Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection, 1915-1998 | Special Collections & University Archives

By Ellen Jarosz

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Collection Overview

Title: Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection, 1915-1998

Predominant Dates:1970-1998

Primary Creator: Abele, Barbara

Extent: 6.5 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

I. Bookplates by Subject, A-Z

II. Bookplates by Designer, A-Z

III. Collector Files, A-Z

IV. Correspondence

V. Subject Files

VI. American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD)

VII. Published Materials

1.) Bookplates in the News

2.) Other Publications

Date Acquired: 09/18/2003

Subjects: Abele, Barbara, d. 1998--Archives, American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers--Archives, Bookplate Collection, Bookplates--Collectors and collecting, Bookplates--History, Bookplates--Specimens

Forms of Material: Personal Papers

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection documents the historical development of bookplates, bookplate designers, and collectors, as well as the communication networks they used when interacting with each other. The collection dates from 1915 to 1998 with the bulk of documents created or collected between 1970 and 1998. It consists of six main series: Bookplates by Subject, Bookplates by Designer, Collector Files, Correspondence, the American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD), and Published Materials. The Published Materials series includes two subseries: an incomplete run of the newsletter Bookplates in the News, and other miscellaneous published works, all relating to bookplate collecting and designing.

The Bookplates by Subject and Bookplates by Designer series consists of files of bookplates arranged alphabetically by subject, and designer’s last name, filed from A-Z.

The Collector Files are composed of information about different bookplate collectors, and include some correspondence press releases, and news articles.

The Correspondence series consists of correspondence both with individuals and institutions written by Barbara Abele from the 1970s-1990s primarily about sharing and building her collection of bookplates. It is arranged alphabetically by correspondent or general subject.

The Subject Files consist of a few photographs and files generated during research for public presentations made by Abele, and about bookplate collecting. They are filed alphabetically by subject.

The American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD) consists of membership directories dating from 1966, 1977-83, and 1992, and yearbooks dating throughout the 20th century, filed chronologically by year of publication.

The Published Materials series is comprised of two subseries: Bookplates in the News and Other Publications. The collection does not contain a complete run of Bookplates in the News, but does include issues from July 1970 to April 1998. They are filed chronologically. The second subseries, Other Publications, includes a collection of published works drawn upon by Barbara Abele when performing research about bookplates and when networking with other collectors and designers. They are filed alphabetically by author, and inventoried in the Container List below.

Biographical Note

Bookplates, labels indicating ownership pasted inside the front cover of a book, probably originated in Germany in the mid-15th century. The earliest dated bookplate still in existence was created in 1516, and is also German. In North America the earliest known bookplate, dated 1674, was found in colonial New England, while the earliest example created by an American engraver dates from 1749.

Many themes and motifs can be identified in bookplate creation throughout history. Pictorial bookplates include portraits, images of books, views of libraries, and various landscapes. Early armorial bookplates in 16th-century England consisted of a simple unornamented shield, symmetrically mantled helmet, crest, and scroll where the owner's name was usually inscribed. Allegorical bookplates were popular in France during the reign of Louis XV and in England by the mid-18th century. Personifications of the Christian cardinal virtues and other abstract ideas, such as truth, justice, wisdom, hope, and faith usually appeared on bookplates from this period, as well as symbols of the interests and occupations of the book's owner, such as the scales of justice, and naval and military trophies. Toward the end of the 19th century, German designers began to use nude figures as a major motif in bookplate design. This fashion was followed in the rest of Europe and the United States, where figures were treated naturalistically, sometimes with erotic intent.

A variety of methods can be used to make bookplates. As in the past, the majority of bookplates created today are printed. The plates used for making printed labels may be prepared by any photomechanical processes, such as zinc etching. For finer plates the design may be engraved by hand on steel or etched into copper.

Barbara Abele was a long-time collector and researcher of bookplates. She was the niece of Fridolf Johnson, author of the book A Treasury of Bookplates from the Renaissance to the Present, still considered the best modern introduction to the study of bookplates, and spent her life in Redlands and La Jolla, California. She died on April 8, 1998 in La Jolla. She was a member of the American Society of Bookplates Collectors and Designers (ASBCD), and her collection is comprised of thousands of bookplates, sometimes considered miniature pieces of graphic art.

