The Owls Have It!

I was looking through our collection of bookplates the other day and noticed something interesting. In the plates which were designed by the noted medical illustrator, Max Brödel, you often find owls. 

Of course, owl symbols are a tradition for many libraries because of their longstanding association with wisdom.  Sources on myth and magic explain that birds which could “see” in the dark were thought to have mysterious powers, later identified with prophecy, “nocturnal sciences,” and, in a broader sense, wisdom.

Here are some of Brödel's bookplates, as well as others with owls.

Bernard Lucien Brun, MD

The Osler Testimonial Fund 

John Ruhräh, MD 

George Oliver Clark, MD

John Vernon Hopkins, MD 

Fred Lloyd Wells, MD 

It's always fun to discover something new!