If you’ve ever looked up in the Reading Room of the main library or above the landings of the second floor staircases, you’ve surely noticed the twenty-seven beautifully tinted glass designs in the centers of the library’s huge windows. Each panel represents the trademark of a prominent Renaissance printer and is noted for its elegance and artistry.
The following
text and
illustrations about the windows have been graciously provided by Muriel Scheinman, Ph.D., from
her 1981 dissertation, “Art Collecting at the University of Illinois: A History and Catalogue.” For
more information on these windows and other works of art at the university, see her book, A Guide
to Art at the University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign, Robert Allerton Park and Chicago
(University of Illinois Press, c 1995). Copies are in several libraries across campus (call
number 708.173Sch25g) and is available at the Information Desk.
You might also like to see Amanda Flattery’s University of Illinois
Library Journal article, “
Printers’ Marks as Library Window Decorations,” published November 1927.
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Last modified by: Michele Lindstedt on 5/18/11
