Percy Neville Barnett

Percy Neville Barnett (nickname Neville; born September 13, 1881 in Christchurch , New Zealand, † June 5, 1953 in Mosman , Australia) was an Australian collector, lover and expert on Australian bookplates . Barnett is known for his promotional role during the 1920s and 1930s, when bookplates saw resurgent interest in Australia, Europe, and the United States. He wrote, designed and privately published more than twenty collector's books and devoted his life to continuing the tradition of bookplates.

youth

Barnett's parents were Neville Barnett and Mary Constance Isabel Barnett, née Rahn. His father had come to New Zealand in 1875, where he worked as an organist at St John's Church, Christchurch and then at St Matthew's, Auckland. The family moved to Sydney in 1887 , where the Anglican father accepted a position as organist at Saint Mary's Cathedral . The father also taught music and worked as a critic for The Sydney Morning Herald . Barnett attended Fort Street High School in Sydney.

job

From 1898 Barnett worked at the Bank of New South Wales in Sydney. After working in various branches, he was in Cooma in 1918 when he was forced to take early retirement due to poor health. On June 3, 1918, Barnett married Gabrielle Joyce Havelock Vidal at St Michael's Church of England, Wollongong, with whom he had a son and a daughter. It was then that he became interested in collecting books and bookplates. Barnett devoted a long time of his life to the bookplate movement in Australia through his publications. His books are rare as they were only produced in limited numbers due to the wealth of detail and the amount of craftsmanship that went into each publication. His books were often published in a standard version and a small deluxe color edition, which were hand colored by Barnett. Barnett devoted great care to each publication, collecting material for his most important works for nine to ten years.

Through his own collection and publications, Barnett followed the subtle advancement of the Australian bookplate tradition through the art historical and aesthetic analysis of its formal and stylistic development. Although they had existed in Australia since the first days of European settlement, bookplates remained expensive and exclusive pieces reserved for literati, missionaries, officers, government officials and nobles. Until the mid-1800s, convicts made up one-third of the population and, with the poorest reading skills in the British colonies , bookplates were reserved for those with personal collections of books.

Due to Australia's slow start in the bookplate tradition, Barnett said:

“From all indications exactly such a course with ex libris was being re-enacted in Australia as had been the case in England. Enjoying a moderate popularity with a few people interested in the subject, they were such as to appear neither widely nor for long, and would have remained a fad with few adherents. "

“Everything indicates that bookplates in Australia were subject to exactly the same cycle as in England. After a certain popularity among a few interested people, they did not spread much or for very long and remained a fad with only a few followers. "

- Percy Neville Barnett

In 1923 Barnett participated in the design and founding of an Australian bookplate society. Previously, Barnett had relied on correspondence with European corporations, clubs and individuals to keep up with the latest bookplate tradition. Barnett himself claimed:

“Unlike the earlier societies elsewhere, the Society was not formed primarily because of the interest in bookplates already in existence, but rather in an endeavor to create an atmosphere favorable to their production ... this could not have been achieved if there were not some exceptional artists, capable of designing the bookplates, to back up the movement. "

"Unlike earlier societies elsewhere, this society was not founded primarily because the interest in bookplates already existed, but rather in an effort to create an atmosphere that favors their creation ... that could not be achieved if there were not some exceptional artists, who are able to design bookplates that strengthen the movement. "

- Percy Neville Barnett

Although the establishment of a bookplate society was still in the planning stages, the first public exhibition of bookplates took place on May 18, 1923 at Tyrell's Galleries in Sydney. Artists and collectors came together to promote and enjoy bookplate and bookplate designs and initiated the official formation of the Australian Bookplate Society with fifty founding members. Barnett's engagement resulted in his positions as Honorary Secretary of the Australian Bookplate Society, Vice President of the New Zealand Bookplate Society and the International Bookplate Society in Los Angeles. From 1931 to 1937 he was also general secretary of the Australian painter and etcher society.

