Dido and Aeneas. An Opera Perform’d at Mr Josias Priest’s Boarding-School at Chelsey by Young Gentlewomen, the Words by Mr. Nahum Tate; the Music Composed by Mr. Henry Purcell.

Claire Van Vliet.

Dido and Aeneas. An Opera Perform’d at Mr Josias Priest’s Boarding-School at Chelsey by Young Gentlewomen, the Words by Mr. Nahum Tate; the Music Composed by Mr. Henry Purcell.

Newark, VT:

Janus Press,

1989.

In the 20th century, book artists began using colored paper pulp to create designs on paper. This technique, developed by Claire Van Vliet and others, entailed the application of pigmented pulp either freely or using a stencil onto a freshly formed handmade paper substrate. Van Vliet’s edition of Dido and Aeneas shows off the technique to dramatic advantage. This complex accordion-fold book creates a multi-dimensional, stage-like backdrop for each act of Purcell’s opera.

From the collection of Rare Book School