T.J. Cobden Sanderson

T.J. Cobden-Sanderson
Portrait of Cobden-Sanderson by William Rothenstein
Born	(1840-12-02)2 December 1840
Died	7 September 1922(1922-09-07) (aged 81)
Occupation	artist, bookbinder
Known for	Doves Type

Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson (2 December 1840 – 7 September 1922) was an English artist and bookbinder associated with the Arts and Crafts movement.

Sanderson was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, as Thomas James Sanderson. He attended a number of schools including the Royal Grammar School Worcester before entering Owen's College (Manchester University) and then Trinity College, Cambridge to study law. He left without taking a degree, and entered Lincoln's Inn as a barrister. In 1882 he married (Julia Sarah) Anne Cobden, a socialist, and daughter of Richard Cobden, and they both took the surname Cobden-Sanderson.

As a friend of William Morris, Cobden-Sanderson was involved with the Arts and Crafts ideology, and during a dinner party with the Morrises he was persuaded by Morris's wife Jane Burden to take up book-binding. In about 1884 he opened a workshop, abandoning his law practice. In 1887 Cobden-Sanderson suggested a new group be named the "Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society," and in so doing gave the movement its name. His wife was concerned that his interests were too abstract and she encouraged him to become a bookbinder. In 1893 he set up the Doves Bindery in Hammersmith, London, naming it after a nearby pub, The Dove. It was his wife who took credit for keeping the business running. By 1900 he had established the Doves Press. Emery Walker became a partner in 1900 and oversaw the creation of the Doves Type used for all of their books. They produced a number of letterpress books, including a five-volume Doves Bible.