Printers’ Devices as Decorative Elements in Library Architecture

Abstract

The article discusses and presents images of printers’ devices, or designs or trademarks of printers, depicted in library architecture, noting their use in windows, ceilings, and exteriors. It comments on the American Craftsman architectural style that flourished in the U.S. between 1910 and 1925. Specific examples pictured include the device of printer Luca-Antonio Giunta of Venice, Italy at the Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago, the device of printer Ottaviano Scotto of Venice at Allen Hall at the University of Oregon, and the device of printer William Caxton on a window in the Paster Reading Room at the Folger Shakespeare Library.