A fore-edge painting is an image painted on the unbound edges of a book visible when the pages of the book are fanned. It also can refer to an image that is visible on the closed edge of a book. References also refer to the paintings as disappearing or secret images, and they are often hidden beneath gilded edges. Historically, fore-edge painting has had three purposes: identification, indication of ownership, or artistry. Possibly originating in the 10th century, the earliest known examples feature titles written on the closed edges of a book, symbolic imagery, or heraldic designs. The exact origins are debated among scholars. The technique of the hidden painting gained notable popularity in England during the 17th and 18th centuries. A fore-edge painting does not need to be painted on a book at the time of the book's creation. Unless a fore-edge artist was working with a bookseller or bookbinder, fore-edge paintings are applied sometime after the book has been published making the dating of the works difficult to ascertain unless the work is signed and dated. Fore-edge painting is practiced today, however, it is still an uncommon art.

Structure

Elements of the book

# Belly band # Flap # Endpaper # Book cover # Head # Fore-edge # Tail # Right page, recto # Left page, verso # Gutter The pages in a book are known as the " text block." Individual sections of the text block that are separately sewn in to create the text block were first known as gatherings or quires and later known as "

signatures A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

." This article discusses paintings and markings located on the fore-edge (6), however, in some instances like a panoramic fore-edge painting, the art can extend to the Head (5) and the Tail (7).

Variations

* A single fore-edge painting includes a painting on only one side of the book page edges. Generally, gilt or marbling is applied after the painting has dried to hide the painting until the pages are fanned. * A double fore-edge painting has paintings on either side of the margin so one painting is visible when the text block is fanned one way, and the second scene is visible when the text block fanned the other direction. * A triple fore-edge painting has, in addition to paintings on the edges, a third painting applied to the closed text block edges. * A panoramic fore-edge painting, is similar to a triple fore-edge painting but rather is a continuous scene wrapped around more than one edge. * A split double painting has two different illustrations, one on either side of the book's center. When the book is laid open in the center, one illustration is seen on the edges of the first half of the book, and another illustration is on the edge of the second half of the book. * There are even examples of rare variations that require the book's pages to be pinched or tented in a certain way to see the image.

Technique

Several tools are advisable when creating a fore-edge painting: * A book with smooth page edges * Watercolor paint * Paint brushes * Book press * Gold foil for gilding Other tools and supplies are recommended as well. A fore-edge painter should not dilute the edges of the paper with water. This can cause swelling of the paper creating wavy and uneven surfaces. A brush should be near dry when applying paint to the edge of the page. If the pages are not smooth, the painter must sand the fore-edge of the book to create a smooth edge for a good painting surface. To keep the pages fanned in place, a book press is necessary to hold the position. Gold gilding is generally applied after the watercolor painting is completed.

History

The earliest fore-edge markings or "letterings" date as far back as the 10th century when books were generally stored horizontally with the fore-edge facing out. Books today are generally stored with the spine facing out and upright. When books were stored horizontally with the fore-edge facing out, the title, author, or other indicator were written on the fore-edge. As book design was standardized, the fore-edge of the book was stored inwards and the spine of the book was utilized as an indicator for title and author. Early examples of English fore-edge paintings are difficult to accurately date, but they presented

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

designs in gold and other colors. The first known example of a ''disappearing'' fore-edge painting (a painting not visible when the book is closed) dates back to 1649, while the earliest signed and dated fore-edge painting dates to 1653: a family coat of arms painted on a 1651

