Glen Allen, Virginia - You can't turn on the television or check your mail without seeing a political ad these days, but political propaganda of the past was very different - and more decorative. In the early 20th century, political viewpoints still filled the media in newspapers, magazines, and specially printed broadsides, and one of the more popular means for spreading such propaganda was in the form of maps. These "persuasive" maps were often bright, colorful works of art that caught the reader's eye and could influence opinions. An impressive selection of these political and persuasive maps will be offered at Old World Auctions in their online auction from November 1-14.

World War I witnessed an explosion of political maps intended to convince a nation's population to rally behind their country's war efforts. Three superb examples are Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark! by G. W. Bacon & Company (1914), Humoristische Karte von Europa im Jahre 1914 by Karl Lehmann-Dumont (1914), and Gedrangte Fruhjahrsubersicht von Europa im Jahre 1915 by Lucas Grafe (1915). Hark! Hark!, estimated at $1,800-2,400, gives a British view at the outbreak of the war with each principal country in the conflict depicted as a Dog of War. Germany is an aggressive Dachshund, Britain is a protective bulldog, and France is a dandified poodle. Humoristische Karte and Gedrangte Fruhjahrsubersicht, estimated at $1,300-1,700 and $1,800-2,200 respectively, give a German perspective of the war, with countries symbolized by political caricatures, such as a Russian armed with a bottle of vodka and Britain personified as John Bull.

Other political maps focus on topics that are still relevant today, such as nationalism and the influx of immigrants. The February 1916 cover to Life Magazine warned readers of what might happen if the United States did not protect itself both at home and abroad against a strong German Empire. On this cover, titled My Country, 'Tis of Thee and estimated at $190-220, the United States has been renamed "New Prussia" with Germanized versions of various cities. Perhaps a modern-day version of this map would feature the U.S. as "New Russia."

A Friendship Map, estimated at $120-150, was published by the National Council of Churches in 1956 to promote tolerance of the numerous immigrant groups throughout the United States. The map advocates "That in our Freedom others may be free!" and shows the myriad industries that rely on various religious and ethnic groups to flourish - even "migrant workers" and "wet backs" are deemed friends.

In addition to these political maps, Old World Auctions' November 14 sale will feature over 700 antique maps, atlases and books spanning five centuries of history. The auction catalog will be available online beginning on October 31 at www.oldworldauctions.com. Register to bid at www.oldworldauctions.com/register

Established in 1977, Old World Auctions is the leading specialist in antique maps. The company has researched and listed over 100,000 maps and atlases in their auctions, and offers their research free to the public through their online archive. Old World Auctions offers a 100% money-back guarantee on the authenticity and condition report of every item sold and maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. The company is owned and operated in Glen Allen, Virginia, by University of Virginia alumni, Eliane & Jon Dotson. 

New York - Swann Auction Galleries’ auction of Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books on Tuesday, October 16 garnered eager interest from bibliophiles, exceeding the sale’s high estimate and earning more than 750K. In a focused offering with just under 300 lots, 95% of works found buyers, with particularly active bidding for incunabula, Philippine imprints and works on science. Tobias Abeloff, Specialist of Early Printed Books at Swann Galleries, noted of the sale, “Heavy bidding on illustrated incunabula and a scarce early Philippine navigation manual pushed prices well above their estimates.”

The top lot of the sale was a fifteenth-century edition of Reysen und Wanderschafften durch das Gelobte Land, Strassburg, 1488, by Jean de Mandeville, which sold for $106,250. The book, a seventh edition in German, translated by Otto von Diemeringen, is especially noteworthy as an account of the known world dating from the mid-fourteenth century and mentions the Holy Land, routes there from Europe, and Asia and Africa.

Additional incunables featured Giovanni Boccaccio’s De claris mulieribus, Louvain, 1487, the third edition of the first published work of female biography, as well as its first edition in Spanish, De las mujeres illustres en roma[n]ce, Zaragoza, 1494. The books reached $27,500 and $45,000, respectively. A first edition of the rule of St. Benedict establishing guidelines for monastic life, published 1490, Venice, earned $7,500.

Philippine imprints did exceptionally well with José Bueno Cabrera González’s Navegación Especulativa, y Prácica, Manila, 1734, bringing $55,000, a record for the work. Other notable Philippine works included a first edition of a history of the Franciscan mission to the Far East by Juan Francisco de San Antonio (Price Realized: $18,750); Juan de la Concepción’s Historia General de Philipinas, Manila, 1788-92 ($16,250); and a first edition of Pedro S.J. Murillo Velarde’s Historia de la provincial de la Compañia de Jesús, Manila, 1749 ($6,500).

