Bookplate for the Grolier Club
1894
Edwin Davis French packed this 1894 bookplate with enough intricate detail to make a librarian weep with joy. Designed for the Grolier Club—New York’s legendary society for book lovers founded in 1884—the image acts as a love letter to the history of printing. Through a central, vine-covered window, we see tiny figures hard at work: setting type, binding pages, and operating presses, celebrating the gritty craftsmanship behind beautiful books. The club is named after Jean Grolier, a 16th-century French collector whose motto was 'I share my books with friends,' a sentiment perfectly captured by this open invitation to bibliophiles.