Bookplate of famous book designer Margaret Neilson Armstrong. Dated 1903
Margaret Neilson Armstrong was born on September 24, 1867, in New York City , the daughter of American diplomat and stained glass artist Maitland Armstrong and his wife Helen, who was a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant and a niece of Hamilton Fish . [1] [2] Her six siblings included Helen Maitland Armstrong (1869-1948), who followed in her father's footsteps to become a stained glass artist, and Hamilton Fish Armstrong , a magazine editor.
She began her career as a designer in the 1880s, working initially for A.C. McClurg and later for other publishers as well. [3] She designed more than 270 book covers and book bindings, about half of which were for Scribner's . [4] She worked in the Art Nouveau style and favored plant-related motifs, bold colors, gold stamping, and often slightly asymmetrical designs--an unusual combination that helped to distinguish her among her peers. [1] [3] Authors for whom she designed several covers include Frances Hodgson Burnett , Florence L. Barclay , George Washington Cable , Charles Dickens , Paul Laurence Dunbar , Robert Louis Stevenson , Henry van Dyke , and Myrtle Reed . [3] She has been called "the most productive and accomplished American book designer of the 1890s and early 1900s." - fro m Wikipedia