A popular selection of scientific works was led by a first edition of James Clerk Maxwell’s classic A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, Oxford, 1873, which brought $7,800. A first edition of an account of Robert Hutchings Goddard’s early jet propulsion experiments, A method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes, Washington, D.C., 1919, garnered $7,500; and a first edition in English, from a limited 350 copies, of Sir Isaac Newton’s Two Treatises of the Quadrature of Curves, London, 1745, sold for $7,250.

The next auction of Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books at Swann Galleries will be held in Spring 2019. The house accepts consignments on a rolling basis: contact Tobias Abeloff, tabeloff@swanngalleries.com, with inquiries.

Chicago--Potter and Potter's highly anticipated fall sale did not escape the interest - or pocketbooks - of Houdiniana enthusiasts worldwide! After the hammer fell for the last time, 47 lots realized between $1,000-3,999; 12 lots made between $4,000-7,499, and four lots exceeded $7,500. Prices noted include the company's 20% buyer's premium. 

Houdini handcuffs and apparatus were heavy metal favorites in this auction. Lot #68, a pair of Providence Tool Co. handcuffs from the Houdini-Wresch Collection, made $11,400 on its $4,000-6,000 estimate. This marked, 19th century set included its original key and was accompanied by a series of letters fully documenting its provenance and chain of ownership from the Houdini family onward. Lot #69, a screw-key barrel padlock from the Houdini-Dunninger Collection, beat its low estimate more than five times over to sell at $5,520. This iron, center-recessed example included its original key and multiple provenance documents. And lot #69a, a handsomely framed barrel key from Houdini’s collection traded hands at $3,360 on its $700-900 estimate. Its presentation included a photograph of Houdini in cuffs, locks, and chains; a linen mat; and an engraved presentation plaque.  

Books and publications written by or about Harry Houdini were also best sellers at this event. Lot #1, a truly rare and incredible 1898 copy of Houdini’s own Magic Made Easy by Harry Houdini. King of Cards…Monarch of Shackles and Handcuffs sold for $9,600 on its $3,000-4,000 estimate. According to our President, Gabe Fajuri, "I never thought I'd see, let alone sell a copy of this Houdini pitchbook, published before his rise to fame, when he was truly "down and out," forced to sell the secrets behind  magic tricks to help make ends meet." Lot #5, The Famous Houdini. The Original Jail Breaker and Hand Cuff King realized $7,200 on its $900-1,200 estimate. This 1907 publication included advertisements for Houdini’s Conjuror’s Monthly on its inside front and rear covers. And lot #53, an inscribed copy of the Thrilling Episodes of John Clempert from 1909 made $720 on its $100-200 estimate. This lot included a cabinet photo of John Clempert (1878-1940) seated before four shirtless men and a snapshot of Clempert standing on a wooden platform. Clempert was an escape artist like Houdini, albeit lesser known. 

Houdini related ephemera was well represented in this sale, with a full range of posters, photographs, brochures, and promotional materials on offer. Lot #62, an eight-sheet (109” x 86”) color lithograph billboard from 1924 titled Buried Alive! Egyptian Fakirs Outdone. Master Mystifier realized $7,800. This visually stunning example pictured Houdini’s head floating above an Egyptian scene featuring the Sphinx. Lot #78, a candid, sepia-toned photograph of a Houdini underwater escape stunt sold for $3,600 - more than five times its high estimate. This c. 1910s example pictured Houdini in restraints in mid-air, diving into the water from a gazebo, surrounded by a small crowd of witnesses. And lot #251, a throw out card from magician Okito (Tobias Bamberg, 1875-1963) made $3,600 - three times its low estimate. This example, from around 1907, is the only known one of its kind. 

The results of this Houdiniana auction solidify Potter & Potter’s reputation as the best choice for buying and selling historically important archives. Lot #274, an archive of magicians’ correspondence and ephemera from the Horst Mueller Collection generated $2,640 and a whopping 39 bids. This 100+ piece collection, spanning the 1960-1990 time frame, included  a Chicago greeting card signed by Ricky Jay, Jay Marshall, and other magicians; several Alois Kassner signed letters; Stanley Jaks signed and inscribed lecture notes; letters from the Secretary of The Prince of Wales, on Buckingham Palace letterhead; and many other treasures. 