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. Research by Cyril Davenport (1848 - 1941), former Superintendent of Bookbinding at the British Museum names Samuel Mearne the creator of the art of fore-edge painting during his service as the bookbinder for King Charles II from 1660 to 1683. Davenport found instances of these early fore-edge paintings having been signed by "an artist of the name of Fletcher" (no first name given). Davenport reports a 1641 copy of ''Acts and Monuments'' bearing a fore-edge portrait of Charles II, signed by "Fletcher" as the earliest known example of the art. Carl J. Weber, fore-edge scholar, suggests that fore-edge painting may have been in practice 7–10 years prior to Mearne's "invention". He lists a fore-edge painted copy of ''The Holy Bible'' as the first known instance of a signed and dated fore-edge painting. The painting on the 1651 bible is signed and dated by the artists: "S.T. Lewis Fecit Anno Dom 1653." Although the signature "S.T". was originally thought to be the initials of one man, Weber surmises that the work was produced by two (now) known fore-edge artists, brothers Stephen and Thomas Lewis. Around 1750, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings changed from simply decorative or heraldic designs to

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

portraits A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better re ...

, and religious scenes usually painted in full color to reflect the coming trend in popularity of the

Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...

. The fanning technique and gilding to hide the paintings was popularized in the 18th century by John Brindley and Edwards of Halifax. The Edwards were responsible for popularizing the technique in London, and other 18th and 19th century booksellers and binders often mimicked their designs. Caroline Billin Curry, or Miss C.B. Currie, was a prominent fore-edge painter in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She began numbering her works using a flyleaf inserted into the book she painted, of which 172 of her fore-edge paintings are known to exist. Also of note is her compatriot, John T. Beer. Fore-edge painting also made an imprint in China. Chinese painters were influenced by Western fore-edge paintings and began practicing the art overseas in the 20th century.

Contemporary fore-edge paintings

Fore-edge painting as a craft is deemed critically endangered in the contemporary era. The

Heritage Crafts Association Heritage Crafts is a registered United Kingdom charity (registered as The Heritage Crafts Association) set up to support and promote traditional crafts. It has been operating under the name Heritage Crafts since October 2021. The charity was launc ...

(HCA) only lists four “craftspeople currently known” as working in this medium. The remaining artists that practice fore-edge painting are amateurs and leisure makers numbering fewer than sixty. According to the HCA, there are currently no formal trainees in the art form. Martin Frost in

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

, United Kingdom, is a professional full-time fore-edge artist in the UK. He has created over 3,500 fore-edge paintings since he started his career in the 1970s. Brianna Sprague is a fore-edge painter based in the US. She has created over 300 paintings at this time. Focusing on modern books and classics, she has gained attention on the social media apps of TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. Jeanne Bennett is another known fore-edge painter and has written a book after teaching the art of fore-edge painting for years. Fore-edge paintings are often called curious, hidden, mysterious, and secret. Nancy Swan's thesis on modern fore-edge painting discusses that it is difficult to know and find modern information about fore-edge paintings and artists because the art itself is hidden from plain view. There is not much scholarly research performed on the subject as discussed by Carl J. Weber in his first book published in 1949. However, information on technique and the making process exists through video and blog platforms across the internet.

Collections

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

Earl Gregg Swem Library The Earl Gregg Swem Library (colloquially Swem Library) is located on Landrum Drive at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The library is named for Earl Gregg Swem, College Librarian from 1920-1944. In 2008, the Princeton R ...

holds a collection of 709 fore-edge paintings in the Ralph H. Wark Collection, the largest collection of fore-edge painted books in America.
Loyola-Notre Dame Library
the library shared by

Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early (educator), John Early and eight other members of the Society of Je ...

and

Notre Dame of Maryland University Notre Dame of Maryland University is a private Catholic university in Baltimore, Maryland. NDMU offers certificate, undergraduate, and graduate programs for women and men. History The Roman Catholic academic/educational religious congregation ...

