Moody Bookish Art Prints

Earlier this month I took a week off of work, the first chunk of time I’d taken in a long while that wasn’t dedicated to some family emergency or medical issue. I made big plans to sleep, spend time with trees, and go on a little roadtrip to either Washington or the Oregon Coast. So as luck would have it, I was rear ended two days before my vacation.

I’m fine, overall. My car is getting fixed, I’m in a rental, and I’m being treated for some neck & shoulder stuff. Though relatively minor, the pain was enough to make the idea of sitting in a car for even a few hours a non-starter. So I canceled the roadtrip and opted for a chill staycation and finally got a bunch of stuff done that I’d been meaning to do for actual years (don’t judge me). That included finding ways to make my very modern apartment feel more like my aesthetic, i.e. more dark & moody.

Once I got started, I found it hard to stop. Some friends did me the solid of putting some gorgeous dark green paint on the walls, and now I’m on a mission to really deck the place out in art and decor that’s a Vanessa-specific combo of moody, Gothic, Victorian, vintage, gold/brass, and/or floral with little Mexican touches. I’m newly into the thrill of the thrifted or antique find, trolling all of my local thrift and antique shops in search of vintage candlesticks, wall sconces, drawer pulls, and other cositas to make the vibes right. The next project is to acquire more art to put up, and there is where I started pulling my hair out.

Y’all. I wanted some moody bookish art for my living area and found it so hard to find art that fits the vibe and isn’t AI-generated, at least on a budget and via my go-to sources. I perused a floppity jillion Etsy shops going, “nope, nope, nope, more nope” as I zoomed in on print after print of what was obviously made by AI. I did find some Etsy shops offering original works or vintage reproductions, and found a few more once I went in search elsewhere on the interwebs. But wow, was that a project. So if you’re looking for some moody bookish art, here are a few of the best ones I came across. But also, if you have some suggestions on where to look, hit a girl up!

When I first set out on Operation Decoration, I already had two gorgeous pieces of art from artist Alyssa Thorne (here is one of them). Her prints are museum-quality, velvety-matte giclée and come in multiple sizes, starting with 8″ x 10″. I may need this one next – skulls, books, bugs. $45+

Here’s another one from Alyssa Thorne – books and greenery? I’m in. $45+

This sort of feels like cheating because it’s a modern image of the Rose Reading Room at the New York Public Library, but it’s dark and moody and who doesn’t love a library? This is a framed piece and you can pick from multiple frame types and colors, sizes start at 8″ x 10″. $75+

This one brings the dark academia vibes. I confess I would actually love to just style the individual items pictured here, but a print rounding them up will also do just fine. Multiple sizes offered starting at 9″ x 8″. $20+

This is very much the vibe I was going for, and a room I’d want to have in my home (but with a bigger chandelier). It comes in lots of sizes from 5″ x 7″ to 24″ x 30″ and prices range from $20-$85.

I will always love a print of old bookshelves. This also comes in sizes from 5″ x 7″ to 24″ x 30″ with prices from $20-$85.

I have always wanted to do a gallery wall but I get overwhelmed by the idea of having to put it together. This set of three dark academia-themed prints takes the guesswork out! $59+

And here’s a bigger option with a set of 10 prints. $176

This print is a reproduction of a piece called Woman Reading by artist Lucius Rossi and is more colorful and light in tone that what I thought I wanted, but I love those golds and greens contrasted against the orange. I think I’ll just stick it in a gorgeous vintage gold and black frame . Sizes range from 8″ x 10″ to 18″ x 24″. $18+

The books aren’t the focal point of this print, but I love the overstuffed, gilded explosion going on. This is a reproduction of The Chamber Of Count Lanckoronski Vienna by Rudolf von Alt and also comes in sizes from 8″ x 10″ to 18″ x 24″. $18+

For more bookish goods, check out our Book Fetish archives.

– Vanessa Diaz