And lot #59, a group of 19 pitch books and pamphlets on escape artists from the 1900s through the 1930s realized $1,440 on its $300-400 estimate. 

This signature sale came full circle with museum-quality selections of magic related antiques and apparatus, modern and vintage automatons, and other intriguing rarities. Lot #256, badges to the Magicians’ Club London and other fraternal organizations belonging to German magician Kalanag (Helmut Schreiber, 1903-1963) made $960 on their $200-300 estimate. Kalanag’s carved figural ivory-tipped wand - lot #260 - sold for $3,840 on its $700-900 estimate. Lot #275, a Blooming Orange Tree automaton and music box made by French artist Pierre Mayer in 2005 blossomed at $9,000, three times its low estimate. And rounding things out here, lot #290 - a turned hardwood cannonball vase - made $5,760. This 19 ½” example was nearly identical in appearance to the vase illustrated in the pages of Thayer’s Magical Woodcraft catalog from 1912.  

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, “We were pleased to see strong results in all categories, especially for the choice and rare material. No magician draws a crowd like Houdini, some ninety two years after his death, and the sales of his pitch books, photographs, and posters prove that point in spades.”

Potter & Potter, founded in 2007, is a Chicago area auction house specializing in paper Americana, vintage advertising, rare books, playing cards, gambling memorabilia, posters, fine prints, vintage toys, and magicana - antiques and collectibles related to magic and magicians. The company's next sale, Freakatorium: The Collection of Johnny Fox, will be held on November 10, 2018.  For more information, please see www.potterauctions.com.  Follow us on Facebook (potterandpotterauctions), Twitter (PnPAuctions), and Instagram (potterauctions). 

A new book, “Game Faces: Early Baseball Cards from the Library of Congress,” offers baseball fans and historians a visual delight that showcases early baseball cards from the 19th and early 20th centuries alongside photos from the early days of the nation’s beloved pastime. Author Peter Devereaux takes readers behind the scenes of the Library of Congress’ Benjamin K. Edwards Collection to see the vibrant world of the early boom of America’s pastime.

“Game Faces” was published in October 2018 by Smithsonian Books in association with the Library of Congress. It is the first book to explore the Library’s extensive collection of early baseball cards, providing both the history and cultural context that reveals baseball cards as documents of their times as well as their teams. The book accompanies the Library’s ongoing exhibition “Baseball Americana,” which is open through June 2019.

In the 1880s, more than half of the population lived in rural areas without major league baseball teams of their own. Since pictures were rare in newspapers, the only way these fans could follow the game was through the box scores and printed recaps of games. The new baseball cards, brightly colored and with precise detail, brought the legends of the game to life for people all across the nation. “Game Faces” not only highlights cards depicting many of the early stars of baseball like Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and Christy Mathewson, but also shines a light on the lesser known figures.

“First created as advertising aids, baseball cards celebrate America’s national pastime as well as its entrepreneurial spirit,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden wrote in the preface. “The colorful cards appealed immediately to baseball fans of all ages, and their widespread availability spurred their popularity. Their charm persists today, as the images they bear of players who inspired the first ‘bugs and cranks’ (a term for baseball supporters) bring the history of the game to life.”

“Game Faces” provides engaging insights into the players, the development of the game and American culture at the turn of the 20th century. Learn about the rich, engrossing history of the baseball card and the ways it has influenced and shaped not only baseball culture but American culture as a whole.

About the Author: Peter Devereaux is writer-editor at the Library of Congress and author of “The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures.”

“Game Faces: Early Baseball Cards from the Library of Congress,” a 155-page hardcover book with more than 300 images, is available for $19.99 in the Library of Congress Shop, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C., and through retailers. Credit card orders are taken at (888) 682-3557 or online at loc.gov/shop/.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States - and extensive materials from around the world - both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

New York - TEFAF New York Fall, which opens to the public this week, on Saturday, October 27, and runs through Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at the historic Park Avenue Armory releases a selection of key works to be exhibited at the much-anticipated third edition of the Fair. 

