Splendid Specimens

{These three images are all from this antique Herbier ~ shown here}

{A page from Emily Dickinson's Herbarium from here}

{Decorative approach from here}

INSPIRATION 2014 #84: Lovely botanical specimens from the past ~ pressed and preserved for reference, but created in such a way that they become art. Especially pleasing to me is the way the plant forms were attached to the backing paper with strips of paper or parts of labels. The penmanship also adds a beautiful element to these examples.

Happy Fastnacht Day!

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INSPIRATION 2014 #63: Given my Pennsylvania roots, I could not let Fastnacht Day go by without a mention. For those of you unfamiliar with Fastnacht Day, here is a bit of information on the history and even some recipes. Fastnachts are basically doughnuts, of which there are three kinds: one made with yeast, one made with baking powder, and one made with potatoes and yeast. Traditionally, the idea behind Fastnacht Day is to eat the best foods (and lots of it!) before fasting for Lent. Fastnacht Day is also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. So, a good day to indulge!

If you really want to stick to your diet, you can still celebrate by reading Arnie, the Doughnut ~ a book written and illustrated by my friend and talented illustrator, Laurie Keller.

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Favorite Things

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INSPIRATION 2014 #55: These are a few of my favorite things ~ antique lace, trims and packaging. Makes for a lovely vignette.

On My Wish List

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INSPIRATION 2014 #51: Wouldn't you just love a machine that could print wrapping paper with your own designs? I know I would ~ then again, I would be just as happy if there was a machine available somewhere nearby (perhaps Target since this looks like it is already designed for their store!).

This machine is even better than just a wrapping paper printer for several reasons. From what I could tell, it is free to use, it recycles newspaper and prints with designs so it can be used for wrapping paper. The ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi installed this machine in a shopping center in order to generate interest in conservation and recycling during the Lunar New Year ~ a time during which lots of wrapping paper is used in Hong Kong.

More Winter Sports ~ Cigarette Cards

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INSPIRATION 2014 # 48: Yet one more group of cigarette cards depicting winter sports of yesteryear. The cards above are from the same set as the skiing cards below. How these sports have changed over the years ~ toboggans have changed into bobsleds and skeletons, curling has gotten to be quite the fashion show, and hockey seems to be a mite bit more dangerous these days. Is that goalie wearing a bow tie?!!!!

Skiing ~ Cigarette Cards

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INSPIRATION 2014 #47: A few skiing themed cigarette cards from a set of 25 from Lambert & Butler's Cigarettes. This series is called Winter Sports and were issued in 1914. Each card contains information about the sport on the back ~ unfortunately, there wasn't an image to be found. As you can see, the printing on these isn't quite as detailed earlier cards that were lithographed.

Winter Sport ~ Cigarette Cards

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INSPIRATION 2014 #46: The only winter sport cards from the sports series of 25 cards issued by Mitchell's Cigarettes in 1907. The lithography on these cards is quite beautiful ~ you can see the rest of the set here. Another interesting fact about this set is that no women are portrayed at all.

S is for Skiing

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INSPIRATION 2014 #44: In keeping with the winter olympics theme, another great example of a cigarette card from the ABC of Sport series from Ogden's cigarettes. This set is from the 1920's ~ oddly enough, skiing is the only winter sport represented in this set. View the rest of this set here.

PS. This little scene is appropriate for today as it is how I feel about falling behind on my daily inspiration posts!

Celebrating Charles Darwin

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INSPIRATION 2014 #43: Today, celebrating the birthday of Charles Darwin ~ the man who proposed the theory of natural selection and the source of many thought provoking statements. Looks like he was also a pioneer as far as info graphics go too! 

Ice Skating ~ Cigarette Cards

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INSPIRATION 2014 #42: Several cards from Lambert & Butler titled 'Winter Sports' ~ these four portray a variety of ice skating sports. This set of 25 cards was issued in 1914. I wonder if skate sailing is still done anywhere?

