Special collections
Speciale collecties
Much has been written about Coburn’s books of photogravures. Imagining Paradise gives a better commentary than most: “From 1906 to 1909 Coburn learned photogravure two nights a week at Bolt Court Technical School. He etched and electroplated the printing plates, ground the inks, and pulled exploratory proofs on various grades of paper before handing them over to a printer. On May 21, 1909 he moved to “Thameside,” a four story house close to Hammersmith Bridge, and installed two copperplate photogravure presses. From June he employed an experienced printer who made between 200 and 250 gravures a day, and from August a boy to assemble the pages. London was published on October 14, 1909, after four months’ work. Each 8 ½ x 6 ½ inch gravure, printed in a variety of muted inks to suit the subject matter, was produced with an etched tone border to give the appearance of a separate mount, then mounted on 16x12 inch light brown paper pages. Coburn chose the page and end papers, the design, the typeface, and produced image-only maquettes for this and all his books. London initially sold for 25s./ $6.90 as opposed to 15 guineas and upward for one of Coburn’s gum platinum prints. The Manchester Guardian gave London the accolade of being “the first attempt to publish a book of photos on their own merit as works of art.” - I.P., pp. 224-5 with six illus. The Photobook, I., p. 74. 101 Books, pp. 38-39. (Charles Wood, cat. 164)