' EM1BRIS UNIVERSITY Of CALIFORNIA
JOHN HEW NASH LIBRARY
<> SAN FRANCISCO
PRESENTED TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
ROBERT GORDON SPROUL, PRESIDENT.
MR.ANDMRS.MILTON S.RAV
CECILY, VIRGINIA AND ROSALYN RAY
RAY OIL BURNER COMPANY
BOOK PLATES
Printed at t fie
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andjofcCGy
CBarfes (gjjpockpeed
BOSTON
TMTEVER since the beginning of the book-
[^ plate have there been so many women
designers in this branch of art as there are
to-day* Poor and illy-made designs are largely
in evidence among the men designers, and it is
only too true that the women who have essayed
in this field are still more afflicted with dearth
of ideas and weakness of execution, but among
the very large number of women who have
designed book-plates although many of them
are amateurish, and undertaken in a spirit of
dilettanteism, there are a great many showing
a decided ability and knowledge of art*
In the earlier days of the cult the first woman
designer of prominence was Anna Berry, who
has left us at least one plate, that of her friend
Anna Darner, that can be safely ascribed to her*
Beyond this lady, and Margaret Este, whose
name appears on a plate dated J774, or some
nineteen years earlier than the Darner plate,
England seems to have had no women designers.
But in France there were many, perhaps the
most prominent, as well as most prolific, being
Louise de Daulceur, who engraved quite a few
plates for Bonchardon, Pierre, Gravelot and
Eisen, in a very acceptable manner. Madame
Jourdan is also noted as a designer of plates,
as well as Therese Crochery, Charlotte Nonot,
and others. Mention should also be made of
Mme. Pompadour, who designed and etched the
little label for her library at Crecy.
To-day women designers constitute a factor
to be considered. The old fallacy that their
work shows the impress of the eternal feminine
in their lack of strength, boldness and character
has been exploded. There are any number of
women designers now whose work if placed
alongside that of the sterner sex we would find
it difficult to distinguish one from the other.
Miss Sacker's work seems to be, at least in
her book-plate drawings, of sufficient boldness.
Her designs are strong and virile and the pro-
duct of a practiced hand. They are in no way
amateurish but show the impress of good train-
ing and hard study. The decorations, on the
other hand, are somewhat feminine in spirit and
execution, and in this wise form a fitting: foil
to the inevitable boldness of the book-plates.
While there is a certain sameness to be found
among the plates in the manner of treatment,
one would hardly call this a fault when placed
against the excellence of the designs themselves,
and in fact, in these days of specialization, when
even artists and designers endeavor to work out
for themselves a peculiar style and technique,
this is a feature that would excite little if any
adverse criticism, and it is best by all means for
designers to draw in that style in which their
drawings will appear to the best advantage
when viewed as separate studies, as they were
intended, rather than to jump about from one
form to another for the sake of variety, and
master of no style. At least the blacks and
whites are well balanced and form effective
contrasts as they should*
TWELVE BOOK-PLATES
BY AMY M. S ACKERS
EX-LIBRIS
DANIEL DULANY ADDISON
JULIA deWOLF -ADDISON
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