Grolier Club, Maria Gerard Messenger Women's Bookplate Collection
The Maria Gerard Messenger Women’s Bookplate Collection is a group of 2095 women's bookplates and book labels assembled by Maria Gerard Messenger (1849-1937) of Great Neck, Long Island. The collection represents women book owners from the sixteenth century to the 1930s, and includes women from North America, England, France, Germany, the Low Countries, and Spain, among other locations. It includes both well-known collectors and those with little or no documentation in the historical record. The collection was donated by Messenger to the Great Neck Public Library in April 1933, which donated it in turn to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in May 1986. The NMWA kindly donated it to the Grolier Club in March 2016.
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- Alice Lucie Blakely Bookplate
- Bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Alice Lucie Blakely \ Carmen die Liebe vom Zigeuner stammt". Depicts a heraldic device, enclosed within a wreath of roses. The text is flanked by the side-profiles of two winged but otherwise human figures, and a line of musical notes runs along the bottom of the image.
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- Alice Marie Hager Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Alice Marie Hager". Depicts a heraldic device flanked by flowers and books.
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- Alice Meyer Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Alice Meyer". A simple design featuring a flower, stars, and clover.
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- Alice Moll Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Alice Moll \ Für Ihre Bücher \ Palmsonntag \ 1898. \ No. [blank]". Depicts a Christ-like figure straigthening a tree, with a gardening can at his feet. A cathedral is visible in the distance.
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- Alice Ozy Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "OZY \ Ex Libris \ Alice Ozy". Depicts a branch with flowers. The engraver's name and the year is visible at the bottom.
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- Alice Weigmann Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Alice Weigmann". Depicts a woman standing beneath a fruit tree, holding a small book behind her back, looking out over a winding river. There are mountains and clouds visible in the distance, and the image is enclosed within a floral border. The artist's initials are visible at the top.
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- Alice Wilson McCulloch Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Alice Wilson McCulloch". Depicts a woman standing at a lectern, beside a bookcase, reading a book by candlelight. The artist's initials are barely visible in the bottom-right corner of the banner upon which the owner's name is written.
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- Alice and Moriz Sachs-Hellmann Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "1876 1901 \ Ex Libris \ Moriz + Alice Sachs-Hellmann". Depicts a tree with three flowers, enclosed within a circle of two hands shaking. The artist's initials are visible in the middle-right.
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- Aliciae Loudon Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Lib \ Alicæ Loudon \ 1897". The artist's initials are visible in the lower-right corner.
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- Aline Lippert Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Aline Lippert \ Ex Libris". Depicts the outline of a city on the water, and a swan spreading its wings above a heraldic device.
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- Aline Milbank Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Milbank, Aline".
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- Aline Wythes Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Aline Wythes." Depicts a luxurious interior scene featuring shelves of urns and vases, a table with two books, and a framed heraldic monogram sitting upon the floor. An open window provides views of a large garden and gate. The artist's initials and the engraver's name are visible in the bottom-left and right corners, respectively.
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- Allene Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Allene, Her Book." Depicts two large dogs, in a prone position, looking leftward.
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- Alma Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Alma". The image depicts a woman's face looking downward, behind an apparent hybrid of a wing and a pan flute, and framed by an olive branch. There is one large star at the forefront, while the background is littered with several more.
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- Alma Schindler Bookplate
- Bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Alma Schindler". Depicts a geometric design. Printed in blue ink.
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- Alois Hofmann Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Alois Hofmann". Depicts a stringed instrument flanked by masks. Artist's initials in bottom-right corner. Printed in blue ink.
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- Althea Fanshawe Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Althea Fanshawe."
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- Alwine Busse Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ein blick ins buch \ undzwei ins lebel \ das soll die form \ dem geiste geben \ Alwine Busse". Depicts flowers and vascular leaves. The artist's initials, the location, and the year are visible in the bottom corners.
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- Alwine Reinecke Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Alwine Reinecke \ Ex Libris \ 1901". Depicts a floral wreath, below which is a heraldic device flanked by two stags. Artist's initials at bottom. Printed in blue and red ink.
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- Alwine Reinecke Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ein blick ins buch \ undzwei ins leben \ das solldie form \ dem geiste geben \ Alwine Reinecke \ 18 Lüneburg 98". Depicts flowers with vascular leaves. Artist's initials in bottom-left corner.
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- Amalia Fürstin von Gallitzin Bookplate
- Book label, inscribed: "Amalia Für_tin von Gallitzin."
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- Amalie Busck Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amalie Busck". Mounted alongside a duplicate.
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- Amalie Busck Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amalie Busck". Mounted alongside a duplicate.
