Detail of marbled book cover for the bound 1884 issues of Dorcas, a magazine of Woman’s Handiwork, edited by Laura B. Starr of New York. The process of paper marbling produces patterns similar to marble and other stone and involves floating colors on either water or a solution known as size. The pattern is then transferred to paper or fabric, with each being a unique monotype. Such designs were frequently used for book covers and endpapers.