arts, ideas & societyThe Public Domain Review1700s
Hidden paintings on the edges of closed books appear only when the pages are fanned at an angle
A fore-edge painting is an image painted across the page edges of a book, the side opposite the spine. In the most clever versions, the paint is applied to the edges while the pages are fanned slightly, so the picture is hidden when the book is shut normally, and the gold or marbled edge covers any trace of it. Bookbinders developed variations such as double paintings, which reveal one image when fanned one way and a second when fanned the other, and panoramic scenes that run across the top and bottom edges. Most paintings matched the book's content, such as a chess scene on a book about chess, though some were oddly unrelated. The practice may date back to the tenth century but took off in the eighteenth century.
The painting is applied to the page edges, which are stacked like steps. When the book is closed, the pages sit flush so the image is hidden, and gilding covers the edge. Fanning the leaves at an angle exposes each leaf's painted strip in turn, so the whole picture appears only when the book is furled back.
These paintings show how bookbinding became a form of hidden art, where the reader had to discover the image by handling the book. Boston Public Library holds one of the finest collections, gifted by booksellers Anne and Bromer.
Fore-edge painting is thought to date back to the tenth century, but it only became common in the eighteenth century.
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A fore-edge painting is an image painted on the unbound edges of a book visible when the pages of the book are fanned. It also can refer to an image that is visible on the closed edge of a book. References also refer to the paintings as disappearing or secret images, and they are often hidden beneath gilded edges.
Historically, fore-edge painting has had three purposes: identification, indication of ownership, or artistry. Possibly originating in the 10th century, the earliest known examples feature titles written on the closed edges of a book, symbolic imagery, or heraldic designs. The exact origins are debated among scholars. The technique of the hidden painting gained notable popularity in England during the 17th and 18th centuries. A fore-edge painting does not need to be painted on a book at the time of the book's creation. Unless a fore-edge artist was working with a bookseller or bookbinder, fore-edge paintings are applied sometime after the book has been published making the dating of the works difficult to ascertain unless the work is signed and dated.
From Wikipedia: Fore-edge painting (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Image: The Public Domain Review
