Maurice Darantiere, Ulysses Cover Proof

the final proof lithograph of the cover of james joyce's ulysses is a surprisingly brushy horizontal rectangle of blue, with the title and author's name on the right half. the proof is in the collection of the library at suny buffalo
Maurice Darantiere, Cover for Ulysses [final proof], 1922, lithograph, Poetry Collection of the University Libraries, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, via The Morgan Library

I knew the story about Joyce wanting the cover for Ulysses to be the blue of the Greek flag. But I did not know that he ended up giving the little Greek flag hanging in Shakespeare & Co. to his artist friend, Myron Chester Nutting, to match the color.

I learned this from The Morgan Library’s online exhibition celebrating Ulysses‘ centenary, which includes the extraordinary lithograph above, the final proof for Joyce’s Ulysses cover, prepared by the Dijon printer Maurice Darantiere.

At first the bleed around the edge and the brushmarks made me wonder if there was an ur-monochrome painting, a Nutting original, but I think not. The stone or the plate was painted with a solid field, which Darantiere printed using ink prepared to Nutting’s specification. The title seems to be set in negative, masked so the unprinted paper shows through.

Maybe I must now make the entire cover, as printed, not just the front. I feel like it should match the dimensions of the book, and the page inside, but those bleeding edges do call to me. Either way, I obviously must make it like this now.

a diptych of the blue cover of the first edition of james joyce's ulysses on the left, and the frontispiece, with marsden hartley's inscription on the right. a study for a print by greg.org
Study for Untitled (This copy of Ulysses belongs to me, Marsden Hartley), 2025, prints of some kind, 4to, 242 x 190 mm [still trying out titles, obv]

And I have to get the color right. Is it best to match the modern color of Marsden Hartley’s copy? Is it even possible to match the original, given that they’re all 100 years old, too? Do I try to match the proof? Is it a Ulysses conservation standardbearer? Nutting apparently warned Joyce that the blue would fade, and it did?

a 1934 illustration from a greek encyclopedia of a bunch of variations of the greek flag, which is a paler, cornflower blue than the contemporary version. via wikipedia
Administrative Flags of Greece (1934) via wikipedia

I’ve seen discussion of Joyce’s Greek flag blue not actually matching the Greek flag’s blue, that perhaps the Shakespeare & Co. flag had faded, as well as the books. But Ulysses matches the color of the Greek flags reproduced in this 1934 encyclopedia plate. Honestly, I can see the appeal.

Getting the Right Blue on the Cover [themorgan.org via @mclees-fiona via @joshuajfriedman]
Previously, related: Untitled (Joyce Hartley), 2025
At least Luigi Lucioni got his copy of Ulysses back