The Mosher Press Bindings

 

Clara Chipman Newton


Clara Chipman Newton (1848-1936) was both secretary and decorator at Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, OH. This following example of her work was shown at the 1992 Mosher Press exhibit at Temple University and one of the pages is described and illustrated in the exhibit catalogue, Thomas Bird Mosher and the Art of the Book (Philadelphia: F. A. Davis, 1992), pp. 32-33 and p. 97 (see The Ideal Series of Little Masterpices for details). Illumination by Newton on a Mosher book provides a unique conjunction between several branches of the Arts and Crafts Movement: pottery, Mosher's publications of the period, and the art of illumination.

An entry and color illustration also appears in Thomas Bird Mosher--Pirate Prince of Publishers.

R38. (Illumination--Clara Chipman Newton) Wilde, Oscar. Poems in Prose. (Ideal Series of Little Masterpieces) 1906. This delightfully illuminated copy contains numerous full-page, intricate watercolor decorations, signed by Clara Chipman Newton.

Example 1: [536kb] Title and conjugate signed page.
Example 2: [593kb] Inner title "The Artist" & conjugate page.
Example 3: [534kb] Inner title "The Doer of Good" & conjugate page.
Example 4: [525kb] Inner title "The Master" & conjugate page.
Example 5: [472kb] Inner title "The House of Judgement" & conjugate page.
Example 6: [612kb] Page opening in "The Teacher of Wisdom."
Example 7: [560kb] Beginning of "The Teacher of Wisdom" & conjugate page.
Example 8: [591kb] Opening lines of "The Master" & conjugate page.

 

A WWW presentation by Phil Bishop and Scott Anderson.