Visual Materials
Four drawing books entitled William Hermes' United States Systematic Drawing Schools, (German Edition), published by Max Jacoby & Zeller, New York, circa 1870. Each of the four books contain a series of lithograph plates intended for copying. The part number for each book is written or stamped at the top of the front cover; this set includes parts 8[?]1, 203, 410 and 413. Each of the 3 plates within Part 8[?]1 are labeled as belonging to Part 337. Part No. 203 contains 6 plates, Part 410 contains 6 plates, and Part No. 413 contains 5 plates. The images in Parts [337] and 203 are portraits; those in Part 410 are flowers and fruits, and those in part 413 are buildings and architectural sketches. At the bottom of each plate is the statement "Lith. Druck u. Verlag v. Wilh. Hermes in Berlin". The front covers of these 4 books are identical to each other with the exception of the part number. The title and publishing information are centered within an ornate floral and decorative frame that contains four small vignettes in each of the four corners, each depicting a process of art-making. The insides of the front and back covers are blank. The back covers contain a publisher's advertisement for "Hermes' Drawing Copies." "8-" (price) is written in ms., in pencil, in the upper right-hand corner of the front cover of Part 410. "4-" (price) is written in ms. in the upper right-hand corner of Part 413.
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