Studio: international art (2.1894)

The Arts and Crafts Exhibition, 1893

feels a new thrill of pleasure in noticing how they feast of pleasure to a true book-lover, not, it must
keep the first place. Very good also is a cover be owned, without considerable misgivings on
for Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market, by many points. Mr. Morris's ideal represents

DESIGN FOR A WALL-PAPER FRIEZE, BY SIDNEY HAWARD

Laurence Housman, illustrated last month; also possibly an artist's notion of a perfect book, but

a cover designed by L. Leslie Brooke, and an em- a bibliophile has his own canons of excellence and

broidered book-cover, which is an admirable speci- cannot set them aside even at the bidding of such

men of a class strangely absent in the Exhibition, a designer, poet, and profound scholar as the head

It is impossible, for want of space, to mention of the Kelmscott Press. The title-pages, with the

many other cloth-bindings that deserve a favourable letters backed by flowing ornament, the use of

notice in our pages. capitals throughout the page with the lines of the

Among the drawings on the walls, a memorable verse disregarded, as in Tennyson's Maud, and
group by Dante G. Rossetti, which, although some the heavy borders with narrow margins, are surely
have been seen elsewhere, are a delight to re- not entirely defensible from a bookman's stand-
study, as are the examples by Frederick A. point, nor quite satisfactory after the masterpieces
Sandys. Here the Birmingham School is again of Aldines and Elzevirs. Granted, however, that
to the fore. The very noteworthy drawings to one must note these points, the pleasure of recog-
Andersen's Fairy Tales (George Allen), by Arthur nising fully their beautiful founts, the superb paper,
J. Gaskin, two of which were illustrated in last and solid black and red ink, and a hundred other
month's Studio, bear witness to the advent of details, may be as frankly recorded, and a very
a new draughtsman of considerable power and genuine tribute offered to the care and taste so
invention. Others by C. M. Gere, E. H. New, fully expended on them as a whole.
Sidney Heath, Florence M. Rudland, Violet The designs for The Story of the Glittering
Holden, Mary Newill, Georgie Cave France, are a Plain, by Walter Crane, shows the artist's fertile
convincing proof of the hold this particular style invention at its best. The commercial designs by
of book illustration has obtained on past and pre- Lewis F. Day prove that art may turn book-
sent pupils of that admirable School of Art. wrappers and advertisements to things of beauty.

In one of the cases, are several of the wood blocks Among other draughtsmen whose black and white

designed and cut by C. S. Ricketts and C. H. work deserves notice, are Louis Davis, Francis D.

Shannon for their edition of Daphnis and Chloe. Bedford, Reginald Hallward, and Heywood

The work of these two artists already has in- Sumner. R. Anning Bell's pen-and-ink studies

fluenced our younger designers to an unusual are entirely delightful, if unequal, and show that

extent, and if not household words to the outside this young artist at his best is in the front rank of

public, one may doubt if the work of any of their decorative illustrators.

contemporaries is more eagerly studied by their Although many of the black and white designs

fellow-artists. Even those who do not agree with come so thoroughly within the province of The

their ideal pay them the tribute of active hostility, Studio, they cannot be adequately noticed here,

while their admirers look upon the Vale and its Laurence Housman's title-page for Francis Thomp-

Dial (the third number of which was issued just son's Poems, however, must not be overlooked,

too late to be shown here) as a new Germ. In the balcony, among the most noteworthy

To omit a mention of the array of Kelmscott items are two clever decorative panels by Mrs.

Press books would be impossible, and one lingers Walter Cave ; an admirable design for a wall-paper

before the case, approving or criticising minor frieze by Sidney Haward, whose artistic poster in

details, but appreciating the whole display as a a recent issue was by inadvertence attributed to his
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