American Book-Plates

A beautiful pictorial plate. On the smooth face of an immense rock the name is carved; the trees grow close to it on the far side, and in the long distance other trees are seen; clouds float lazily, and the effect is sultry. A doctor of medicine in Virginia. Born, 1782; died, 1865. President of William and Mary College, 1814-1826.

794. Smith. John Adams Smith.

Plain armorial. Motto, Finis coronat opus. Signed, Rollinson Sct.

795. Smith. John J. Smith.

Armorial. Chippendale. No motto; the name occupying the motto-ribbon. This plate is exactly like the James Logan. Great-grandson of James Logan. Librarian of Philadelphia and Loganian libraries.

796. Smith. Jonathan Smith. M DCC LX.

A printed name-label from type with ornamental border.

797. Smith. Robert Smith.

Armorial. Major-General Smith of Virginia.

798. Smith. Samuel Smith.

Name-label; name engraved within an oval, trimmed with a wreath.

799. Smith. Samuel Smith, Esquire.

Armorial. Pictorial. A cherub is seated, busily reading, at the right side, while on the left his companion blows lustily upon a horn, in the direction of the sky, whence a third cherub approaches, displaying a long ribbon upon which is the motto, Omnes fremant licet dicam quod sentio. The whole design rests upon a bracket garlanded with roses.

800. Smith. Thomas Smith.

Armorial. Of Gloucester, Va.

801. Smith. Thomas Smith Junr. Esqr.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Nec aspera terrent. Signed, Maverick Sculpt. The customary landscape beneath the shield, and the signature on the open scroll. This plate is a copy of the James Scott Smith plate, and is much better work. Of New York.

802. Smith. Thomas J. Smith.

Armorial. Of New York. Signed by Maverick. Lawyer and scholar.

803. Smith. William Smith.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Chacun a son goût. Not signed, but undoubtedly by Hurd. Of Massachusetts.

804. Smith. William Smith.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Tutus si fortis. Signed, Maverick Sculpt. Of New York.

805. Smith. William Smith A.M.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Nil utile quod non honestum. Of New York. Rather wild in appearance.

806. Smith. William Smith LL.D. Charleston S. Carolina.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Fidem servabo genusque. Statesman and lawyer. Born, 1784; died, 1840.

807. Smith. William Loughton Smith.

Diplomatist. Statesman of Charleston, S.C. Born, 1758; died, 1812.

808. Smith. William P. Smith A.M.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Deus nobis haec otia fecit. Signed, Thomas Johnston Sculp. The most ambitious Jacobean plate of our early period. Probably the plate of William Peartree Smith of New York. Illustrated in “Art Amateur,” May, 1894.

809. Smyth. Andrew Smyth.

Armorial.

810. Society for Propagating the Gospel. Sigillum Societatis De Promovendo Evangelio In Partibus Transmarinus.

Allegorical. An oval frame bears the Latin inscription and a broad ribbon underneath bears the following, The Gift of the Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign parts, 1704. The scene is off the coast; a three-masted ship, with all sails set, is within a few feet of the shore; the missionary, whose height is equal to one half the foremast, stands before that mast with Bible in hand and is already preaching to the natives who, with outstretched hands, come running down the declivity. The imminent danger of the ship is possibly the real cause of the interest on the part of the natives. The full sun bestows his blessing, and a serpentine ribbon in mid-air bears the motto, Transiens adiuvanos. Two varieties. Illustrated in “Curio,” page 11.

811. South Carolina. Protestant Episcopal Society for the Advancement of Christianity in South Carolina.

A printed label.

812. Spaight. Spaight.

Plain armorial. Motto, Vi et virtute. Of North Carolina.

813. Spooner. Joshua Spooner.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Follow reason. Signed, N. Hurd, Scp. Of Massachusetts. A very fine plate.

814. Spooner. Wm. Spooner.

Pictorial. A play on the name. Two doves are billing and cooing, and two hearts are overlapped above them. Of Newport. Circa 1825.

815. Spotswood. (Anonymous.)

Armorial. Early Chippendale. Motto, Patior ut potiar. Of Virginia.

816. Sprigg. Richard Sprigg junr.

Name-label within an ornamental border of foliated scrolls, in the top of which a group of thirteen stars is fixed. Signed, T. Sparrow. Above his name are the letters F. G., whose meaning is lost. A woodcut.

