Collection of bookplates by Robert Osmond

Robert Osmond (1874-1959) was born in Islington, North London. At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to the engraver William R. Corke, whose gold- and silversmith business was located in Northampton Square, Clerkenwell. Osmond received numerous awards for his designs and engravings, which Corke had submitted to exhibitions and competitions. After a seven-year apprenticeship, Osmond headed the engraving branch of W. R. Corke located in the West End of London.

In 1905 Osmond began designing and engraving bookplates for John & Edward Bumpus Ltd. He eventually left Corke and set up his own business on nearby Warwick Street. William Phillips Barrett (1861-1938) was also an employee of Bumpus, but Barrett was responsible for bookplate orders rather than the engraving. Nevertheless, Barrett’s initials appear on hundreds of bookplate designs produced by the Bumpus firm. Many of the W.P.B. designs may in fact be the work of Osmond or other engravers associated with Bumpus (including J.A.C. Harrison, John Edward Syson, Charles Bird, and George Ernest Vize). By 1910, Osmond seems to have been the exclusive in-house engraver for Bumpus bookplates. He had a long and prolific career, including numerous works exhibited at the Royal Academy.

Reference: Lee, Brian North. Bookplates by Robert Osmond. London: The Bookplate Society, 1998. ALSC Call Number: Z996.O86 L44 1998 (LC)