Bookplate of Adaline B. Beal 19th-20th century

Curator: This is a bookplate created by Sidney L. Smith for Adaline B. Beal, and it's giving me such a sense of quiet dignity. Editor: Dignity is definitely the word! It feels very proper, very turn-of-the-century-Bostonian, you know? Like she's looking out from behind some very ornate, expensive wallpaper. Curator: Absolutely! It's fascinating how these small, intimate objects reflect broader social values. Bookplates were miniature declarations of identity and status, weren't they? Editor: Exactly. Owning books, commissioning an artist for a personal bookplate – it all speaks to privilege and a certain kind of cultivated self-image. What do you make of the actual image of the woman in the design? Curator: Well, she has a very refined gaze and a sense of determination that I admire. It's a small portrait, but it really has such presence, it gives one something to ponder, you know? Editor: It really does make you wonder about the stories this little object could tell. Curator: Yes, it's a little portal into another life, and perhaps another time as well.