, have a collection of more than 300 fore-edge painted volumes. *

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...

has a collection of 258 fore-edge paintings, one of the larger collections in the United States, and many examples are displayed online. *

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

holds 22 fore-edge paintings in their Special Collections Library in a collection called Reuben M. and Regine Ginsberg Collection of Fore-edge Painted Books. *Estelle Doheny Collection housed in the Edward Laurence Doheny Memorial Library at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, California, is described as "roughly twice as large" as the collection at the Boston Public Library. *

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

's Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections holds 102 fore-edge paintings from the collection of Lucia von Borosini Batten of Albuquerque. Many were formerly owned by Estelle Doheny, who married her husband, oil baron Edward L. Doheny, in New Mexico Territory in 1900. Three paintings by Miss C. B. Currie are available. *

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

's Special Collections Research Center has the Poushter Collection, with more than 90 volumes. *

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Library holds at least 37 fore-edge paintings in its Rare Book Collection. Several are probably by the artist identified by Jeff Weber as the "American City View Painter". *

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

holds the Robert H. Goddard Library's Rare Book Collection, which includes 17 books with fore-edge paintings. *Mudd Library at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a Private college, private liberal arts college and Music school, conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second colle ...

has a varied collection of books with fore-edge art that were donated by two alumnae, Dorothy Ross Pain Lawrence class of 1918, and Bernice Davis Fligman Milwaukee-Downer class of 1922. *

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

has in their collection a few fore-edge books, some of which are ''Les Psaumes de David'' and ''Outlines from the Figures and Compositions upon the Greek, Roman and Etruscan Vases of the Late Sir William Hamilton''. * George Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland also contains a collection of books with fore-edge paintings within its Dorothy McIlvain Scott Collection. * The

National Library of the Netherlands The KB National Library of the Netherlands (legal Dutch name: Koninklijke Bibliotheek or KB ; ''Royal Library'') is the national library of the Netherlands, based in The Hague, founded in 1798. The KB collects everything that is published in ...

has a few fore-edge books, e.g
KW 1740 F 1
(a pendrawing and

aquarelle Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the S ...

in shades of blue, green, yellow and red, depicting a lake surrounded by mountains and on the righthand side a castle with docking place and boats) an
KW 1740 F 2
(a pendrawing and aquarelle in shades of blue, green and red, depicting the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

surrounded by houses and an meadow with walking people)
1786 B 24
o
1773 D 25
* The Library of Trinity College Dublin's digitized Elsbeth and Bettina Bollmann Collection contains books with fore-edge paintings. * The University of Wisconsin - Madison Special Collections Library has a collection of fore-edge paintings: Nancy Swan Collection of books with fore-edge paintings. Gift of Robert and Virginia Douglas. These books can be found through the library catalog.
Grand Valley State University fore-edge paintings digital collections
includes video examples
George Peabody Library Collection of Fore-edge Paintings & Decorated Bindings

Gallery

File:Childe Harold's Pilreimage Fore-Edge Painting.jpg, ''

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage ''Childe Harold's Pilgrimage: A Romaunt'' is a long narrative poem in four parts written by Lord Byron. The poem was published between 1812 and 1818. Dedicated to " Ianthe", it describes the travels and reflections of a young man disillusioned ...

'' (Lord Byron, 1812–1818) File:The New Casket Fore-Edge Painting.jpg, ''The New Casket'' (1850) by

Joseph Martin Kronheim Joseph Martin Kronheim (1810–1896) was a German-born lithographer and wood engraver known for founding Kronheim & Co. and working with George Baxter. Biography Kronheim was born on October 26, 1810, in Magdeburg, Germany. By the age of 22 he ...

File:Sacred Poetry Fore-Edge Painting.jpg, ''Sacred Poetry'' (

Jeremy Belknap Jeremy Belknap (June 4, 1744 – June 20, 1798) was an American clergyman and historian. His great achievement was the ''History of New Hampshire'', published in three volumes between 1784 and 1792. This work is the first modern history written b ...

, 1744) File:Rogers' Poems Fore-Edge Painting.jpg, ''Rogers' Poems'' (

Samuel Rogers Samuel Rogers (30 July 1763 – 18 December 1855) was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron. ...

, 1834) File:The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England.jpg, ''Sports and Pastimes of the People of England'' ( Joseph Strutt, 1801)