Art Nouveau Reading Throw Pillow

This art nouveau old book cover was adapted from a 1902 edition of the 1851 dramatic poem The Golden Legend by the hugely popular American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). It features green and gold lush decorative floral and leaf designs. The Golden Legend is a dramatic poem illustrating the Middle Ages from the period of 1230 with a theme of conflict between good and evil. It was part of a Trilogy and was later made into a musical cantata by Arthur Sullivan which had a command performance for Queen Victoria in 1888 at the Royal Albert Hall. After the performance, she praised Sullivan in person for this talent.