Narrative

String to Morocco

13. Cover design: decoration

Jane Alice Sargant’s Letters From a Mother to Her Daughter (London: Wetton and Jarvis, 1820) is bound in full calf stained an unusual blue and lavishly decorated. Perhaps such customization was an expression of individuality, or perhaps it held a special place in the owner’s life; possibly, it was a gift from a mother to her daughter. Regardless, the binding indicates a purchaser with financial means, and likely some attachment to either the object itself or the person who received it.