Sassy, hose wielding lady from the 1980s

The following borderline NSFW image is from an an old Vogue Australia article featuring designer Arabella Ramsay's scrapbook. Not really sure what is going on here [innocent look].



At a stretch it could be by iconic, 1980s illustrator Antonio Lopez - although his style is usually less overt.

The Naughty Mouse

The Naughty Mouse.

In a nice little house,
Lived a silly young mouse,
So snug at the back of a shed;
He would spend all of the day
In fine gambols of play,
Then go to warm little bed.

He had a kind mother,
A good little brother,
And plenty of nice wholesome food;
Oh! how naughty was he,
Discontented to be;
He should have been happy and good.

'Tis with sorrow indeed,
I must say he would heed
No word that his fond mother spoke;
If she told him to stay,
He would scamper away,
And think it a very fine joke.


Now one day on the green
His good parent had seen
A cat, fast asleep in the sun;
So to Mousey she said,
"Pray go back to your bed,
And near that fine creature don't run."


But alas! you will find,
No advice would he mind,
He soon went away with a squeak;
For he thought 'twould be fun
Round the big cat to run,
She looked both so tame and so sleek.

But he made a mistake,
For Miss Puss was awake,
Asleep though pretending to be;
None so deaf do appear
As are those who won't hear,
So blind as all those who won't see.


Little mouse feared no ill,
For the cat lay so still,
Alarm never entered his head;
So he frolicked about,
Till puss put her paw out,
Gave a pat - and the mousey was dead!

Little people attend
To advice from a friend;
Both love and obedience too,
Ever practice to those
Who you may suppose,
If older, are wiser than you.

Poem by Maria Corbould.
Images by Whymper* (first name uncertain) from The Child's Companion and Juvenile Instructor, Vol. XXXIII, 1893, page 49-50

*Probably Edward Whymper. He was both a professional engraver and a famous mountaineer hence why he is listed as one of the 'etc' illustrators rather than listed by name. The etching signature matches known works.

Clever Rats

Clever Rats
Image by Whymper* (first name uncertain) from The Child's Companion and Juvenile Instructor, Vol. XXXIII, 1893, page 121

'The sagacity of rats is a fact that has long been known to naturalists. La Fontaine, in his "Fables," records that "Two rats in foraging, fell on an egg." And the story goes on to tell how
"Brimful of joy and appetite,
They were about to sack the box
So tight without the aid of locks,"
when a fox came into sight. Eager to save their booty, one turned upon his back holding the egg in his paws, and the other dragged him along by his tail to a place of safety.'

Then the following anecdote:

'The other day a son of mine, about eleven, said that through a chink in the floor he could see a rat rolling something that seemed like an egg. I got a saw and cut away the board, and found seven perfectly fresh eggs, not a crack in any except where I had unfortunately cracked a couple with my saw, and we could see that they were quite freshly broken. The nursery (the room in question) is upstairs, and as none of the hens ever lay within thirty or forty yards, and the eggs are collected every day, at what time they (the rats) went to work, or how they got them up the stairs, I can not imagine. We have often missed by the evening the eggs we had seen in the morning, and thougtht the hens had eaten them.'


*Probably Edward Whymper in an enjoyable side project? He was both a professional engraver and a famous mountaineer hence why he he listed as one of the 'etc' illustrators rather than listed by name. The etching signature matches known works.

The 'most inoffensive and gentle creature,' the giraffe.

'In some parts the natives also dig pits in which to trap it.'

Illustration and text from Holiday Stories, published by George Routledge and Sons, London, c. 1890s

Two knights kissing on a gravestone

I'm not sure why.

I tried reading some of the back story but it still didn't make sense. I understand that they must have been happy to see each other. I wasn't aware that heterosexual men used to kiss each other on the mouth at all, let alone for this reason. That said, my knowledge of medieval history could be written on a large postage stamp in small letters.


"They took off their helms and kissed each other"

Sir Tristram of Lyonesse
'...At last the knight clad in white spoke, and said:
"Knight,thou fightest wonderfully well, as ever I saw knight, therefore, if it please you, tell me your name."
"Sir," said Sir Tristram, "I am loath to tell any man my name."
"Truly," said the stranger, "if ever I were required, I was never loath to tell my name."
"It is well said," quoth Tristram; "then I require you to tell me your name."
"Fair knight," said he, "my name is Sir Lancelot of the Lake."
"Alas," said Tristram, "what have I done? For you are the man in the world I love the best."
"Fair knight," said Sir Lancelot, "tell me your name."
"Truly, my name is Sir Tristram."
"Oh," said Sir Lancelot, "what adventure is befallen me!" ...
...Then forthwith they went to the tombstone, and sat down on it, and took off their helms, and kissed each other. And afterwards they rode to Camelot.'

