Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection MS-0050
Ellen Jarosz
Special Collections & University Archives
12/04/2007
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA 92182-8050
askscua@sdsu.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & University Archives
Title: Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection
Creator:
Abele, Barbara
Identifier/Call Number: MS-0050
Physical Description:
6.50 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1915-1998
Date (bulk): 1970-1998
Language of Material:
English
.
Scope and Contents
The
Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection documents the historical development of bookplates, bookplate designers, and collectors, as well as the communication networks
they used when interacting with each other. The collection dates from 1915 to 1998 with the bulk of documents created or collected
between 1970 and 1998. It consists of six main series:
Bookplates by Subject,
Bookplates by Designer,
Collector Files,
Correspondence,
the American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD), and
Published Materials. The
Published Materials series includes two subseries: an incomplete run of the newsletter Bookplates in the News, and other miscellaneous published
works, all relating to bookplate collecting and designing.
The
Bookplates by Subject and
Bookplates by Designer series consists of files of bookplates arranged alphabetically by subject, and designer's last name, filed from A-Z.
The
Collector Files are composed of information about different bookplate collectors, and include some correspondence press releases, and news
articles.
The
Correspondence series consists of correspondence both with individuals and institutions written by Barbara Abele from the 1970s-1990s primarily
about sharing and building her collection of bookplates. It is arranged alphabetically by correspondent or general subject.
The
Subject Files consist of a few photographs and files generated during research for public presentations made by Abele, and about bookplate
collecting. They are filed alphabetically by subject.
The
American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD) consists of membership directories dating from 1966, 1977-83, and 1992, and yearbooks dating throughout the 20th century,
filed chronologically by year of publication.
The
Published Materials series is comprised of two subseries:
Bookplates in the News and
Other Publications. The collection does not contain a complete run of Bookplates in the News, but does include issues from July 1970 to April
1998. They are filed chronologically. The second subseries, Other Publications, includes a collection of published works drawn
upon by Barbara Abele when performing research about bookplates and when networking with other collectors and designers. They
are filed alphabetically by author, and inventoried in the Container List below.
Arrangement Note
I. Bookplates by Subject, A-Z
II. Bookplates by Designer, A-Z
III. Collector Files, A-Z
IV. Correspondence
V. Subject Files
VI. American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD)
VII. Published Materials
1.) Bookplates in the News
2.) Other Publications
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
Source of Acquisition
Lori McFadden, Brenda J. Heaney, and Karen G. White
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Barbara Abele Bookplate Collection, Special Collections and University Archives,
San Diego State University Library.
Historical Note
Bookplates, labels indicating ownership pasted inside the front cover of a book, probably originated in Germany in the mid-15th
century. The earliest dated bookplate still in existence was created in 1516, and is also German. In North America the earliest
known bookplate, dated 1674, was found in colonial New England, while the earliest example created by an American engraver
dates from 1749.
Many themes and motifs can be identified in bookplate creation throughout history. Pictorial bookplates include portraits,
images of books, views of libraries, and various landscapes. Early armorial bookplates in 16th-century England consisted of
a simple unornamented shield, symmetrically mantled helmet, crest, and scroll where the owner's name was usually inscribed.
Allegorical bookplates were popular in France during the reign of Louis XV and in England by the mid-18th century. Personifications
of the Christian cardinal virtues and other abstract ideas, such as truth, justice, wisdom, hope, and faith usually appeared
on bookplates from this period, as well as symbols of the interests and occupations of the book's owner, such as the scales
of justice, and naval and military trophies. Toward the end of the 19th century, German designers began to use nude figures
as a major motif in bookplate design. This fashion was followed in the rest of Europe and the United States, where figures
were treated naturalistically, sometimes with erotic intent.
A variety of methods can be used to make bookplates. As in the past, the majority of bookplates created today are printed.
The plates used for making printed labels may be prepared by any photomechanical processes, such as zinc etching. For finer
plates the design may be engraved by hand on steel or etched into copper.
Barbara Abele was a long-time collector and researcher of bookplates. She was the niece of Fridolf Johnson, author of the
book
A Treasury of Bookplates from the Renaissance to the Present, still considered the best modern introduction to the study of bookplates, and spent her life in Redlands and La Jolla, California.
She died on April 8, 1998 in La Jolla. She was a member of the American Society of Bookplates Collectors and Designers (ASBCD),
and her collection is comprised of thousands of bookplates, sometimes considered miniature pieces of graphic art.
Bookplates are sought by collectors and studied by scholars for the insights they provide into past cultures and societies.
Abele's bookplate collection illustrates the wide scope of past cultures and societies, the communication networks created
between individuals who shared an interest in collecting and preserving them, and Abele's own personal love of nature.
Also contained in the collection are some records of the ASBCD, formed in June of 1922, of which Abele was a member. Charter
members included artists Sara B. Hill, Frederick C. Blank,
Elisha Brown Bird, Arthur H. Noll and collectors Rachael M. Hunt and Carlyle S. Baer. The organization's goal is to further
the study and collecting of bookplates. It also serves as a communication network for the entire community of people interested
in the history, collection, and preservation of bookplates.
