An Original Circular Engraved Metal Printing Plate With a Photographic Portrait of Aleister Crowley Smoking a Cigar That Was Used to Print the Illustration on one of His "Liber Oz" Postcards.
1942. The plate is made of thin metal (steel?) with the circular engraved surface 2 1/2 inches in diameter, mounted on a roughly 2 3/4 nch square, 7/8 of an inch thick, wooden block. The plate reproduces a photographic portrait of Aleister Crowley seated in a chair and smoking an absurdly long cigar. It was used to print the illustration on one of the two 'Liber Oz" cards that Crowley had printed by the Chiswick Press in August 1942 (the other card is sometimes referred to as the "North Sea Patrol card" due to Crowley's maritime attire in it). A piece of scrap paper with a poorly printed version of the image (presumably done to identify the picture in the engraving), is pasted onto the back of the block. Depending on the angle at which it is held, the engraving on the plate varies from not-very-visible to moderately clear. Although not intended for the purpose the plate makes an interesting display piece. A couple of light scratches and marks to the surface, but over all VG condition. Item #67663
Sold