scholar, suggests that fore-edge painting may have been in practice 7–10 years prior to Mearne's "invention". He lists a fore-edge painted copy of The Holy Bible as the first known instance of a signed and dated fore-edge painting. The painting on the 1651 bible is signed and dated by the artists: "S.T. Lewis Fecit Anno Dom 1653." Although the signature "S.T". was originally thought to be the initials of one man, Weber surmises that the work was produced by two (now) known fore-edge artists, brothers Stephen and Thomas Lewis. Around 1750, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings changed from simply decorative or heraldic designs to landscapes, portraits, and religious scenes usually painted in full color to reflect the coming trend in popularity of the Picturesque. Modern fore-edge painted scenes have many more variations as they can depict numerous subjects not found on earlier specimens. These include erotic scenes, or they might involve scenes from novels (like Jules Verne, Sherlock Holmes or Dickens, etc.), as more popular literature featured fore-edge paintings. In many cases, the chosen scene will depict a subject related to the book, but in other cases, it did not. In one instance, the same New Brunswick landscape was applied to both a Bible and a collection of poetry and plays. The artist, bookseller, or owner decides on the scene; thus, the variety is wide. The technique was popularized in the 18th century by John Brindley (1732 - 1756), publisher, and bookbinder to the prince of Wales. and Edwards of Halifax, a distinguished family of bookbinders and booksellers. The Edwards were responsible for popularizing the technique in London, and contemporaneous booksellers often mimicked their designs. Caroline Billin Curry was a prominent fore-edge painter in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The number of her works are largely unknown, however the current estimate is around 131. She numbered her works in the flyleaf of the book painted. Because of this, we know that her fore-edge painting of "The White House in 1840" on a copy of Washington Irving's Knickerbocker History of New York was her eleventh work. Also of mention is John Beer, of close geographical proximity to Miss Currie, both residing in Great Britain. Not commonly mentioned is the presence of fore-edge paintings in China. Carl Weber, Shen Jin, and Yao Boyue all provide testimony that Chinese painters were influenced by Western fore-edge paintings and began practicing the