Jenny Haniver

Veras

2010-04-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

Things I wish would come back in style

2010-04-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

and although I'm thinking, "If I were really worried about being in style, I wouldn't be getting a $30 whack job at Punky McPabst's House of Thinning Shears"

Goldfinger silver

I believe the color of this Aston-Martin was called "silver birch"

sailor zeitgeist

2010-04-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

More Caribbean textile printers

2010-03-18T22:01:00.001-05:00

Bahama Hand Prints

Ruth Clarage

http://www.bagshawsstlucia.com/

Hiccups

2009-08-13T08:46:00.001-05:00

Server issues, I think. Sorry!

Gerd Arntz

2009-08-05T09:00:00.002-05:00

German, 1900-1988. Why use words when you can use pictures?

Isotypes via gerdarntz.org

Late bloomers

2009-08-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

It's been an unusually cool, rainy summer here in Chicago. My balcony garden got off to a pretty slow start. Things are kicking into high gear now that summer's half over:

My baby clematis finally bloomed! One of my favorite plants. I hope it survives the balcony's brutal winter microclimate.

This is the only time I've a sweet potato vine bloom.

The planter boxes on the shady side of the balcony always seem to do better. The south-facing side is brutally hot.
The offspring of one of last year's trailing petunia somehow sprouted between our building and the sidewalk. Unfortunately, it was weeded a few days later. I've also seen dill and cilantro sprouting below the balcony. Sure beats the usual dandelions and fast food wrappers.

Online Archive of California

2009-07-31T09:00:00.002-05:00

The Online Archive of California recently launched a redesigned Website, enhancing access to stuff like this:

In and around my hometown, 1852-1936.

New York Yacht Club vs. Brooklyn Yacht Club

2009-07-29T09:25:00.003-05:00

I won't even bother to caption these - I think you can tell which is which.

These (and many more in both series) via Life. Which club would you rather join?

It pays to plan

2009-07-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm now taking action on vacation plans I've been obsessing over for...18 months?! Somewhat stunned at being asked to fax in payment authorizations and booking forms, in this day and age.

Gewgaws and gimcracks

2009-07-24T09:34:00.000-05:00

Astonishing (and beautifully photographed) whatsits from the Wellcome Collection's permanent exhibit "Medicine Man."

Go-to-hell pants

2009-07-23T09:38:00.001-05:00

When Nantucket red is not enough:

All via SI Vault.

Egyptian and Assyrian jewelry

2009-07-22T09:00:00.003-05:00

From the W. Struse Collection at Old Book Art.

Julius Shulman, 1910-2009

2009-07-19T09:40:00.000-05:00

Not shorts

2009-07-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Things to wear in summer that aren't shorts.

All photos by Nina Leen for Life.

Clara Rockmore

2009-07-12T21:19:00.000-05:00

Theremin virtuoso (Lithuanian-American, 1911-1998)

High Noon in the Soviet Bloc

2009-07-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Stunning posters from Central and Eastern Europe, 1989-1991.

A few hundred more available online via the V&A's Designing Democracy: Posters and the Political Transformation of Europe, 1989-1991.

Cuban curlers, 1963-1964

2009-07-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

From Deena Stryker Photographs, Duke University Libraries.

The Vera Company blog

2009-07-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Most women I know like scarves, but are confused by them. Including me. But really, we aren't French, and we don't come from money, so it's unreasonable to expect we'd have any inborn ability to understand The Scarf.

For this reason, I need to give a shout-out to The Vera Company's blog. Posting is somewhat irregular, but does include detailed instructions for imaginative scarf usage.

The Vera Company is a revival of the original textiles/fashions/housewares concern founded by Vera Neumann in 1947. Fuzzylizzie put together a nice history of Vera, too.

Vintage Vera scarves are available at many thrift stores for less than bus fare. That means you can hold out for a good silk one with a representative print of bugs and/or flowers. You can also get one eBay or etsy if you're impatient:

Shorts

2009-07-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make. I went shopping the other day and tried on shorts. I issued a fatwa on shorts around 1998 (So Ugly American! So infantile! So unflattering to the female form!) . I wore skirts in summer, and never once considered going back. But here's the thing: They make really cute shorts now. Shorts that make you think like this:

Top to bottom: Angie Dickinson, C.Z. Guest, Sophia Loren.

So, I find myself walking back on the shorts issue to allow that they're fine to wear while Vacationing or Relaxing at Home, which is clearly what these ladies are supposed to be doing.

Festival Pattern Group

2009-07-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

The Festival of Britain was held in 1951 to celebrate the country's emergence in the fields of science and technology. Britain's Council of Industrial Design drew on scientists, manufacturers and designers to form the Festival Pattern Group. The group created decorative designs for furnishings and displays, based on the structures of crystals, atoms and molecules.