Accruals
2003-050
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Personal Papers
Bookplates--Collectors and collecting
Bookplates--History
Bookplates--Specimens
Bookplate Collection
Abele, Barbara, d. 1998--Archives
American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers--Archives
box 1, folder 1
Abele, Barbara, Bookplates Folder 1
box 1, folder 2
Allen, Charles Dexter and Frances Louise Folder 2
box 1, folder 6
Armorial Heraldic Seals Folder 6
box 1, folder 7
Armorial Heraldic Seals Folder 7
box 1, folder 9
Art Nouveau Folder 9
1990
box 1, folder 11
Artists and Engravers of British and American Bookplates Folder 11
box 1, folder 13
Authors' Bookplates Folder 13
box 2, folder 2
Bookplates in the News Folder 2
box 2, folder 3
Books and Book piles Folder 3
box 2, folder 6
Borders, Labels, Typeset Folder 6
box 2, folder 7
Botanical: Flowers Folder 7
box 2, folder 8
Botanical: Trees Folder 8
box 2, folder 9
California, Historic (Talbot, Clare Ryan) Folder 9
box 2, folder 13
Castles, Knights Folder 13
box 3, folder 10
Egyptian / King Tut's Discovery Folder 10
box 3, folder 11
English Bookplates Folder 11
box 3, folder 15
Foreign Countries Folder 15
box 3, folder 16
Foreign Designers Folder 16
box 3, folder 18
Genealogy Societies Folder 18
box 4, folder 3
Human side of Bookplates (Jones, Louise Seymour) Folder 3
box 4, folder 6
Initials Only on Plates Folder 6
box 4, folder 11
Libraries, California Folder 11
box 4, folder 12
Libraries, Societies, Clubs, Colleges, Institutes, Associations Folder 12
box 4, folder 13
Libraries, United States Folder 13
box 4, folder 14
Library Interiors Folder 14
box 5, folder 7
Mottos and Verse Folder 7
box 5, folder 11
Personal Bookplates Folder 11
box 5, folder 13
Premium Plates, Commercial Folder 13
box 6, folder 2
Religious Buildings Folder 2
box 6, folder 6
Skeletons, Skulls Folder 6
box 6, folder 7
Small Bookplates Folder 7
box 6, folder 9
Tiffany and Bullocks Folder 9
box 6, folder 12
University Libraries, California Folder 12
box 7, folder 1
University Libraries, International Folder 1
Bookplates by Designer II
box 7, folder 9
Barrett, William Philipps Folder 9
box 7, folder 10
Berryman, Clifford K. Folder 10
box 7, folder 12
Bird, Elisha Brown Folder 12
box 7, folder 13
Blackburn, Oscar T. Folder 13
box 7, folder 14
Brown, Frank Chouteau Folder 14
box 7, folder 16
Cheney, Sheldon Folder 16
box 7, folder 18
Clute, Beulah Mitchell Folder 18
box 8, folder 4
Evans, John William Folder 4
box 8, folder 6
Fingesten, Peter Folder 6
box 8, folder 7
Fisher, William Edgar Folder 7
box 8, folder 8
French, Edwin Davis Folder 8
box 8, folder 9
French, Harry M. Folder 9
box 8, folder 10
Fuller, George W. Folder 10
box 8, folder 12
Gordon, Bank B. Folder 12
box 8, folder 13
Harrod, Stanley Folder 13
box 8, folder 14
Hewett, Ainslie Folder 14
box 8, folder 15
Hollyer, Samuel Folder 15
box 8, folder 16
Hopson, William Fowler Folder 16
box 8, folder 17
Hurd, Nathaniel Folder 17
box 8, folder 18
Johnson, Fridolf Folder 18
box 8, folder 19
Jones, Dan Burne Folder 19
box 8, folder 21
Kirby, Valentine Folder 21
box 8, folder 24
Lemos, Pedro J. Folder 24
box 8, folder 25
McDonald, Arthur N. Folder 25
box 8, folder 27
Noll, Arthur Howard Folder 27
box 8, folder 29
Percival, Olive Folder 29
box 8, folder 30
Poole, Horatio Nelson Folder 30
box 8, folder 31
Price, Christine M. Folder 31
box 8, folder 32
Reade, Christa M. Folder 32
box 8, folder 33
Rhead, Louis John Folder 33
box 8, folder 34
Rider, Charles Joseph Folder 34
box 8, folder 35
Rowell, Gretta G. Folder 35
box 8, folder 36
Saunders (Hallowell), Elizabeth Folder 36
box 8, folder 37
Seymour, Ralph Fletcher Folder 37
box 9, folder 1
Sherbon, Charles William Folder 1
box 9, folder 2
Smith, Sidney L. Folder 2
box 9, folder 3
Spenceley, Frederick Folder 3
box 9, folder 4
Spenceley, Joseph Winfred Folder 4
box 9, folder 7
Stone, Wilbur Macy Folder 7
box 9, folder 9
Teall, Gardner C. Folder 9
box 9, folder 12
Truesdell, Windred Porter Folder 12
box 9, folder 13
Wagner, Rob "Pawprint" Folder 13
box 9, folder 15
Webb, Margaret Ely Folder 15
box 9, folder 16
Wheelan, Albertine Randall Folder 16
box 9, folder 18
Baer, Carlyle S. Folder 18
