Edwin Davis French

Born in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, his artistic career had begun in 1869 with silver engraving for the Whiting Manufacturing Company.

Two men who influenced French's work were Albrecht Dürer and Charles W. Sherborn.

He was interested in constructed languages and was active in the Volapük movement,[1] and also learned Esperanto.

His obituary in the New York Times[2] relates: Mr. French's hobby was universal language, for he was a facile linguist.

French had suffered from poor health most of his life, having left Brown University in his sophomore year because of it, and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis.

Edwin Davis French
Edwin Davis French later in life
A bookplate designed by French inscribed in Volapük. The inscription translates "One mankind, one language. Out of books on Volapük and international language belonging to Edwin Davis French, 1893"
A bookplate designed by French for the Cincinnati Law Library in 1903. It features a bust of Rufus King , who was President of the University of Cincinnati and later Dean of the Cincinnati Law School.