All via the Wellcome Collection exhibit From Atoms to Patterns.

One of many delightful discoveries via Ancient Industries.

Ellis Island photographs

2009-07-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

NYPL Digital Gallery selections from the collection of William Williams, Commissioner of Immigration, 1902-1913.

Everyone loves ice cream

2009-07-01T08:20:00.004-05:00

All via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. (The kid in the suit! And hat!)

"Pound and sift one dozen stale macaroons and three lady fingers, blanch, chop fine and pound to a paste twenty-five almonds (or three ounces of almond paste); scald one pint of milk (cream is better) in double boiler, add one cupful of sugar and stir until dissolved. Take from fire and add one pint of cream and set aside to cool, then add one tablespoon of orange flower water, two tablespoons of maraschino. Freeze the cream first, then take out dasher and stir in macaroons and nuts, pack until ready to serve." Laura Thornton Knowles, Southern Recipes Tested by Myself, 1913

"Pop corn without butter or salt is more suitable to serve with ice cream than cake."Evora Bucknum Perkins, The Laurel Health Cookery, 1911

"This cream was originated by a famous New Orleans conflsseur in honor of "Rex," the King of the world- famed New Orleans Carnivals. It was first served at a Carnival luncheon in St. Charles avenue. The King's colors are purple, green and gold...Make a Plain Ice Cream. Divide into three distinct and equal portions. Color one with Spinach Greenery, to obtain the green effect; flavor another with Essence of Vanilla, and color with orange juice or a bit of saffron, to obtain the golden yellow: and tint the third with a deep Crème de Violette, for the royal purple... Molds now come made in the shape of tiny flags, and the effect suggests at once Rex and his merry reign." The Picayune Creole Cookbook, 1922

"I do not know of any good ice-cream recipe unless it is expensive. When I see the faces people make up while trying to swallow cheap ice-cream, I think to myself if I cannot have good ice-cream I will not have any." -- Arthur's Home Magazine, July-December 1897

all via Google Book Search.

So, guess what I got for my birthday?

"I really don't know why red. It could've been blue, I suppose" (Nantucket Reds, part 2)

2009-06-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, Nantucket Reds fans (I know you're out there, because Google Analytics tells me). Here's a video just for you:

Complete with schmaltzy strings, slow pans of salmon pink sailcloth, and references to "summer families."

For the record, I've thus far failed to acquire my own Nantucket Reds this summer.

More Malia

2009-06-28T13:46:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I promised a sequel to my post on Hawaiian resort label Malia.

Malia International was founded in the early 1960s by Bill and Mary Foster, a husband-and-wife team who met at Stanford University, then moved to Bill's native Hawaii. The company began in as a textile concern, but Bill soon suggested that Mary try her hand at designing garments. Their early forays into fashion design were somewhat rocky, but by 1970 the company was a leading resortwear manufacturer. They also kept the textile printing and distribution side going, as well as a uniform division that supplied hotels, restaurants and airlines. Later, the Fosters attempted to expand Malia International beyond the islands, and even opened a West Coast office.

The design process at Malia began with the development of fabrics. Take a look at any Malia piece, and you'll see how the garment was designed around both the print and the structure of the fabric.

As we speak, Malia season is in full swing on eBay !

Martin van Butchell, kook dentist

2009-06-22T15:48:00.002-05:00

British, 1735-1814.

"All the remarkable eccentricities which have yet been the characteristic of any man, however celebrated, may all hide their diminished heads before Martin Van Butchell."

"He humorously paints [his] poney, some times all purple, often with purple spots, and with streaks and circles upon his face and hinder parts...His bridle is also exceedingly curious; to the head of it is fixed a blind, which, in case of taking fright or starting, can be dropped over the horse's eyes, and be drawn up again at pleasure.

"After embalming [his wife's] body, he kept her in her wedding clothes a considerable time, in the parlour of his own house, which occasioned the visits of a great number of the nobility and gentry. It has been reported, that the resolution of his keeping his wife unburied, was occasioned by a clause in the marriage settlement, disposing of certain property, while she remained above ground: we cannot decide how far this may be true, but she has been since buried." -- The Lives and Portraits of Curious and Odd Characters: Compiled from Authentic Sources, T. Drew, 1852 via Google Book Search.

"Nevertheless, he was considered a good dentist for his time, and he was extremely popular with his patients."

Seersucker Thursday is June 18!

2009-06-16T18:28:00.004-05:00

I can't seem to find a press release or anything else substantial, but several other bloggers have gotten word that Seersucker Thursday is on for this week, June 18th. Incessant thunderstorms and mid-60s temps are cramping Chicagoans' summer style, but I still plan to contribute to this fine summer tradition by sporting my seersucker trousers, which I'm pretty sure I got from the sale rack at TJ Maxx.

