City Readers Digital Historic Collections at the New York Society Library

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
When Malindy Sings
New York: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1903

There are three variations of binding designs for this cover: cream, red, light green, and gold on brown cloth; green, red, yellow, and gold on white cloth; green, red, blue, and black on pale blue cloth.

In this dramatic cover, the red petals appear to jump off the dark brown cloth towards the viewer. The ornate vines give a sense of Arts and Crafts while the stylized flowers show influence from Art Nouveau. Inside this volume, readers will find a decorated half-title and title page, with decorations and borders in pale blue. When Malindy Sings is illustrated with photographs by the Hampton Institute Camera Club, with decorations by Armstrong.