Timeline of Publishers' Bindings: 1860-1869
A great change occurred in the style of American book bindings during the Civil War. The rich elaboration of the 1850s gave way to a simplicity and sparseness that mirrored the somber mood of the country. Cloth colors became muted, and gold stamping was now generally restricted to the spine or a small decoration on the front.
Gala-Days, by Gail Hamilton (Boston, Ticknor and Fields, 1864)
M. G. Sawyer Collection of Decorative Bindings, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, Delaware Art Museum
The wave grain pattern of the cloth and the blind-stamped borders with corner decorations make this simple binding more interesting.
Flowers for the Parlor and Garden, by Edward Sprague Rand (Boston, J. E. Tilton & Co., 1864)
M. G. Sawyer Collection of Decorative Bindings, Helen Farr Sloan Library & Archives, Delaware Art Museum
The somber color of the cloth reflects the mood of a nation at war. The wave grain pattern is the same as that on Gala-Days (above).