Von Schmidt

Source Harold von Schmidt’s illustrations for Death Comes for the Archbishop were greatly admired when they first appeared in 1927. And they still are as far as I am concerned. Von Schmidt did over 60 illustrations for the book, and they are artfully interspersed with the text to create a book that is itself an aesthetic object. We have a few years left before books become obsolete, but the telltale signs are already here. As books are gradually replaced by more effective and convenient means of ingesting content, we’ll lose the qualities that make this book such a fine experience. Generations raised on scrolling electrons on computer monitors won’t miss the aroma of old paper, the feel of fine bindings, and especially the delight of images crafted by hand on the basis of long observation. Well said. I have loved this style of art for as long as I can remember. Quite the hat. Speaking of von Schmidt, here is a good image I was unaware of.