The Print Library: Archives

Photogravures.

The Grumpy Gnome and I love to read. And rescue old books. While I am not a collector by nature, antiquarian volumes and old storybook illustrations are the exception. Literature has the power to unlock and expand the imagination. When you open a book, an entire world becomes available to you as the reader. And when it’s a book from another time, you are offered a unique glimpse into the ideas and images that shaped previous generations. You are given the ability to perceive history through a more experiential lens.

One of my favorite aspects of the process in opening a shop has been the things I learn about and discover. The art of printmaking, of distributing information and how far technology has come, is something I find incredibly fascinating! Engraving, etching, photogravure—these are highly detailed, labor-intensive skills of another time that made it possible for images and stories to be available to people. It was how many had access to art and the ideas it inspires.

The collection of images below are a sample of the photogravures and illustrations that I’ve collected. I use them as references for design work, I draw from them for inspiration, and I will forever appreciate the collaborative effort and mastery it took to make these prints possible. Many of the subjects depicted feature characters from classic fiction, mythology, drama, and opera. Each photo is taken from the original in my personal collection. I hope they engage your imagination, and at the very least spark curiosity.