The Fair, which features 93 of the world’s leading art and antiques dealers, including 10 new exhibitors, showcases top quality, strictly-vetted works from a variety of collecting areas including fine and decorative art from antiquity to 1920, as well as rare books and manuscripts, jewelry, portrait miniatures, arms and armor, and much more. TEFAF has refreshed the conversation and the climate for historic art in America by highlighting its relevance and providing an innovative platform and collector experience. In a year that saw Salvator Mundi sell for $450 million at a contemporary art auction, Victoria Beckham hosting Old Master Paintings at her store in London, and Beyonce and Jay-Z filming their music video in the Louvre - older art has firmly crossed-over into the pop-culture milieu in a most discernable way. 

For more than three decades, TEFAF has been widely regarded as the world’s preeminent organization devoted to fine art, design and antiquities, celebrated for its dedication to historical importance and unrivalled quality. The specialist dealers at TEFAF are experts in their fields, providing both a wealth of knowledge and an all- encompassing picture of cultural and artistic evolution and development through a range of time periods and mediums in an elegantly curated display at the Armory. 

Returning for this iteration of the Fair are monumental works displayed in the public spaces of the Armory, outside of the exhibitor’s booths and historic rooms. This program utilizes the soaring spaces and unique architectural framework of the Park Avenue Armory to enable dealers to showcase larger scale works which adds to the overall offering at the Fair. The works to be featured in the public spaces of the armory are from the exhibitor Mullany (UK, stand 373), showing a rare Flemish tapestry Feuilles de choux with stag (c. 1550-70), Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts (US, stand 202) displaying William Hunt Diederich’s (1854-1953) Polo Players Weathervane (c.1926), Gregg Baker Asian Art (UK, stand 353) presenting a pair of Ishiyama Taihaku’s (1893-1961) Two-Fold Screens with Egrets Perched on the Branches of a Willow Tree (c. 1934), and Robert Simon Fine Art (US, stand 327) showing The Martyrdom of Saint Peter (c. 1660-65) by Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (1636-88).

TEFAF New York Fall 2018 will include a dynamic range of exceedingly rare, museum-quality, and historically significant pieces, such as a full-length portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) offered by exhibitor Hirschl & Adler (US, stand 370).

Amongst the stellar decorative works of art being brought to the Fair are Thomas Chippendale’s (1718-79) The Brocket Hall Saloon Chairs (1773) shown by Ronald Phillips (UK, stand 357) which once belonged to Sir Elton John, as well as a gold brooch (c. 1842) a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria to commemorate the birth of their first born child, also called Victoria, brought by Wartski (UK, stand 311). Also notable and new to market, is a singular and rare compilation of five of Ovid’s Heroides (c. 1493) presented to queen consort Anne of Brittany, which is presented by Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books AG (Switzerland, stand 336).

For the complete TEFAF New York Fall 2018 exhibitor list, please click here. A full list of Fair highlights are available in the supporting document.

The exhibitor offering is supported by a comprehensive and informative series of coffee and afternoon talks, A complete list of the cultural programming for TEFAF New York Fall 2018 is available here.

The Fair’s Opening VIP Preview takes place on Friday, October 26, from 1:00 - 8:00 PM, with The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering hosting its Opening Night Benefit from 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Proceeds of the evening support The Society’s patient care, research, and education programs at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, as well as the acclaimed cultural programs produced by the Park Avenue Armory.

Opening Night tickets are available for purchase at www.giving.mskcc.org/tefaf, or by calling +1 212.639.7972.

Boston--When Bernice Bornstein started the Boston Book Print and Ephemera Show twenty years ago, she called it a “shadow show” because it was in a garage across the street and literally in the shadows of the ABAA’s Boston International Book Fair. Bornstein grew the show and moved it to the Radisson Hotel and then to the Park Plaza Castle. When Marvin Getman purchased the show in 2013, he moved it into a much brighter space closer to the Hynes Auditorium and the ABAA Fair. At the same time, he started to promote his fair as the Satellite Fair. “I remember thinking that I was going to lift the show out of the shadows and launch it into orbit. I always felt that my fairs should be able to stand on their own without being dependent on another fair. I think I’ve proven that with my Brooklyn fair which now attracts dealers, curators, and librarians from all over the country. I am pleased that the Boston fair has proven that, by attracting a good quality group of dealers, it stands on its own as a fair that collectors and dealers love to attend.”

