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From: "Derick S. Hartshorn" <>
Subject: GRAVESTONE RUBBINGS (pt. 1)
Date: Fri, 5 Jun 1998 10:22:04 -0400


For the reader with questions about the care of gravestones and how to
obtain rubbings, I offer this which appeared on NORTHEAST ROOTS list

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THE ASSOCIATION FOR GRAVESTONE STUDIES

GRAVESTONE RUBBING FOR BEGINNERS

by Jessie Lie Farber

RUBBING
Rubbing is what you did as a child when you placed a scrap of
paper over a coin and brought up the coin's design by covering
the paper with pencil strokes. Using different materials, this
technique can be used to reproduce the relief design of any
surface. It is an ancient technique which originated in the
Orient and which, like etching and other printing techniques, is
employed by artists today to made original prints. Using this
technique to make a print of the carving on a gravestone is
GRAVESTONE RUBBING.

WHY MAKE A RUBBING?
A gravestone rubbing is an excellent document, accurately
reproducing, life-size, the design and surface condition of the
stone. Rubbings are, therefore, useful as records. Some rubbings
are works of art in their own right and are in the collections of
galleries and museums. Unfortunately, most rubbings are ephemeral
novelties, souvenirs, which find their way to dorm and den walls
on their way to the waste basket--hardly a justification for
encouraging the novice rubber, armed with coloring materials, to
try his hand on handsome and vulnerable old gravestones.

The Association for Gravestone Studies offers this introduction
to gravestone rubbing because the increasing popularity of the
activity without guidance is a threat to the stones. In addition,
it is our hope that getting to know the stones through rubbing
will encourage respectful interest in them and result in strong
community support for their care.

MATERIALS NEEDED
Kits containing rubbing supplies are sold at stationery and art
shops in areas where stone rubbing is popular. However, all you
really need for a good start is:

Masking tape. Scissors for cutting your paper.

A bottle of water and soft brush for gently cleaning dust and
bird droppings from the stone.
Paper. For the beginner an average weight wrapping paper works
well and is cheap. Later you may want to try a rice paper, vellum
tissue or even a thin pellon (interfacing material).

Rubbing wax or lumberman's chalk. Rubbing wax is available in
many art supply stores. I prefer the inexpensive lumberman's
chalk found in most hardware stores. If you use chalk you may
want to spray your finished rubbing to prevent smearing. Art
stores carry fixing spray.

CHOOSING A STONE
Beginners often choose stones from which a good rubbing cannot be
made. If you choose a "good" stone. you have an excellent chance
of producing a satisfying and encouraging print on your first
try. Avoid rough stones, stones which are eroded or otherwise
damaged, stones on which there is lichen. To get a good, clean-line
print, the stone carving must be sharply but not deeply cut.
Rounded, high relief carving will cause you to tear the paper as
you rub, and you will risk defacing the stone with color. Note
any hollowness or separation or flaking on the face of the stone.
Any pressure or friction on the face of an unsound stone can
seriously damage it.

PROCEDURE
Cut a piece of paper considerably larger than the stone or the
part of the stone you plan to rub. Be generous with the paper; it
protects the stone from your chalk or wax.

Tape the paper tightly and securely to the clean stone. It is
best to fold the paper over the sides and top of the stone and
tape its edges to the back of the stone.

Using the broad, flat area of your chalk or wax, lightly stroke
the paper and watch the design appear. When you can see the
design rather well, use the end of your chalk stick or wax bar to
fill in and darken your print. You will decide when your rubbing
satisfies you and is finished.

Remove your print and put it where it will be protected from
sudden showers or gusts of wind while you are in the graveyard.

You will want to record the name of the deceased, death date,
location of the graveyard and the date the rubbing was taken. If
you rub only the ornamental carving rather than the whole stone,
you may want to copy the stone's full inscription for your
record.

CAUTION AND RESPONSIBILITY
As you practice and improve your skill, you will probably try
other techniques and materials, eventually choosing for yourself
those which best suit your rubbing style and your taste. A first
and vital consideration as you experiment with materials and
techniques is the protection of the stones. Some papers and
coloring materials allow color to penetrate onto the stone.
Experiment elsewhere. Do not use questionable methods on the
gravestones.

Because old gravestones are an important part of our national
heritage, you should be as careful with them as you are when
handling other ancient folk art treasures. Many rubbers are not
careful, For this reason, some cemetery associations do not allow
stone rubbing. Some require the rubber to register. You will want
to respect the graveyard's requirements and leave the stones and
the area as you found them.

Following is an annotated list of books and articles about
rubbing. Many of the publications are out of print, but they do
occasionally appear on remainder lists, and some are available in
libraries.

HARDCOVER
Andrew, Laye, Creative Rubbings. Watson-Guptill Publications, 165
West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036, 1972.

