Binding by Arthur Gaskin for ‘Good King Wenceslas’ (original) (raw)

Cloth binding for Good King Wenceslas

Arthur Gaskin

1895

Card binding

10½ x 7¾ inches

This extraordinary binding exemplifies the Birmingham School’s plainness and functionality. Rejecting the elaborate pattern making of the 90s, Gaskin’s cover is made of a light blue card, with a printed panel, struck from wood-engraving, in the top left hand corner. [Commentary continues below.]

Photograph and text by Simon Cooke. [Click on image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

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