This year the fair has attracted several dealers who have not exhibited before, namely, Detroit dealer Evan Bates of Evan bates books and documents, Massachusetts bookbinder Christine Carpenter of Green Dragon bindery, ephemera dealer Al Malpa of Chester, CT, James McBride and Teri Osborn of newly established McBride Rare books based in New Haven, CT, Burton Miller of Books of Yore, Purcellville, VA, Boston dealer Robert Minnocci of RJM Autogtraphs and Antiques, Cincinnati dealer Ted Twyman of The First Edition Rare Books, and Ralph Galo of Eclectibles, Tolland, CT.

These dealers will join 60 others at this one-day fair on Saturday November 17, at the Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St. just 4 walkable blocks from the ABAA fair. Hours are 8am-4pm. Discounted admissions are available online at bookandpaperfairs.com.

London - A brilliant mind whose discoveries have shaped our understanding of the universe, Stephen Hawking, who died on 14 March this year, is one of the most well regarded physicists of all time. Christie’s is honoured to present a remarkable selection of 22 lots from the legendary physicist’s estate during an online sale entitled ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’, taking place between 31 October - 8 November.

The lots featured in Christie’s online sale range from the offprints (the scientist’s own printed copies) of his most important papers, including his seminal ‘Black hole explosions’ of 1974, to a selection of his medals and awards, a copy of his best-selling ‘A Brief History of Time’ (1988) signed with a thumbprint, a bomber jacket, and the script for one of his appearances on The Simpsons. Estimates in this auction start as low as £100.  The last lot of the sale, one of Hawking’s iconic wheelchairs, will be sold to benefit the Stephen Hawking Foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Thomas Venning, Head of the Books and Manuscripts department, Christie’s London comments: It has been a huge privilege for Christie’s to work on this selection of objects from the estate of one of the most brilliant minds of the last half-century. The lots selected for sale highlight Professor Hawking’s remarkable achievements in science alongside his unique personality and inspirational life story. The sale concludes with Professor Hawking’s wheelchair, in which he both toured the world as a successful scientific communicator, and from which his mind voyaged to the outer reaches of space-time, making it literally and figuratively one of the most-travelled wheelchairs in history. 

Lucy Hawking comments - We are very pleased to have the assistance of Christie's to help us with the important matter of managing our beloved father's archives and his unique and precious collection of personal and professional belongings, chronicling his life and work. We hope to be able to offer our father's archive to the nation through the Acceptance in Lieu* process as we feel it is a huge part of his legacy but also of the history of science in this country. We are also giving admirers of his work the chance to acquire a memento of our father's extraordinary life in the shape of a small selection of evocative and fascinating items. In addition, we will be auctioning one of our father's historic wheelchairs, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Stephen Hawking Foundation. 

A highlight of the group is Hawking’s thesis typescript, an opportunity not to be missed for collectors (estimate: £100,000-150,000). When Professor Stephen Hawking’s PhD thesis was made available online by Cambridge University in October 2017, it proved so popular that it crashed the University’s website. Christie’s is pleased to be offering one of only five original copies of his thesis alongside early editions which celebrate the scientist’s genius. 

When he wrote his thesis in October 1965, Hawking was already suffering with the early symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (‘ALS’), and it was his wife Jane, whom he had married three months earlier, who typed out the 117 pages of the document, painstakingly adding the mathematical equations by hand. The thesis is signed in Hawking’s distinctively shaky handwriting, with the statement ‘This dissertation is my original work. S.W. Hawking’. Of the 22 lots featured in the sale, 12 are offprints of Hawking’s most important papers, including ‘Origin of Structure in the Universe’, ‘Spectrum of Wormholes’ and ‘Fundamental Breakdown of Physics in Gravitational Collapse’, illustrated below. The online sale ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ will present these offprints alongside rare and important autograph letters and manuscripts by leading scientific forebears including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein. News regarding this auction will be announced in the coming days. 

New York-An auction of Old Master Through Modern Prints on Thursday, November 1 at Swann Galleries offers a grand selection of prints by Pablo Picasso. Rare and museum-quality prints from the fifteenth-to-twentieth centuries act as an overview of the evolution of Western printmaking and chronicle the dramatic changes of the second half of the millennium.

