Found at a scrap shop, this 1914 National Geographic magazine was missing both a front and back cover, as well as the paper covering of the spine. The glue on the spine was cracking, and the staples were slowly losing their hold on the paper leaves. Its articles featured images of villages in Hungary, likely printed through the photogravure method.
I wanted to reinforce and preserve the magazine block that remained. This piece uses duck cotton canvas, binders board, and mulberry paper to build a functional and simplistic hardcover book inside which the block is secured through the case binding method. The cover is hand painted without stencil, mimicking details of the National Geographic
Mulberry paper is pasted to the back end paper to reinforce the spine and attach the body to the case.
Flat front view of the book cloth covered case
Front end paper is creased similarly to the back in order to mimic the anatomy of a printed paper cover- covering stitching and strengthening the bind. The end paper is pressure embossed.
Bottom left corner of front board- painted detail dictates the month, volume/edition number, and year
Top left corner of front board- free hand painted details mimic the geometric designs of classic NatGeo covers.
Inner front end page details; close up on the folding of the mulberry paper.
