The Tent on the Beach and Dramatic Lyrics.

John Greenleaf Whittier.

The Tent on the Beach and Dramatic Lyrics.

Boston and New York:

Houghton, Mifflin and Company,

1899

Cover design by Margaret Armstrong.

Of her over 300 designs, I most admire Margaret Armstrong’s cover for Whittier’s The Tent on the Beach. Her exposure to the Aesthetic, Arts and Crafts, and Art Nouveau movements, and to stain glass design, is evident in this design. The stylized irises, emanating from crabs, flank undulating lines that evoke waves and create an astonishing sense of movement. Armstrong’s monogram of an “M” crossed over an “A” is at the bottom right corner.

From the Collection of McKey Winston Berkman