Swatch via good ol' fabric.com. Whatever you do, don't get that slimy poly/cotton blend seersucker they sell at Jo-Ann.

Fleur Cowles, 1908ish-2009

2009-06-08T19:03:00.002-05:00

Get ready for Seersucker Thursday!

2009-06-05T09:00:00.008-05:00

It's rare that my obsession with fashion cults collides with my interest in legislative politics. Even rarer do I find occasion to agree with Trent Lott about something. But here it is:

"In the late 1990s, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott decided the time had come to revive a long-forgotten Senate sartorial tradition. He selected a “nice and warm” day in the second or third week of June to be designated Seersucker Thursday. "

Women Senators started participating in Seersucker Thursday in 2004, through the leadership of Dianne Feinstein.
"Seersucker is the South's fashion gift to the nation," said a Lott spokesman in 2007.

Well played: Ben Nelson, Dianne Feinstein and Trent Lott. Try again: Olympia Snowe (black?!?!?! stockings!?!?), and Norm Coleman in his clown suit.

Seersucker Thursday is usually the second or third Thursday in June, but I don't think they announce it until the day before. For some reason I have a note that it will be June 11. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Angelic Organics Cheesemaking Workshop

2009-06-01T18:06:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, three city girls went to Caledonia, Illinois to learn about cheesemaking at the Angelic Organics Learning Center. Workshop attendees paired up to make one of several different kinds of cheese, including ricotta, chevre, queso blanco, feta and mozzarella. The class was fun and well-organized, and the cheese was surprisingly easy to make. But the best part was the goats.

Top to bottom: Angelic Organics Learning Center; feta preparation; ricotta three ways; this way to goats; mom and baby; cutest kid ever; needy adolescents.

The Records of An Unbroken Friendship but the Mortal Severance, 1907-24

2009-05-29T09:00:00.002-05:00

Whatever these people's stories are, I don't think I'd ever get tired of hearing them.

From the finding aid: "album contains approximately 410 photographs apparently created as a memorial to Taizo Kato, a Japanese-American who died in 1924 at the age of 36...Kato was an amateur photographer and painter." Another narrative-ish digital collection from Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley (see also Death Valley Automobile Trip, 1926). via Online Archive of California.

Miss Beat, 1959

2009-05-28T09:00:00.005-05:00

"'Angel,' A Brooklyn College student."

via American Museum of Beat Art. I love that this girl would fit in perfectly in any hipster neighborhood today. Some things never go out of style, namely bangs and tight pants. Shoes might be a good idea, though.

Malia

2009-05-27T09:38:00.001-05:00

I've had intentions of collecting this under-appreciated Honolulu label, which was at its best in the 1970s. Besides the obviously great textiles, the dresses in particular often have dramatic, unusual design features that set them apart from most resortwear of the same period.

All via eBay and etsy. Malia skirts and dresses are widely available, sometimes for as little as $20. So hold out for one you really like.

Madame Yevonde

2009-05-26T09:41:00.002-05:00

How come I'd never heard of her before? She pioneered the use of color in portraiture. Dabbled in suffragetism as a teenager.

Discovered via Ancient Industries. And do take a look at the excellent Yevonde Portrait Archive.

Self-serving post #1

2009-05-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Some recent wardrobe reassessments yielded some top-notch vintage finds, which I now have consigned with Lucitebox.com.

1950s circle skirt with sporting print. 28" waist

1970s white pique preppy dress with embroidered dragons

Thee best 1970s Lanvin shirtdress, travel theme print

More coming soon! Holly always has an outstanding selection of vintage clothing and housewares for a variety of tastes and budgets, and you'll enjoy shopping with her.

Pauline Trigere

2009-05-20T09:00:00.003-05:00

New York fashioner Pauline Trigere (1909-2002) made top-quality, impeccably cut ready-to-wear for grown-up ladies. That she designed Patricia Neal's Breakfast at Tiffany's wardrobe should give you the general idea.

A friend of a friend worked for a PR firm in Manhattan in the 1980s. One day, Pauline Trigere came in and said to the boss, "You've got to help me. They think I'm dead!" Trigere is definitely one of those designers who always seemed to produce clothes that were for her to wear. When I started writing this post, it was a bit of snark about why designing for yourself in the 1950s might not translate into a successful business model in the 1980s. Then I started reviewing photos and thought, "WTF ever, she looked great. Always."

So instead I say bravo to anyone with the confidence and self-awareness to sell her own look hard for 60 years.

