Details

Title

The Passing Show

Author

Wenzell, A.B.

Place of Publication

New York

Publisher

P.F. Collier

Date of Publication

1901 Show more1901-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
1901-01-01T00:00:00.000Z Show less

Collection

Scans provided by, and used with permission of, Mary Beth Cavert.

Note

Montgomery’s copy of Wenzell’s “The Passing Show” was inscribed by her in 1904. The book is a collection of illustrations by A.B. Wenzell, whose work could be found regularly in magazines like “The Saturday Evening Post” and the “Ladies Home Journal.” The book is considered an “elephant folio,” meaning it is about 58 centimeters (23 inches) tall, and thus, it features large, high-quality reproductions of Wenzell’s work. His drawings depict upper class courtship, flirtatious couples, and parties, with all the elaborate fashions and decor of the day; his work gently (and beautifully) underscores the performative “show” of the rich. Two epigraphs appear at the start of the book, one from Michel de Montaigne’s essays: “Is it not a noble farce, wherein kings, republics, and emperors have for so many ages played their parts, and to which the whole vast universe serves for a theatre.” The other, from Shakespeare’s “As You LIke It,” “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” (II, VII, 139). You can view some of Wenzell's work here.

Genre

book