Introduces rubbing as a fascinating craft with "an immediate
appeal to children and adults whether or not they consider
themselves artistically gifted." Easily-followed steps for
creating both the rubbing and the subject to be rubbed. No
mention of gravestones, yet of interest to any rubbing
enthusiast. An attractive book, half illustrations, half
text. 96 pages.

Bodor, John J., Rubbings and Textures: A Graphic Technique. Van
Nostrand Reinhold Company, 450 West 33rd Street, New York, NY
10001, 1968.

An excellent and thorough description of five techniques for
rubbing a wide variety of subjects from all over the world.
A separate chapter on New England gravestones as rubbing
subjects, and a chapter each on the historical background of
rubbing, suggestions for teachers, and suggestions for
cataloging, storing, displaying and photographing rubbings.
Highly recommended.

Jacobs, G. Walker, Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye: A Guide to
Gravestones and Gravestone Rubbing. The Stephen Greene Press,
Brattleboro, VT 05301, 1973.

Contains a section on the history of grave symbols and
stonecutters, followed by a section on five rubbing
techniques. Good step-by-step descriptions. Well
illustrated. 123 pages.

Neal, Avon and Ann Parker. Early American Stone Sculpture Found
in the Burying Grounds of new England. Sweetwater Editions, New
York, NY, 1981. Available from AGS.

This is not a book about rubbing. We mention it here because
of the quality of the full-page rubbings in the book. Neal
and Parker have introduced 42 of New England's most
interesting gravestones, each in a double-page spread: on
one page a rubbing of a detail, on the other, the
inscription, information about the stone, and a photograph
of the whole stone . This handsome book sold for $395, which
includes an original rubbing by the artist/authors.
According to the New York Times review of the book--and we
agree--it is well worth that price. A gift from the
publishers makes it possible for AGS to offer a limited
number for contributions to AGS of $150. First come, first
served. Address AGS, 46 Plymouth Road, Needham. MA 02192.
115 oversized (11" x 16") pages.

Tashjian, Dickran and Ann, Memorials to Children of Change.
Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, CT, 1974.

Like the Neal/Parker book, this is not a book about rubbing,
but it is listed here because Ann Tashjian's rubbings will
inspire anyone who has ever made a rubbing. The text
compares the carvings on early American gravestones with
other examples of art. 309 pages.

SOFT-COVER
Diandrea, Phyllis M., Rubbing Off History: A Guide to New England
Gravestones and Rubbing and Casting Technique. Published by the
author, 142 Palfrey street, Watertown, MA 02171, 1975.
Offers glimpses a bit broader than those found in most slim,
pamphlet-type publications for beginners. Brief sections on
history (stonecarvers, symbols, epitaphs) and on technique
(wax and foil). Illustrations poor and poorly reproduced. 29
pages.

English Brass Rubbing Centre, Brass Rubbings. 803 South Inglewood
Avenue, Inglewood, CA 90301, no date.

A catalog of rubbings, lectures, and activities offered by a
California rubbing center. good illustrations of rubbings
made from replicas of England monumental brasses. Also
prices for making your own rubbings and for ordering custom-made
rubbings; also for ordering rubbings made in England
from the original brasses. 27 pages.

Firestein, Cecily Barth, Rubbing Craft: How to rub doors,
letterboxes, gravestones, manhole covers, and how to use these
designs to make jewelry, T-shirts, needlepoint and more. Quick
Fox, A Division of Music Sales Corporation, 33 West 60th Street,
New York, NY 10023, 1977.

A wide-ranging treatment of rubbing and of ways to use
rubbing designs in other crafts. Of interest to the rubbing
enthusiast who wants to go beyond making the rubbing. Half
illustration, half text. The author teaches rubbing at the
New School in New York City. 95 pages.

Frisvell, Richard, Faces in Stone: The Early American Gravestone
as Primitive Art. Published by the author, 88 Beach Street,
Belmont, MA 02178, 1971.

The first edition of this small pamphlet was probably the
first of the spate of publications introducing gravestone
rubbing that appeared in the years preceding and following
the 1976 bicentennial celebration. It has been severely
criticized, and rightly so, for recommending the use of a
wire brush for cleaning stones, for recommending an ink
technique to beginners, and for other errors and
inaccuracies (e.g., recommending a late afternoon sun to
achieve a raking light for photographing stones). Its pen
and ink drawings are inadequate as illustrations.
Nevertheless, Friswell, a psychologist, wrote an insightful
introduction to the stones as they fit into early American
life and introduced many people to stone rubbing. The book
has had an impact, and collectors of books on the subject
will want to find and own a copy. 19 pages. By 1973, Faces
in Stone, with text revisions and better illustrations, had
gone into its fifth printing. A useful introduction. 19
pages.

Gillon, Edmund Vincent, Jr., Early new England Gravestone
Rubbings. Dover Publications, Inc., 190 Varick Street, New York,
NY 10014, 1966.

A three-page introduction that outlines the rubbing
technique used by the author is followed by a large and
varied collection of rubbings and photographs. No text.
'Notes on the Plates' are brief and are often inadequate and
inaccurate. The illustrations may be copied without
permission. About 200 unnumbered pages.