The Fashion School at Kent State University has an enlightening, if mangled, online exhibit of Trigere's illustrations.

old time islands

2009-05-19T09:00:00.005-05:00

I somehow ended up at Old Time Islands when I was researching Nantucket Reds last week. Despite all the "under construction" caveats, it has a nice selection of photographs of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, including tourists and townies ca. 1880s-1930s.

Felice Beato

2009-05-18T09:00:00.006-05:00

Another mysterious travel photographer (Corfiot, ca. 1830-ca. 1907). I posted some of his samurai photographs last month. Turns out he was the first to extensively photograph East Asia in the 1860s.

"The Ainos are a people inhabiting the Northern island of Yesso...Their origin is lost in a wild and fabulous tradition."

"Our chief artist"

"Courier or postman"

"Out for a walk"

via Wikimedia Commons, and online exhibit The World in a Frame: Photographs from the Great Age of Exploration, 1865-1915, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology.

Photos of non-traditional fire dogs, May 09 edition

2009-05-14T09:00:00.006-05:00

Barbara Mortenson, fire and airplane lookout on Pine Mountain, New Hampshire, with Great Dane "Brenda"

"She keeps her dog on a leash because of porcupines."

"She says that without her dog she could not hold down her job."

via Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

New York magazine via Google Books

2009-05-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

Google Book Search has full-page scans of New York magazine, circa 1968-1997. They've certainly had a consistent editorial vision over the years.

This is also where I'm currently indulging my secret passion for 1990s hair and makeup.

I wish I could tell you more about the Zangaki Brothers

2009-05-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

If you found my blog via Google and aren't searching for Lanvin jewelry or Key West Hand Prints (Part 1, Part 2), you're probably trying to research the photographers known as Zangaki. I'm sorry that all I can do is echo the chorus of internet voices chanting, "No one knows anything about them."

Here's a tantalizing glimpse of their mobile darkr00m contraption, via eBay seller photobazaar.

I've added Zangaki to my collection of hypothetical dissertation topics - There's some groundbreaking original research to be done here.

Nantucket Red

2009-05-11T09:00:00.003-05:00

Urban Dictionary calls it "The WASPiest color ever." It's what happens when your red chinos fade to a salmony-brick after a season of sunning and sailing. As with most absurdly specific commodities, there are infinite variations on the basic idea, and most of them are Not Quite Right.

Murray's Toggery Shop is supposed to be the spiritual home of Nantucket Reds:

I dunno, something about buying your Nantucket Reds pre-faded -- especially to this extreme - doesn't feel right to me. But since I'm not a WASP, I don't think I can be sure. On the other hand, I think we can probably all agree that Nantucket red t-shirts, overalls and ball caps are wrong. I'm thinking that a less touristy/arriviste option is to buy these from Brooks Brothers and wear them in yourself:

Also, check out their array of "seasonal" seersucker and go-to-hell pants.

Field Museum on Flickr

2009-05-07T16:18:00.004-05:00

The Field Museum now has selections from its photo archive on Flickr, including these images of fancy stuff from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.

"View North, Between Manufactures and Electricity Buildings."

"Mammoth and Devil Fish [or Giant Octopus]"

"The World's Greatest Dynamo"

"The Mammoth Crystal Cave"

"Palace of Fine Arts, south facade with people on the stairs and lagoon"

Leon M. Despres, 1908-2009

2009-05-06T14:46:00.002-05:00

"Throughout his career, he has been in the forefront of just about every decent, worthwhile effort made to improve life in this city." -- Mike Royko, 1972

Photo via Chicago Sun-Times.

St. Louis, Part 4

2009-05-06T09:12:00.001-05:00

I went to an event last week at the Missouri History Museum. My exhibit viewing time was limited, so I had to choose between quilts and Katherine Dunham. Guess who won?

All via Katherine Dunham's Living Legacy, an online exhibition from the Missouri Historical Society.

Cyanotypes of British algae

2009-05-05T09:45:00.004-05:00

Following up on last week's photography first, these works by Anna Atkins (1799-1871) are from "the first photographic work by a woman, and the first book produced entirely by photographic means" - via New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

I think blueprint blue must be one of my favorite colors.

St. Louis, Part 3

2009-05-04T09:49:00.001-05:00

I shouldn't complain about St. Louis so much, especially when I go there maybe once a year anymore:

StL stuff - some new, some not:

A pocket of raging modernism in suburban Crestwood.

Snowflake/City Stock - part of the sprawling Cherokee St. arts compound.

If Apop Records had been around in 2004, maybe I wouldn't have moved away.

I'm gone for a few years, then everyone gets together and fancies up Margan Fard.

Move to St. Louis and buy an entire city block for the cost of a 2-bedroom Chicago condo!

