Category Archives: Blogs

A Work of Art within a Book: Marbled Paper

Marbled paper is a beautiful way to add intrigue and richness to any book. Marbled paper emerged in book arts in Persia during the 1500s (Museum of New Zealand). According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is known as “ebru,” meaning “art of the clouds” coming from the words ebr (cloud in Turkish) and abri (cloud in Persian). It also exists in Japan known as a technique called Suminagashi beginning in 800 A.D. (Museum of New Zealand). Europeans began marbling endsheets and book covers in the 1600s, at first doing the process by hand then using mechanical means (University of Minnesota). The ways of making marbled paper were not easily apprehended as its creators often closely guarded their techniques. One way to create a marbled sheet was by filling a tub with water, then dropping pigment in the tub (perhaps swirling it around to create a different design), and finally dipping it in the colorful water (University of Minnesota). In other instances, algae or gum will be used instead of water (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Voyage autour du monde sur la frégate La Venus, pendant les années 1836-1839. Abel du Petit-Thouars. Image courtesy of the Museum of New Zealand.

Combining Technology in Liberal Arts Education: Goucher College Launches Digital Humanities Lab

Under a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, Goucher College created the Collaborative Humanities Laboratory to enhance the study of visual, material, and historical culture among the Goucher Community.

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[Applestein-Sweren Contest] Congratulations to our 2022 winners!

The Applestein-Sweren Prize is funded by a generous endowment established by Betty Applestein Sweren ’52 and Dr. Edgar Sweren in 2012. Prizes are awarded to Goucher students who present thoughtfully constructed personal collections of books and related ephemera. Continue reading [Applestein-Sweren Contest] Congratulations to our 2022 winners!

Solastalgia: Book Art and the Climate Crisis [Virtual Exihibtion, June 11 – October, 17, 2021]

Solastalgia: Book Art and the Climate Crisis is curated by Director of Exhibitions & Artist Programs Torey Erin of Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA). The exhibition will display a range of works by artists to address the multitudes of the way we face the heart-wrenching climate crisis of our generation. Continue reading Solastalgia: Book Art and the Climate Crisis [Virtual Exihibtion, June 11 – October, 17, 2021]

The Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History

APHA is currently accepting applications for the 2021 Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship. The Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History is an annual award of up to $2,000 for research in any area of the history of printing in all its forms, including all the arts and technologies relevant to printing, the book arts, and letter forms. Continue reading The Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History

Otto Ege / Philip Duschnes MS leaf identified in Goucher Special Collections

The first two images below are the verso and recto of a leaf from a manuscript once owned by Philip Duschnes and Otto Ege. The leaf was once part of Duschnes’ bizarre, extravagant, destructive holiday presents given to friends and associates. 

Continue reading Otto Ege / Philip Duschnes MS leaf identified in Goucher Special Collections

Sara Haardt Mencken’s Inscribed Copy of Zelda Fitzgerald’s Novel, Save Me the Waltz

In November 2020, a librarian at the Goucher College Library was processing uncatalogued books in the Special Collections stacks when she discovered a copy of Zelda Fitzgerald’s only novel, Save Me the Waltz (NY: Scribner’s, 1932).  Continue reading Sara Haardt Mencken’s Inscribed Copy of Zelda Fitzgerald’s Novel, Save Me the Waltz