George Brook Plates in AMAL

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OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by lee littlewood on May 31, 2003

David Butler, how did you get such good photos of gold/glass???? No reflections, good detail, enough difference between matte and mirror... Kudos to you and to Jeff Lang for a great issue of A Magazine About Letterheads. Good shew, veddy good shew
And a PS: what is the original size?

David Butler

Hey I deserve no credit for those images all I did was saved them from some emails that Rick had sent me...I think that he may have put that little book into his scanner and scanned them right off the pages. He sure was proud to have that in his posession...I got to hold of it and looked at it all by myself last January. Rick just layed it out on the table...pulled me up a chair and walked away. Man I sure miss that guy.

Ron Percell

Rick sat me down with the plates, I was so inspired by them, to think that they were made without the help of modern equipment. Last month I attended the Grass Valley Western Antique Advertising show, as I went from booth to booth, I'd run into other friends of Ricks, they all expressed how much of a great loss in Ricks passing was for them. Rick was the leading conservator at this show. The show seemed to be lacking this year without Rick. I was however fortunate enough to meet up with Mike Butler, who I've been told was his best customer. Mike invited my assistant and I up to his house for a private party later that evening, upon arriving we walked in to what I believe is probally the best colllection of antique glass advertising, if you've seen any antique panels in the books, it exists in this house. Breath taking to experience the gross amount of work. The few that are fortunate enough to be invited know, wall to wall glass panels as if it were wall paper, unfolding into a poolroom den that Rick had done much of the restoration work, along with highly decorated cabinets that Rick had also glue chipped, silvered, & gilded. These cabinets are were you'll find one of Rick's trademarks, The Mosquito.

I too miss Rick.

D. Bernhardt

Hi Lee...in Canada here it always takes the post a little longer so haven't seen the issue yet. BUT if my guess is right, these are the Brooks glass sample that were in Glawsons collection. Saw them a couple of years ago and Rick called them the Rosetta Stone. Used all the tricks in the book (literally)and was the size of a small photo album...about 12x8 inches. There was also a book in the Smithsonian by same craftsman that Todd Swormstead had-was chasing down. Would love to know more of what came about. Apparently it wasn,t up to the level of his sampler. Anyone who knows more...I hope you,re there Todd...should update us.

Doug - The Business Card

it reads....
Geo.C.Brooke
official sign painter columbia beach amusement company
leave orders with the company
phone east5618

There may have been some abreviations I made for my self but i guess i figured i could always just check everything with Rick!

Danny Busselle

Amazing! I had asked "Rick" to hold the one he had in his hand, as I looked at it was hard with a sense of beauty I have never touched or held before. They are like fine cut stones. Moving it around in the light I started to understand How This Great Man Geo. Brooks used his techinques. Some say Tricks. Well Ok. It is with out a Doubt they are a Treasure to behold. And very Fine Photo's of them In AMAL. Thanks to "Rick" for introducing and allowing me to hold such a Treasure.
Regards

Robert Beverly

Doug
I had the opportunity to see that collection at the conclave...Rick, I and a few others looked and discussed techniques of it for a while on Thursday evening.

The book measured much smaller and I would say the plates themselves were more like 4" wide.

I took many digitals of the entire book, but yes, Lee is correct, my pictures did not turn out anywhere near the quality that is in Amal!

Robert

Here is a photo of one of the sample and the fraility of the book shows somewhat...It was definately a treat to see!

http://www.letterhead.com/album/BullBoard/copy0102.jpg

Doug Again

Yes Robert...one and the same. Size was a bad guess....i guess ;=)There is more about this guy arround and hope to hear more from Todd. As i recall he had a business card in the book some where also....wrote down the contents and have them at the shop. Will post them here tomorrow.

Robare M. Novou

I had the pleasure of locating the book that Mr. Brookes had co-authored back in 1877. "The American SignWriter" The book consisted of 20 one sided pages with an actual sepia tone picture adhered to each page. 20 pages,20 photo-plates one picture per page, single sided.

I made black and white xerox copies of the book, sadly one page was missing.

The table of contents page was a picture of the 20 pages laidout around the edges of the photo, with the title and picture portraits of the two authors in the middle, Mr Brookes being one of them. The layout was similar to an AMAL page. Now I know where Doc gets his Ideas from

So how is it you query? The B&W xerox copies do it no justice...got to go back and get color copies, even if it is just sepia.

The contents are lettering plates, scroll plates,
and panel plates.

....Unbelievable Increadible Lettering and Artwork. These guys did sepia tone photos cause I guess they realized that simple black ink on white
paper would not show all the detail of their work and shading...Im sure they would have done color photos if they could have.

The glass plates are special...the book is better!
The workmanship of all the plates is astounding.
In a way I consider it right up there with Atkison and Strong, if not higher. Considering the taste and styles of the era, it would be the best ever. These guys were dedicated!!!

RMN

Mike Jackson

Hello Robare,
I have that book referenced in my book data base...but unfortunately not the book. The other guy was Collins. Collins and Brookes, 1877.

That book was referenced in a Lowell, MA sign design book I ran across when I was searching out old books. It also referenced a book by Boyce of the same period (c1875). BOYCES'S COLLECTION OF ORNAMENTS (very nice scrolls and ornaments) A. Williams & Co. Publishers.

The cover says he was also the author of
ART OF LETTERING & SIGN PAINTERS' MANUAL
MODERN ORNAMENTER & INTERIOR DECORATOR

I am always watching for The American Sign Writer, but I never knew he had a connection to the glass plates at Glawson's shop. I am a bit blurry on the details, but someone in the Pacific Northwest collected old sign painter's business cards. One card in his collection was George Brookes' trade card. Somehow, Tod Swormstedt (I think) was able to get that card from the owner and give it to Rick to accompany the glass plates.

Thanks for the note,
Mike Jackson

Robare M. Novou

I too was surprized by the connection between the plates and the book. I have not seen Mr Brookes card yet. Im waiting for who ever has the original or the copy, to post it or send it into amal for publication. Im wondering what it looks like, the plates, or the book?

A while back, an ebay seller purchased the glass album and a bunch of really old sign business cards from an estate sale. He put the album up for one auction. and the cards for another auction. He included the brookes card with the glass album, as rightly so.

I queried the seller as to who he purchased the items from. Estate sale was all he could remember.
I would have liked to know who was the person that cared for the stuff all these years. As in a relative or someone in the trade. It amazes me as to whats out there yet to be discovered.

I told rick that I would not bid on the glass album...and Im assuming that he told all the other bidders as well as me, that he was purchasing the album for the sign museum.

I went affer the cards....but agreed with todd to letting the signmuseum.org get them if he color copied a set for me. Have you seen them yet?
A few were published in amal a while back.

I know that they will be publishing more in the future. A very nice lot indeed.

RMN