Edinburgh Calotype Club

2009-05-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Calotypes from the world's first photography club, circa 1840s

Gateway of Traquair House, Peeblesshire

James Coventry, Writer to the Signet, and James Francis Montgomery, Advocate

Leith Harbor

Misses Berry

Via the National Library of Scotland.

St. Louis, Part 2

2009-04-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm in St. Louis for most of this week.

One of St. Louis's many odd traditions is the Veiled Prophet Ball (now subsumed by Fair St. Louis). It is essentially a debutante cotillion with singularly disturbing iconography. Within the past 30 years or so, it has transitioned from being outright creepy to merely atavistic.

Photos via the Life archive and the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

It's purely coincidental that I posted twice this week about debutante cotillions; that each had some diametrically opposed motives at a certain time is especially awkward.

The Kinks in Holland, 1966

2009-04-29T09:00:00.002-05:00

Originally taken for a Dutch music magazine, I've had these photos bookmarked for at least five years. Once in a while I take a look, and feel like I missed something incredible.

\

St. Louis, Part 1

2009-04-28T09:00:00.006-05:00

Off to the troubled but well-intentioned city of St. Louis for a conference. Posts will continue as usual.

It still looks about the same. All via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Harlem Debutante Cotillion, 1950, Part 2

2009-04-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Waaaay back in February, in the dawning of the Jenny Haniver blog, I posted these stunners from the 1950 Harlem Debutante Cotillion. I forgot until this week that I had more photos for a follow up post. Because weren't you dying to know how the party was?

All from the Life photo archive, obviously.

Vacation plans

2009-04-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

In September I'll finally fulfill an ambition I've had for more than 10 years: Go Back to Greece. I have my plane ticket, but no other concrete plans yet. One of the places I'd really like to visit is Karpathos, a Dodecanese island northeast of Crete, where ladies in the village of Olympos still dress like this:

In typical Lonely Planet fashion, my guidebook bemoans the transformation of the villages into a "kitsch eco-Disney." But is there some superior alternative?

Vintage couture and accessories auction wrap-up

2009-04-23T09:00:00.004-05:00

I went with Rose and Holly to the vintage clothing auction at Leslie Hindman. Either I have bad taste, or everyone else does. A lot of the stuff I liked failed to meet estimates, and one of my 1990s picks didn't even sell. Many lots that I thought were underwhelming or disappointing saw stiff competition and healthy prices. But as my realtor would say, "This is actually good news." Because it meant I could buy a few of the things I wanted!

If you're hesitant about attending a live auction for whatever reason, I think that Leslie Hindman Auctioneers offer a good first-time experience. They have very diverse offerings and a relatively casual atmosphere. The young, energetic staff are professional and knowledgeable. And they had complimentary mimosas in the morning! Try it sometime if you're in Chicago.

Samurai armor

2009-04-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

One of my dirty little secrets is that I can't sit through a Kurosawa movie. When we get one on Netflix, I eventually get bored and tell Jon to just let me know when the samurai fight starts.

via Asia and the Pacific Rim in Early Prints and Photographs, New York Public Library.

I also have a slight obsession with sashimono and sometimes try to think of ways they could be worn today.

Archery

2009-04-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Pretty much self-explanatory except for the last one.

All via Life archive.

Fore-edge book painting

2009-04-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Boston Public Library just launched an online exhibition of book fore-edge paintings. Stunning!

Be sure to watch the videos to see how these work.

Vintage couture and accessories, April 19

2009-04-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

It looks like I'm going to the Vintage Couture and Accessories auction at Leslie Hindman this Sunday. Holly was power-blogging her selections from the online catalogue earlier this week. I previously posted some 1990s lots that caught my eye, but here are a few more picks:
Top to bottom: Christian Dior New York (that means "licensed Dior"); Mainbocher; Galanos; Courreges (if you're into heavy matching and Sharon Stone in Casino).

Sailing lessons

2009-04-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

I finally took the plunge and signed up for sailing lessons this June. Hopefully I'll be better at it than I am at my current extracurricular activity, ballet.

So, umm, what should I wear?

via SI Vault.

True secrets of Bohemian Grove revealed!!!!

2009-04-15T09:35:00.003-05:00

I first learned about Bohemian Grove in Jon Ronson's outstanding Them: Adventures with Extremists (read the extract).

Photographer: Gabriel Moulin. Bohemian Grove, circa 1906-1909. Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley. via Online Archive of California.

Case Study House #22

2009-04-14T09:00:00.005-05:00

I feel like I must have a lot to say about the work of Julius Shulman - probably starting with something about empty space as a commodity. But since my guiding principle for blogging is Don't Try Too Hard, I'll just leave it at: "Eat our view, proles!"

Case Study House #22, via Stephen Wirtz Gallery.

