Historically, bookbinding was considered a “male” trade. Although women often did the important work of forwarding (gathering and sewing the pages), it was men who completed the covering and finishing. The work of women, while critical to creating the finished product, was therefore largely unseen and often unrecognized.
Embroidered bindings became an exception to this rule. Women typically created the embroidery that would be used to adorn the binding, often creating pieces for their own books. While the embroiderer probably played no role in actually binding the book – this would have been outsourced to a professional binder – the covering that she created would be seen and acknowledged as “the binding.”
As a bookbinding student, I became interested in studying the history, design, and construction of embroidered bindings. The design elements of embroidered bindings are starkly different from those seen on gold-tooled leather bindings, and working with embroidered fabric presents a challenge when covering lest the fragile textile be damaged. Unable to afford 17th century examples to study, I began collecting more modern (and more affordable) examples of embroidered bindings to supplement my research. Created by women, likely for their own use, these delicate volumes are just the right size to fit in one’s dress pocket.
The Book of Common Prayer. Oxford: University Press, c. 1905.
The verso of the made silk flyleaf is inscribed“Junette(?) C. Hughes / a present from her / godmother Xmas 1905 / Age 19”.
Instead of sooth silk or satin, damask silk is used as the ground for the embroidery. The damask pattern is much too large for the small book, suggesting that scrap material (perhaps from an upholstery project) was used to create the covering. The front cover features a cross worked in gold thread, surrounded by a grape vine. The spine is decorated with lines of gold thread that are meant to evoke the gold-tooled panels of a leather-bound book. Florals, rather than title/author/volume, fill the panels.
The Book of Common Prayer. Oxford: University Press, c. 1900.
An embroidered silk cover was stitched on over the original blue leather covers (presumably by the owner). The silk is degraded, the threads securing the cover to the gimp edging have detached, and the cover is now loose. While now very fragile, we are able to see how the embroidered textile was secured to the binding, while also accessing the reverse side of the piece and gaining insight into the embroiderer’s technique. The front cover is adorned with a flower outlined in gold thread. The border, also in gold thread, is embellished with small gold spangles.
