Moments Preserved by Irving Penn (Book)

This book was published in 1984 by MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art) in conjunction with an exhibition which was the first major retrospective of Penn's work. Penn was one of the most ...

In very good condition with dust Jacket. One of a Limited First Edition of only five thousand copies published in 1992. Unpagenated, Folio. Out of Print and now scarce. The photograp...

This lavish book is an exposition of the innovative Japanese graphic artist and costume designer who was known for her work on stage, screen, advertising and print media. Most famous...

A hardback book published in 1956 with many examples of midcentury furniture designed and produced by some of the most famous designers of that period. Included are the likes of - Gi...

This is a beautiful portfolio with 48 loose plates showing designs (probably dating from the mid-late 1920s) for Art Deco lighting by such as - Edgar Brandt, Schenk and Sons, Jean Pe...

This is a scarce book on the great French Art Deco designer and furniture maker Eugene Printz. He had no formal training but learned his skill...

Moments with Jackie by Jean Mills hardcover book Barnes & Noble Books, 1999 - Celebrities - 120 pages. Stunning black-and-white photography accompanies a close-up portrait of Jacqu...

Architect Irving J. Gill (1870-1936) is widely considered the first and preeminent California architect of the Modernist era. This book looks at the life and architectural achievements of Gill, with brilliant photography by Marvin Rand...

Dive into a musical journey with our Vintage German Sheet Music Book from the beginning of the 20th century. This heavy book, measuring 31x24x2cm, is a treasure trove of composition...

EXTRAORDINARILY EARLY (1806) PRINTED LINEN KERCHIEF GLORIFYING GEORGE WASHINGTON, PRINT WORKS, GERMANTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA Printed in blue ink on coarse, white linen, this patriotic kerchief shows a standing portrait of George Washington, above which is a swag valance and the words “The Effect of Principle, Behold the Man”. The portrait is based on a mezzotint after Gilbert Stuart’s very famous painting of Washington in his later years, most often referred to as the Landsdowne portrait. Stuart painted three versions of it in oil on canvas, one of which was completed in 1796 for a wealthy merchant by the name of William Constable, who commissioned the work for Alexander Hamilton. The kerchief is interesting because it is both American-made and documented. This is exceptionally unusual for any printed textile of the 19th century or prior and the earlier the time period the more unlikely an object is to be identified. This kerchief and a companion piece entitled “The Love of Truth Mark the Boy” (also glorifying Washington, through the fabled story of the cherry tree), were made circa 1806 by Germantown Print Works in Germantown, Pennsylvania. To the left of Washington's image is a portion of his infamous farewell address to his troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. To the right is a short excerpt from his eulogy. Below these are three images. In the center is a square-rigged tall ship with “Commercial Union” above it, flanked by the American eagle on the left and the British lion on the right. It is reasonable to assume that the textile may have been produced in demonstration of the maker's desire, and/or that of others, to advance trade with England. Commercial printers were very influential in early America, as they possessed the means by which to disseminate information. This kerchief and its companion piece are documented in Threads of History, Americana Recorded on Cloth, 1775 - the Present, by Herbert Ridgeway Collins (1979, Smithsonian Press), p. 63, items 38 & 39.* The two pieces pictured are in the collection of Cornell University, but the Collins text also cites an uncut pair to be present in the collection of the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH. The name "Germantown Print Works" is printed on the Western Reserve examples. Another example of the textile in question is documented in "Running for President, The Candidates and Their Images, 1789-1896" by Schlesinger, Israel, and Frendt, (1994, Simon & Schuster), p. 15. I have seen three different color variations of this textile, including sepia, mulberry red, and blue. This particular example has a hand-sewn binding along the top, lower, and left edges. Mounting: The textile was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and preservation of flags and have framed thousands of examples. The gilded molding has a rippled profile and dates to the period between 1825 and 1850.The background is 100% cotton twill, black in color. The glazing is U.V. protective plexiglass. Feel free to contact us for more details. Condition: There is an all-over golden oxidation of the white fabric and there is very minor staining. There are tiny tack holes in each corner and there are minor nicks around the perimeter. * Collins relates that Germantown Printworks was operated by the Hewsons. In doing so he cites one of Worthington Chauncey Ford's books on George Washington, but it isn't clear which one (there are many) and no page numbers are given. John Hewson was an Englishman who came to America and opened his printing business on the advice of Benjamin Franklin. He was one of the first “calico printers” and is the earliest documented to have advertised printed kerchiefs. His ads for bandanas appear as early as June 20th, 1774. He is suspected of having produced the very first American kerchief that pictured an American president, which is documented in Collins as item 1 on page 48. Linda Eaton, curator at Winterthur, in 2012, is currently doing in depth research on the three printers of fabrics that were operating in Germantown in early America. She discovered that the owner and/or operator of Germantown Print Works, while not currently known, was not John Hewson. This information is not yet published. She also noted that Winterthur possessed examples of the two George Washington textiles...

A rare first edition of Washington Irving's "Tales of a Traveler" published under the pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon by John Murray Albemarle-Street, London 1824. Bound in 3/4 calf with ...

Explore the magic of Paola Paronetto's unique and enchanting paper-clay ceramics through the pages of this beautifully presented coffee table book. Discover how Paola's sculptures ar...