Mod Monday

2009-04-13T08:42:00.002-05:00

Wow, I am intrigued yet ultimately perplexed by minimadmod60s.com, a content-rich yet nigh-on unnavigable site about 1960s/70s fashion models (your first challenge: find the actual image archive). But if you persevere, there are some great mod graphics and photographs you might not find anywhere else:

Top to bottom: Chrissie Shrimpton, Anjelica Huston, Hiroko, Veruschka.

Plus, here's a charming memoir about modeling for Pierre Cardin. Thanks to Cookie, frequent commenter at A Dress A Day, for pointing the way.

Alix of Miami

2009-04-10T09:00:00.004-05:00

Springtime on eBay means the Alix of Miami dresses are in bloom:

Fuzzylizzie has done some research on Alix of Miami, but like most Florida fashion, this line remains relatively unknown and under-rated.

Photos of non-traditional fire dogs, April 09 edition

2009-04-09T09:15:00.004-05:00

See last month's post for the origins of my new collection. This month's photos, from 1929, feature Chicago Deputy Fire Marshal Daniel J. Carmody with two excellent Boston terriers.

Via Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933, Chicago History Museum.

Medieval costume of the 19th century

2009-04-08T09:23:00.001-05:00

Illustrations of pastel warriors by Paul Mercuri for Camille Bonnard's Costumes historiques des XIII, XIV et XV siècles...

edited for clip art use by Old Book Art

Le vestiaire marin

2009-04-07T08:52:00.003-05:00

The exhibition Les Marins font la Mode: Sailor Chic in Paris at the Musée national de la Marin has a nice online presentation, including the blog on the home page and a selection of le vestiaire marin (ability to read French a strong plus).

I wish all costume exhibits featured dissections:

Discovered via the mysteriously compelling Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien.

Kodakiana, part 2

2009-04-06T09:39:00.003-05:00

See also "Kodakiana, part 1" from a couple weeks ago. All via Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, Duke University Libraries

Mink is for football, diamonds are for suburbs

2009-04-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

I've been on a bit of a vacation binge already this spring, or I'd pay a visit to Valentina: American Couture and the Cult of Celebrity at the Museum of the City of New York. I'll have to console myself with the book.

Valentina Schlee was a pioneer of minimalist luxury, and dressed her famous clients in monochromatic, dramatically cut couture. She was outspoken and seemed to delight in being contrarian - see two of her famous aphorisms that form the title of this post. Her work, her enigmatic reputation, and her severe appearance suggest a remote personality. That's why it was such a surprise to find this sequence of 1952 Yale Joel photographs of her in the Life archive :

There are dozens more of these. What a ham.

1990s = Vintage. Deal.

2009-04-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

The online catalogue for the upcoming vintage clothing auction at Leslie Hindman is up. I went to the first one of these they held a few years ago. It was a hoot. I always mean to go back, but never quite make it.

I haven't made my way through the whole catalogue, but it looks like mostly 1960s-1990s stuff. Really good 1990s stuff. If you're trying to get a handle on what "'90s vintage" means, this is a good place to start.

Top to bottom: Yves St. Laurent, Todd Oldham, Moschino

P.S. Are there any other leading auction houses that are still holding "couture" auctions on a regular basis?

Death Valley '26

2009-04-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

"We dine on sweet bread"

"We pass Ashford Mills - a deserted hope - thousands of dollars of equipment left here"

"We explore Superstitious Canyon. The peak in the background is of soft white mineral into which a person sinks above the shoe tops."

Mrs. Perrelet and Miss Muth

Rhyolite, Nevada. "The weather here is so dry that lots of the bottles still had the labels on them."

Camp breakfast near Calico, Nevada

Death Valley Automobile Trip, 1926, Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley. via Online Archive of California.

L'Officiel Archives

2009-03-31T09:35:00.006-05:00

Holly's great selections of photos of 1970s Lanvin prints brought to my attention the online Archives of L'Officiel, a venerable French fashion magazine. The functionality is good, and the interface is intuitive enough that I don't think the ability to read French is absolutely necessary (hint: "Plein ecran" = full screen mode)

I love these constructivist-influenced covers from the 1920s and 30s:

..and the way the thumbnails of 1920s covers show a fast progression from a traditional and subdued presentation to the splashy, confrontational aesthetic that still prevails in magazine design.

The archives of L'Officiel are part of the Jalou Archives, which also includes Jalouse and dozens of other fashion and lifestyle magazines, mostly from the 1990s-2000s. I'm thrilled to find out about yet another business concern that sees their archives as an asset worth preserving and publicizing - and that is far-sighted enough to share it with the public, rather than "rights-managing" it into oblivion.

