An exhibition of the Clark Collection of books printed in the context of the British Arts and Crafts movement closes Dec. 15 at Young Research Library.
The collection was developed by the late Los Angeles philantropist William Andrews Clark, who demonstrated a keen interest in the books produced in the context of the late 19th-Century movement. Clark dedicated himself to book collecting in the early decades of the 20th Century, when California printers were adopting many of the principles of Arts and Crafts design for their own work.
Major figures like William Morris, Thomas Cobden-Sanderson and Emery Walker, who promoted the concept of the “ideal book,” influenced the design process of San Francisco printer John Henry Nash in the 1910s and 1920s. In addition to the California printers’ work, Clark also commissioned projects from Nash and others.
California fine printing blossomed in the 20th century with a myriad of approaches to visual design and literary content. By mid-to late-century, fine presses were the go-to style. The Grabhorns (Robert, Jane, and Edward) along with Adrian and Joyce Wilson, William Everson, Ward Ritchie, Lewis and Dorothy Allen, and others throughout California, are responsible for not only creating their own aesthetic visions but, most importantly, for creating networks of social connections and exchange.
The relation between the founding figures of the Arts and Crafts movement and those engaged in fine printing in California established a set of principles and practices. The Clark collection reflects not only the tastes of its original founder, but the vital community that continues to work in the tradition of fine press printing and publishing.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit UCLA Library.
