City Readers Digital Historic Collections at the New York Society Library

J.M. Barrie (1860-1937)
Sentimental Tommy: The Story of His Boyhood.
New York: Scribner, 1896

Light green and gold stamped on brown cloth.

A pleasant cover to view. Armstrong included her initials cleverly in the bottom right corner of the design. Since Armstrong did not begin to initial her work until 1895, it is difficult to accurately attribute all of her bindings before this period. Scholars and enthusiasts attempt to identify early Armstrong bindings by comparing bindings to the ones definitely attributed to her via letters, books, and other publications. While not always definitive, Armstrong’s tendency towards ornamental style, botanical accuracy, and use of a stained glass technique remain distinctive enough to set her bindings apart from those created by other designers of this era.