Roger Payne, William Matthews, & Irene Nichols

Robert Hoe, Jr.  A Lecture on Bookbinding as a Fine Art.  New York: The Grolier Club, 1885. 

A pictorial binding portraying Roger Payne in his studio, after the engraving by Sylvester Harding (displayed).  The Parisian binding was created by Charles Meunier for Henry Walters after 1886.  The portrayal consists of a panel of multi-colored leather inlays and cuir-ciselé carvings; the panel itself is set into the front cover. 

Acquired at auction, 1989. 

Cat. no. 5.31. 

Sylvester Harding.  Roger Payne in His Studio.  London: Harding, 1800. 

This etched portrait was commissioned by the London bookseller Thomas Payne, who was not related to Roger but had employed him for years and was responsible for his burial in 1797.  Though traditionally described as working in poverty, Roger Payne’s many bindings are testimonies to his taste and skill, suggesting that this “starving artist” portrayal is a romantic fantasy.  The watercolor original does not include the poverty-stricken elements in the etching. 

Gift of William Loring Andrews, ca. 1890. 

Cat. no. 4.36. 

Pliny the Younger.  Letters (Latin).  London: Edmund Fry, 1790. 

Roger Payne created this binding in red straight-grain goatskin probably around the time of publication.  It is an excellent example of his most accomplished work, with its broad decorative elements in gold on covers and spine, and his characteristic titling extending over two spine compartments.  He regularly skived leather coverings thinly, resulting in a certain fragility over time. 

Bequest of Jane Elizabeth Crane Andrews, 1930. 

Cat. no. 4.33. 

The Bible (Latin manuscript).  Paris, 1225– 1250. 

The uniform bindings of red goatskin, gilt, with gilded and painted edges, are the work of William Matthews, Scottish-born New Yorker, who enjoyed a sterling reputation as a bookbinder in Britain and America.  He bound this miniature Bible (its portability a 13th-century publishing revolution) by December 1881 for Hamilton Cole and it was first displayed at the Club on Christmas Eve 1890. 

Bequest of Edward Bement, 1932. 

Cat. no. 5.28. 

William Matthews (Aberdeen 1822–1896 Brooklyn), in an undated photograph. 

Club archives, after an 1889 publication. 

Cat. no. 5.28. 

William Matthews.  The Tools of the Binder Exemplifying Different Styles of Design.  New York, ca. 1885. 

Olive-green crushed goatskin and green velvet over wood.  Matthews created this display block to demonstrate decorative elements assigned to styles of bindings associated at the time with a half-dozen printers and bookbinders.  It is likely connected to a lecture Matthews delivered at the Club on 25 March 1885. 

Probably the gift of William Matthews, 1885. 

Cat. no. 5.29. 

William Matthews.  Modern Bookbinding Practically Considered: A Lecture read before The Grolier Club of New-York, March 25, 1885.  New York: The Grolier Club, 1889. 

Matthews created this binding for Samuel Putnam Avery in 1890, the year of his retirement, and it is likely his final masterpiece.  The buff crushed goatskin is in a design alluding to Jean Grolier’s interlaced styles of titling on the front cover and ownership inscription on the rear cover, the interstices filled with myriad gilt small tools.  It is printed on vellum by Theodore Low De Vinne; Avery kept it throughout his life, bequeathing it to his granddaughter. 

Gift of Amy Welcher, 1992. 

Cat. no. 5.38. 

Catalogue of Original and Early Editions of Some of the Poetical and Prose Works of English Writers from Langland to Wither.  New York: The Grolier Club, 1893. 

Irene Nichols created this epitome of the English garden for Samuel Putnam Avery, completing it in her Westminster studio in April 1895.  The red goatskin and silk tapestries feature espaliered trees of wisdom and life, climbing rosebushes, networks of root systems, flora and fauna; the edges are gilded and goffered.  Avery kept this book in his home library, bequeathing it to his granddaughter. 

Gift of Amy Welcher, 1992. 

Cat. no. 5.44. 

Anton Scharff.  Silver Portrait Medal of Samuel Putnam Avery.  Vienna, 1897. 

Club members formed a committee in October 1896 to create a suitable honor marking Avery’s forthcoming 75th birthday.  They engaged the services of the principal Viennese medalist and produced this honor for 17 March 1897.  The medal was struck in bronze, silver, and uniquely in gold, which they presented to the celebrant at his home.   

Gift of Richard Hoe Lawrence, 1898. 

Judging a Book by Its Cover, pp. 17–18.