Featured Moulds 6 - M213 Carnation 1888-1898 watermark for Essex House Press

For the latest info on these moulds posted on 12 February, scroll down to the foot.

Note that the image above has been reversed in my PC and is a mirror so showing what would appear as a watermark in the paper. The images below are exactly as they are on the mould - back to front as is normal for Hayle Mill. See FAQ for more about this.

These laid moulds have a fine "botanical" watermark although I cannot identify what it represents. The watermark also has the apparent date 1818 (although the moulds were made by E Amies & Son in 1901) and the additional numerals 8988. I am very confused what these numerals indicate. Nevertheless these are very attractive moulds in very good condition having been very little used. This may suggest that they were made for a limited edition book (or series) with a very specific dimensional requirement that was not available with existing moulds.

Phil Crockett has commented (in FAQ) "I did wonder whether Mould 213 was made to celebrate 10 years of a horticultural society 1888 to 1898?". This makes sense to me.

Cor Knops suggests the device may represent a carnation which it does resemble quite well.

Hugh MacFarlane has now solved the mystery; he writes "The mould M213b, is as you suggest paper that was made for the Essex House Press, founded by C.R.Ashbee, his Guild of Handicraft founded in 1888, the press in 1898, the last book being printed in 1910. One of the books from the press that I have, bears the same watermark, this was printed in 1899.I hope this of help to you". A little googling has since revealed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Robert_Ashbee 

http://www.ull.ac.uk/exhibitions/bookbeautiful.pdf

The latter reference states that  Essex House Press chose white pinks (dianthus) as its symbol, and the flower can be spotted in many of the works on display.

Keith Adams has commented: "I see that you have been informed of the significance of this watermark. The flower was a bit of a giveaway, but I took rather longer to check my facts than your other correspondents.   It is very much like one used for an edition of The Poems of William Shakespeare printed by the press in 1899 in an edition of 450 published by Edward Arnold.  Page size 230h x 170w. As this was only a year after the press was started, perhaps they had exhausted the paper purchased from the Kelmscott Press, or may have need a different size.

If you gave mould dimensions and chain line spacing, it would help to find which books the paper from your moulds was made for."

The date seems to marry up well but the actual sheet size (on the mould before shrinkage) is 350 x 556 which would mean quite a lot of trim from the 556 mm direction. If the deckle edges were retained in the book this would suggest another mould for that book.

I agree it would be good to put dimensions etc into the posting but this would take quite a bit of time which I am short of and the result would be less frequent postings.  Having said that I will try something out on the next post.  All this information is contained in theCatalogue of moulds. Ilise most readers will not want to poke around in all parts of the site even though the info is there.  

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