Bookplates are sought by collectors and studied by scholars for the insights they provide into past cultures and societies. Abele’s bookplate collection illustrates the wide scope of past cultures and societies, the communication networks created between individuals who shared an interest in collecting and preserving them, and Abele’s own personal love of nature.

Also contained in the collection are some records of the ASBCD, formed in June of 1922, of which Abele was a member. Charter members included artists Sara B. Hill, Frederick C. Blank,

Elisha Brown Bird, Arthur H. Noll and collectors Rachael M. Hunt and Carlyle S. Baer. The organization’s goal is to further the study and collecting of bookplates. It also serves as a communication network for the entire community of people interested in the history, collection, and preservation of bookplates.

Subject/Index Terms

Abele, Barbara, d. 1998--Archives
American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers--Archives
Bookplate Collection
Bookplates--Collectors and collecting
Bookplates--History
Bookplates--Specimens

Administrative Information

Repository: Special Collections & University Archives

Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions: The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

Acquisition Source: Lori McFadden, Brenda J. Heaney, and Karen G. White

Preferred Citation: Identification of item, folder title, box number, Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Bookplates by Subject],
[Series 2: Bookplates by Designer],
[Series 3: Collector Files],
[Series 4: Correspondence],
[Series 5: Subject Files],
[Series 6: American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD)],
[Series 7: Published Materials],
[All]

Series 1: Bookplates by Subject

Box 1

Folder 1: Abele, Barbara, Bookplates
Folder 2: Allen, Charles Dexter and Frances Louise
Folder 3: Animals
Folder 4: Antioch
Folder 5: Architecture
Folder 6: Armorial Heraldic Seals
Folder 7: Armorial Heraldic Seals
Folder 8: Art Deco
Folder 9: Art Nouveau, 1990
Folder 10: Artists, 1997
Folder 11: Artists and Engravers of British and American Bookplates
Folder 12: Astronomy
Folder 13: Authors' Bookplates
Folder 14: Autographed

Box 2

Folder 1: Birds
Folder 2: Bookplates in the News
Folder 3: Books and Book piles
Folder 4: Books: Reading
Folder 5: Bookstores
Folder 6: Borders, Labels, Typeset
Folder 7: Botanical: Flowers
Folder 8: Botanical: Trees
Folder 9: California, Historic (Talbot, Clare Ryan)
Folder 10: Californians
Folder 11: Calligraphy
Folder 12: Canting
Folder 13: Castles, Knights

Box 3

Folder 1: Cats
Folder 2: Children, toys
Folder 3: Christmas
Folder 4: Contemporary
Folder 5: Crests
Folder 6: Doctors/Medical
Folder 7: Dogs
Folder 8: Don Quixote
Folder 9: Early American
Folder 10: Egyptian / King Tut's Discovery
Folder 11: English Bookplates
Folder 12: Extra Copies
Folder 13: Fireplaces
Folder 14: Fishing
Folder 15: Foreign Countries
Folder 16: Foreign Designers
Folder 17: Gates
Folder 18: Genealogy Societies

Box 4

Folder 1: Hobbies
Folder 2: Hourglass
Folder 3: Human side of Bookplates (Jones, Louise Seymour)
Folder 4: Hotels
Folder 5: Indians
Folder 6: Initials Only on Plates
Folder 7: Lamps
Folder 8: Landscapes
Folder 9: Lawyers
Folder 10: Leather
Folder 11: Libraries, California
Folder 12: Libraries, Societies, Clubs, Colleges, Institutes, Associations
Folder 13: Libraries, United States
Folder 14: Library Interiors
Folder 15: Lincolniana
Folder 16: Lugano, Italy
Folder 17: Lugano, Italy

Box 5

Folder 1: Maps, Globes
Folder 2: Masonic Plates
Folder 3: Mermaids
Folder 4: Military Plates
Folder 5: Miscellaneous
Folder 6: Monks
Folder 7: Mottos and Verse
Folder 8: Music
Folder 9: Old Plates
Folder 10: Olympics
Folder 11: Personal Bookplates
Folder 12: Photocopies
Folder 13: Premium Plates, Commercial
Folder 14: Presses
Folder 15: Redlands

