Primary Sources

Historic documents and artists' workbooks. Previously "illuminated manuscripts," renamed to broaden category.

• The Book of Kells, circa 800
• Aberdeen Bestiary, circa 1200
• Luttrell Psalter, 1325-1350
• Saint Michel Book of Hours, 1380: this book is in fairly bad shape as preservation goes, which may be off-putting to some readers and appealing to others
• Visconti Book of Hours, 1390
• Romance of Alexander, illustrated by Jehan de Grise, 1338-1410
• Hours of Charles the Noble, King of Navarre, 1361-1425
• Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, 1413-1415
• Hours of Catherine of Cleves, 1435-1460
• Pontificale Romanum, 1485
• The Illuminated Sketchbook of Stephan Schriber, 1494
• Ces presentes heures a lusaige de Romme, 1496
• Hours, use of Rome, 1490-1500
• Georgiae Montaneae, 1584
• Cento Imprese, 1615
• Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing, 17th C
• A decade of curious insects, 1773
• Hokusai's manga, 1760-1849
• Kyousai's Pictures of One Hundred Demons, 1889
• The dial, 1889: an early zine or literary magazine (however you may see it) featuring handmade prints

Illustrated Storybooks

Please note: I have not read through all of these in full and cannot speak to the specifics of their contents.

• Nursery Rhymes by F.D. Bedford, 188?
• More English Fairy Tales, 1894
• A book of old English ballads, 1896: warning for antisemitism
• A book of old English love songs, 1897
• The eerie book, 1898: classically spooky stories
• A floral fantasy in an old English garden, 1899
• The Flower Princess, 1904
• The Sea Fairies, 1911
• Sonnets (with illuminated initials and borders), 1913
• Edmund Dulac's Fairy-book, 1917
• Dream Boats and Other Stories, 1918
• The Joyous Travelers, 1919
• The sleeping beauty, 1920: warning for potentially racist imagery
• The Fairy Book, 1922
• English Fairy Tales, 1927

Two dimensional design

Print, book design, illustration in the abstract, motifs

• Repertoire des artistes, 1765
• The History, Theory, and Practice of Illuminating, 1861: Book design
• Examples of English medieval foliage and decoration, 1874
• Allegorien und Embleme, 1882
• Der Ornamentenschatz, 1887
• Dekorative Vorbilder, 1897
• Historic Styles of Ornament, 1898: Focuses on historic and cultural trends in design
• Clichés & gravures, 1912: illustrated motifs; the clip-art of the day
• L'art du Livre, 1914
• Line and Form, 1914: great general art textbook with definitions, examples, reference images, and theory
• Painters' & Decorators' Work, 1916
• Strong's Book of Designs, 1917
• Handbook of Ornament, 1920
• The Ornament: Vade-mecum for Architects, Calligraphists, Ceramists, Carvers..., 1921
• Heraldry and Floral Forms as Used in Decoration, 1922
• Excelsior Fresco Stencils, 1924
• Ideas & Studies in Stencilling & Decorating, 1927

Textile design

• Muster Altdeuscher Leinenstickerei, 1882: Textile design, embroidery
• Fifteenth Century Italian Ornament, 1886
• Theory and Practice of Design, 1894: Patterning, wallpaper/textile design
• Designs for Needlework, 1910
• Jeffrey & co at Cooper Hewitt
• Morris & co at Cooper Hewitt

Typography

• Handbook of Medieval Alphabets, 1856
• The Book of Ornamental Alphabets, 1863
• The Penman's Hand-book, 1883
• Specimens of Point Line Type, 1908: Decorative letters & borders starting page 210
• Le Livret Typographique, 1920: Decorative borders start here
• The Ornament: Vade-mecum for Architects, Calligraphists, Ceramists, Carvers..., 1921
• Studio Handbook: Lettering, 1960

Three dimensional design

Furniture, wood carving, metalwork, architecture

• Examples of English medieval foliage and decoration, 1874
• Maison R. Garnier catalog, 1880
• Illustrated Pattern Book, 1880: a wealth of illustrations of kitchenware and more
• Elements of Style in Furniture & Woodwork, 1889
• Details of Gothic Architecture, 1890
• Theory and Practice of Design, 1894: Carvings
• A Manual of Historic Ornament, 1906
• English Ironwork of the XVII and XVIII Centuries, 1911
• Handbook of Ornament, 1920
• The Ornament: Vade-mecum for Architects, Calligraphists, Ceramists, Carvers..., 1921

Magazines

• The Delineator, 1894: Fashion, ads aimed at women
• Keramic Studio, 1899

Science and Natural History

• Illustrations of Exotic Entomology, by Dru Drury, 1837