KATE GREENAWAY — ORIGINAL BOOKPLATE PROOF FOR HANNAH JANE LOCKER‑LAMPSON SWAIN & SON PROCESS ENGRAVERS — DATED 11 JUNE 1898 RARE VICTORIAN ILLUSTRATION PROOF

A rare production proof of a Kate Greenaway bookplate design for Hannah Jane Locker‑Lampson (1864–1937), daughter of the poet and bibliophile Frederick Locker‑Lampson of Rowfant Library fame.

The sheet carries two inscriptions in the same clerk’s hand:

• “Mrs. Locker Lampson / June 11/98”
• “Process Swain 3/6”

The second inscription identifies Swain & Son, one of London’s leading process engravers, responsible for reproductive work for Greenaway and other major illustrators of the period. The notation “3/6” is the engraver’s charge for the block.

This is not a finished bookplate pulled for use. It is a printer’s / engraver’s proof, showing the Greenaway design prior to final printing, with production annotations added by Swain’s process department.

The artwork itself is unmistakably Greenaway: two girls in Regency‑style dresses, floral garlands, symmetrical framing, and the motto “FEAR GOD. FEAR NOUGHT.” — typical of her private commissions for literary families in the 1890s.

A high‑quality, clean impression, with no cropping into the design and no foxing. A scarce survival from the production process.

Provenance: 

One of c.2,500+ items once from the collection or dealer stock of Winifred A Myers (Autographs) Ltd, St Martins Lane, London, evidenced by the quantity of Myers pre-printed envelopes and paper folders and the general ‘presentation’ of the items, many having Myers identification notes in pencil. 

Winifred Alice Myers (1909 – 1985) served as ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc) president, 1950-1952. See the ABA website for an extended article on Myers. Myers left her business, in 1985, to Ruth Shepherd, who traded from home until 2004.  

Catherine Greenaway (Mar 1846 – Nov 1901) was an English Victorian artist and writer, known for her children’s book illustrations. She received her education in graphic design and art between 1858 and 1871 from the Finsbury School of Art, the South Kensington School of Art, the Heatherley School of Art, and the Slade School of Fine Art. She began her career designing for the burgeoning greetings card market, producing Christmas and Valentine’s cards. In 1879 wood-block engraver and printer Edmund Evans printed Under the Window, an instant best-seller, which established her reputation. Her collaboration with Evans continued throughout the 1880s and 1890s. The depictions of children in imaginary 18th-century costumes in a Queen Anne style were extremely popular in England and internationally, sparking the Kate Greenaway style. Within a few years of the publication of Under the Window Greenaway’s work was imitated in England, Germany, and the United States.

Swain & Son, founded by Joseph Swain (1820–1909), were major London process engravers active from the mid‑19th century through the early 20th century. They specialised in line‑block and half‑tone work for Punch, The Graphic, Cassell, Macmillan, and many leading illustrators including Kate Greenaway. Their printer’s and engraver’s proofs — especially those with production annotations — are highly collectable.

Hannah Jane Locker‑Lampson (1864–1937) was the daughter of Frederick Locker‑Lampson (1821–1895), one of the great Victorian bibliophiles and creator of the celebrated Rowfant Library. The family’s deep literary and artistic connections make this Kate Greenaway commission entirely consistent with her private clientele in the 1890s.