European works from the early twentieth century are led by a powerful selection of works by Pablo Picasso. Hailing from the artist’s Blue Period, Le Repas Frugal, 1904, presents an allegorical scene constructed from glimpses into the lives of those living in poverty (Estimate: $100,000-150,000). Flûtiste et Trois Femmes nues, 1932, is one of 100 Neoclassical-style subjects Picasso etched for Suite Vollard, valued at $8,000 to $12,000. Late color linoleum cuts include La Femme au Chapeau, 1962, which spotlights the artist’s second wife Jacqueline Roque, and Le Vieux Roi, 1963 ($80,000-120,000 and $15,000-20,000, respectively).

Additional works from the twentieth century include Les Chevaux Daliniens, 1972, a complete set of 25 color lithographs with embossing by Salvador Dalí ($15,000-20,000); René Margritte’s Trois Pommes, circa 1968 ($1,200-1,800); and Alberto Giacometti’s scarce, early etching, Sans titre, 1935 ($10,000-15,000).

Exemplary works from old masters feature Rembrandt van Rijn’s The Windmill, 1641, at $70,000 to $100,000, and Albrecht Dürer’s Melencolia I, 1514 ($60,000-90,000). Other notable lots include The Drunken Silenus, 1597-1600, by Annibale Carracci, estimated at $2,500 to $3,500, and a run of prints by Francisco José de Goya, including Las Proverbios: Additional Plates, 1824, which features the complete set of four aquatints ($5,000-8,000).

Mary Cassatt is represented in the sale with Baby’s Back, a scarce print from 1890 ($10,000-15,000); Baby’s Lullaby, circa 1887 ($6,000-9,000); and Marjorie Wearing a Dress with Puffed Sleeves, circa 1895 ($7,000-10,000). Also, from the nineteenth century come a slew of works by James Jacques Tissot. The assortment is led by Octobre, 1878, an etching based on the painting of the same name from 1877, and depicts Mrs. Kathleen Newton, the artist’s frequent model and companion, also featured in L’?té, 1878 ($15,000-20,000 and $2,000-3,000, respectively).

Latin American material includes Rufino Tamayo’s Galaxia, 1977, at $5,000 to $8,000, and an array of works by David A. Siqueiros.

A strong selection of works by American printmakers is led by East Side Interior, 1922, one of Edward Hopper’s most celebrated etchings, which displays the artist’s use of heavy chiaroscuro and strong, dark hatching ($50,000 to $80,000). George Bellows’s lithograph, Introducing the Champion, 1916, is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000. A substantial amount of prints by Thomas Hart Benton include Wreck of the Ol’ 97, 1944, which pictures the famous Southern Railway locomotive as it derails at Stillhouse Trestle near Danville, Virginia in September of 1903 ($10,000-15,000).

Austin, TX — A detailed look at the history of the Arts and Crafts movement is the focus of a new exhibition at The University of Texas at Austin.

Displayed at the Harry Ransom Center from Feb. 9 through July 14, 2019, “The Rise of Everyday Design: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and America” examines how the ideas of Arts and Crafts reformers, influential to this day, transformed the homes and lives of ordinary people in the 19th and 20th centuries.

With more than 250 books, drawings, furniture pieces, decorative arts objects, photographs and advertising ephemera, the exhibition appeals to anyone with an interest in architecture and design, including professionals, enthusiasts and those interested in the antecedents of lifestyle branding and today’s maker movement.

It is organized into three main sections. “The Birth of the Arts and Crafts Idea” considers the founding ideals of designers and theorists in Britain, “The Arts and Crafts in America” shows how the principles of the movement crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and “The Postwar Legacy” explores the persistence of the American Arts and Crafts movement beyond World War II. This narrative highlights the contributions of Alice and Elbert Hubbard and The Roycrofters, William Morris and The Kelmscott Press, John Ruskin, Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright, bungalow culture and a burgeoning do-it-yourself craft movement.

Visitors will learn how the movement’s theorists and makers spread their ideas through books, retail showrooms and world's fairs. Concerned with the daily realities of the Industrial Age, they used design to envision and promote a new and improved way of living.

The movement was transformed as its tenets of simple design, honest use of materials and social value of handmade goods were widely adopted and commodified by large companies. The exhibition explores how these objects, originally handmade and costly, came to be manufactured and sold to the everyday consumer.

Christopher Long, professor of history and theory in UT’s School of Architecture, and Monica Penick, associate professor in the Department of Design in the School of Design and Creative Technologies, curated the exhibition.