817. Spry. William Spry.

Armorial. Chippendale. No motto. Signed, W. Smith’s. Of New York. The design of this plate is similar to some by Dawkins, but the execution is superior. Probably Dawkins copied from Smith, who was without doubt an English engraver.

818. Stanford. Thos. N. Stanford.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Verum dicit. Signed, Rollinson.

819. Stearns. Stearns.

Plain armorial. Motto, Firm. Of Massachusetts.

820. Stearns. Benjamin Stearns.

Name-label. Above the name a cabalistic arrangement of the letters W. V. and M. with four hands in pairs pointing at them. Motto, Nihil me tangere, altered to Noli me tangere. Dated 1833.

821. Stephens. William Stephens.

Armorial. Jacobean. Mantling. Motto, In corrupta fides nudaque veritas. This resembles the plate of William Cowper, Clerk of Parliament. Not signed, but possibly by Maverick, although not in his usual style.

822. Stevens. Henry Stevens, Barnet. Vt. (Walton’s Press, Montpelier. Vt.).

The arms of the State with its motto, Freedom and Unity. Under this, in a frame, is the following poem: —

In Paradise, the tree,Of knowledge was the pride:By God’s supreme decree,The man who eat – then died.But Heaven in mercy sinceDoes him who tastes forgive:To know, is no offence:Now, he who eats – shall live.

The famous bibliographer.

823. Stevens. The Property of Henry Stevens, Barnet, 180-.

A simple name-label, printed, with ornamental type.

824. Stewart. Anthony Stewart Annapolis Maryland.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Nobilis ira. A very handsome design, the name-bracket being large and handsomely ornamented; rows of roses down the sides, and the graceful foliation, make a very handsome plate.

825. Stewart. James Stewart. New York.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Nil Desperandum.

826. Stewart. Hon. John Stewart Esqr. Quebec.

Plain armorial. Mantling. Motto, Nobilis ira. Signed, S. Jones Sc Quebec.

827. Stille. Alfred Stille. M.D.

Plain armorial. Motto, Innocenter, patienter, constanter. A large plate. Of Philadelphia.

828. Stith. William Stith.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Rather virtue than learning, in Greek. The historian of Virginia. Date of plate, circa 1745. Illustrated in “Curio,” page 15.

829. Stockbridge. Charles Stockbridge.

Name-label. Very much in the style of pen flourishes.

830. Stockton. Richard Stockton, A.M.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Omnia Deo pendent. Books are shown at either side of the shield. Signer of the Declaration and father of Commodore Stockton of New Jersey.

831. Stone. Wm. L. Stone.

Pictorial. An eagle struggling with a serpent rises into the clouds with it, and bears an open scroll in one talon on which we read, Demagogues may frown and Factions rage – Traitors may sigh and Tyrants weep, but Freemen will rejoice for… A ribbon above the eagle bears the motto, Justice, Truth. Signed, R. Rawdon. Alby. Author and editor.

832. Stott. Ebenezer Stott.

Armorial. Of Virginia.

833. Stowe. Stowe.

Plain armorial. Motto, Inter feros per crucem ad coronam. Calvin Ellis Stowe, clergyman, and husband of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

834. Stringer. Samuel Stringer.

Armorial. Chippendale. No motto. Signed, H. D. fecit. Prominent physician in Eastern New York State. Born in Maryland, 1734.

835. Strobel. Martin Strobel. Charleston. S.C.

Literary. Identical with the George Goodwin and the Frederick Marsh plates.

836. Sturges. John Sturges.

Armorial. Signed by Maverick. No further information is obtainable.

837. Stuyvesant. Peter Gerard Stuyvesant.

Plain armorial. Motto, Jovae praestat fidere quam homine.

838. Sullivan. John Sullivan.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Modestia victorix. Signed, J. Callender Scp. Of New Hampshire. Major-General in the Revolutionary army.

839. Sumner. Thos. W. Sumner.

Name engraved upon a sable tablet; festoon of cloth above.

840. Sumner. W. H. Sumner.

Plain armorial. Motto, In medio tutissimus ibis. The plate of Gen. William Hyslop Sumner. Born, Dorchester, Mass., 1780; died, 1861.

841. Supreme Council 33°. Supreme Council 33° of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction U. S. A.

Masonic emblems. A triangle with 33 within it; above a regal crown is shone upon by the full rays of the sun; a double-headed eagle grasps a sword. Motto, Deus meumque jus.

