where the art was brought to perfection even earlier and used in conjunction with Islamic bookbinding, calligraphy, iconography, fine arts, and even administrative uses. In both the East and the West, large numbers and many generations of people spent their working lives in the production of marbled papers needed for these various purposes."

From the introduction to: 'Marbled Paper: Its History, Techniques, and Patterns' 1990 by Richard J Wolfe, widely regarded as the leading authority on marbling. Wolfe is mentioned as a reference in the notes below; paraphrased from the source UW site.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, antique straight pattern

Historically Wolfe suggests that the Antique straight is a pattern seen at least as early as the 17th century. This decorative arrangement is created by first completing a feather pattern. Then, a shower of fine (usually white) colour dots would be sprinkled over the entire bath.

Collection Notes [relates to all of the images below]: The flat sample from which this photo was scanned is a salvaged endsheet. There is no record of the original item from which these endsheets were taken, so the creation date is a best estimate, using Wolfe as a guide.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Turkish pattern

Historically, this is the oldest of Western marbled patterns and dates back to as early as the middle part of the 15th century. Because this is the earliest (and simplest) example, it provides a base or jump off point for a large number of other patterns.

The pattern is created when one or more colours are thrown onto the surface of the bath using a marbling brush. The first colours thrown tend to constrict as other follow and can become the 'vein' colours for the latter thrown inks.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Turkish on Stormont pattern

The stormont* pattern is a rare effect in which turpentine is added to the blue colour causing it to break up into a fine network of lacy or flakey spots.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Gloster pattern

Gloster is similar to and often mistaken for a Stormont pattern. They both require a dispersant such as turpentine to cause their distinctive white (open) spots. The difference is that the Stormont pattern, overall, appears to be more like a Turkish pattern in that the ink has been mixed with the dispersant to cover the entire surface, whereas the Gloster looks more like a Zebra pattern where the dispersant has only been mixed with a single colour, making the spots distinctive from the other colours used.

The pattern is created by starting with a Turkish base, then a comb with one set of teeth is drawn across the bath twice vertically (or horizontally), once in either direction with the second pass halving the first. Then one or more colours of ink mixed with a dispersant are sprinkled onto the bath, causing those last spots to have open, very fine spots inside them.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Spanish moiré on Turkish with gold vein pattern

The pattern is created by making a Turkish pattern where the first colour used is gold. As further colours are dropped to complete the Turkish pattern, the gold constricts into veins. Then a paper, which has been folded in half is laid onto the bath, moving slightly from side to side to create the curvilinear gradations typical of this pattern.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Spanish moiré on Serpentine with gold vein pattern

As above.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Nonpareil pattern

Nonpareil [Fr.] means ‘matchless' or ‘unrivalled.' This pattern is related to the Wide comb (Arch) pattern as well as the Old Dutch pattern. All are variations of one another and are often mistaken for each other. The major differences are very difficult to pinpoint, but seem to stem from the size of intervals the last comb's teeth are set in.

This pattern is created when the desired colours are dropped sequentially onto the bath using some sort of implement to regulate the drop sizes. According to Miura* a comb with one set of teeth set at intervals of 15-30mm is drawn through the bath horizontally, once in either direction with the second pass halving the first. Then another comb with teeth set at 2-3 mm is drawn once across the bath vertically (or horizontally).

*'The Art of Marbled Paper: Marbled Patterns and How to Make Them' by Einen Miura, 1988/1991.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Schrottel pattern

The pattern was created in Germany in the early part of the 18th century. It has many different spellings but Miura suggests in his spelling that the pattern's name is derived from the German word Schrot which means 'small shot' or 'small grain.'

The pattern is created by starting with a Turkish base. Then, a mixture is thrown onto the bath whose reaction with the previous colours causes the dark spots with white halos to appear, that are reminiscent in look to tiny stones. This mixture is made up of ox gall and oil. The primary colour for this example is black.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Italian pattern

This pattern was created in Italy near the end of the 18th century. Its name is likely based equally on it nation of origin and the fact that it so closely resembles the actual stone, Italian marble.

