Katherine C. Bartholomew, Bookplate Designer

Katherine Collens Bartholomew (1907-1992) studied art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in hopes of becoming a portrait painter in oils. She was a resident of West Hartford Connecticut and very active in many local organizations. She organized at least two bookplate exhibits in Hartford and designed bookplates for friends, family and local organizations.

Katherine C. Bartholomew circa 1960
Sent by Tracy Munn, her grand daughter

Her sketchbook contains a checklist of some of her bookplates. If you wish to enlarge the image double click on it. In addition to the bookplates on the checklist Edith Anderson Rights in her monograph Women Bookplate Artists mentions a plate designed for the Town and Country Club of Hartford. If you know of additional plates designed by Mrs. Bartholomew please send a scan to Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

and it will be added to this posting

Checklist By Date

1930

Stevenson

Kay Collins

 sketches for proposed bookplates

K.C., Charles Dickens set

H.W.H and W.H.B.

1931

Anne Bulkeley

Pomeroy Day

Mary Lydia Peck

William Brewster

The completed plate for William Brewster along with preliminary sketches.

J.H.and K.C.B (German Fable)

1934

Nancy and Gale Harper

Charles L.Taylor

1935

1010 Asylum Avenue

The owner of the plate shown below was Atwood Collins, a local banker.

1937

Guy Bryan Holt

J.C. and K.C.B  ( Captains Chest)

1938

Helen Patricia Cowles

1940

H.H.Armstrong

John Robinson Hart

Initial Sketch and completed plate

1948

D.G.Brinton Thompson

1949

Wilmar M.Allen

1967

The initial sketch for a presentation bookplate from the Connecticut Valley Garden Club to the West Hartford Library was drawn on the back of a menu.

1969

Connecticut Town and Country Club

1972

Harriet Putnam Perry

1973

Julia Watson Marlow

National Society of Colonial Dames

This is another more whimsical plate she designed for her own use.It was printed in several colors on very poor quality paper which is quite brittle.

I hope the bookplate for Nancy and Gale Harper was completed.It is one of my favorites.

Here is a link to the latest issue of Fine Books & Collections. They are doing an outstanding job and the information is always of interest.

http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/

Next week I will write about some of the bookplates recently obtained through purchases and exchanges .