842. Swan. James Swan.

Armorial. Pictorial. Supporters, a Scotchman in tartan and an Indian holding a tobacco-plant. Motto, Dum spiro spero. Signed, Callender Sc. A beehive at the right, and at the left a view of the ocean, with distant sail in sight. Merchant, politician, scholar, and author before the age of 22. Born in Scotland; came to Boston when very young; a member of the “Tea Party”; wounded at Bunker Hill; went to France and made a fortune; through trouble with a German correspondent he was imprisoned in St. Pelagie, Paris, for fifteen years; died, Paris, 1831.

843. Swett. J. B. Swett.

A symbolical plate, representing the profession of medicine. In the upper part a corpse has been laid open for examination, and three cupids are in attendance; a fourth reads a book of reference with woful face, and a saw and vessel would indicate that extreme measures were to be tried. Below the name the serpent of Æsculapius twined about the rod is placed between retorts, and herbs growing in flower-pots. The execution of the plate is poor. John Barnard Swett of Newburyport, Mass.

844. Sword. William Sword.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto-ribbon empty. Signed, H. D. Fecit.

845. Tayloe. Benjn. Ogle Tayloe.

Library interior. The shield occupies more room than anything else in the library, and is in the immediate foreground, standing upright against a pillar; a festoon falls over it; behind shelves of books are seen; books are on the floor, and a globe is in the corner. Of Maryland.

846. Tayloe. John Tayloe of Mount Airy Virginia.

This plate is the same as the preceding, and is probably the older print, the other being from the same copper with the name altered.

847. Taylor. George Taylor.

Armorial. Of Charleston, S.C.

848. Taylor. (Anonymous.)

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto-ribbon empty. This plate has a guaranteed autograph of George Taylor, the signer of the Declaration from Pennsylvania; also dated by him in the year of Independence, 1776.

849. Taylor. William Taylor.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Jura sunt mea vindi cabo. Signed, Maverick Sct. Of New York.

850. Tazewell. John Tazewell Virginia.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Ne quid nimis.

851. Ten Broeck. John C. Ten Broeck.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Perge coepisti. Not signed, but very probably by Maverick. Of New York. A soldier of ability in the Revolution; was with Washington at Valley Forge, and was in many important battles. The original copper is now owned by Mr. Beverly Chew, President of the Grolier Club, New York City.

852. Thomas. Geo: Thomas. Ex liber, 1798.

Pictorial. The frame is somewhat of the older Jacobean style, having a large pediment, upon which rests a circular frame, enclosing a little sketch of a beehive with the swarm about it, a mortar as large as the beehive standing beside it, with the pestle in it, and an awkward branch of a rose-bush, with two huge blossoms upon it, bending over the mortar. Oak branches ascend on either side of the frame, and what looks as much like a plum pudding as anything blazes away in place of a crest. The name and date are written upon the face of the pediment. A physician of Lancaster, Pa.

853. Thomas. Isaiah Thomas.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Nec elatus nec dejectus. Of Worcester, Mass. Publisher of “Massachusetts Spy.” Attributed to Johnson. Illustrated in “Art Amateur,” March, 1894.

854. Thompson. Armorial. Of Virginia.

855. Thompson. James Thompson.

Plain armorial. No motto. Signed, P. Maverick, Durand & Co.

856. Thompson. Robert Thompson.

Armorial. The arms are those of Count Rumford. (Benjamin Thompson.) No further information obtainable.

857. Thompson. Willm. Thompson Esqr.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Ante victoriam ne cane triumphum. A handsome plate. A cornucopiæ of flowers at the left.

858. Thorndike. Oliver Thorndike.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Rosae inter spinas nascunter. Of Boston.

859. Thornton. William Thornton.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Deo spes meo. Of Virginia. A woodcut. Circa 1745.

860. Thruston. Armorial. Of Virginia.

861. Tillotson. Thomas Tillotson.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Virtus est natale meum. Signed, Maverick Sculpt New York.

862. Tomlinson. John Tomlinson.

Armorial. Chippendale; rather wild. Motto, Cor unum ira mea. Signed, H. D. fecit. Similar to the Bushrod Washington plate.

863. Tracy. Nathaniel Tracy.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto-ribbon empty. Signed, N. H. Scp. Of Massachusetts.

864. Trenchard. Lieut. E. Trenchard. U. S. Navy.

Pictorial. The name is given upon an oval medallion, back of which are grouped the United States flag, pennants, bombs, cannon balls, and an anchor, while in the distance the ship of the Lieutenant is seen. This plate was probably made soon after the War of 1812. Trenchard was born in New Jersey in 1784.

