John W. & Lee Partridge Loveland
1900
Before digital libraries, book lovers used these 'Ex Libris' plates to mark their territory. This specific design, created by master engraver Edwin Davis French around 1900, belongs to Edward Martin Moore. You can see a bearded scholar completely zoned out over an open tome, with a giant, swirling banner floating above him like a visual representation of his imagination taking flight. The motto 'My World in Books' at the bottom says it all, turning a simple ownership label into a tiny, bold masterpiece of graphic design that celebrates the escape of reading.