Towards a multimodal ethnohistorical approach: a case study of bookplates

O'Hagan, Lauren ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5554-4492 2019. Towards a multimodal ethnohistorical approach: a case study of bookplates. Social Semiotics 29 (5) , pp. 565-583. 10.1080/10350330.2018.1497646

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Abstract

This study uses four examples of bookplates printed in Edwardian Britain (1901–1914) to demonstrate how the adoption of an ethnohistorical approach to social semiotics can vastly strengthen multimodal analysis. It argues that situating choices of image, colour, typography and materiality in archival research and the broader sociohistorical context of the Edwardian period can help to uncover the external motivations for a bookplate’s structure. The case study reveals that bookplate designs were primarily influenced by the social status and wealth of owners, as well as the specific, well-established norms of the bookplate genre. It also highlights the significance of connecting semiotic choices to the traditions of Edwardian society and the ways in which meanings can shift over time. The findings demonstrate the importance of grounding hypotheses concerning the function and form of artefacts in concrete historical documents, in addition to the vast potential of this methodology for exploring other texts within a particular historical period.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
ISSN:	1035-0330
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	5 November 2018
Date of Acceptance:	4 July 2018
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2024 14:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/116475

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