The history of original art and graphics in Grand Rapids is believed to have begun with a drawing depicting the area, now called “Grand Rapids in 1831.” This illustration shows the Native American village on the West Side of the Grand River, and is said to have been made by the Rev. John Booth. Two versions of this historical sketch exist in this collection, both of which are said to be original to Booth, and a third original item was listed for sale from a rare book dealer within recent years. Presuming all are by Booth, he seems to have created several copies, basically of the same view, which may have been commemorative, or as a gift to a visitor, or perhaps simply a graphic description of his surroundings that he sent to friends or family. As with many of the early illustrations which depict Grand Rapids, Booth’s illustration has been reproduced in the various history books on Grand Rapids, and may already be familiar to many collection users.

Another early illustration in this collection is “Grand Rapids in 1856” by Sarah Nelson Ballard. Sarah Nelson was one of several local youths who took art instruction from one of the first, and best known, artists of Grand Rapids, Marinus Harting. Born July 1815 at Delft, Holland, Harting emigrated to the U.S. in the summer of 1849. He came to Grand Rapids in July 1854, where he is documented as having taught such later notables as Lawrence Earle and Frederick Stuart Church. He died March 9, 1861. No art by Harting is known, but a faded photo of him is included in this collection.

These artists probably considered themselves non-professionals, but have provided a valuable service by providing us with a glimpse of what the area was like before the camera came into use in Grand Rapids. These artists include Miss Cuming, Cadette Fitch, Rebecca Richmond and Thomas Porter.

Other artists who studied with Harting went on to become nationally or internationally known. One of these was Frederick Stuart Church, who had a studio in New York City's Carnegie Hall for most of his lifetime. Original and reproduction items by F.S. Church, given to the Library from the Estate of Church’s friend and famous national art patron, Charles Freer, are documented in a separate archival collection, Coll. 228. Church's work includes rare documents and identifiable places or persons, but often served as popular illustrations for use in national periodicals, for example.

Other artists came to Grand Rapids independently. A few works by one of Grand Rapids best known artists, Mathias Alten, are included in this collection. Alten's work sometimes documents Grand Rapids scenes.

Another early graphic form documented in Coll. 224 is the early broadside, which evolved into the poster. The early items are without illustration and advertise events, items for sale, or are public communications.

Advertising trade cards or other smaller advertising display forms first used generic illustrations. These were purchased through national printing houses, predating most known local trade illustrations. Then local printers began using generic dies until the development of other means of graphic reproduction, which led to the numerous color posters included in this collection today. Most examples of the smaller forms of early advertising are found in other GRPL Archives collections, such as Colls. 216 or 302, with additional information on early printing in Colls. 289 or 296.

One of the best known posters, by a nationally known American graphic artist associated with Grand Rapids, is the World War I poster by Gerrit Beneker: “Sure, We'll Finish the Job.” No version of this poster is currently part of the GRPL holdings; however, this image is widely available in book publications and online.

A large number of original World War I graphics, either prints or posters, and mostly by French artists, are included in Coll. 224. It is believed these works were acquired by former GRPL Director Samuel Ranck, who worked for nearly a year in Europe during the war as a representative of the American Library Association. Mr. Ranck provided library services to the American troops in Europe. During this time he was also able to pursue collection development for the Grand Rapids Public Library.

Posters, communicating a number of area events, are the largest form of art included in Coll. 224. The annual Grand Rapids Festival posters are included in this collection (see also additional information and graphics related to the Festival in Coll. 237). Select examples of the “picnic” posters, created by Herman Miller artist Steven Frykolm for the company's annual corporate picnic, are examples of local artists gaining national note. These posters are part of Coll. 233, documenting the area furniture industry. (Frykholm's Vandenberg poster rests on an easel in archives, facing the VanderVeen Center.)

Other items in this or other GRPL Archival collections are examples of engraving, often used in publications, or sometimes issued as prints or pictorial maps.

A review of the Grand Rapids city directories shows local engravers working here during the later part of the 19th century and into the 20th. Some of these artists/engravers were women. Their work is often unsigned where it is used, but that work may be seen in the city directories themselves, or in other printed works, where it was often used for the purpose of advertising.

Some Grand Rapids artists in this collection are known for their book illustrations, including names such as Thomas Mitchell Peirce or Kate Torrey. Other art in this collection represent national book illustration artists, such as Lois Lenski, whose works are collected by the Library.

See also the separate archival collections for Kreigh Collins and Paul Collins, who both created original hanging art for sale, as well as illustrations for book publications and other types of graphics.

A local stable of artists including, for a while, Kreigh Collins, formed around Ray Barnes at the Grand Rapids Herald. They did illustrative work for the newspaper, as well as original graphic art of the annual “Newsboys” greetings. Both Gerrit Beneker and Mathias Alten are represented in the Newsboys graphic designs, which are documented in Colls. 289 and 297. Coll. 224 contains primarily published examples or reference information on the artists in this group, with signed published work by “Korff” or “Gert” (Gertrude Van Houten) or, early on, by Lumen Winter.

After the new Grand Rapids Public Library building opened in 1904 and before a separate art museum was created, the Library was one of the city's common art exhibit venues. What little documentation exists today can be found mostly in the Bulletin of the GRPL in Coll. 109. A few random exhibit lists of early exhibits are included here; others might occur in scrapbooks in the various archival collections.