Image by A.G. Walker (sculptor). Text from Sunday Reading for the Young, Wells Gardner, Darton and CO, London 1905

Erewhon by Samuel Butler

'If the letters forming the word "Nowhere" are reversed, all except the "wh", regarding them as a sound in themselves, they will be found to make the word "Erewhon". This is the name given by an author named Samuel Butler ... to a book he wrote about an imaginary country. Sir Thomas More had also used the made-up Greek word Utopia, also meaning "nowhere", for the name of man imaginary land.

Like many before him, Butler saw that some established customs and ideas of his own day were foolish. And in picturing such a place as Erewhon, he found it easier to satirise such things. Sam Butler was a young man out in New Zealand...'



'... Pushing on alone, the explorer suffered many perils, and became haunted by the sound of distant music, which prevented sleep and was quite unaccounted for. Having a glimpse of distant plains, he struggled on hoping to reach them, only to find himself enshrouded in mist. Suddenly there loomed up in front of him some gigantic figures, still and silent, but in human shape. After his first alarm was over (when he lost consciousness), he realised that he had come upon a sort of Stonehenge. Ten huge stone figures, partly covered in snow, stood in a group ; their heads were hollow, and acted as organ-pipes. The wind rushing out through their mouths made the ghostly music he had heard earlier. This was the entrance to the kingdom of Erewhon, and he heard later that at a very remote period in the people's history these statues had been put up to propitiate* the gods of disease...



...It is a modern attempt to portray an imaginary country by one who saw the folly of many things. It is an idea that has fascinated men all through the ages, and will doubtless continue to do so, and many books may yet be written dealing with such "Lands of Desire"

Free to download/read copies of  'Erewhon' by Samuel Butler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erewhon can be found here and here.

*I had to look this up! Was this a word used by kids back then? Colour me impressed by the quality of education and breadth of resulting vocabulary.

Image and text by Ruth Cobb from children's annual Chatterbox, J Erskine Clarke MA, Wells Gardner, Darton and CO, London 1927

Benjamin Robert Haydon and the Elgin Marbles

'The ambition of Benjamin Robert Haydon was to be a great painter,and he believed that he achieved it *... What is he is remembered for to-day (sic) is his journal, which he kept practically all his life.'

'His custom of taking casts of his friends' faces was sometimes rather dangerous to the sitters, and they were nearly suffocated.'

'Lord Elgin ... saw with distress how the marvellous sculptures by Phidias, decorating the Acropolis at Athens, were being neglected and destroyed. They were rescued by his agents, and brought to London. The incident caused a great stir, and there was much difference of opinion about the statues. Haydon saw their beauty, recognising the sublime in art. He took up the defence of the Elgin Marbles vigorously, and it was really due to him that after a parliamentary inquiry they were bought for the Nation, and are now in the British Museum. He obtained leave somehow to make casts of some of the figures.

"16th November, 1815. I hurried away for a plaster man! As I was passing Prince's Street, I passed two inside a shop moulding. I darted in, and said: 'Get some sacks of plaster, and a cart, and follow me. I'll put money in your pocket.' They obeyed me directly. As we got down at Burlington House I said: 'Now, lads, as soon as this gets wind we shall be stopped, so work away.' They took fire, for with Italian quickness they perceived the truth...

...So we went on up to 8th December: when they alarmed Lord Elgin ... it was too late, the cream of the collection was secured." The casts were afterwards sold to Russia.'

Image and text by Ruth Cobb from children's annual Chatterbox, J Erskine Clarke MA, Wells Gardner, Darton and CO, London 1927

*The fact that he is in major art collections like the Tate's suggests that he was at least better than 'mediocre' as the text by Ruth Cobbs describes. These days the mediocre artist is unlikely to enjoy such a priviledge.

The Great Whale Leaps

THE GREAT WHALE LEAPS

It looks like a sperm whale which are not known to completely clear the water when they breach - at least not as adults. A bit of artistic license taken by GS Brien.

Image by GS Brien from children's annual Chatterbox, J Erskine Clarke MA, Wells Gardner, Darton and CO, London 1927

Good book, cosy nook...

