William Fowler Hopson and the Art of the Personalized Bookplate at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Improved printing technologies at the turn of the twentieth century made books and establishment of private libraries more affordable, setting the stage for the bookplate’s golden age. Members of the aspiring and rising middle class, among others, eagerly commissioned, collected, and exchanged these small prints. From his home in New Haven, Connecticut, William Fowler Hopson designed over 200 bookplates for patrons ranging from close family and friends to an international network of bookplate enthusiasts. Departing from the traditional trope of the heraldic crest, Hopson closely collaborated with his patrons to create personalized pictorial statements, crafting individualized advertisements of the self.