Making prop journals for US television

I have just completed an entirely novel kind of bespoke bookbinding commission of three journals done in a historically accurate binding style popular in the 1880s. These are to be used as props for the actors in the award-winning US television series, The Gilded Age. This is a historical drama series created and written by Julian Fellows for HBO and set in the boom years of 1880s New York city, a period colloquially known as the ‘gilded age’. The series is available to watch on Sky Atlantic in the UK and has the vibe of a soap opera written by US 19th century novelist, Edith Warton.

I was approached by Hollywood Prop Master, Martin Lasowitz, for the commission and we set about designing the aesthetics of the journals together. We used a genuine notebook of the period as the aesthetic inspiration for the bindings:

Genuine 1880 notebook used for inspiration in designing the binding

This style is known as a half-bound book in leather and marbled paper, as the leather coverings of the spine and corners make up half of the covers in total, with the other half covered by the marbled paper. There was also a rounded and backed spine which dictated half the pages would be sewn together.

In order to keep the journals in accordance with the cinematography, costuming and set design used on the show, Martin requested a maroon leather with a hand marbled red paper washed with a rippled marbling design. For the interior of the book, simple ivory endpapers and ivory lined paper were chosen. After that it was simply a matter of bringing everything together:

Final cover design in maroon leather and red marbled paper

It was finally decided to make three identical books in this binding style for use as props on the show. They were completed two weeks later and are now on the set in America waiting to be used. I am very much looking forward to seeing them in use in an episode of the upcoming season of, The Gilded Age. It was an interesting and enjoyable commission, involving historical research and interesting aesthetic decision making; I hope to be able to complete future bindings for use in television and films.

The final completed journals