Ladybusiness

Vintage Magazine Ads

I’ve amassed a sizable collection of old magazines, mostly with the intention of using images from them in collage work. I thought it would be worthwhile to scan some of the ads, though.

Stillman's Freckle Cream Ad 1934
Stillman’s Freckle Cream, from True Experience, July 1934

Lavoptik Ad 1934
Lavoptik, from True Experience, July 1934

Fleischmann's Yeast Ad 1934
Fleischmann’s Yeast, from The American Magazine, January 1934

Campbell's Soup Ad 1934
Campbell’s Soup, from The American Magazine, January 1934

Listerine Ad 1934
Listerine, from The American Magazine, January 1934

The full set (with larger scans) is available here.

Letters to Esther

A Page from Esther’s Gradebook

Esther's Gradebook

I really need to get back to working on Esther’s letters, if for no other reason than that I haven’t read ahead, and I’m starting to get curious about what happens next. But, for now, here’s a scan from one of her three gradebooks. I do know that she taught high school and middle school for a few years between finishing college and getting married. Somewhere in the boxes of stuff, there are also her teaching certificates (complete with grades on her exams), check stubs and bank statements, and various other official stuff. It’s going to take me years to get through it all.

To give an idea of the quantity of information I need to process, it came in a 20 x 12 x 12 inch crate, and it was packed solid and filled to the top. That’s a whole lotta letters, and I’m maybe 1/3 through them, not including the non-letter ephemera.

Art

Card Catalog

Catalog Card

Y’all have seen the card catalog generator that’s been making the rounds? It’s cute, but it got me thinking that I would love to have a small supply of the real thing. We got rid of our card catalog a few years ago, but librarians being what they are, I was sure someone had stashed a few away, so I asked around. Sure enough, there was a stack of a couple hundred cards with my name on them. Yay. And they’re lovely cards, too, with a nice patina, lots of notations, and excellent titles for collage work.

I think I’m going to try to figure out how to bind some of them into a book. Somehow, the idea of a book made out of catalog cards is extremely amusing to me.

Uncategorized

A Trip Down a Different Memory Lane

I talked to my mom this morning, and the subject of college diplomas came up. I “lost” mine for a long time, and only found it again while packing for this last move. I pulled it off the shelf and opened the folder, and some old Christmas cards, my “fancy” birth certificate, and my 8th grade report card were tucked inside.

8th Grade Report Card

I was a pretty solid B student in middle school. I had horrible study skills, and I never did a single bit of homework. If I had, I’m sure I would’ve gotten As.

With the single exception of the final History exam, which was on WWII, I don’t recall ever studying for a test. During the second half of 8th grade, we lived in town, so I walked to school instead of riding the bus. I usually got there early, because it was my job to go over to the church and do the hymn board for each day’s masses. I must have gotten to school extra early on the day of the history final, because I recall having a lot of extra time left over, and using it to study for the test. I remember knowing, when I finished the exam, that I had gotten every answer correct.

8th Grade Report Card

On the last day of school, we all signed each other’s report cards. I have no idea who Rosy was, but I remember everyone else.

Art

My Favorite Birthday Book

My Favorite Birthday Book
My Favorite Birthday Book. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1945. Illustrated with Persian Miniatures by Mahmoud Sayah, 7 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches.

I found this little book at a yard sale several years ago. I bought it for the illustrations, thinking I’d use them for collage. I don’t think I will, though, because I can’t imagine destroying the information inside.

January
January

Photography

Loreley Rock, Germany

Loreley Rocks, St. Goar, Germany

While talking on the phone last night, I sorted another stack of collage junk. In it I found a sepia tone print that had strayed from the Germany set. Unlike the others, though, this one is not a photograph. I’m not sure what, exactly, it is, but it seems to be a lithograph made from a photo. I’m going to try to do a little more research–there’s a maker’s inscription on the recto–before I post it.

In the meantime, I found a couple more older images of the Loreley Rock. The top photo is from my collection, and the bottom two are from the Library of Congress collections.

The Loreley rock is located on Germany’s Rhine River. It was historically a treacherous spot for boats, and unsurprisingly, there is a myth connected to it. Like the Greek Sirens, the Lorelei (from luren “murmuring” and ley “rock”) was a nymph whose singing lured sailors to their deaths. The Lorelei has often been depicted in art and poetry, usually as either a beautiful, nymph-like maiden or mermaid. Her song was caused by the sound of the swirling water echoing off the rock face. Long before the Lorelei was first popularized in art and poetry, though, the rock was thought to be an oracle. Passing sailors would shout questions into the rock face, and the resulting echo would answer them back.

The Lorelei Rock (Rhine)
Title: The Lorelei Rock (Rhine)
Panora, Ltd., photographer
Panora, Ltd., copyright claimant
Date Created/Published: c1921.
Medium: 1 photographic print : gelatin silver ; 8 x 35 in.
Summary: Man in uniform sitting on guard rail by river.
Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-126296 (b&w film copy neg.)
Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. No renewal found in Copyright Office.
Call Number: PAN FOR GEOG – Germany no. 10 (E size) [P&P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007663190/