This pattern is created when, after however many colours desired are thrown onto the bath, a dispersant is sprinkled over the entire bath in fine dots. These tiny drops of dispersant cause the previously thrown colours to constrict into tiny veins. Miura suggests that the dispersant might be made up of a mixture of soap, spirits and ox gall and then sprinkled over the bath through fine wire mesh to maintain the size of the dispersant drops. These constricted veins cause the colours to appear as they would in marbled stone.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Italian Overprinted on Turkish pattern

Normally, the Turkish pattern is created when one or more colours are thrown onto the surface of the bath using a marbling brush. The first colours thrown tend to constrict and become the 'vein' colours for the latter thrown inks. However, this particular sample has been printed with a lithographic process for both patterns as was popular towards the end of the 1800's.The primary colours for this sample are light brown, peach, and black.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Spanish moiré on Turkish with Gold vein pattern

The pattern is created by making a Turkish pattern where the first colour used is gold. As further colours are dropped to complete the Turkish pattern, the gold constricts into veins. Then a paper, which has been folded in half is laid onto the bath, moving slightly from side to side to create the curvilinear gradations typical of this pattern. [repeating description from up the page]

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Gold vein Overprinted on Turkish antiqued pattern

Though related in terms of end appearance, an 'overprint' is not the same process as 'Double marble' according to Miura. A double marble is created when a single paper has been through the marbling process twice where both patterns are on top of one another. An overprint is created when a paper, already marbled, is then printed on top of another pattern using a lithographic process.

This pattern is created by first completing a Turkish antiqued pattern ('antiqued' refers to any pattern where a last colour, usually white, is finely sprinkled over the entire bath). Then after that paper has been dried, the marbled side would be printed over with a Gold vein pattern (Italian pattern using metallic ink) using a lithographic process.

Vintage 19th c. marbled paper, Gold vein Overprinted over Spanish moiré on Turkish pattern

Similar to above, this pattern is created by first completing a Spanish moiré on Turkish pattern. Then after that paper has been dried, the marbled side would be printed over with a Gold vein pattern (Italian pattern using metallic ink) using a lithographic process.

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The history of marbling is fairly obscure. It is thought that the decoration first appeared in Japan by at least the early 12th century, from a process known (still) as Suminagashi ('sumi' means ink and 'nagashi' means floating, thus 'a pattern formed by floating ink'). The craft may have arisen in China independently or was imported from Japan very early on in the piece. Certainly, the inference in all the references is that a marbling technique was first practised in Japan.

Perhaps a century later, marbling appeared in, or near, Afghanistan, becoming an art form of the Persian and Ottoman worlds, centred in Turkey. Again, the marbling process may have been imported from the far East via the Silk Road trade route or it arose independently. The distinct Turkish marbling technique is known as Ebru and even the origin of that word is contentious, connoting either cloud art or water surface in Farsi or a related regional dialect.

The Suminagashi and Ebru forms of marbling are simplistic and rudimentary in comparison to the diverse and technically precise art that emerged later in Europe. In this case it is known that the technique was transplanted from Turkey to France, Italy and Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries, where a much larger body of craftsmen developed the technique.

Incidentally, the first mention of the marbling technique in western literature was by Athanasius Kircher in his 1646 book, 'Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae'.

• All images above come from the University of Washington Decorated and Decorative Paper Collection.
• 'Marbled Paper: Its History, Techniques, and Patterns' 1990 by Richard J Wolfe
• 'The Art of Marbled Paper: Marbled Patterns and How to Make Them' 1991 by Einen Miura.
• Under the Covers: the Hidden Art of Endpapers from the collection of the Salem Athenæum.
• Art of Ebru.
• 'Marbled Paper' by Joel Silver, 2005 in Fine Books & Collections Magazine.
• Paper marbling at Wikipedia.
• The Lada-Mocarski Decorated Paper Collection at the Folger Shakespeare Library.
• Decorated paper and papermaking at the Dutch Royal & National Library.
• The world of Japanese Marbling: Suminagashi & Suimonga.
• The Decorated Paper post on Metafilter was particularly helpful.
• Youtube Playlists: Marbling Set One & Marbling Set Two.
• Marbled Papers set at Flickr by MyHandBoundBooks.
• The Indiana University exhibition site: From Pen to Printing Press: Ten Centuries of Islamic Book Arts, contains a page/series of images on Turkish marbling.
• Previously: Bookart.
  
• Consider : The Roumi Art Institute in Rotterdam for your paper marbling & calligraphy needs [sponsor]