Secret paintings discovered on the edge of books

book edge paintings

Books are jam packed full of secretive inspiration

Books can be packed full of inspiration - from the content itself to the striking illustrations, flicking through the pages is always a pleasant experience. But what if the inspiration fell off the pages and onto the book's edge?

While going through the Special Collections & University Archives at the University of Iowa, Colleen Theisen noticed that there was a painting concealed on the edges of a book’s pages. Called 'fore-edge paintings', the images only reveal themselves when a book’s pages are spread out.

The paintings appear on a series of books by Robert Mudie, titled 'Autumn', 'Winter', 'Spring' and 'Summer'. Some books even contain a second image once the book is flipped over!

secret paintings books

secret paintings books

secret paintings books

secret paintings books

secret paintings books

secret paintings books

secret paintings books

[via This is Colossal]

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