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[Bookplate for Gerald E. Hart by Edwin Cox & Co.]
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| Title | [Bookplate for Gerald E. Hart by Edwin Cox & Co.] |
| Creator | Edwin Cox & Co. |
| Date Created | [between 1869 and 1890?] |
| Sort Date | 1890 |
| Description | Multicoloured ink on cream paper. Leaves with three pointed leaves adorn the corner of a brick pattern background. The leaves and brick are a pale green. There is an elaborate image printed on top of the pale green pattern. The bricks form an arch shape in the top centre to surround an elaborate multicoloured, painted arch. The arch is brown, gold, and black with ‘X' decorations and borders. The arch surrounds a multicolour stained glass window, at the forefront of which sits a monk writing in a book. The stained glass window features a central circular decoration with three red circular borders surrounding three yellow circles, in the center of which are yellow flowers with three petals and green accents. In the outer spaces between the circles are rounded triangular lined insertions. At the very center of the three circles is a three ringed circle. To the bottom left and right of the circle decoration are more teardrop shaped sections with tapered bottoms. They each features yellow flowers with stems. Below the right floral decoration are two more similarly shaped sections with a swirling ribbon in each atop a blue crosshatch background. The arch connects to a Romanesque pillar on either side. The arch connects to an elaborately decorated bench, which has a golden floral motif. A bearded monk sits on the bench in floor-length yellow robes. The monk faces the right, where there is a desk. The desk is decorated on the side with ‘X' decorations. Atop the desk is an open book that the monk is writing on. Below the desk is a decorative bird with a long, curved neck and floral elements extending from its back. The bird is accented with gold. To the right of the bird, partly reaching up to the top of the desk, are two rolled up pieces of paper. The floor consists of two thin platforms with green accents. A smaller rectangle is below with a gold crosshatch pattern. Text in the style of medieval manuscripts is printed atop. The first letter of each word is more stylized and in red font ; the rest of the text is blue. A thin ledge extends from the bottom of that rectangle. It tapers down to a more narrow line with two small pointed feet at the left and right sides. In that small section is a repeating geometric pattern in gold on a brown background. Below the entire image is small, red, capitalized, sans-serif font. |
| Extent | 1 bookplate : relief printing ; 7.8 x 9.8 cm |
| Subject | Private libraries ; Collectors ; Scribes |
| Subject - Geographic | Montréal (Québec) |
| Personal Names | Hart, Gerald E. |
| Genre | Prints |
| Type | Still Image |
| Format | image/jpeg |
| Language | Latin
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| Notes | Gerald Ephraim Hart was from a prominent Canadian Jewish family. His great-grandfather, Aaron Hart, settled in Trois-Rivières in 1860 and became a successful merchant. Hart's grandfather, Ezekiel, was elected to the legislative assembly, one of the first Jews elected in the British Empire, but was expelled because he could not take the oath. Hart's father, Adophus Mordecai, was a lawyer in Montreal. He married Constance Hatton Hart and their son, Gerald Ephraim Hart, was born in 1849. Hart went to school in Trois-Rivières, Montreal, and New York. He worked in insurance in Montreal from 1869 to 1896. He was the General Manager of the Citizens Insurance Company and then got a similar position at the Montreal office of the Phoenix Fire Company, based in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1890. Hart was a collector of many things, including coins, medals, books, stamps, china, and furniture. His collections reflected his interest in Canadian history. He published two books on Canadian history in 1888 and 1891. Although he planned more works, a lot of his papers were destroyed in a fire at his Florida home. He sometimes collected beyond his means and was forced to sell parts of his collection several times. He eventually convinced the Canadian government to buy many of his Canadian coins and tokens in 1883. He sold other parts of his coin collections at New York auctions in 1888 and 1895. In 1890, his library was sold at Boston. From 1869 onwards, Hart served as an officer of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal, of which he was a life member. He also published in its journal regularly. Hart moved to Florida around 1896 and remained there until his return to Montreal in 1934. He died in Montreal in 1936. The Hart family fonds currently reside in the McCord Museum. Edwin Cox & Co. was an engraving company in Montreal.
References:
1) Leeds University Library. (n.d.). Gerald Ephraim Hart (1849-1936). Retrieved from https://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections/collection/1662
2) McCord Museum. (n.d.). Hart family fonds (P013). Retrieved from http://collections.musee-mccord.qc.ca/scripts/explore.php?Lang=1&tableid=18&tablename=fond&elementid=22__true
3) Trade Gossip. (1886, February 11). The American Stationer, p. 157. Retrieved from https://books.google.ca/books?id=kjxYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=%22Edwin+Cox+%26+Co%22&source=bl&ots=4xMqHyEHFN&sig=X33Luj-BSU2kn7RZqsyABEjf4rQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihltj5mMjSAhVJ72MKHTwfC8EQ6AEIJjAD#v=onepage&q=%22Edwin%20Cox%20%26%20Co%22&f=false |
| Access Identifier | BP MUR CAN P H784 |
| Digital Identifier | BP_MUR_CAN_P_H784 |
| Is Part Of | RBSC Bookplates |
| Source | Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Thomas Murray Bookplates Collection. Stanley Binder. BP MUR CAN P H784 |
| Date Available | 2017-03-15 |
| Publisher - Digital | Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library |
| Rights | Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from Rare Books and Special Collections: http://rbsc.library.ubc.ca |
| Transcript | Ex Libris Gerald E. Hart EDWIN COX & CO. MONTREAL |
| Translation | Bookplate |
| DOI | 1.0355726 |
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