"The 1890s—Yellow, Gay, Naughty, Gilded—marked a period of economic panic, the aftermath of a respiratory pandemic, the rise of workers’ unions, and a growing disillusionment with moralism. In other words, the world of the 1890s mirrors ours."
Inspired by The Yellow Book, a popular periodical from the Aesthetic and Decadent Movements, Gilded Mirrors is an anthology of written works from the 1890s that challenges the philosophy of “art for art’s sake.” Gilded Mirrors weaves together a cautionary tale about self-obsession using each work's overlapping themes, including decadence, madness, the arts, and Christian spirituality.
The original inspiration for Gilded Mirrors was a self-initiated challenge to create an anthology using only public domain works from the 1890s. Since each work has differing types of chapter and part separation, I unified the overall look of these separations while honoring distinctions between what is a chapter and what is simply a part or section within a short story.
For the body text, I chose the variable font ElstobD by Peter Baker for its classical proportions, easy readability, weight choices, and era-appropriate characteristics. ElstobD is an old style medievalist font based on the Double Pica commissioned by Bishop John Fell in the seventeenth century.
For book titles and chapter numbers, I chose Mirra Aurolic by Oxana Tkach for its clean Art Nouveau style and as a visual balance against heavier elements.
Dimensions:
7 x 10 in.
Design and illustrations:
Erika Sims
Typefaces:
Mirra Aurolic by Oxana Tkach
ElstobD by Peter Baker
