Pratt Ex Libris

Bookplate of William Ewart Gladstone
Created by Samuel Hollyer, 1889

"William Ewart Gladstone - Northbourne d:d: 23 July 1839 - 23 July 1889," with the motto, 'Fide Et Virtute' features a coat of arms, a gryphon holding a sword, falcons, and an owl. Gladstone, a British political reformer and rival of Disraeli, was Prime Minister in England four times.

Bookplate of Dr. Rene und Frau Thackstfep [?]
Created by Hans Thaddeus Hoyer, 1923

"Dr. Rene und Frau Ibach Isse" in Gothic script; includes monograms, "FI" and "RI" on shields, with ornamental design. Signed near bottom, "HTH" with "23."
[update: some of this is inaccurate; see flow's comment below]





"Ex Libris [...] Benes;" features a skeleton playing the cello and a nude woman with claws. Signed in lower left, "AIB 09." (1909)





"Bucherzeichen Otto Brinckmann" depicts a sailing ship on the ocean. Unsigned.

Bookplate of George Allen Publisher, Ruskin House

Depicts Saint George slaying the dragon, with large monogram "GA." Signed in lower right with unidentified monogram.

Bookplate of Loresini Biazzi, Cremona
Created by Willi Geiger, 1910

"Ex Libris Loresini Biazzi, Cremona" + "Stradivarius - Cremona" features a violin, probably a representation of the Cremona Stradivarius violin. Signed in upper left, "Willi Geiger;" with

Bookplate of Henry H. Harper
(unsigned, undated)

Bookplate of (and created by) Samuel Hollyer (1896)

"S Hollyer His Booke" depicts a library setting with a man at a desk reading a book while burning a hole through his chapeau. In the bottom right corner is a book titled "Hogarth." Signed at bottom right "S.Hollyer Eng."

Bookplate of Baron Leverhulme of Bolton-Le-Moors
Created by G Scraby, 1917

Features a shield supported by elephants with roses. The shield bears a rose, garland, vertical and horizontal stripes, a helmet, and a crow (supposedly). The crest features a trumpet and a rooster.

Bookplate of Herman M Schroeter
Created by Arthur Engler, 1913

Includes motto, 'Chemistry Astronomy Typography'; features a woman with globe, a woman with scroll, a woman with musical instrument, a bookshelf, a letterpress and a chemistry set.

Bookplate of F Rainis
Created by E.G. Reuter

Features the motto 'Inter folia frucus advor geneuenfis' and depicts a backgroumd of a grapevine design. Signed at bottom "E.G. Reuter."
[see flow's comment below]

Bookplate of Heinrich Schwarz
Created by M.D.

Depicts a phoenix or an eagle^¶ standing on a stack of books and grasping a scroll with a lyre beneath.
[¶ Addit: Actually, it's a griffin -- "a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and often wings of an eagle"-- thanks AWW!]


The Pratt Institute Libraries have a collection of more than 1200 Ex Libris (bookplate) images in their flickr stream.

"The Ex Libris Collection consists of nineteenth- and twentieth-century bookplates from private and institutional libraries. The plates feature finely detailed engraving and etching, and serve as outstanding examples of period book art and typography."

The first six images above come from a selection of more than one hundred of the Pratt Libraries Ex Libris Collection posted at high resolution to LunaCommons

[The LunaCommons site - mentioned previously - contains a wealth of cultural material and is a potential (worthy) timesink. Essentially it's an easier way to access images from the family of collections among the LunaInsight browser portals arising out of the David Rumsey site]

Thanks Sara!