Tag Archive for: history

Blowin’ in the Wind – A Brief History of Weather Vanes

“It don’t take a weatherman to see which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan wrote in his 1965 song Subterranean Homesick Blues. And he was right. For at least a millennium, weather vanes have done the same job as meteorologists with infallible accuracy, while also adding ornamental charm to the rooftops of churches, barns and other buildings.

Weather vanes – also known as wind vanes or weathercocks, in reference to those shaped as cockerels – have been around since Ancient Greece. The Tower of the Winds at the Athens agora, or central meeting place, had on its roof a bronze vane in the form of Triton holding a rod in his outstretched hand. The figure of the Greek god of the sea, dating to 50 B.C., rotated as the wind changed direction. This is likely the earliest recorded example of a weather vane.

The Gallo di Ramperto, held in the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia, Italy, it the oldest extant weather vane in the shape of a rooster. Photo by RobyBS89

The Gallo di Ramperto, held in the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia, Italy, it the oldest extant weather vane in the shape of a rooster. Photo by RobyBS89

The Ancient Romans employed weather vanes, as well. Pope Gregory I declared the cockerel, or rooster, to be an emblem of Christianity and of St. Peter. This may have led to the practice of a cockerel weather vane being placed atop church steeples in predominantly Roman Catholic nations. In fact, by the 9th century A.D., weathercocks had become a mandatory addition to every church steeple, by decree of Pope Nicholas.

The Vikings used handcrafted bronze weather vanes as directional devices on their ships. Today, vanes of this type can still be seen as decorative elements on churches and other buildings in Scandinavia.

The practice of placing weather vanes on top of barns was widespread in colonial America. While a single weather vane might have been sufficient for a European village, where townsfolk lived in a more communal environment, that was not the case across the Atlantic, where land was abundant and settlers were largely self-sufficient. Every 18th- and 19th-century American farm or homestead had its own weather vane to assist in weather prognostication.

The earliest American weather vanes were either made by metalsmiths, who hand-formed and hammered the shapes from copper or other metals; or crafted by the farmers themselves, from wood.

Gabriel Blowing Horn weather vane, circa 1900-1920, rolled sheet iron on brass stand. Jasper52 image

Gabriel Blowing Horn weather vane, circa 1900-1920, rolled sheet iron on brass stand. Jasper52 image

Weather vanes were a source of pride to wealthy landowners like George Washington, who issued specific instructions to Joseph Rakestraw, the architect who designed Mount Vernon, to create a bird with an olive branch in its mouth instead of the traditional rooster vane. It’s just one example of early American commissioned weather vanes, which might have depicted angels, eagles, furled banners, sea creatures – a particular favorite in coastal New England towns – or after the turn of the 20th century, motor cars or airplanes.

Weather vane of setter dog, copper, circa 1890, made by H.L. Washburn & Co., Massachusetts. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook and LiveAuctioneers

Weather vane of setter dog, copper, circa 1890, made by H.L. Washburn & Co., Massachusetts. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook and LiveAuctioneers

Both metal and painted-wood vanes are considered quintessential Americana and are highly sought after by today’s collectors of folk art and early American relics. Some of the finest examples are in the collections of prestigious museums, including the Shelburne in Vermont, and the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.

Painted wood and sheet iron codfish weather vane on metal stand. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc. and LiveAuctioneers

Painted wood and sheet iron codfish weather vane on metal stand. Image courtesy of Skinner Inc. and LiveAuctioneers

 

Find unique weather vanes and other Americana finds in our weekly auctions.

Bookbinding: A Complete History

There is a striking parallel between the way books have developed over the past 2,000 years and the way in which furniture, decorative art and textiles have evolved over time.

“Books are companion items to art and furniture when viewed as part of the larger history of material culture,” said Monika Schiavo, Director of Waverly Rare Books in Falls Church, Virginia.

The codex book form – or a book containing multiple, stitched-together pages with handwritten content – dates back 2,000 years. However, it was not until European culture emerged from the Dark Ages and Gutenberg invented his printing press, in 1440, that bookbinding came into being.

Within a few decades of its invention, the printing press had spread to more than 200 cities in a dozen countries. By 1500, printing presses in Western Europe had already produced more than 20 million volumes.

In Renaissance Europe, with its flourishing art movement, the arrival of mechanical, movable-type printing had a profound effect on society. It introduced the era of mass communications to a blossoming culture that held aesthetics in high regard. Different styles of bookbinding began to emerge, reflecting regional preferences and implementing locally available materials.

The timeline for bookbinding looks like this:

16th Century: Birth of the Modern Book

Books became smaller and were easier to bind. Covers made of wood were replaced by pasteboards composed of layers of glued-together paper. Gold tooling became more prevalent, and titles were slowly making their way onto the spines of books.

17th Century: Refinement in Style

The structure of 17th-century books is very similar to that of the previous century, but the decoration and styling was more refined. Decorated endpapers became more common, endbands become more colorful, and the use of gold tooling increased.

18th Century: Elaboration and Simplicity

Overall, the binder became fancier, while the structure became simpler. With the availability of better technology, shortcuts could be taken during the binding process that saved money and increased production. Half and quarter bindings (combining leather with decorated paper sides) began to be used to save on the cost of leather.

Early 19th Century: The Era of Industrialization + Publishers in Control

The early 19th century was an era of transformation for bookbinding. With the increase in the demand for books, binders turned to mechanization to meet the challenge. Publishers also began to take control of the whole book-making process, from editing to printing to binding. Thus, books began to be sold with the covers already bound onto them. From a historical perspective, this makes it easier to date bindings from that period.

Late 19th Century: Publishers’ Cloth Bindings

As publishers took control over the entire book-making process, they began to view the cover as being integral to the whole. Cover designs could reflect the content, set the tone for the reader or attract the consumer. Cloth bindings were not readily accepted at first, but by the end of the 19th century, they were the norm.

19th and 20th Century: Fine Bindings – A Return to Craft Bindings or the Backlash Against the Machine

Not everyone was happy with the Industrial Revolution, including bookbinders, who regarded books as art rather than utilitarian objects. Although many bookbinders over the centuries practiced excellent craftsmanship, they thought of themselves as more than just craftsmen. Art books, private-press books, e.g., books from the Kelmscott Press, founded by William Morris, were a direct reaction to the industrialization of bookbinding. Morris looked back to an earlier age when crafts were done by hand.

Elbert Hubbard’s Roycrofters Press could be described as a more mass-market, American version of the Kelmscott Press, associated with the Arts and Crafts movement.

20th Century and Beyond: Bindings for the Masses

After the Industrial Revolution, books were being produced by the thousands. The 20th century brought refinements – both good and bad – to the machine-made book. Machine sewing became stronger, but adhesive binding slowly took over.

Machine-made paper has definitely improved over the last 50 years, but there are many brittle books from the late-19th and early 20th centuries that are slowly disintegrating, hence the need for vigilance in conservation and storage.

Our thanks for Michigan State University Libraries for providing some of the historical information contained in this article. 

Monika_Schiavo_ImageMonika Schiavo, Director of Waverly Rare Books, a division of Quinn’s Auction Galleries, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., a Certificate in Appraisal Studies from New York University, and a Master of Arts degree from the Smithsonian’s History of Decorative Arts program. Schiavo provides free onsite evaluations and auction estimates for both buyers and consignors.