Owen Jones’s The History of Joseph and His Brethren, published in London by Day & Son in 1865, stands as a pinnacle of Victorian chromolithography and one of the most visually sumptuous books of the nineteenth century. This large quarto volume presents the biblical story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis, chapters thirty-seven through forty, transformed into a luminous artistic experience through the collaborative genius of Jones, Henry Warren as fellow illuminator, and Albert Warren who translated their designs to stone.
The physical structure of the book is itself a work of art. Twenty-six leaves of heavy card stock are printed on both sides with fine chromolithographic decorations, each page bearing a Bible verse printed in black and red upon a radiant gold background. On the verso of each leaf appears a full-page color illustration, also on gold, creating the effect of a medieval illuminated manuscript reborn through modern printing technology. Every text and image is enclosed within elaborate ornamental borders that demonstrate Jones’s profound understanding of pattern and color.
The binding matches the interior splendor, with covers decoratively stamped in gilt and blue upon red cloth, spine lettered in gilt, and all edges gilt to protect the precious pages. Yellow coated endpapers complete the presentation of a volume clearly intended as an object of lasting beauty.
Owen Jones, already renowned for his groundbreaking Grammar of Ornament, brought his theories of color and design to this biblical narrative with extraordinary results. The illustrations capture key moments from Joseph’s story: his dreams of sheaves bowing, his betrayal by his brothers, his imprisonment in Egypt, and his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams. Each scene glows with jewel-like intensity, the chromolithographic process allowing for unprecedented richness and precision.
This edition represents the heyday of Victorian color printing, when technological mastery met artistic vision to produce books that remain treasures for collectors and lovers of fine printing alike.
