Introduction: European Printing and Illustration
Valdosta State University’s Archives and Special Collections houses the Tatler-Burgess Collection which features artifacts representing the global history of publishing.
Many of the documents in the collection are leaves from European books, printed during the 16th, 17th, and 19th centuries, featuring woodcut, copper plate, and lithograph illustrations. The majority of these books are translations of the Bible into German as well as secular literature documenting German and European history.
Many of the Biblical illustrations depict characters in contemporary European dress and settings comparable to secular art of the same time period. Alternatively, some illustrations portray Biblical events as mystical, invoking ancient and foreign themes.
The artists’ choices to convey Biblical scenes in contemporary versus classical styles demonstrate the intriguing evolution of the historic European worldview.
Virgil Solis Folio Leaf, c. 1540
De Hute, c. 1670
Die Heiligen Schriten Des Alten Und Neuen Testaments, c. 1817
Notes
All images taken from the Valdosta State University Archives & Special Collections digitized Tatler-Burgess Collection.
Exhibit created by Zhanna Griffin-Bell for VSU MLIS 7998 Principles of Public History Summer 2024.
This guide was created by VSU Graduate Students in Summer 2024 as a part of the HIST 6215/MLIS 7998: Public History Virtual Exhibit Project.
For more information about online exhibits or the collections contained in the VSU Archives, contact Archives and Special Collections
