Material Features: Marbling

The pattern on The Vast Army's distinctive front cover is created using a traditional technique known as marbling. Marbling is a decorative art form that creates kaleidoscopic, marble-esque patterns that are transferred onto absorbent surfaces such as book covers or clothing. 

The practice of marbling was purely an aesthetic technique used to enhance the overall appearance of a book. Marbling was popular among 19th-century European books, with designs commonly appearing on the front covers and end pages.

There are several different kinds of marbling patterns. The Vast Army's cover features a pattern known as nonpareil. Nonpareil is a French term, which, when translated, means "without equal" or "unrivalled" [1]. This is in reference to how each nonpareil pattern is one-of-a-kind and cannot be replicated.

To create the marbling effect, selected pigments or dyes are dropped into a shallow bath of liquid base. A comb is then horizontally drawn through the bath to create the rippling, marbled appearance. The desired page or cover is then gently placed into the bath to transfer the design [2]. The size of the comb, the number of teeth it has, and how many times the comb is dragged through the bath are dependent on the type of marbling pattern.  

Short Video Demonstration on Book Marbling 

Compare the front cover of The Vast Army with similar nonpareil book covers created around the same period. 

[1] Briggs, Isabelle. 2018. “History of the Book.” UCLA Library Special Collections. 2018. https://hob.gseis.ucla.edu/Resources/Briggs_Reference.html.

[2] Engebretson, Mark, and Laurie Jedamus. 2017. “Hidden Beauty in Ordinary Books: Part 2.” UMN Libraries. December 18, 2017. https://libnews.umn.edu/2017/12/hidden-beauty-ordinary-books-part-2/.