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London: John Murray, 1863, Later Edition. Full gilt and red leather binding with gilt titles and decoration to the spine, lavish gilt decoration to the boards, worn with loss of colour to the top and base of the spine and corners, with front and rear doublures (paste downs) hand painted on vellum (vellucent) by Alice Shepherd with her initials to the bottom corner of the rear paste down, with the text framed by illustrated blocks to every page. "James Edwards of Halifax patented a technique for painted vellum bindings in 1785. He soaked the area to be painted with water to which a small quantity of pearl ash had been added and pressed the vellumwhich made the skin virtually transparent. The vellum was then painted to the flesh side of the skin, so that when the book was bound, the painting was protected between the vellum and the cover of the book. Chivers revisited the technique of using transparent vellum, but bound over painted paper panels, giving the name vellucent to this technique" [Brian Cole - Aspire to the Beautiful p78]. "In his large bindery at Portway, Bath, Chivers employed about forty women for folding, sewing, mending, and collating work, and in addition, five more women worked in a separate department, to design, illuminate, and colour vellum for book decoration, and to work on embossed leather. These five were Dorothy Carleton Smyth, Alice Shepherd, Miss J.D. Dunn, Muriel Taylor, and Agatha Gales. Most Vellucent bindings were designed by H. Granville Fell, but the woman most frequently employed for this kind of work was probably Dorothy Carleton Smyth" [Marianne Tidcombe, Women Bookbinders 1880-1920, p. 86]. Pagination: lii, 476pp. Provenance: inscription Anthony George and Mary Agnes Murray, Bath 1893 to the front end paper. Approximately 8 ½ inches tall (22cm). Condition Report Externally Spine good condition gilt titles, gilt decorated compartments, worn with loss of colour to the top and base of the spine and to the raised bands. Joints very condition gently rubbed and worn. Corners good condition bumped and worn. Boards very good condition lavish gilt decoration, gently marked and worn. Page edges good condition all gilt. Binding good condition attractive copy, gently worn. See above and photos. Internally Hinges good condition sound. Paste downs good condition inner gilt dentelles to leather turn-ins, hand painted vellucent doublures by Alice Shepherd. End papers good condition gilt decorated paper. Title good condition gilt framed red and black titles. Pages good condition tanned, text framed by illustrated pillars. See photos.
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