Sara Eugenia Blake Bookplate Collection, circa 1750-1950

Collection context

Creator:
Blake, Sara Eugenia, 1886-1973
Abstract:
A collection of bookplates assembled by the bookplate designer and collector Sara Eugenia Blake (1886-1973). The collection also includes correspondence and greeting cards received by Blake in the course of her collecting activities, as well as books and pamphlets relating to the collecting of "ex libris" art.
Extent:
15.5 linear feet (38 slipcases, 5 boxes)
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

American and foreign bookplates; correspondence and greeting cards received by Blake in the course of her collecting activities; books and pamphlets relating to the collecting of "ex libris" art and the work of individual bookplate artists. The plates date primarily from the early 20th century, with some earlier examples. There are two boxes each of institutional and armorial plates, and one box of plates designed for celebrities, including the plate designed by Paul Revere for Isaiah Thomas, and plates of Anthony Trollope, George Bernard Shaw, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Igor Stravinsky, Herbert Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Some of the artists represented in the collection are Edwin Dale French, George Eve, Peter Fingerstein, Eric Gill, Rockwell Kent, and George Perrotet. There are separate groups of American, Australian, Dutch, and Spanish plates, and of plates designed for bookplate collectors, including Irene Dunn Andrews Pace and Elizabeth and J. Edouard Diamond.

Biographical / historical:

Sara Eugenia "Sally" Blake (1886-1973) was a bookplate designer and collector who lived in Boston, Massachusetts. She also worked as the librarian for the Tufts College Medical and Dental Schools.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located on-site.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Sara Eugenia Blake Bookplate Collection; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.

Location of this collection:
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:
Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
Contact:
rbml@library.columbia.edu