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- Amalie Engel Reimers Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amalie Engel Reimers \ Hambvrg". Depicts text within a large floral border. Artist's initials and year in bottom-right.
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- Amalie Engel Reimers Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amalie Engel Reimers \ Hambvrg". Depicts text within a large floral border. Artist's initials and year in bottom-right.
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- Amelia Dobrée Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Amelia Dobrée."
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- Amelia Henry Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Amelia Henry."
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- Amelia Maria Ely Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "I will find where truth is hid. \ Shakespeare. \ Amelia Maria Ely, \ her Book". Depicts a jester sitting cross-legged, looking at the masks of Comedy and Tragedy. The artist's initials and the year are visible in the lower-left corner.
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- Amely Bender Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amely Bender". Depicts a woman with butterfly-like wings, standing beside a tree. She is leaning over a highly over-sized book. Printed in red ink.
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- Amely Bender Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amely Bender". Depicts a woman with butterfly-like wings, standing beside a tree. She is leaning over a highly over-sized book. Printed in green ink.
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- Amely Linnig Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amely Linnig." Depicts an open book, quill, painter's palette, broken column, medallion, stringed instrument, and sun within an oval frame. Flowers and butterflies surround the frame. The artist's name and the year is visible in the bottom-right and left corners, respectively.
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- Amy B. Alexander Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed "Amy B Alexander". Depicts an owl perched upon several upright books, with a branch in its mouth. To the right, a genie-style lamp sits upon a pile of horizontal books.
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- Amy Ivers Truesdell Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Amy Ivers Truesdell". Depicts a woman with a bow in her hair, standing between two flowers. She is reading from an unfurled scroll.
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- Amy Ivers Truesdell Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amy Ivers Truesdell". Depicts a woman wearing many layers of clothing, flanked by columns. She is reaching toward an open book, and a rural landscape can be seen in the distance. The artist's name is visible in the lower-left. Printed with yellow, green, blue, and purple ink.
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- Amy Ivers Truesdell Bookplate
- Bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amy Ivers Truesdell". Depicts a heraldic image featuring three open books. Printed in blue and red ink.
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- Amy Ivers Truesdell Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Amy Ivers Truesdell". Depicts a woman with a bow in her hair, standing between two flowers. She is reading from an unfurled scroll. Pritned in blue ink, on blue paper.
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- Amy Ivers Truesdell Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Amy Ivers Truesdell". Depicts a woman wearing many layers of clothing, flanked by columns. She is reaching toward an open book, and a rural landscape can be seen in the distance. The artist's name is visible in the lower-left.
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- Amy M. Sacker Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "From the books of Amy M Sacker". Depicts a woman sitting and reading a finely-bound book, with the sun rising behind her. She is flanked on all sides by pigeons, and a coiled serpent is above her head.
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- Amy Master Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Amy Master \ Come my best friends \ my \ and lead me on. \ Barrow Green". Depicts a small shelf of books wedged between two heraldic devices; several clouds and a small sun are visible in the background. The artist's initials and the year are visible in the lower-right corner.
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- Anah Yates Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ex Libris \ Anah Yates." Depicts a bookshelf and loose books, with two seals in blue above them and a heraldic device at the top. Printed with blue and brown ink.
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- Angelica Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Nobilitatis virtus non stemma character \ Angelica." The owner's name is framed by a laurel wreath. Printed on pink paper.
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- Angie Walker Stevens Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Angie Walker Stevens Book". Depicts paintbrushes and a palette within a wreath of flowers, flanked by candles. There is an open book in each of the four corners, which are inscribed: "I entrench myself in my books equally \ against sorrow and weather \ My palette holds the color \ for the flowers of my mind". The artist's initials and the year is visible in the bottom-right corner.
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- Anita Brockmann Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Anita Brockmann". Depicts a temple enclosed within an ornate floral design. The location, artist's initial, and year is visible in the bottom-right corner. Printed in red ink on yellow paper.
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- Ann Bruce of Arnot Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Nex me qui caetera vinc \ Anne Bruce of Arnot".
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- Ann Countess of Plymouth Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ann \ Counte_s of Plymouth."
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- Ann Elizabeth Gubbins Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ann Elizabeth Gubbins."
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- Ann Fladgate Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ann Fladgate."
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- Ann Garnault Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ann Garnault".
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- Ann Gwatkin Bookplate
- Heraldic bookplate, inscribed: "Ann Gwatkin".
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- Ann Hill Bookplate
- Pictorial bookplate, inscribed: "Ann Hill". Depicts a woman reclining beneath a tree, with a heraldic device beside her. Buildings and a boat are visible in the background. Artist's name and year visible in bottom corners.