Lines in themselves, as well as nature’s forms, may be used. This “L” is little more than a repetition of Arabic design; again in our example of Holbein’s book-cover design we see an echo of Moorish and Grolier designing, which were Arabic in character.

Like the former initial “L,” this one depends upon lines for its ornamentation. These are curved lines instead of straight ones, and where, as in the upper part, it resembles the Holbein cover, it is in a measure Moorish; but where, as along

{219} POSTER. Designed and engraved on wood by the Beggarstaff Brothers. Showing a clever use of silhouette and outline, with appropriate Old English lettering. One of the most harmonious designs we publish. {220} the letter L, the curves have a knot at each end, one longer than the other, the design is based upon the Rococo, which is often used in modern illustration, when lightness and irregularity are required. The French illustrator Maurice Leloir, in his decorations of some eighteenth century books, Such as “Sterne’s Sentimental Journey,” used it advantageously.

Living forms may be substituted for lines, and the ingenious combination of the figure and its shadows in this specimen suggests a method of construction which is often used by designers. The sky in this little cut is nicely engraved, and could serve as a good exercise for one who had been practicing wood cutting a month or two.

Leaving out the initial, a little rectangular cut like the foregoing makes an effective introduction to a paragraph, and again suggests practice in wood engraving.

All the cuts illustrating this chapter, except the Holbein, are taken from numbers of the French journal, L’Artist, published between 1861 and 1868, and they represent a method of designing in vogue during those years and as far back as 1830, and as late as 1870. The initials were doubtless originally designed for a special purpose, so that the subject related to the text, but later on cuts
{221} PEN DRAWING BY PENLICK. From La Petit Journal Pour Rire. The legend reads: “Our Soldiers. Machin, the staff officer, the terror of the soldier, doesn’t joke with the rules and regulations; has risen from the rank and file; a very useful individual; it’s always Machin here and Machin there, ask Machin. He terrorizes the one-year volunteers, whom he treats as young shoots (literal translation beets); an old bachelor to the core.” {222} were put in the case and used promiscuously year after year; and when the letter needed was not at hand, a cut like the last example was employed to adorn the page, as a decoration.

Here we have a design by Holbein with Arabesque or Celtic interlacing, which is often studied by designers, and used with pleasing results.

It is probable that all the early Italian and French leather book-covers were imitations of Arab book-covers (or, at any rate, Eastern covers) brought into Europe by the Moors in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Their Mohammedan religion forbade their picturing the figures of man or beast, and so the efforts of their designers were almost entirely centered on lettering, and on interlacing streamers or bands, or whatever we may call them (since these were also used by Celtic and Byzantian designers they are sometimes called Celtic or Byzantian interlacing); and their book-covers consisted of beautiful inlays of colored leather on ingenious combinations of interlaced lines.

In the next chapter the subject of wood engraving will be taken up, and it will make this chapter more interesting.