READ @ MPL

The Milwaukee Public Library is fortunate to own a complete set of the British art and literary journal The Yellow Book. It was published in London from 1894 to 1897.

The first art director of this quarterly publication was Aubrey Beardsley, the British illustrator infamous for his dark, grotesque and often erotic drawings which were influenced by Japanese prints. Beardsley has been credited with the idea of the yellow cover, a reference to books sold in Paris wrapped in yellow paper which became a sign of their lascivious content. However, the journal was respectable and featured the writings of such luminaries as Henry James, H. G. Wells and William Butler Yeats as well as the artwork of others.

It was a famous publication in its day and references to it are found in W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage and Evelyn Waugh's Put Out More Flags.

If you are interested in viewing this set, call the Art, Music and Recreation Department at 414-286-3071 to arrange a visit.

Pat DeFrain, Rare Books Librarian @ MPL Central

Treasures of the Rare Books Room: Increase Lapham Milwaukee Maps

Ten years before the city of Milwaukee was incorporated a man named Increase Lapham created a map of Milwaukee. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, this 1836 map presents the city as far more developed than it was. Compare it with the 1856 map created by Lapham and you will see a great deal of growth in the city over two decades.

1836

Increase Lapham (1811-1875) was a self-educated engineer and naturalist and is credited as Wisconsin's first scientist. He authored the first book published in the state, made the first accurate maps of Wisconsin, documented the Indian effigy mounds, observed and recorded the weather and was a great supporter of education.

1856

Many of his Milwaukee maps are stored in the Rare Books Room. Of particular interest is his prototype for a Milwaukee atlas. It was never published, but serves as an early example of being able to provide more details by switching from a single sheet format to a multi-page format.

If you are interested in viewing these maps or the atlas, call the Art, Music and Recreation Department at 414-286-3071 to arrange a visit.

Patricia DeFrain, Rare Books Librarian

Treasures of the Rare Books Room: Kiowa Indian Art

Sometimes the library finds that its treasures are resting in the collection, waiting to be discovered. These Kiowa Indian Art prints were shelved in the Art, Music & Recreation Department for many years. During a routine check of a rare book catalog, I read the story of the prints and was amazed by their beauty and colors. The portfolio of prints was moved to the Rare Books Room to preserve them for the future.

In 1928 Oscar Brousse Jacobson, the director of the School of Art at the University of Oklahoma, met five young Indian artists of the Kiowa tribe. Their names were Spencer Asah, Jack Hokeah, Steve Mopope, Monroe Tsa-to-ke and Miss Bou-ge-tah Smoky.

To preserve their work for others, an edition of their prints was published in France in 1929 using the pochoir process. Pochoir means stencil and this process employs multiple stencils and hand applied layers of paint to create prints of great beauty and vibrant colors. These beautiful images show us the life of an Oklahoma Indian tribe.

If you are interested in viewing this set, call the Art, Music and Recreation Department at 414-286-3071 to arrange a visit.

Patricia DeFrain, Rare Books Librarian