Christmas Cards by John DePol
In the course of a long and successful career, John DePol (1913–2004) produced thousands of wood-engravings, etchings, and lithographs to illustrate books, pamphlets, broadsides, ephemera, and advertisements. He worked with commercial firms and with many distinguished American private printers such as the Allen Press, the Stone House Press, and the Yellow Barn Press. In 1963 the Chapin Library engaged him to produce a two-color wood-engraving of Stetson Hall (reproduced at the top of Chapin web pages). Since then, the Library has taken a keen interest in DePol’s work, and the artist reciprocated, donating numerous examples.
In October 2009 the artist’s daughter, Patricia DePol, generously added more than 300 pieces to the John DePol archive in the Chapin Library, among which were the selection of Christmas cards on display on the main level of Sawyer Library from December 15, 2009 through January 14, 2010. Most of the cards were for the artist’s personal use, and were printed directly from the engraved block. Others were made on behalf of businesses such as Blackwell North America, the Campbell-Logan Bindery, Carroll McEntee & McGinley (now HSBC Securities), and the Security-Columbian Banknote Company of New York. – WGH
Shown above, about twice its original size, is a two-color wood-engraving by John DePol, as printed on the smallest card in the Sawyer Library display.