box 9, folder 20
Dore, Harry Ellsworth Folder 20
box 9, folder 21
Dore, Harry Ellsworth Folder 21
box 9, folder 22
Ercolini, Mary Alice Folder 22
box 9, folder 23
Hill, Kenneth E. and Robert E. Folder 23
box 9, folder 28
Williams, Katherine Folder 28
box 9, folder 30
Arellanes, Audrey Spencer Folder 30
box 10, folder 2
Edward Dean Museum Folder 2
box 10, folder 4
Fire Museum of Maryland Folder 4
box 10, folder 5
General Folder 5
1974-1994
box 10, folder 7
Langdon, Michael Folder 7
box 10, folder 9
McRaddin (Abele), Lori Folder 9
box 10, folder 10
Plates to Exchange Folder 10
box 10, folder 11
Rare and Unusual Folder 11
box 10, folder 12
Redlands Letters Folder 12
box 10, folder 17
Abele, Barbara's Public Presentations Folder 17
box 10, folder 18
Exercise and Flowers Folder 18
box 10, folder 19
Latin Inscriptions Folder 19
box 11, folder 1
Prices of Bookplates Folder 1
box 11, folder 2
Prices of Books about Bookplates Folder 2
box 11, folder 3
Research / Catalog Cards Folder 3
box 11, folder 4
Research / Catalog Cards Folder 4
box 11, folder 6
Research: Bookplates Folder 6
box 11, folder 7
Research: Types of Printing Folder 7
American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBCD) VI
box 11, folder 8
Membership Directories Folder 8
1966, 1977-83, 1992
box 11, folder 9
Membership Directories Folder 9
1966, 1977-83, 1992
box 11, folder 10
Membership Directories Folder 10
1966, 1977-83, 1992
box 11, folder 11
Yearbook: Indexes Folder 11
box 11, folder 12
Yearbooks Folder 12
1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
box 11, folder 13
Yearbooks Folder 13
1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
box 11, folder 14
Yearbooks Folder 14
1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
box 11, folder 15
Yearbooks Folder 15
1915, 1943-44, 1947-48, 1951
box 12, folder 1
Yearbooks Folder 1
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 2
Yearbooks Folder 2
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 3
Yearbooks Folder 3
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 4
Yearbooks Folder 4
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 5
Yearbooks Folder 5
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 6
Yearbooks Folder 6
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 7
Yearbooks Folder 7
1956-70, 1973-83
box 12, folder 8
Yearbooks Folder 8
1956-70, 1973-83
box 13, folder 1
Yearbooks Folder 1
1984-1994
box 13, folder 2
Yearbooks Folder 2
1984-1994
box 13, folder 3
Yearbooks Folder 3
1984-1994
box 13, folder 4
Yearbooks Folder 4
1984-1994
box 13, folder 5
Yearbooks Folder 5
1984-1994
box 13, folder 6
July 1970-October 1974 Folder 6
box 13, folder 7
January 1975-April 1977 Folder 7
box 13, folder 8
July 1977-January 1979 Folder 8
box 13, folder 9
April 1979-April 1983 Folder 9
box 14, folder 1
July 1983-April 1985 Folder 1
box 14, folder 2
July 1985-January 1989 Folder 2
box 14, folder 3
April 1989-April 1991 Folder 3
box 14, folder 4
July 1991-April 1994 Folder 4
box 14, folder 5
July 1994-January 1996 Folder 5
box 14, folder 7
Index, January 1983-October 1997 Folder 7
box 14, folder 8
American Artist Folder 8
May 1965
box 14, folder 9
Biblio, Vols. I - IV Folder 9
box 14, folder 10
Bibliography of Bookplate Literature Folder 10
box 15, folder 1
Bookplate Booklet Folder 1
1906-10, 1917, 1919
box 15, folder 2
Bookplate Booklet Folder 2
1906-10, 1917, 1919
box 15, folder 3
Bookplate Booklet Folder 3
1906-10, 1917, 1919
box 15, folder 4
Bookplate Chronicles Folder 4
1917
box 15, folder 5
Bookplate Quarterly Folder 5
1918
box 15, folder 6
Boss Fine Books, California Bookplate Society Folder 6
n.d., 1910
box 15, folder 8
Directory of Bookplate Artists Folder 8
1918
box 15, folder 9
Early American Bookplates Folder 9
1925
box 15, folder 10
Hettie Gray Baker Folder 10
box 15, folder 11
International Congress Folder 11
box 15, folder 13
Los Angeles Times Magazine Folder 13
1986
box 15, folder 14
Lugano Conference Keepsakes Folder 14
box 15, folder 15
Lugano Conference Keepsakes Folder 15
box 16, folder 1
News Clippings Folder 1
1975-96
box 16, folder 2
Traditional Home Folder 2
1992
box 16, folder 4
Wooldridge Collection Catalogue Folder 4
