Le Souvenir or Pocket Tablet for 1848 - George Baxter

Gift of Henry M. Huxley

"Le Souvenir or Pocket Tablet for 1848" by George Baxter (1848) Book with letterpress, six color wood engravings and steel etchings, and collage of newspaper clippings on ivory wove paper, bound in red paper cover, tucked in paperboard slipcase with engraving in black on cream wove paper.

Commentary

"Le Souvenir or Pocket Tablet for 1848" by George Baxter (1848) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. George Baxter is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: George Baxter (English, 1804-1867) published by R & A Suttaby, London. The work is cataloged within a England cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Book with letterpress, six color wood engravings and steel etchings, and collage of newspaper clippings on ivory wove paper, bound in red paper cover, tucked in paperboard slipcase with engraving in black on cream wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (12 × 7.8 × 1.1 cm (4 3/4 × 3 1/8 × 7/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61613

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data