»Wie ein fruchtbarer Regen nach langer Dürre …« exhibition poster

Poster for an exhibition about book art from the early 20th century in Germany, shown at the Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg until 10 February 2019.

Among the exhibits are works by the predominant German private presses — Bremer Presse, Janus-Presse, Cranach-Presse, Ernst-Ludwig-Presse — as well as two loans from England which were highly influential not only for the German Buchkunstbewegung: William Morris’ edition of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer for the Kelmscott Press, and a Bible edition by the Doves Press.

The title is derived from a quote by C.E. Poeschel, who likened the extremely productive period of the early 20th century to “a fertile rain after a long drought”. In 1907, Poeschel and Walter Tiemann had started the Janus-Presse in Leipzig, the first private press in Germany. The quote is set in Eckmann (Rudhard’sche Gießerei, 1900, here the digital version by Elsner+Flake), an appropriate (albeit all too obvious?) choice. The guillemets stick out for me as not exactly period correct, nor native to Eckmannschrift.

An accompanying virtual exhibition can be viewed on arthistoricum.net.