librarycompany:

The floral motif of this printed-pattern bookcloth nearly obscures the blind and gilt stamping on the front cover of our copy of A Description of the City of New York, published in 1847. 

Decorated bookcloth, including printed-pattern and ribbon-embossed cloth, peaked in popularity in the late 1830s into the 1840s. The trend became less popular beginning in the 1850s, when heavy gilt-stamped designs on ungrained bookcloth dominated the market. 

Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!

1847, A description of the city of New York.  Holley, O. L.  New York : J. Disturnell. 10 cm x 15 cm x 1 cm