865. Tripp. Lot Tripp, New York.

A simple name-label enclosed in an oval frame, and cut on wood by Dr. Anderson.

866. Tuberville. George Lee Tuberville, Virginia.

Armorial. The shield is on the breast of a large eagle displayed. Motto, Omnia relinquit servare rempublicam.

867. Tucker. St. George Tucker.

Armorial. Poet, jurist, and Revolutionary soldier of Virginia. Was called the “American Blackstone.”

868. Tufts. S. Tufts. Newburyport.

A very roughly engraved label. The name is enclosed within a circular frame.

869. Tuttle. The property of Hugh Tuttle, 1822.

The name is arranged in the form of a diamond with the first letter in the centre and the others about it in natural order.

870. Tyler. Andrew Tyler.

Armorial. Jacobean. No motto. Signed, N. H. Sculp. The shield is placed upon a bracket having a handsome diapered pattern; the scrolls are graceful, the canephoros head on which the shield rests has curled hair, and the upper arms of the scroll-work support urns filled with flowers. A goldsmith of Boston.

871. Tyler. Joseph Tyler.

Armorial. Motto, Fari quae sentiat. By Thomas Johnson.

872. Tyng. Dudley Atkins Tyng.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Esse quam videri. Signed, Callender Sp. Of Massachusetts. Descendant of Governor Dudley.

873. Uniacke. Richd. John Uniacke. Esqr. 1801.

Plain armorial. Motto, Faithful and brave. Governor-General of Canada.

874. United States Army. Head Quarters of the Army.

The American eagle displays the shield of our country upon his breast; the motto, E Pluribus unum, and the thirteen stars are given above.

875. United States Congress. Library of Congress, United States of America.

Engraved. Oblong border of oak leaves.

876. United States Navy. Navy Department.

The American eagle rests upon an anchor. A circular frame about this holds the words, Hydrographic Office, U. S. Navy. A ribbon below has on it, Bureau of Navigation.

877. United States Navy. Navy Department. Bureau of Navigation.

A large plate. Upon the shield is a representation of the mariner’s compass; the American eagle flies over the waves above; the motto, Vigilemus ut vigilatis, is given upon a ribbon below. Branches of oak are used as decoration.

878. Van Berckel. P. I. Van Berckel.

Armorial. Supporters, naked barbarians with bludgeons five feet long, and wreaths on their heads; they stand on the motto-ribbon. Motto, In silentio et spe. Signed, Maverick Scp. Of New York.

879. Van Buren. M. V. Buren.

An engraved label; the name is in script and a thin festoon is draped above it. Very probably the plate of Martin Van Buren, eighth President of the United States.

880. Van Cortlandt. Van Cortlandt.

Armorial. Military trophies behind the shield. Motto, Virtus sibi munus. Of the Manor.

881. Van Ness. J. P. Van Ness.

Plain armorial. Motto, Pro Deo et nobilissima patria Batavorum. Mantling comes down well upon either side.

882. Van Rensselaer. Jer. Vn. Rensselaer. Esqr.

Armorial. Jacobean. Lieutenant-Governor of New York, 1801-1803.

883. Van Rensselaer. K. K. Van Rensselaer. Esqr.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Vertus est vera vetustas. Signed, Maverick, Scp., on an open scroll. Of New York.

884. Van Rensselaer. P. V. Rensselaer.

Armorial. By Billings.

885. Van Rensselaer. Stephen Van Rensselaer.

Armorial. Mantling. The name on a broad ribbon surrounding the whole. Not signed, but probably by Maverick. The “Patron.”

886. Van Wyck. Van Wyck.

Armorial. Jacobean. Supporters. Of New York.

887. Varick. Richard Varick Esq.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto-ribbon empty. Signed, A. Billings Sculpt. Patriotic features are introduced into the ornamentation. The plate of Colonel Richard Varick, a brave officer in the Revolution: was Mayor of New York in 1801, and with Samuel Jones revised the law of the State in 1786.

888. Vassall. John Vassall. Esqr.

Armorial. Chippendale. No motto. This plate is not signed, but is undoubtedly the work of Hurd. Of Cambridge, Mass.; inheritor of a large fortune, which he augmented largely; a Loyalist, and a refugee; lived for some time in England, and died there. His mansion-house at Cambridge became the headquarters of General Washington, and later the home of the poet Longfellow. He would not use the family motto, “Saepe pro rege, semper pro republica,” on his coat-of-arms, it is said.

