The years 1860-1920 saw great changes in book design, led by technological developments, refining marketing strategies and shifting ideas about the relationship between book and text. Expanding literacy led to increased demand and a new market to attract via an expanding literate middle class. Previously, book bindings were produced by the bookseller. This changed in the 19th century and publishers began providing the bindings. During this time, newly popular cloth covers were produced which were cheap compared to their leather counterparts; but, unlike even less expensive paper boards, could be adorned in a manner that hinted at the beauty of custom bindings commissioned by those who could afford them. Book design soon became its own profession led by women.

Both the general and Indiana author collections at the Indiana State Library hold many fine examples of these cloth publisher’s bindings. The greatest numbers of them are from designer Margaret Armstrong, which is not surprising given that she was arguably the most successful.

New York artist Armstrong (1867-1944) was one of the first professional binding designers in the U.S., designing her first covers in 1887. Her work continues to be uncovered, so reports of how many covers she designed vary, but it is now understood to be over 300. The bulk of her work was for Scribner’s, where she got her start, but she worked with many publishers as her popularity grew because book designers were hired on a freelance, project-by-project, basis. She often employed floral motifs in her designs and went on to write and illustrate a book on Western American wildflowers; but, as you will see in the examples here, she was a very flexible and adaptable artist with work that varied in style more than some of her peers.

As an early contributor to the field, Armstrong had a hand in the shift toward developing designs that directly reflected the work within their pages, something that is taken for granted now, but was not generally the case before this period. When asked whether attention should be given to having the cover reflect the often vibrant contents of the book, she replied: “Yes, I think so. Pretty covers for cheap books have never been done until now.” Pretty was not the only purpose though, and different colors and motifs were used to signal to the reader what they might expect from the pages within.

Frank R. Stockton, “The Adventures of Captain Horn.” New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1895.

One example of how Armstrong used design to communicate with her readers was by assigning colors to her Scribner’s authors and periods of their work. Beginning with this book, she designed Stockton on green cloth to contrast with the blue of Henry Van Dyke. Myrtle Reed designs appeared in lavender. This book belonged to noted Indiana book collector Frank Graef Darlington. Many of the nicer copies of books with notable publisher’s bindings came from donors, though copies also exist that would have been purchased when they were published along with other popular books to grow the general collection.

Elizabeth Miller, “The Yoke.” New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1904.

The Egyptian motif is not typical of Armstrong’s work, but reflects the book’s contents: an historical romance in Egypt during the exodus of the Israelites. The artist’s signature, her initials, can be found underneath the flower on the right side of the cover under the title.

James Whitcomb Riley, “A Defective Santa Clause.” Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1904.

Armstrong’s work outside of Scribner’s gave her an Indiana connection when she did some designs for the Indianapolis-based publisher Bobbs-Merrill, which resulted in a cover for James Whitcomb Riley. Her background as a naturalist appears here in the holly theme. She shows a preference for a holly in other Christmas books designs, as seen in her Charles Dickens covers.

Margeurite Minton, “Captain Lettarblair.” Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1906.

This is an example of a cover design by Armstrong that incorporates symbols from the text. The red roses symbolize the love between Captain Letterblair and his love interest Fanny, while the clover represents his good fortune. Both hints of the happy ending in this traditional three-act comedy.

Henry David Thoreau, “Cape Cod.” New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1908.

Armstrong’s father was a stained glass designer, and this is seen as an influence on her work, as exemplified by this edition of “Cape Cod.” These designs contrast with her more naturalistic later work.

Gene Stratton Porter, “The Song of the Cardinal.” Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1912.

Unsigned, but frequently attributed to Armstrong, this Gene Stratton Porter novel is the only example of her use of red cloth that exists in the State Library’s collections. More examples can be found in other institutions. It is also one of the better examples of the influence of Art Nouveau on her work.

Much has been written about Armstrong, and by better authorities. For more information, please see the blogs and digital exhibits below:

“In Full Bloom: Margaret Armstrong’s Decorated Publishers’ Bindings Revisited”
“The Companionable Book Cover Designs of Margaret Armstrong”
“The Book Beautiful: Margaret Armstrong & Her Bindings”

This post was written by Victoria Duncan, Rare Books and Manuscripts supervisor.