“The exhibition's distinction is its emphasis on the Arts and Crafts' transformation from a movement that made handcrafted objects for the well-to-do to a popular phenomenon of mass- manufactured, inexpensive pieces sold through retail outlets like Sears, Roebuck & Co.," Penick said. "The Arts and Crafts idea persisted long after it is usually said to have expired, well into the 1950s and 1960s. The Ransom Center, with its wide-ranging collections of both British and American art, architecture and design, is ideally suited to tell this story.”

Items from the Center's collections include hand-drawn designs and sketches by Ruskin and Morris, books and marketing materials of the Kelmscott and Roycroft presses, stained glass designs by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones and plates from Wright's Wasmuth portfolio. These are complemented by photographs, furniture and decorative arts objects from the university's Alexander Architectural Archives; the Dallas Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and private collections.

“Viewers will see many objects that are seldom shown, including unique documents and rare sales catalogs and brochures,” Long said.

The exhibition “The Rise of Everyday Design: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and America” is accompanied by a catalog of the same title. Published by Yale University Press in association with the Ransom Center and edited by Penick and Long, it features essays such as “The Kelmscott Press and the Modern Popular Book,” “The Arts and Crafts Knock-Off and U.S. Intellectual Property Law” and “The Sears Modern Home.”

Visitors can view the free exhibition on Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended Thursday hours until 7 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays the galleries are open from noon to 5 p.m. Free docent-led tours are offered daily at noon, Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

New York —The Morgan Library & Museum announced today the appointment of Maria L. Fredericks as the Sherman Fairchild Head of the Thaw Conservation Center. Founded in 2002 with the support of Eugene Thaw, a longtime Morgan Trustee, the Thaw Conservation Center is a world-renowned  laboratory facility for the study and conservation of works on paper and parchment, including drawings, illuminated manuscripts, rare books, fine bindings, prints, photographs, and literary, historical, and music manuscripts. Ms. Fredericks’s new role is the first full-time leadership position for the center and was made possible by an endowment from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation.

In her new role, Fredericks will lead the staff of the Thaw Center, oversee the long-term conservation of the collection, and broaden the Morgan’s conservation-related programs. She succeeds Peggy Ellis, who was Director of the center from its inception in 2002 through 2016. Prior to this appointment, Fredericks was the Drue Heinz Book Conservator at the Morgan, a position she held for thirteen years during which she oversaw the preservation of rare manuscripts and books, enabling the Morgan to present these works to the public under the right conditions and in the best light. She has mentored numerous graduate interns and post-graduate fellows, while also carrying out technical research and conservation treatment on treasures of the Morgan’s collection, such as the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, the Golden Gospels of Henry VIII,and an illuminated Pontifical made for Pope Leo X.

“The Sherman Fairchild Foundation has been very generous in endowing this leadership position in the Thaw Conservation Center,” said Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan. “The TCC helps preserve irreplaceable works of art and works on paper, in addition to training talented conservators, many of whom go on to lead conservation efforts at other institutions both nationally and internationally. Ms. Fredericks has contributed greatly to the Center, and we are delighted to continue supporting her work at the Morgan.” 

Before coming to the Morgan in 2005, Fredericks was Head of Conservation at Columbia University Libraries, where she managed the conservation program for twenty campus libraries including Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, the C.V. Starr East Asian Library and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library. She has also held positions at the Library of Congress, the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, and the Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Coptic Museum Archives in Cairo, she contributed to conservation and preservation efforts on rare manuscripts.

A graduate of Swarthmore College with a B.A. in art history, Ms. Fredericks has lectured, taught and published extensively on book conservation and historical bindings.Since 2010, she has been a Visiting Lecturer at the NYU Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center, where she has taught graduate students specializing in rare book conservation and participated in curriculum development for a Mellon-funded initiative in Library and Archives Conservation Education (LACE).

“The Thaw Conservation Center, with its stellar staff of conservators and preparators has a well-established track record of maintaining the highest professional standards in teaching, conservation treatment and collections care,” said Fredericks. “I am excited and honored to be continuing this work in the company of such wonderful colleagues.”

Frank Trujillo has been promoted to replace Ms. Fredericks as the Drue Heinz Book Conservator. Mr. Trujillo has been at the Morgan since 2006, most recently as Associate Book Conservator. He will continue to evaluate, treat, and research the bound collections from all curatorial departments at the Morgan. His previously published research has focused on technical aspects of the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, the Hours of Claude de France, French Romanesque bindings, and the Coptic Binding Collection at the Morgan Library & Museum.