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Emma Toedteberg bookplate collection

Call Number

2012.004

Dates

1701-1982, inclusive
; 1870-1936, bulk

Creator

Huntington, Edna
Stryker-Rodda, Harriet
Toedteberg, Emma
Toedteberg, Augustus

Extent

23.5 Linear Feet in 48 manuscript boxes.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Emma Toedteberg Bookplate collection, spanning from 1701 to 1982, was the bookplate collection of long-time Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) librarian Emma Toedteberg (1856-1936). The collection was originally created by Miss Toedteberg's father, Augustus Toedteberg (1824-1909), and later expanded by BHS librarians. The present collection numbers over 7,000 bookplates ranging from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, including armorial, heraldic and presentation bookplates of individuals and institutions. Works of numerous engravers are represented such as Edwin Davis French, Charles W. Sherborn and John W. Evans.

Biographical / Historical

Emma Toedteberg (1857-1936) joined the staff of the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society) at the age of 13. Following the tenure of George Hannah, she served as the Society's third librarian from 1889 until her death. Toedteberg was an avid proponent of animal rights and a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Brooklyn. She also inherited from her father a passion for collecting bookplates.

Augustus Toedteberg (1824-1909), her father, emigrated from Germany in 1844 and worked as an inlay illustrator in New York City. He married fellow German immigrant Catherine Lager (d. 1905) in New York City in 1849. In addition to Emma, the couple had another daughter, Louise Toedteberg (1853-1938). The family resided at 274 Vanderbilt Avenue in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, and later at 628 East Delmere Place (now known as East 23rd Street) in Flatbush. Harriet Stryker-Rodda was the Long Island Historical Society librarian in the 1960s, and published books on genealogy research, Brooklyn church records and a guide to colonial handwriting.

Harriet Styker-Rodda was the Long Island Historical Society librarian in the 1960s, and published books on genealogical research, Brooklyn church records and guides to colonial handwritting.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into six series, and maintains a previous arrangement of the materials into boxes, folders and archival sleeves and envelopes. The plates are loosely alphabetized in each box, and are mounted on paper unless otherwise indicated.

Series 1: Engravers of Bookplates

Series 2: Non-illustrated Bookplates

Series 3: Illustrated Bookplates

Series 4: Ladies' Bookplates

Series 5: Institutional Bookplates

Series 6: Indexes and Papers

Scope and Contents

The Emma Toedteberg bookplate collection is comprised of an estimated 7,000 bookplates dating back to the early 18th century. Originally created by Miss Toedteberg's father, Augustus Toedteberg, the collection was expanded in the 1960s by librarian Harriet Stryker-Rodda, wife of the Society's then vice president Kenn Stryker-Rodda. Loosely alphabetized and organized by subject, the collection includes armorial, heraldic and presentation bookplates of individuals and institutions, and the works of numerous engravers such as Edwin Davis French, Charles W. Sherborn and John W. Evans. Arranged with the bookplates is a series of previously compiled indexes, which provide a comprehensive point of entry into researching the collection, along with related papers and correspondence.

The collection represents the culture of American and British book collecting for both personal and institutional libraries, from the colonial era through World War I. The abundant patterns of artistic styles, bookplate types and printing techniques reflect a unique modern history of the graphic arts. As many of the bookplate owners are persons of artistic, financial and political consequence, the collection offers a distinct perspective on social and class history.

Included are the bookplates of prominent Brooklyn figures such as Bishop Cadman and Henry Ward Beecher; early New York figures colonial like Governor Cadwallader Colden, Mayor James Duane, and John Pintard, a founder of the New York Historical Society; and artistic personalities such as magician Harry Houdini, Hollywood performers Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, and Broadway impresario David Belasco. Included are the bookplates of United States Presidents John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt; Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations; Captain James Cook, the eighteenth-century explorer, and Marie Antoinette. Also featured are the institutional bookplates of the Brooklyn Historical Society; The New York Society Library, the oldest private library in New York City; The American Museum of Natural History; and the Brooklyn Club.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

The majority of materials in this collection are in the public domain, but for some materials copyright restrictions may apply and permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Brooklyn Historical Society and the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Emma Toedteberg bookplate collection, 2012.004, Box number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Louise Toedteberg, 1936.

Related Materials

The following volumes provide a rich source of background material on bookplates and the culture of book-collecting, and can be found in the library collection of the Brooklyn Historical Society:

Bowdoin, W.G. (April, 1940) "Emma Toedteberg and her Bookplates," The Long Island Historical Society Quarterly, April, 1940, no. 2. (Brooklyn Historical Society Main Collection, F116 .L875 Non-circulating)

Fincham, H.W. (1897) The Artists and Engravers of British and American Book Plates. Private printing. (Uncatalogued)

Rawls, Walton H. (1964) The Century Book. The Long Island Historical Society. See chapter 4, "The Society's Bookplates," by North, Edgerton G. (Brooklyn Historical Society Reference - Desk, F116.L66 C46 1964 c.2 Non-circulating)

Scott, Temple (1902) "The Artistic Book-Plate," in Bookplates of Today, Stone, W.M. (ed.) NY: Tonnelle & Co. (Uncatalogued)

Stone, Wilbur Macey (1902) Women Designers of Book-Plates. NY: The Triptych. (Brooklyn Historical Society Main Collection, Z993 .S89 1902 Non-circulating)

Teall, Gardner (1921) Bookplates by Sidney L. Smith. Kansas City: Alfred Fowler. (Uncatalogued)

Ward, Harry Parker (1915) Some American College Bookplates. Columbus, OH: The Champlin Press. (Uncatalogued)

Also useful is the library's collection of journals and periodicals devoted to bookplates, which includes The Bookplate Chronicle (1922-1925), and Ex Libris (circa 1890s). (Uncatalogued)

In addition, numerous resources can be found online. The following sites were last accessed Aug. 30, 2011:

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/

http://www.bookplate.org/

http://uvamagazine.org/only_online/article/ex_libris/

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/bsuva/related.html

http://www.sharpweb.org/en/resources/series-journals.html

http://www.bibsocamer.org/BibSite/bibsite.htm

http://www.thebookcollector.co.uk/index.html

http://www.bibsocamer.org/BibSite/Pearson/Pearson.pdf

http://www.bookplatesociety.org/resources.htm

http://www.bookplatesociety.org/styles.html

http://www.pietafineart.com/sherborn.htm

http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Findingaids/sidney_lawton_smith.pdf

Collection processed by

Andy McCarthy

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:20:33 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

The collection was processed to the subseries level by Andy McCarthy, June-September 2011, according to a previous arrangement.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201