Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
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1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
The bindings of to-morrow : A record of the work of the Guild of women-binders and of the Hampstead bindery
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Rare Books
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Image not available
Rare Books
80817
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Rare Books
The Guild of Women-Binders, founded in 1898 by Frank Karslake, promoted the work of women bookbinders and provided training to women wishing to learn the craft. A bookseller himself, Karslake was the financial backer of the Hampstead Bindery, and he printed this volume at his own expense in order to advertise the work of the women in the Guild. In many ways ahead of its time, at the Guild women received instruction in hand-bookbinding, and were offered employment after the completion of their training. Guild binders set a standard of merit and produced some of the most detailed work of the time. The guild not only extended the work of women into a field that allowed them to make a livable wage, but also encouraged women to express themselves artistically. With fifty facsimiles of different bindings, often in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco style.
608803
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Manuscripts
The collection consists of letters and documents which formed a portion of the Business Women's Legislative Council of California's records. The items in the collection pertain to the organization, maintenance and activities of the Council. The records span the years from 1927 to 1943, although there is a general gap in the files before 1929 and from 1936 through 1938. Notable correspondence includes letters from elected officials as well as candidates in California and the governors of nearly all states in response to questions about their positions on "equal rights for women wage-earners." Prominent gubernatorial signatories include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, Theodore Bilbo, and Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Among the many letters from California legislators, the one from Culbert Olson is the most notable. Ephemera includes pamphlets on women's rights from other organizations, newspaper clippings/transcripts, convention programs, and a typewritten tribute to Sue Brobst, BWLCC's founder and long-time president. Manuscripts comprise the bulk of the folders in the collection. The best records for understanding the organization's operations and culture are the meeting minutes. In addition to supplying a running record of the organization's history, they collate information found in board member reports, correspondence, membership records, resolutions and constitution. They become more detailed after 1939. The folder from the 1935 convention is a particularly rich source of information, including a list of the 500 members during the previous year. Membership records and applications contain valuable information about the occupation and address of individual members as well as a complete list of affiliated clubs. One major weakness of the collection is that provides very little evidence in regard to the organization's daily workings and relevant inter-personal dynamics. The formality of the minutes, reports, correspondents obscures these aspects of organizational life. However, the formality itself indicates the organization's approach within its particular social context. Lastly, one folder contains material such as pamphlets and reports from the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, with which the BWLCC affiliated. Major topics include women's economic, social and legal conditions in the United States, women's and feminist societies, feminism's political aspects, women's rights, the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, The International Federation of Business and Professional Women, and the National Women's Party, as well as economic, social, and political conditions in Los Angeles County and California. Major participants in the collection fall into two categories. Nationally prominent officials include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, Theodore Bilbo, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and Culbert Olson. Notable BWLCC board members include Sue Brobst, Albert Gude Lynch, Mamie L. Chase, Gertrude I. George, Frances Siener, Anne Leidendeker, Una Winter, May G. Schaefer, Iva Kellog, Lila B. Clark, Majorie Longwell. All held the role of president or secretary at some point and several such as Brobst, George, Winter, and Longwell were active in many other public organizations, before, during, and after the BWLCC's tenure.
mssBusiness Women's Legislative Council