On the edges of the leaves...

By Miriam Carpenter-Cosand

Introduction

This article is based entirely in the English historical documentation of researchers Carl J. Webber and Jeff Webber, which are fore-edge painting experts.
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Most of the information on fore-edge painting is limited. The reason behind that is the fact that most of the early examples of fore-edge painting were not documented or signed. The books also do not have any information to trace the artist or context of the fore-edge painting, since this artistic form was considered merely a form of decoration and not an individual work of art. The reader also must know that this art form was not very popular or known and also currently is still very rare.

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What is Fore-edge painting? ​

According to “The ABC’s of Fore-edge Painting”  by Jeff Weber, a fore-edge painting is a watercolor painting applied to the closed edge of a book. This can  include all sides of the book, and often the painting will be hidden from sight until the book is opened or bent to a side. ​

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Varieties of Fore-edge paintings
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There is a possible variation of fore-edge paintings, traditionally there is just one single painting on the principal edge of a book, this is called a single-edge. But there could be two painting on a single edge, one painting on the upper side of the book and the other one on the lower, that is called a double-edge painting. There is also the triple edge, with all three sides cover by single-edge paintings. But also, there is another possible variation, of triple edge with double-edge paintings (meaning there is six paintings in a single book).  Another common variation is the tryptic, when the edges are divided in different scenes, this is a very conventional as well in painting.

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The origins of Fore-edge painting

The oldest marking of the edge we can encounter goes back as the own creation of books themselves. Fore-edge painting originates from the most simplest act: writing your name to show ownership, or even the title of the book itself, since books or rather manuscripts were laid flat on their sides, and it was a logical move from librarians at the time, since manuscripts were too heavy and large to carry them around without knowing exactly what you were carrying. Edge decoration was well known on the European continent since the tenth century. Even in the 16th century, Cesare Vecellio, titian’s cousin, who was a very popular engraver and that also painted the edges of books.*
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However, England the country who embraced this form of art. And the earliest record in England known of this “painted edges” was when William Caxton set up the first printing press in the country in 1476. Whose bookbinding and decoration was at the “Italian” style. The actual “most highly decorative book-edge painting of the 16th century” was the bible of King Henry VII, who was also the first monarch to establish a royal library in England as well of appointing an official bookbinder and printer of the king.  This is actually one of the earliest records of a predecessor of fore-edge painting, since this edge decoration was not yet what we understand as fore-edge painting for different reasons, such that for example the decorative pattern is not hidden on the book as well as other material aspects. Finally, there is no other clear record on how the fore-edge painting as we know it was developed until a 100 years later. A man called Cyril Davenpart declared that another man called Samuel Marned, the bookbinder of King Charles II, invented a “new fashion” on edge decoration, which we can conclude is the actual fore-edge painting. This seems to be the closest we can get of the origins of fore-edge painting in Europe and specially in England, but this statement has not been proof to be truth or false, so we are not completely sure if Samuel Marned was the actual inventor of Fore-edge painting.

*Fore-edge painting is a very contemporary term, it was not used at the time. And this “edge painting”  is not completely yet what we understand of fore-edge painting.

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The Romanticize view of the fore-edge painting: The Edwards of Halifax.
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In the middle of the 17th century there was a family of bookbinders and publishers, that established their company in Halifax, England. James Edwards, who is the main figure we are concerned with, took a patent in 1785 of an invention of his father (and founder of the company). Often it was believed that the patent had to do something with the fore-edge paintings techniques they develop, but in reality the patent was on making a transparent vellum binding and then it was the same binding was colored it by chemical processes.
It is true that a lot of Edwards books had fore-edge paintings, and that he was a pioneer in the bookbinding market at the time. But there is no tangible evidence that this company was just focusing in fore-edges paintings. When someone does general research in fore-edge painting, Edward of Halifax comes often, and it is often believed that this was the time that fore-edge painting was at its highest popularity, which is not exactly the truth.

Letters of Lady Rachel Russell : from the manuscript in the library at Wooburn [sic] abbey.                                                      Bound in contemporary paneled calf, gold and blind stamped in "Etruscan" style, gilt edges, by Edwards of Halifax, in cloth case. Fore-edge painting by Edwards of Halifax of Harewood House and the surrounding countryside.​ Boston Public library: http://foreedge.bpl.org/node/914

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The real golden age of Fore-edge painting

What is true is that Edward of Halifax and other bookbinders were the ones who began the market of fore-edge painting. But their production compared to later times was very limited.
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The real golden age of fore-edge painting was in the early 20th century, where other bookbinders, like Henry Sotheran & Co., Rivure & Son, Sangorski & Sutcliffe, J. W. Robinson & Co., just to name some were the ones producing a beautiful fore-edge paintings in their books. It has been said that at least nine-tenths of all the existing fore-edge paintings, however all of them are scattered; still this art form was never extremely popular.

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Conclusion

Fore-edge painting is a rare and rather unknown artistic approach in the book world. What is true is that even without the entire story of the development of fore-edge painting or a great quantity of copies of books with this decorative art. This art is still present in our times, there are some current fore-edge painters like Martin Frost (website: http://www.foredgefrost.co.uk/), Margaret Allport (Costa), and Clare Brooksbank (http://www.clarebrooksbank.co.uk/), just to name a few well-known in the fore-edge painting art.  

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Works Cited
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The ABC’s of Fore-edge Painting. Los Angeles: Jeff Weber Rare Books, 2006.

Webber, Carl J. A Thousand and One Fore Edge Paintings. Waterville, ME: Colby College, 1948. Print.
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Reviewed Work: Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Painting Artists & Binders; The Fore-Edge
Paintings of Miss C. B. Currie with a Catalogue Raisonné by Weber, Jeff