Rare Finds

Vanessa Bell’s Hogarth Press Designs on Exhibit

Bell__The Years copy-thumb-300x450-8802

Hogarth

The National Museum of Women in the Arts, located in Washington, D.C., opened an exhibit of Vanessa Bell’s book design on May 11 (runs through November 13). Bell, a member of the celebrated Bloomsbury Group, designed graphic dust jackets and illustrations for the Hogarth Press, a publishing house co-founded by her sister, novelist Virginia Woolf. Enjoy this sampling of the exhibit’s highlights:

Vanessa Bell (1879–1961) was an English painter, designer, and important member of the Bloomsbury group, a cluster of culturally influential figures in early 20th-century London. Throughout her career, she designed many book jackets and illustrations for Hogarth Press, a British publishing house founded by Bell’s sister, author Virginia Woolf, and Leonard Woolf. This exhibition showcases several examples of Bell’s exquisite, yet simple, designs. – National Museum of Women in the Arts

Click each book to see copies available for purchase on Biblio:

Bell__Monday or Tuesday copy

Vanessa Bell, cover design for Virginia Woolf’s Monday or Tuesday, The Hogarth Press, 1921; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center.

Bell__The Waves copy

Vanessa Bell, jacket design for Virginia Woolf’s The Waves, The Hogarth Press, 1931; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center.

Bell__The Years copy-thumb-300x450-8802

Vanessa Bell, jacket design for Virginia Woolf’s The Years, The Hogarth Press, 1937; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center.

Bell__Three Guineas copy-thumb-300x449-8805

Vanessa Bell, jacket design for Virginia Woolf’s Three Guineas, The Hogarth Press, 1938; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center.

Bell__Haunted House copy-thumb-300x437-8808

Vanessa Bell, jacket design for Virginia Woolf’s A Haunted House and other stories, The Hogarth Press, 1943; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center.

Browse related collectible books:

Books by Virginia Woolf

Hogarth Press

Reprinted with permission from Fine Books & Collections, Rebecca Rego Barry author

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