Italian Backgrounds





Edith Wharton (1862-1937)
Italian Backgrounds
New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1905 (New York: De Vinne Press)

Cream, blue, tan, and gold on hunter-green cloth.

Armstrong uses a rectangular frame of colored tiles to contain a dark green rectangle. Here a pool of verdant color hints at the mystery of Italian backgrounds; behind the cover’s spatial calm an architectural and ecclesiastical world waits to be discovered. A peacock, encircled with unfurled blue feathers, perches at the four corners of the frame, symbolizing the beauty of Italy’s ancient world.

Back to Top

The New York
Society Library

53 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075
212.288.6900
reference@nysoclib.org

Hours of Operation

Monday / Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday / Sunday
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Holiday Closing:
Easter

The Library will be closed
Sun, 3/31.

Otherwise we observe normal hours.
 
© Copyright The New York Society Library | Privacy Policy