The Ladies of The White House; or, In the Home of the Presidents. [Fore-edge Painting].

HOLLOWAY, Laura C.

The Ladies of The White House; or, In the Home of the Presidents. [Fore-edge Painting].

Philadelphia: Bradley & Company , 1881.

We're sorry, this item has sold.

Out of Stock Item Number: RRB-130248

Custom Clamshell Box

Hand made by the Harcourt Bindery. ~90 days

+$500

Ask a Question

Authenticity Guaranteed

Secure Shipping

First Edition of Laura C. Holloway's The Ladies of The White House; embellished with a double fore-edge painting

First edition of Holloway's complete history of the social and domestic lives of the Presidents from Washington to Garfield. Octavo, bound in full leather richly decorated in gilt, illustrated with numerous tissue-guarded engravings, all edges gilt with a double fore-edge painting of Mount Vernon with portraits of George and Martha Washington and a second of The White House with portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. In very good condition. A unique volume.

The first known example of a disappearing fore-edge painting (where the painting is not visible when the book is closed) dates back to 1649. In the mid 18th century, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings evolved from simply decorative or heraldic designs to landscapes, portraits and religious scenes, usually painted in full color. The technique was popularized by John Brindley (1732-1756), publisher and bookbinder to the Prince of Wales and Edwards of Halifax, a distinguished family of bookbinders and booksellers. The majority of extant examples of fore-edge paintings date to the late 19th and early 20th century on reproductions of books originally published in the early 19th century, including the present volume.