Wharton Esherick's Illuminated and Illustrated Song of the Broad-Axe

Wharton Esherick's Illuminated and Illustrated Song of the Broad-Axe
Author: The Wharton Esherick Museum
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780764336775

Harold Mason, owner of the Centaur Bookshop in Philadelphia asked Wharton Esherick to illustrate Walt Whitman's "Song of the broad-axe", which Mason published in a limited edtion in 1924. Esherick created a hand-bound prototype book of Whitman's poem, using prints made directly from his blocks and hand-lettering it in Esherick's own calligraphic style. Illuminated letters were used to begin paragraphs, and spaces at the end of lines were filled with blue and yellow drawings that reflect the content of the verses. The result was a work of art, 17 x 12 inches, with pages of handmade paper, folded and uncut. This book is a reproduction of Esherick's prototype, authorized by the Wharton Esherick Museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Though this edition is smaller than the prototype book, the original was carefully scanned and printed to provide as true a reproduction as possible. It faithfully captures the artist's vision and skill and, for the first time, makes this work available to the general public.

The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick
Author: Sarah Archer
Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2024-10-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 084783638X

Widely celebrated as the father of the Studio Furniture Movement, Wharton Esherick is one of the most important furniture designers of the twentieth century. Presenting his preserved hillside house and studio, this book showcases seven decades of innovative woodwork and sculpture, embodying his influence on American art and design. Wharton Esherick (1887–1970) stands as a pivotal figure in 20th-century American art, craft, and design. Now known as the Wharton Esherick Museum, the artist’s self-proclaimed “autobiography in three dimensions” on Valley Forge Mountain, constructed between 1926 and 1966, served as his creative epicenter and a vibrant community hub. To introduce Esherick’s visionary work to a broader public, this book draws on the museum’s collection of almost 3,000 objects, many never before seen outside his home and studio, following Esherick’s evolution from paintings and woodcut illustrations to his revolutionary fusion of furniture and organic sculpture. Through fully contextualizing iconic works in Esherick’s own space, this book immerses readers in his creative world while capturing his unparalleled artistic contributions to the realms of furniture, architecture, prints, drawings, and sculpture.

Song of the Broad-axe

Song of the Broad-axe
Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 76
Release: 1924
Genre: American poetry
ISBN:

Complete set of the thirteen woodcut illustrations used in the 1924 edition of Song of the Broad-axe by Walt Whitman, published by Centaur Press in Philadelphia. Each woodcut is titled and numbered "16". The titles are (as they appear in the book): No.I, Ship struck in storm, Beauty of woodmen, building, the forger, hell of war, The great city, of the best-bodied mothers, the hammers-men, the headsman, solid forest, the liquor-bar, and No.II.

Stuffed Peacocks

Stuffed Peacocks
Author: Emily Clark
Publisher:
Total Pages: 266
Release: 1927
Genre: African Americans
ISBN:

Typescript with corrections, galley proofs with corrections and page proofs with instructions to the printer.

Song of the Broad-Axe

Song of the Broad-Axe
Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 9780764336782

Produced in a numbered limited edition of 350, this is a full-sized facsimile of Wharton Esherick's prototype of Walt Whitman's "Song of the Broad-Axe." Each page is as produced by the artist, with hand lettering and illumination. Esherick illustrated the work with eighteen woodblock images that represent the artist's vision and skill. Available for the first time to the public, this book is work of art, interpreting the power of Whitman's words in Esherick's unique and beautiful style. Each book is accompanied by a separate 8" x 11" restrike of his original woodcut "Welcome are all the earth's lands," suitable for framing. Also included is an illustrated essay by Paul Eisenhauer, Curator of the Wharton Esherick Museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania, which gives a brief biography of Esherick and the historical background the book. All is contained in a custom cloth case to ensure its longevity as a treasured keepsake.