Vintage family snapshots

2009-03-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

You see these boxes of hundreds of snapshots at antique malls and junk shops. While they're often fascinating, I don't like looking at them because the idea of someone selling or giving away family pictures makes me unspeakably sad. Then I happened across one at Uncommon Objects in Austin. We were rushing through on our way to dinner, so I wasn't in shopping mode. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it. I said if I could find it again the next day, I'd get it.

There you have it. I also bought some Kenyan safari-print fabric and a few greeting cards.

Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Part 2

2009-03-27T10:02:00.001-05:00

If Google Analytics is to be believed, a number of you are interested in Key West Hand Print Fabrics, a specialty textile and resortwear company I blogged last month. Ever wonder what the company was like in its heyday?

Now you know, thanks to the Florida Memory Project, State Archives of Florida.

I'm currently working on a few more posts about hand print textile manufacturers in the Caribbean and southern U.S. I also just got a great vintage blouse with a hand print of irises from a resortwear manufacturer in Puerto Rico that I'm looking forward to researching.

Kodakiana, part 1

2009-03-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

via Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, Duke University Libraries

San Antonio tourist attractions

2009-03-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Not shown: Hordes of tourists.

Pirkle Jones, 1914-2009

2009-03-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

With Ruth-Marion Baruch, documented The Black Panthers 1968:

Ghost signs, Austin

2009-03-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

"In 1875, one Thomas Cusack, a youth in his teens, started a business with only a paint pot and brush and a remarkable personality as assets. The business consisted in painting advertising signs on the sides of buildings in a small way. Gradually, he took to building billboards of his own, and leasing suitable walls and other locations for outdoor advertisements." -- Time, 1924

"Cusack. Thomas, outdoor advertising; born Ireland, Oct. 5, 1858; son John and Dehlia (Mc- Mahon) Cusack; came to New York with parents when 3 years old; lost parents 2 years later; came to Chicago in 1863; attended pub. and private schools here and St. Xavier's Coll.. New York; married Elinor Ross, 1891 (died 1894); married 2d, Mary E. Greene, at Yonkers, N.Y., July 10, 1895; children: Anna, Thomas, Charles, Francis and Evelyn. Learned sign painting trade and in Dec. 1875 started In the advertising sign business as Thomas Cusack & Co., Incorporated 1903, as Thos. Cusack Co., of which has since been pres.; co. has branches In all parts of U.S. Was mem. Chicago Board of Edn., 1891-8 (vice-pres. of board, 1896, 1897, 1898); on staff of Gov. Altgeld, with rank of col., 1893-7; mem. 56th Congress, 1899-1901, 4th 111. Dist. Has served as mem. of the State Central Dem. Com.; del. Dem. Nat. Convention. Denver, 1908. Mem. Art lust, of Chicago, Chicago Assn. of Commerce. Clubs: Chicago Athletic, Westward Ho Golf. Recreations: handball and golf. Residence: 639 S. Ashland Boul. Office: Cor. W. 15th and Throop Sts." -- The Book of Chicagoans, A.N. Marquis & Co., 1911 via Google Book Search.

Spring coats, part II

2009-03-20T12:50:00.000-05:00

I was just wondering if you got your spring coat yet.

Punks of a certain age

2009-03-19T11:00:00.001-05:00

Top to bottom: Fay Fife, Penelope Houston, Poison Ivy, Siouxsie

Jolies laides

2009-03-18T13:20:00.001-05:00

These two hated each other's guts:

Top to bottom: Chanel; 1927 little black dress; Schiaparelli; 1937 lobster dress

Yale-Vassar Bicycle Race

2009-03-17T13:09:00.001-05:00

The funnest party ever, April 1952:

via Life archive. Photographer: Yale Joel.

Jakob Bengel

2009-03-16T11:31:00.002-05:00

The Jakob Bengel Company began in a Germany as an engineering and metalware manufacturing firm, but is now best known for the Deco jewelry they produced in the 1930s, using chrome and a casein plastic called galalith (that's Greek Roots for "milkstone").

For that futuristic barbarian superhero princess look:

All via eBay seller natparis.

St. Therese of Lisieux as Joan of Arc

2009-03-13T11:24:00.000-05:00

St. Therese of Lisieux IS Joan of Arc in "Joan of Arc," written, directed and produced by St. Therese of Lisieux.

New collection: photos of non-traditional fire dogs

2009-03-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

We suffer through a lot of pointless fire alarms at my workplace. It's a combination of our perpetual state of construction and, I think, people nipping into the stairwells for a smoke. The fire station is a block north of us, so the firefighters are usually in and out within fifteen minutes.

One time they brought the fire dog! It was a black and white pit bull. It sat in the front of the fire truck with its head sticking out the window while the firefighters went in. I loved that it was not a Dalmatian, but still had the same color scheme. I'm starting this collection in honor of non-Dalmatian, I mean non-traditional,* fire dogs.

