Elephants Battle Aggressive Vegetation in Ancient Egypt: Mix & match decorative motifs from the designed bindings collections of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia

Glenview, Illinois:: Karen Hanmer,, 2011.. Edition of 20. 7.5 x 4.75 x 1.75” box containing plaquettes and pamphlet. Seven 7.5 x 4.75" plaquettes: binders’ board covered with inkjet-printed cotton backed with Japanese tissue. Pamphlet: 7.5 x 4.5"; 4 pages; text includes colophon, artist's statement, images of five books from The Athenaeum’s collection and image credits; inkjet printed on Arches text paper. Clamshell box: bookcloth over binders’ board, inkjet-printed label. Hanmer created new cover designs by combining elements from each of the five late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century publishers’ bindings The Athenaeum made available online to artists in the fall of 2011. Karen Hanmer: "Part decorative arts and part cabinet of curiosities, the five bindings represent a cross section of styles, including Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, and Egyptian Revival.The new cover designs, like those they take as their starting point, reflect late nineteenth century interest in exotic locales, architecture, flora, and fauna.