Let’s end our Back-to-School “procession” of bookends with this regal and handsome pair, from the 1920’s—newly-acquired by LEO Design.
The worldwide Arts & Crafts movement (which was practiced in many Western countries and is referred to by various, regional names) often used decorative motifs or themes from local or national historical and mythological lore. The English revived their Gothic Knights of the Round Table. The Celts embellished their works with thistles, shamrocks and intertwined Celtic knots. And, in America, Arts & Crafts designers sometimes utilized the graphics, history or likenesses of Native Americans—usually in a respectful nod to the original American peoples. Sometimes the Arts & Crafts designers got it right, sometimes they re-interpreted things to suit the tastes of the day’s market. Nevertheless, this impulse was part of the Arts & Crafts attempt to return to (what was considered) “the good old days.”
The bookends pictured above are such an example. While not specifically Arts & Crafts, they would have looked great in a 1910 Arts & Crafts room—just as they would look great in an Arts & Crafts room today. Please click on the photo to learn more about them.