"A GOOD BOOK IN A COSY NOOK"
If the illustation was intended to illustrate the exact opposite of what the caption says then: Well played Winifred *lol*! I didn't know they used quotation marks sarcastically back in the '20s. You learn something new everyday...

Image by Winifred Barham from children's annual Chatterbox, J Erskine Clarke MA, Wells Gardner, Darton and CO, London 1927

Vintage Corn Oil advert.

Back page advertisement from a 1981 National Geographic.
Looking at this now it makes me think of the artifice of G.E. products rather than a kaleidoscope of fresh food.

Pride and Prejudice meets Twitter.

Original image from a Girl's Own Annual, Victorian era. I have slightly doctored the book to look like a Macbook and added text.

Vintage Aero knitting needles: Note the points!

Some vintage knitting needles I gave my housemate for Christmas.


You don't find wording like this on packaging anymore:
'...PRODUCED TO MEET AN INSISTENT DEMAND...' 
'...WILL NOT INJURE THE FINGERS'
'CAN NOT SOIL LIGHT WOOLS'
'NOTE THE POINTS'

Cole's Funny Picture Book Paper Butterflies

I have two framed paper butterflies in a book art show at Hand Held Gallery.
They are made using paper from Cole's Funny Picture Book.

Summer BAZE

Book Arts and Zine Exhibition

From December 20-24, 2012
&
January 16-23, 2013

@

Hand Held Gallery

Suite 18, upstairs

Paramount Arcade

108 Bourke Street

Melbourne, 3000

Entry via Bourke or little Bourke street. Go straight up escalator to top level.

Contact:

(03)9654 4006

Megan at:

littleredfishy@yahoo.com.au

Gallery opening hours:

Tue-Sat 12-5pm

What's that on the roof?!

Walking down Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, young man to young woman
"We've got find out what the fuck is on top of that roof!"
In hindsight I'm not sure if they were approaching that florist with the enormous flower and his sentence ran into a remark of surprise or they actually have a roof with a mystery something on it. At the time I thought the latter and prefer it that way - perhaps it's a hippopotamus eating cake.

image copyright owned by Hazel Edwards, Deborah Niland

Victorian Iron Man

If Iron Man's Tony Stark lived in the Victorian period he might have looked something like this:



Original image from Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886, page 576

The light source was powered by a similar sized battery, just to add to that likeness. Accompanying text:

'A very neat portable hand electric lamp has been introduced for use in mines, gunpowder works, and other inflammable places, besides being adapted for use as a railway or carriage reading-lamp ... the box, B which is of varnished teak, and has a flat, flexible leather handle ... The size of the box is 6 by 5 by 4 inches, and the weight of the whole is only 6lbs ... can be put under the seat of the carriage, or in the hat-racks, while the lamp is held in the hand, or fixed to the button-hole of the coat.'

The rest of the text discusses the chemistry behind the batteries suitable for such a device which I won't go into.

Robert Downey Jnr as Mr Stark wired up to a car battery: 

Solo Chainsaw - Vintage Ad. 1969

A start so effortless, even a tamed model in a leopard print bathing suit can use it.

Clipping taken from some newspaper, found under some old vinyl flooring at my old family home in Melbourne.

New fangled button

A patented design that became so ubiquitous in its success we now take it for granted.



'UNDER the appropriate name of "The Very Button," Messrs. Green and Cadbury have patented a two-hole linen button, which will be found to be among the most servicable that are made As a rule, buttons are a fruitful source of annoyance to nearly everybody, but we venture to think that "The Very Button" will be considered an exception to the rule. We can recommend its use for all kinds of under-clothing, and we think that no one will ever regret having given it a trial.'

Original image from Cassell's Household Guide, c. late 19th century. Estimated to be before electricity in houses, pre 1881/1882. Gas lighting and manual washing machines are mentioned elsewhere in this double volume.

Teddy's Dream after a Dormitory Feed!

Original image from The Boy's Own Paper, Saturday, February, 1899, No. 1048. - Vol XXI, page 8

Illustration by T. Cromwell Lawrence

Illustration by T. Cromwell Lawrence.


The good runners...


... and the beetle that loved them.

Original image from The Boy's Own Paper, Saturday, December, 1898, No. 1040. - Vol XXI, page 3

More Vintage LOLrus

Original image source: The Boy's Own Paper, Saturday, July 29, 1899, No. 1072. - Vol XXI, page 1

According to the text this is an illustration of a 'bladder-nose'. That's 'Mr. Bladder-nose to you, and not to be confused with the elephant seal, who is quite another bucket of fish.