Text and cover, from Illustrations of the Bible 1833 - 1835

This is the tooled leather cover of ‘Illustrations of the Bible’ by John Martin, a British artist working in the first half of the 19th century. Martin’s illustrations were often on a grand scale. As a whole, the book reflects the cultural context of 19th-century Britain, where there was a widespread fascination with religious and historical narratives. It also speaks to the emergence of new technologies that could be used in mass production. The elaborate tooling of the cover suggests the book was aimed at a wealthy middle-class audience, and the cover design reflects the conservative tastes of the time, referencing earlier artistic styles such as the neoclassical. The very idea of illustrating the Bible in such a lavish way also says something about the social role of art at the time. It was a way to bring religious narratives into the home and to make them more accessible to a wider audience. Historians might research the publishing industry of 19th-century Britain to understand how books like this were produced and marketed. They might also look at the history of religious art and the changing role of the Bible in British society.