Indiana University's Lilly Library has a wonderful online exhibit of the always beautiful fore-edge paintings. The fore-edge paintings in the exhibition are the "vanishing" type, which means they are only visible when the book is fanned open. The exhibit also limits its works to those "vanishing" fore-edge paintings from the late 18th century to the 20th century which began in the shop of Edwards of Halifax, a bookbinder. The menu on the left hand side of the website divides the works up into several different types, such as "Highest Quality", "Individual Artists", "The Picturesque", and "Vertical Paintings". Within "The Picturesque" category, are such subcategories of "Castles", "Cities", "Water Scenes", and "Foreign Scenes". In the "Vertical Paintings" category are three paintings, the first of which is not a "vanishing" type of fore-edge painting at all. Visitors should not miss the second painting, not only because it is lovely, but also because it is a Chinese scene from the 1500s, which is radically different from the other European inspired works.
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