The image is © Elaine Lustig Cohen. See our image rights statement.

 

See more objects with the tag graphic design, typography, book, poetry, book designers, text as image, storytelling.

See more objects with the color slategrey silver darkgrey lightslategrey wheat or see all the colors for this object.

Object Timeline

1959

  • Work on this object began.

1993

  • We acquired this object.

2013

2015

2024

  • You found it!

Book Cover, On Modern Poets

This is a Book cover. It was designed by Elaine Lustig Cohen and written by Yvor Winters and made for (as the client) Meridian Books. It is dated 1959 and we acquired it in 1993. Its medium is offset lithograph on white wove paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Elaine Lustig Cohen was married to Alvin Lustig from 1948 to 1955. She managed her husband’s studio, serving as a secretary, production assistant, and draftsperson—the “office slave,” as she recalls. As Lustig lost his eyesight to diabetes, he relied on his wife to execute his concepts. Following Lustig’s death, Cohen established her own design practice. Her book covers shown here use abstract structural elements, expressive typography, and conceptual photographs to richly interpret the books’ contents.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Elaine Lustig Cohen: An Interview.

This object was donated by Tamar Cohen and Dave Slatoff. It is credited Gift of Tamar Cohen and Dave Slatoff.

Our curators have highlighted 2 objects that are related to this one.

Its dimensions are

18.3 × 11.1 cm (7 3/16 × 4 3/8 in.)

It is signed

Printed in black ink, vertically, lower left: elaine lustig

It is inscribed

Printed in black ink, along bottom: STEVENS ELIOT RANSOM / CRANE HOPKINS FROST / M 73 MERIDIAN BOOKS $1.35 Canada $1.45

Cite this object as

Book Cover, On Modern Poets; Designed by Elaine Lustig Cohen (American, 1927–2016); Written by Yvor Winters (American, 1900–1968); Client: Meridian Books; USA; offset lithograph on white wove paper; 18.3 × 11.1 cm (7 3/16 × 4 3/8 in.); Gift of Tamar Cohen and Dave Slatoff; 1993-31-22

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition How Posters Work.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

For higher resolution or commercial use contact ArtResource.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18645173/ |title=Book Cover, On Modern Poets |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>