Kelly, Susan H. and Anne C. Williams, A Grave Business: New
England Gravestone Rubbings, a Selection. Art Resources of
Connecticut, 1979.

This excellent publication was published in conjunction with
a traveling exhibition of Kelly/Williams rubbings sponsored
by the Art Resources of Connecticut. In addition to a
catalog of the rubbings in the exhibition, with notations
about the work exhibited and the stonecarver, the
publication includes a sound and succinct introduction to
early gravestone art. A valuable addition to the library of
anyone interested in gravestone art. 42 pages

Kull, Andrew, New England Cemeteries: A Collector's Guide. The
Stephen Greene Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 1975

Good directions for finding 262 interesting New England
cemeteries. Symbols are used to indicate whether the
cemetery is "unusually picturesque," has "interesting
carving," "Famous people," and/or "a grand style." Not
focused primarily on subjects for rubbing or on early
carvings; and by no means a complete list of yards
containing fine rubbing subjects. A big help to the serious
collector of rubbings, nevertheless. 253 pages.

McGeer, William J.A., Reproducing Relief Surfaces: A Complete
Handbook of Rubbing, Dabbing, Casting, and Daubing. Published by
the author, 102 Brimfield Road, Holland, MA 1972.

This small jewel of a book gives the reader professional
directions for rubbing and other techniques for reproducing
relief surfaces, with special emphasis on gravestones and
monumental brasses. The author is an artist and a
professional cast maker who has developed his own methods
for making molds and casts. He can cast a full size replica
(or a miniature one) of a stone, and has done so for the
Boston Museum of Fine Arts and other institutions.
Beautifully illustrated. A list of sources for materials is
included. 40 pages.

Marks, Glen K., Oldstone's guide to Creative Rubbing. Oldstone
Enterprises, Inc., 186 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, 1973.

Introduces gravestones, monumental brasses, historical
markers and collages as subjects for wax rubbings. Oldstone
Enterprises is the foremost supplier of rubbing materials.
Illustrated. 21 pages.

Smith, Elmer L., Early American Grave Stone Designs. Applied
Arts, Witmer, PA, 1968.

"A pictorial presentation of the often forgotten folk art in
the early graveyards of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland
and in Virginia." Comprised of drawings made from rubbings;
also some photographs. No text. Of interest in that it
introduces a number of little known stones. However, the
"Design Notes and References" are often inadequate and
inaccurate so that finding the stone is not made easy. 42
pages.

Wakin, B. Bertha, To Rub or Not to Rub: Being a Book on the Art
and History of Tombstones. Lith-Art Press, Woodstock, NY, 1976.

Touches briefly on symbolism, rubbing, documenting, and
using gravestones and rubbing to teach history and art.
Illustrated with poor rubbings. Not for the initiated. 72
pages.

Wasserman, Emily, Gravestone Designs: Rubbings & Photographs from
Early New York & New Jersey. Dover Publications, Inc., 180 Varick
street, New York, NY 10014.

An interesting, informative 31-page introduction to the
designs and the stonecutters is followed by a collection of
220 rubbings and photographs of New York and New Jersey
gravestones. Notes on the plates give information about the
designs illustrated, some of which is not accurate according
to current scholarship. A useful introduction to some of the
carving styles seen in these states. The illustrations may
be copied without permission. About 190 unnumbered pages.

Williams, Melvin G., The Last Word: The Lure and Lore of Early
New England Graveyards. Published by the author, Ludlow, MA,
1973.

A charming and useful introduction to gravestone studies and
gravestone rubbing, available from Oldstone Enterprises,
Inc., suppliers of rubbing materials (186 Lincoln Street,
Boston, MA 02111). Six pages are devoted to rubbing
instruction for the beginner. Includes a fold-out map
(credited to Ludwig's Graven Images) showing good yards.
Illustrated by the author, a professor of English and a
popular lecturer on gravestone art, and Ray Bentley, owner
of Oldstone Enterprises. 319 pages.

ARTICLES AND UNPUBLISHED PAPERS
Halporn, Roberta, "New York is a Rubber's Paradise." Center for
Thanatology Research, 391 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
1990.

Gives directions to and descriptions of several New York
City cemeteries that offer good rubbing and can be reached
by subway. Also mentions the London Brass Rubbing Center
where replicas of English Brasses can be rubbed (phone
212/879-4320). The author is a publisher of books on
thanatology and knowledgeable in the field of gravestone
studies. 11 pages.

Smaridge, Nora, "Tombstones, Manhole Covers and the Ancient Art
of Rubbing." The New York Times. Arts and Leisure Section.
Sunday, July 27, 1978.

A spin-off from the author's book on retirement hobbies. An
interesting overview of rubbing as a hobby, which probably
lured many readers into the graveyards with paper and wax.
One wishes the author had said more about good care of the
stones.

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