John-Crerar-Bibliothek
1896
This intricate 1896 engraving by Edwin Davis French serves as the bookplate for the John Crerar Library in Chicago, honoring the businessman who left his fortune to create a free scientific library. A solemn portrait of Crerar sits at the center, framed by thistles and palm fronds, while a ribbon unfurls with the motto 'Great is the gift that bringeth knowledge.' Below him, an open book displays a Latin quote attributed to Ptolemy, 'He is not dead who has given life to knowledge,' suggesting that learning grants a kind of immortality. It is a beautiful tribute to the power of books, designed just two years after the library's founding in 1894.
- Technique
- Engraving
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