Box 6

Folder 1: Redlands
Folder 2: Religious Buildings
Folder 3: Ships
Folder 4: Ships
Folder 5: Silhouettes
Folder 6: Skeletons, Skulls
Folder 7: Small Bookplates
Folder 8: Sundials
Folder 9: Tiffany and Bullocks
Folder 10: Transportation
Folder 11: United Nations
Folder 12: University Libraries, California

Box 7

Folder 1: University Libraries, International
Folder 2: Unusual
Folder 3: Verses
Folder 4: Women
Folder 5: Woodcuts

Series 2: Bookplates by Designer

Box 7

Folder 6: Agry, G.R.
Folder 7: Armer, Sidney
Folder 8: Artists' Plates
Folder 9: Barrett, William Philipps
Folder 10: Berryman, Clifford K.
Folder 11: Bewick, Thomas
Folder 12: Bird, Elisha Brown
Folder 13: Blackburn, Oscar T.
Folder 14: Brown, Frank Chouteau
Folder 15: Chambers, Jay
Folder 16: Cheney, Sheldon
Folder 17: Clark, A.W.
Folder 18: Clute, Beulah Mitchell
Folder 19: Coyle, Ray
Folder 20: Cross, E.J.
Folder 21: Davis, Donna

Box 8

Folder 1: Drain, Lillian
Folder 2: Endell, Fritz
Folder 3: Euwer, Anthony
Folder 4: Evans, John William
Folder 5: Feint, Adrian
Folder 6: Fingesten, Peter
Folder 7: Fisher, William Edgar
Folder 8: French, Edwin Davis
Folder 9: French, Harry M.
Folder 10: Fuller, George W.
Folder 11: Garrett, E.H.
Folder 12: Gordon, Bank B.
Folder 13: Harrod, Stanley
Folder 14: Hewett, Ainslie
Folder 15: Hollyer, Samuel
Folder 16: Hopson, William Fowler
Folder 17: Hurd, Nathaniel
Folder 18: Johnson, Fridolf
Folder 19: Jones, Dan Burne
Folder 20: Junge, Carl S.
Folder 21: Kirby, Valentine
Folder 22: Lake, Elsmore
Folder 23: Landacre, Paul
Folder 24: Lemos, Pedro J.
Folder 25: McDonald, Arthur N.
Folder 26: Meier, Franz
Folder 27: Noll, Arthur Howard
Folder 28: Pearson, Ralph
Folder 29: Percival, Olive
Folder 30: Poole, Horatio Nelson
Folder 31: Price, Christine M.
Folder 32: Reade, Christa M.
Folder 33: Rhead, Louis John
Folder 34: Rider, Charles Joseph
Folder 35: Rowell, Gretta G.
Folder 36: Saunders (Hallowell), Elizabeth
Folder 37: Seymour, Ralph Fletcher

Box 9

Folder 1: Sherbon, Charles William
Folder 2: Smith, Sidney L.
Folder 3: Spenceley, Frederick
Folder 4: Spenceley, Joseph Winfred
Folder 5: Sterling, Glen
Folder 6: Stone, Pauline
Folder 7: Stone, Wilbur Macy
Folder 8: Tait, B.M.
Folder 9: Teall, Gardner C.
Folder 10: Thomspon, Fred
Folder 11: Triptych Group
Folder 12: Truesdell, Windred Porter
Folder 13: Wagner, Rob "Pawprint"
Folder 14: Webb, James
Folder 15: Webb, Margaret Ely
Folder 16: Wheelan, Albertine Randall
Folder 17: Woy, Leota

Series 3: Collector Files

Box 9

Folder 18: Baer, Carlyle S.
Folder 19: Dore, Epherma
Folder 20: Dore, Harry Ellsworth
Folder 21: Dore, Harry Ellsworth
Folder 22: Ercolini, Mary Alice
Folder 23: Hill, Kenneth E. and Robert E.
Folder 24: Kohler, Johnny
Folder 25: McManys, Jane
Folder 26: Miscellaneous
Folder 27: Pew, Mary E.
Folder 28: Williams, Katherine

