Robin Ashby, a bookbinder who grew up in Marshallton, has compiled a book of watercolors painted by his grandfather, West Chester industrialist Harry Cann, writes Kim Douglas for The Hunt magazine.
Cann was also an inventor, and he patented an innovative cooling unit in 1927 that kept the temperature of milk below 52 degrees for as long as possible. By 1939, his company, ESCO, had the cooling cabinet on display at the World’s Fair, and by 1944, it reached $40 million in sales.
Cann started painting on doctor’s orders, as the frenzy of building up his business was affecting his health. He retired shortly after selling his company in 1967, but he kept painting until 1974.
Ashby owns 40 of his grandfather’s paintings. Other members of his family have another 100, while 60 are missing. His journey culminated in a book, The Industrialist’s Brush: Watercolors of Harry E. Cann.
Ashby is self-publishing 50 copies of the book and is hand-binding his own copy as well.
“It’ll be really special,” he said.
Read more about the book in The Hunt magazine.
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This video discusses the art of bookbinding.