889. Vaughan. Benjamin Vaughan.

Plain armorial. Motto, Prudenter et simpliciter. Of Maine. Educated in London; gave his library to Bowdoin College.

890. Vaughan. Samuel Vaughan.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, In prudentia & simplicitate. Mantling around the helmet. A wealthy planter of Jamaica. Illustrated in “Curio,” page 11.

891. Vaughan. Samuel Vaughan Esqr.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Christi servitus vera libertas. The Vaughan arms impaling Hallewell.

892. Vaughan. Samuel Vaughan Junr.

Plain armorial. Motto, Prudenter et simpliciter. Of Maine.

893. Vaughan. William Vaughan.

Plain armorial. Motto, Prudenter et simpliciter. Very similar to the Samuel Vaughan Junr.

894. Vaux. Edward Vaux.

Plain armorial. No motto. Of Philadelphia.

895. Vavasour. Josias Short Vavasour.

Armorial. Chippendale. Signed, H. Dawkins. Sc. At the left, a harlequin in a black mask peers around the frame and touches his feathered hat; at the right a fashionably clad young lady, noticing the intrusion, holds up her hand-glass, in which the black mask of the new-comer is reflected. Motto, Strive for glory.

896. Vinton. John A. Vinton.

The name is printed within a woodcut border, oval in form, and decorated with a wreath of flowers and a spray of palm. The following quotation is given: Maximae divitiae sunt prae doctrina et scientia contemnendae: sed virtus omnibus praestat. Antiquarian.

897. Virginia Council Chamber. Virginia Council Chamber.

Armorial. First quarter, the arms of England and Scotland; second quarter, the arms of France; third quarter, the arms of Ireland; fourth quarter, the same as the first. Motto, En dat Virginia quartam. Supporters, two men in complete armor, their beavers open, three ostrich feathers on the helmets, their breasts charged with a cross, and in the exterior hand a lance. Crest, a virgin queen, couped at the shoulders, hair dishevelled, and crowned with an Eastern crown. Illustrated in “Curio,” page 14.

898. Virginia Council Chamber. (Anonymous.)

Armorial. Below the arms, which are the same as those in the preceding plate, is a scene within the Council Chamber, evidently, as the members are around the table, and are being addressed by one of their number. The framework which supports this is Chippendale in construction, the armed supporters stand upon the upper part, and the very lowest panel is occupied by the 249th line of the first book of Homer’s “Illiad,” Του και ἁπο γλὡσσης μἑλιτος γλυκἱων ῥἑεν αὑδἡ. Signed, Dent – Sculpt. Bull Alley, Lombard Street. London. The design of the plate is attributed to Samuel Wale, R.A. See “The Book-plate Annual and Armorial Year Book,” 1894. London, A. & C. Black, Soho Square.

899. Vose. Benjamin Vose.

Armorial.

900. Vose. Solomon Vose.

Armorial. Ribbon and Wreath. Motto, Quo fata vocant. Signed, Callender Sc.

901. Waldo. D. Waldo’s.

Armorial. Jacobean. Motto, Nil sine Deo. Of Connecticut. Soldier in the Revolution.

902. Walker. Samuel Walker’s.

Pictorial. Above the plain tablet which bears the name, and the mottoes, Ubi plura nitent paucis non offendar maculis, and Vitanda est improba Siren defidia, a group of musical accessories is placed; below, two sprays of oak branches. A rude woodcut.

903. Wall. Wall.

Plain armorial. Motto, Par pari refero. Signed, J. D. Stout. N.Y.

904. Wallace. The Honble. Joshua Maddox Wallace of Burlington in New Jersey esqr.

Armorial. Chippendale. Motto, Pro patria.

905. Waller. Benja. Waller. Virginia.

Armorial. Chippendale. No motto. A lawyer in Virginia.

906. Walmsley. I. Walmsley. 1792.

Armorial. Very crude work. The mantling encloses the shield. Motto-ribbon empty.

907. Warren. G. Washington Warren.

Armorial. Belongs to no class. Ornamented with scroll-work. The same plate is found with the name of Lucius Henry Warren upon it.

908. Warren. John C. Warren.

Armorial. Pictorial. The shield rests against a boulder, and is shaded by a poplar tree; the serpent and rod of Æsculapius lie on the ground, and the name is given on a ribbon. Eminent surgeon and medical writer of Boston.

909. Warren. J. Mason Warren.