£252
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs | 792
Auction: 19 June 2024 from 10:00 BST
Berlin: Globus Verlag, 1899. First edition, oblong folio, 55 photographic plates, upper cover with coloured armorial design by J.M. King
Given by Jessie M. King to Fra and Jessie Newbery, and thence by descent to the present owner
The Album Von Berlin was King’s first commission for a book cover. This is a rare example of her first, figurative design for the publication, which contains photographs of Berlin; her second was pattern-based. This first version was withdrawn from sale when a complaint was received from ‘an influential person, possibly the Kaiser (who was known to dislike Art Nouveau)’ suggesting that the cover was inappropriate for a book of photographs of the German capital.