In 1933 his health was restored to the point where he could return to the bank. Barnett worked as a librarian in the main branch of the Bank of New South Wales until the end of his life.

influence

During his lifetime, Barnett witnessed the heyday of the Australian bookplate movement in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, thousands of individual bookplates were designed and the concept of bookplates developed an Australian character. As a result of Barnett's success and dedication in founding the Australian Bookplate Society, competing bookplate societies were established to better serve and support the growing needs of artists and collectors.

Recognized for encouraging Australian artists to create bookplates, two of its most famous influencers were Lionel Lindsay and Pixie O'Harris. He encouraged artists and designers to get original and rare designs for his limited editions and personal collection. Pixie O'Harris recalled the years 1922-22:

“About this time I became interested, through Percy Neville Barnett, in drawing bookplates… he encouraged me in this art.”

"It was during this time that I became interested in drawing bookplates through Percy Neville Barnett ... he encouraged me to do this art form."

- Pixie O'Harris

Barnett also convinced the artist Sydney Long, who had not produced an ex-libris since 1921, to etch one as the cover for Pictorial Book-plates (1931). He made a copy of his iconic Art Nouveau oil painting "The Spirit of the Plains" from 1897.

Encouraging the local industry, Barnett placed significant commissions from local bookplate makers. He commissioned Adran Feint and George David Perrottet to design bookplates that were given as gifts to Edward VIII and Elizabeth II . They are shown in his “Woodcut Book-plates” (1934). In the following year he again commissioned Feint and Perrottet with royal designs, this time for George V and Queen Mary . Through his efforts with commissions and sponsorship, Barnett grew into a position as an intermediary between potential clients and artists.

Works

• Percy Neville Barnett: The bookplate in Australia: its inspiration and development . Tyrrell's Galleries, Sydney 1930 (English).
• Percy Neville Barnett: Pictorial book-plates: their origin and use in Australia . Beacon Press, Sydney 1931 (private print. Limited edition of 100 signed and numbered copies and three specimen copies).
• Percy Neville Barnett: Armorial book-plates: their romantic origin and artistic development . Beacon Press, Sydney 1932 (private print. Limited edition of 120 signed and numbered copies).
• Percy Neville Barnett: Souvenir of "Armorial Book-plates" . Beacon Press, Sydney 1932.
• Percy Neville Barnett: Woodcut book-plates . Foreword by Lionel Lindsay. Beacon Press, Sydney 1934 (English, private print. Limited edition of 210 signed and numbered copies).
• Percy Neville Barnett: Japanese Color-prints . Beacon Press, Sydney 1936.
• Percy Neville Barnett: Hiroshige . Beacon Press, Sydney 1938.
• Percy Neville Barnett: De luxe publications . Beacon Press, Sydney 1939.
• Percy Neville Barnett: Australian Book-plates and Book-plates of interest to Australia . Beacon Press, Sydney 1950.
• Percy Neville Barnett: Fun with Book-Plates . Beacon Press, Sydney 1951.

swell

• JP Holroyd: Barnett, Percy Neville (1881-1953) . In: Australian Dictionary of Biography . tape 7 . National Center of Biography, Australian National University (English, edu.au [accessed January 20, 2015] published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online January 21, 2015).

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Diane Kraal: From Chatswood to Edo: the life and books of P. Neville Barnett . Melbourne 2007, ISBN 978-0-646-47354-3 (English).
2. ↑ A. Milgrom et al: P. Neville Barnett and His Books . Sydney 1951 (English).
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} P. Neville Barnett: Australian genius with books . In: Mark J. Ferson (Ed.): Studies in Australian bibliophily . No. 6 . Book Collectors' Society of Australia, Ryde 2003 (English).
4. ^ ^{A b} Edwin W. Jewell: Australian bookplates as ephemera . Lytlewode Press, Melbourne 1997 (English).
5. ^ ^{A b} P. Neville Barnett: Woodcut book-plates . Foreword by Lionel Lindsay. Beacon Press, Sydney 1934 (English, private print. Limited edition of 210 signed and numbered copies).
6. ^ Percy Neville Barnett: The bookplate in Australia: its inspiration and development . Tyrrell's Galleries, Sydney 1930 (English).