The first two photos in this collection have a secondary theme, which is "fire dogs wearing hats and smoking pipes"

via PitBulls on the Web:

via American Museum of Photography:

I have a few others to share, but let me know if you find more!

*Look, nothing personal if you love Dalmatians, but I don't care for them. Plus they shouldn't get all the credit for fighting fires.

Dial S for Super-Saturated!

2009-03-11T11:52:00.003-05:00

We just watched Dial M for Murder, a second-tier Hitchcock film that's still right up there with Vertigo and Rear Window in terms of its use of Big 50s Color. It was originally shot for 3-D because it was all the rage, but was seldom projected that way.

Jon once told me that I "don't know how movies work" because I'm often so distracted by some element of production design that I completely fail to follow the plot of the movie. I did fixate on this one celadon lamp that I'm pretty sure was mainly there as a foil to Grace Kelly's explosively red dinner dress. Fortunately the characters explain the basic plot in advance and revisit all the important points as it progresses, so I could still follow along.

Even the beiges are rich and buttery. Also entertaining for a scene in which Grace Kelly sports the "no makeup look" and utterly fails to look frowsy and downtrodden.

Maud Frizon

2009-03-10T11:40:00.002-05:00

Super cult-y vintage 80s footwear.

Higher-end vintage dealers tend to care deeply about Maud Frizon, and charge accordingly. Still affordable (cheap even) on eBay and etsy!

Sports Illustrated archive

2009-03-09T11:00:00.001-05:00

Holy cats! Does anyone even know about the SI Vault? Moreover, even if they did, would they know why they should care?

Thank you, SI Vault, for showing me that although I've never liked sports, "sporting" is definitely something I can get behind.

Egyptologists and egyptomanes

2009-03-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

Top to bottom: James Henry Breasted, Flinders and Hilda Petrie, Natacha Rambova, Madame Blavatsky, Sun Ra

America's Last Frontier

2009-03-05T11:00:00.001-06:00

Via eBay. Ended last night at $1,025.00

Chicago winter sports, Part 3

2009-03-04T13:45:00.003-06:00

OK, so I'm pretty sure ballet isn't actually a sport, but it's the only thing I've been doing for exercise this winter.

See also: Basketball, skating.

Via Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933, Chicago History Museum.

By the way, I also hear via the CHM that Chicago turns 172 years old today. Happy birthday, ya big lug!

Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud

2009-03-03T13:29:00.000-06:00

I was surprised to find out that the real world wasn't actually black-and-white in the Old Days.

Via Friends of Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud. Anyone know where I can get those boots?

Chicago winter sports, Part 2

2009-03-02T12:05:00.000-06:00

Girls' basketball, 1907-1926:

See also: Skating the Charleston.

Via Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933, Chicago History Museum.

Vintage Lanvin costume jewelry

2009-03-01T12:35:00.000-06:00

Before Lanvin jewelry meant pearls and fussy ribbons, it meant huge chunks of Eurotrash modernism.

Maybe five years ago you could still pick this stuff up for almost free, but now you will made to pay. All via eBay.

Chicago winter sports, Part 1

2009-02-28T11:26:00.005-06:00

Skating the Charleston, 1926:

Via Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933, Chicago History Museum.

Varvara Stepanova

2009-02-27T12:04:00.001-06:00

Photo #1 is Outfit of the Week. Better than a leather catsuit!

Yves St. Laurent you can afford

2009-02-26T11:00:00.002-06:00

So, I'm guessing that most of you sat on your hands during the Christie's auction of the collection of Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Bergé (see my picks here, here and here). Since you saved so much money by not buying a Matisse, an Eileen Gray armchair or a very rare and important rat head, maybe you can cruise some other auctions:

All this and more on eBay.

Collection Yves St. Laurent et Pierre Bergé, Day Three

2009-02-25T18:50:00.001-06:00

The end.
via Christie's.

Collection Yves St. Laurent et Pierre Bergé, Day Two

2009-02-24T21:00:00.000-06:00

Top to bottom: Ingres, Ruhlmann, Gray, Cheuret, Lalanne
via Christie's.

Girl on a motorcyle

2009-02-24T15:00:00.000-06:00

Marianne Faithfull in a famously ridiculous movie:

Anke-Eve Goldmann in real life:

Thanks to Northstar Vintage for the tip.

Collection Yves St. Laurent et Pierre Bergé, Day One

2009-02-23T21:28:00.003-06:00

Sorry if you had your heart set on any of these, but they're already sold:

Top to bottom: Duchamp, Calder, Brancusi, Klee, Leger

via Christie's.