Abraham Lincoln.

London:: Constable & Company, Ltd., 1916., 1916. Series: Makers of the nineteenth century, edited by Basil Williams. Crown 8vo. viii, 479, [1] pp. Frontispiece portrait of Abraham Lincoln (at Springfield), index, large folding map. Specially bound for Sotheran by Riviere & Son in full black gilt-stamped morocco, all edges gilt; neatly rebacked preserving the original spine. Preserved with the original chemise and cloth slipcase with gilt-stamped calf spine label: "ABRAHAM LINCOLN - LORD CHARNWOOD - 1916 - FORE-EDGE PAINTING". This is also a very rare specimen with the original chemise and box extant. Provenance: ownership names of R. Joseph Rich, Margaret Rich Carr; Joseph Sampsell Carr. Fine. WITH A FORE-EDGE PAINTING BY MS. C. B. CURRIE, showing "a view of Harper's Ferry, W. Virginia." "This is No. 145 of the Books with Fore-edge Paintings by Miss Currie. . . " Painted ca. 1928/9. See: Weber, p. 341 [#145 was previously unknown]. Currie painted a scene of Harper's Ferry on the Life of John Brown, [See Weber, A8, p. 348]. SIGNED IN INK AT FOOT OF LIMITATION PAGE BY C. B. CURRIE. / In all about 172 Currie fore-edge painting were painted. Each is numbered in consecutive order, with her known active period of painting fore-edges from c.1909/10-1929/33. All Currie fore-edge paintings are rare. / Miss Caroline Billin Curry [aka "Miss. C.B. Currie" (1849-1940) was famous for painting both ivory miniatures and on fore-edge paintings, exclusively for Sotheran's and strictly on Riviere bindings. Currie is important as being the only known artist to have signed all her work and numbered the pieces. She was highly touted in her lifetime as an artist who was singled-out for her skill and exquisite artistry that she thereby became the first artist so-named by Sotheran, prominently in their catalogue series. Indeed she was a close associate and friend of the shop manager, Mr. John Harrison Stonehouse and his wife (Currie was named in their will). Even despite her prominence, Currie's correct full name was a mystery until very recently. [See Weber]. This particular specimen was 1) previously unknown to myself, 2) preserved the most-frequently missing chemise, and 3) a clear provenance to this copy is noted (the only one so located by myself). / PROVENANCE: Oddly, this is the first known Currie fore-edge painting with provenance that is understood to be after the painting of the Harper's Ferry scene. The importance of that is the relationship of the ownership of a book to the date of the painting, or otherwise owning a book before a fore-edge painting is applied to the book. In this case the ownership is surely after the work of Currie. Three persons' names are found in the volume: Joseph Sampsell Carr may have lived in Chicago, Illinois. Margaret Rich Carr may have been Margaret Lee Smith Rich Carr (1917-1981), buried in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas. R. Joseph Rich may have been associated with Jefferson Medical College Hospital, Philadelphia. REFERENCE: Jeff Weber, Annotated Dictionary of Fore-edge Painting & Binders, 2010. [JWRB]