Series 4: Correspondence

Box 9

Folder 29: American
Folder 30: Arellanes, Audrey Spencer

Box 10

Folder 1: Brown, Helen H.
Folder 2: Edward Dean Museum
Folder 3: European
Folder 4: Fire Museum of Maryland
Folder 5: General, 1974-1994
Folder 6: Joyce, Kathy
Folder 7: Langdon, Michael
Folder 8: Libros Latinos
Folder 9: McRaddin (Abele), Lori
Folder 10: Plates to Exchange
Folder 11: Rare and Unusual
Folder 12: Redlands Letters
Folder 13: Turner, Meir
Folder 14: UNESCO
Folder 15: Wagner, Rob
Folder 16: West, Joan

Series 5: Subject Files

Box 10

Folder 17: Abele, Barbara's Public Presentations
Folder 18: Exercise and Flowers
Folder 19: Latin Inscriptions
Folder 20: Photographs

Box 11

Folder 1: Prices of Bookplates
Folder 2: Prices of Books about Bookplates
Folder 3: Research / Catalog Cards
Folder 4: Research / Catalog Cards
Folder 5: Research Notes
Folder 6: Research: Bookplates
Folder 7: Research: Types of Printing

Series 6: American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD)

Box 11

Folder 8: Membership Directories, 1966, 1977-83, 1992
Folder 9: Membership Directories, 1966, 1977-83, 1992
Folder 10: Membership Directories, 1966, 1977-83, 1992
Folder 11: Yearbook: Indexes
Folder 12: Yearbooks, 1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
Folder 13: Yearbooks, 1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
Folder 14: Yearbooks, 1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
Folder 15: Yearbooks, 1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951

Box 12

Folder 1: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 2: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 3: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 4: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 5: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 6: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 7: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83
Folder 8: Yearbooks, 1956-70, 1973-83

Box 13

Folder 1: Yearbooks, 1984-1994
Folder 2: Yearbooks, 1984-1994
Folder 3: Yearbooks, 1984-1994
Folder 4: Yearbooks, 1984-1994
Folder 5: Yearbooks, 1984-1994

Series 7: Published Materials

Sub-Series 1: Bookplates in the News

Box 13

Folder 6: July 1970-October 1974
Folder 7: January 1975-April 1977
Folder 8: July 1977-January 1979
Folder 9: April 1979-April 1983

Box 14

Folder 1: July 1983-April 1985
Folder 2: July 1985-January 1989
Folder 3: April 1989-April 1991
Folder 4: July 1991-April 1994
Folder 5: July 1994-January 1996
Folder 6: April 1998
Folder 7: Index, January 1983-October 1997

Sub-Series 2: Other Publications

Box 14

Folder 8: American Artist, May 1965
Folder 9: Biblio, Vols. I - IV
Folder 10: Bibliography of Bookplate Literature
Folder 11: Bookplate, 1924

Box 15

Folder 1: Bookplate Booklet, 1906-10, 1917, 1919
Folder 2: Bookplate Booklet, 1906-10, 1917, 1919
Folder 3: Bookplate Booklet, 1906-10, 1917, 1919
Folder 4: Bookplate Chronicles, 1917
Folder 5: Bookplate Quarterly, 1918
Folder 6: Boss Fine Books, California Bookplate Society, n.d., 1910
Folder 7: Catalogue II
Folder 8: Directory of Bookplate Artists, 1918
Folder 9: Early American Bookplates, 1925
Folder 10: Hettie Gray Baker
Folder 11: International Congress
Folder 12: Keepsakes
Folder 13: Los Angeles Times Magazine, 1986
Folder 14: Lugano Conference Keepsakes
Folder 15: Lugano Conference Keepsakes

Box 16

Folder 1: News Clippings, 1975-96
Folder 2: Traditional Home, 1992
Folder 3: Victoria, 1990
Folder 4: Wooldridge Collection Catalogue