Comicartoons of Sport ~ Cigarette Cards

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INSPIRATION 2014 #41: One of my favorite things to collect are cigarette cards ~ they cover just about every subject from flowers, insects, animals, helpful hints, famous performers and sports ~ there are even sets devoted to things like fortune telling. I guess these must have been sort of like a crackerjack prize but one for adults! They must have been plentiful in England as I have seen many for sale on ebay, but rarely do I see any sets for sale at antique shows or malls here in the US. In the spirit of the Winter Olympics, here are a few from a set called 'Comicartoons of Sport' ~ you can see the whole set at the NYPL Digital Gallery.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

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Happy Ground Hog Day!  Despite the prediction of 6 more weeks of winter, this antique postcard has a more uplifting sentiment. May the shadow of your purse grow larger every year. I may not have a good shape, but everybody likes my shadow.

Target Practice

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INSPIRATION 2014 #33: Woodchuck, groundhog or whistle pig ~ whatever you call them, apparently they are fair game for some as indicated by these vintage practice targets. While I personally am not one who would want to shoot any animal, I do like the graphics of these paper targets. For those of you who may decide to go hunting, here are some tips & history, as well as recipes for woodchuck pie and stew.  Hmmm, I think I'll stick to macaroni & cheese. 

Sweet Friendship Tokens

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INSPIRATION 2014 #13: Lovely friendship album of Margaret Williams, 1839. Locks of friends' hair was woven then sewn to pages and identified. Hand painted flowers and a gold die cut cherub further decorate the page.

Lisa Wood ~ Assemblage Artist

{all images from here}

Isn't it weird how sometimes when you discover something new to you, in the time following you begin to see more of something you had never noticed or been aware of before? This is the case with this assemblage art by Lisa Wood.  After posting a few days ago about the swallowed objects displays I had seen several years ago, I was once again trolling Pinterest and came upon a pin of this book cover.  Intrigued, I visited the source, where one can view many plates (no pun intended!) from the book in addition to the stories that accompany each work.

{JBD with knife}

Lisa Wood's series of Swallowing Plates was inspired by the work of Chevalier Jackson ~ the laryngologist whose collection is displayed at the Mutter Museum. Each of the 33 assemblages in the series contains an array of found objects arranged in a quite beautiful way on a variety of old dinner plates.  Each illustrates a fictionalized case study and is paired with a 'history' of the person and his or her connection to the item ingested. See below for one example; go here to read the remaining case studies. The Swallowing Plates: Objects Swallowed and Recovered from the Human Body is available here ~ this is now on my wish list!

 {PLC with tooth}

  {Sarah with hairpin}

Oddly enough, this series reminds me a bit of Edward Gorey's Gashlycrumb Tinies, another of my favorite, but dark books. Take a look if you are unfamiliar ~ it is a pen & ink illustrated alphabet book with a sinister, but entertaining theme. 

 {Will and Ivy and glass}

 {J. Franklin with nails, wire and a tack}

  {Exhibit of The Swallowing Plates}

Lisa Nilsson ~ Artist

The other day I was scanning through images on Pinterest and happened upon this amazing piece of quilled paper artwork illustrating a cross section of a human head. As I was intrigued by the scientific illustration, loved the presentation in the handmade box and admired the beautifully crafted paper work, I had to delve deeper. Turns out, this work is created by Lisa Nilsson, a classmate of mine from RISD!

The work shown here is from her Tissue series ~ a group of quilled paper works illustrating cross sections of the human body ~ make sure to take a look at the whole series here. 

{detail from Angelico, 2012}

In addition to her paper illustrations, Lisa also has a wonderful series of boxes.  As I am drawn to many of the same bits and pieces that Lisa is, these pieces are especially interesting to me.  Her color palettes and selection and arrangement of objects are beautiful, while her craftsmanship is impeccable.

{Hayley, 2007}

 {Withdrawn, 2009}

  {detail from Withdrawn, 2009}

While I didn't realize we had so much in common when we were in illustration classes together at RISD, it is lovely to discover a kindred spirit all these years later.  I know that for me, I didn't figure out what many of my interests were until years after college was over and I began to hit antique malls and flea markets.  I love that Lisa has included some shots of some of her collections that inspire her ~ these caught my eye as I have many of the same things in my home. Yes, I do have some dental pieces, but not as cool of a collection as Lisa's!

{all images from here}