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Somewhat similar to the plate of General Washington is that
of his nephew, Judge Bushrod Washington, to whom the estate
of Mount Vernon was left. A trifle later, one would say, in
execution, it is still Chippendale in treatment, with
ornamentation of a more pretentious character than is seen
upon the other. A fork-tailed griffin with barbed tongue
guards the upper side with fierce and threatening mien, while
roses entwine the carved woodwork of the frame. The library
which this plate graced must have been principally of books
of law, — solid and necessary, yet a bit too heavy and
ponderous for so dainty a plate to ornament. There were other Virginia gentlemen who had libraries in which they used book-plates, and as their names will bring many historical facts to mind connected closely or remotely, as the case may be, with General Washington, and the events with which he was concerned, we will mention here a few of them. Of the Fairfax family we know the plate of Bryan, the eighth and last baron, between whom and Washington there existed a close affection, in spite of the loyalty of the latter to England. The family motto, Fare fac, is given on the plate. This, too, is of English make, and it may well be that the plate of Washington was ordered from England along with this or with that of his closer friend, George William, who undoubtedly had such a popular and convenient possession, even if it be unknown to-day. Then there were the Randolphs, — Peyton, first President of Congress, and after him John of Roa-noke, whose fiery tongue made friends of foes and foes of friends, and whose will, it must be remembered, manumitted some three hundred slaves. William Stith, brother-in-law of Peyton, who was President of William and Mary College, and who wrote a history of Virginia, and John Marshall, of whose talents Washington thought so much, who became Chief Justice of the United States, and who wrote so memorable a life of his friend, were among those who used the armorial book-plate in their books. George Washington Parke Custis, the last of the General's family, used a plate in which the engraver unfortunately omitted the final e from his third name. Other names which should be recorded here as of those linked in one way or another with the history of the state are as follows: Archer, Armistead, Beverly, Boiling (descendants of Pocahontas), Cabell, Gary, Dove, and Fitzhugh. Two governors of the old colony figure in the book-plate collector's album : Francis Fauquier, who immediately succeeded Dinwiddie and whose plate is a neatly engraved Chippendale design, and before him John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, descendant of the house of Stuart, whose attitude towards the colonists was insufferable. One thinks of him with satisfaction as he flees to his ships after exciting the populace; but with extreme disgust as he burns the city of Norfolk, and carries on his predatory warfare. It was really a handsome bit of designing he used in his books, with all its marks of aristocracy, with the supporters and the crown of an English earl. Lee, Lightfoot, Ludwell, McKenzie, Mackay, Mercer, Murray, Page, Parke, Power, Skipwith, Spotswood, Turberville, Tucker, Waller, Wormeley of Rosegill, and Wythe are names among which students of history will find many that have been raised to places of eminence in the state of Virginia by the representatives of these families, who were distinguished in various professions and prominent in varying circumstances. Old Colonel Byrd, who was such a patron of arts, science, and literature in Virginia, used a very interesting book-plate, and, as one notices the air of grandeur and hospitality worn by his spacious house, he feels that the books were well housed and often read. Indeed, evidence of this, and of many a quiet yet important conference in the library at Westover, can be found. Other plates there were in the mansions of old Virginia, — plates which the collector would gladly possess, but which are beyond the reach of his preserving hand. To consider those large estates, with their substantial manor-houses, their immense parks, their elegance of furnishing and ornamentation, to see the shining plate, the retinue of servants, the silks and taffetas imported from London, and the fields of tobacco which supported this luxury, is to be assured that life in the new country was not wholly lacking in those enjoyments which the socially inclined find need of, or the opportunity for retirement and study which some among the number of the household were likely to care for. Continued on this page |