Binding for Mr Wind and Madam Rain
Charles Bennett, designer
1864
Gilt interlace, produced using a brass die, on purple cloth
6¼ x 5 inches
A version of an illustration on page one. The gilt design functions a a proleptic image to draw the reader in. The binding shown here is rather faded, although in its original condition the book must have been a typically cheerful publication, competing with many others for the purchaser’s attention.
Photograph and text by Simon Cooke.