These Kodak No.2s from the 1890s are pure bliss, as is every artifact in Diabolus’s Etsy shop. However, I’m on a self-imposed shopping strike until further notice (too much pottery on the mantle — and no, that’s not a euphemism, sadly), so I’ll just continue to post all of my material lusts here so I don’t have to actually buy them. It’s a flawed plan, but it usually works.
The No.2 Kodak was the third camera produced by the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company, known as Eastman Kodak today. The No.2 Kodak was introduced in 1889.
Kodak No.2
Both the Original Kodak and the No.1 Kodak took 2 1/2 inch diameter circular photographs. The No.2 Kodak was physically larger and produced a 3 1/2 inch image. Collectors call these three models string-set Kodaks. String-set refers to the way the camera shutter is armed: a string that is connected to the shutter mechanism protrudes from the camera top. To arm the shutter, it is necessary to pull this string.
Due to the ability of the No. 2 Kodak to accept very large film rolls, Kodak recommended this model to the traveling photographer over other available roll-film cameras requiring more frequent reloading. An advantage of models producing round pictures was that the photographer did not need to worry about holding the camera level!
I wish I could go to the 3D Victoriana event at Observatory this Friday, but I’m going to see Spiritualized perform Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space at Radio City Music Hall (good lawd do I love Radio City!).
Filmmaker and collector Ronni Thomas will lecture on the history of macabre 3D spectacles of the Victorian age, especially the infamous Diableries series–masterfully designed 3D stereo ’tissues’ created in france in the 19th century, backlit and featuring ornate scenes depicting the daily life of Satan in Hell (seen above).Tongue in cheek and often controversial, these macabre spectacles give us a very interesting look at the 19th century’s lighthearted obsession with death and the macabre, serving as a wonderful demonstration of the Victorian fascination with themes such as the afterlife, heaven, hell and death.
Anyone who goes should definitely report back — I want to hear all about the double exposure ghosts! Find more details at Observatory.
I come across many a carte viste and wrinkled photograph in my antique store and internet trawlings, and I am so much more interested in the portraits of the unlikely beauties: not the pouty lipped, perfectly bouffanted socialite of 1880, but her wan complected, wonky-nosed, slightly “off” counterpart. These are the women whose stories I want to know. It scares me a little to know that photos of me (and everyone else who feels mild trepidation when having their photo taken) might float through the antique and vintage “pass around” system one hundred years from now, but seeing these imperfect, oh-so-endearing women makes me feel confident in my future.
I spent many a harried, tweaking night at the University of Iowa Library in my college days. Though I love libraries with all my being, I never truly appreciated the U of I stacks and reading rooms — probably because I was always too freaked out about making a deadline or studying for an exam while I was there. However, the brilliant Kelly of Nothing is New (one of my favorite blogs) turned me on to the Iowa Digital Library in the course of her Archive Road Trip, whereupon she trawls the nation’s digital archives, state by state.
After poking around the Digital Library — of which there is an abundance of cool stuff, and I’ll be posting much more! — I came across (and was blown away by) their collection of historic Iowa children’s diaries. These tomes originated with early settler children — teenagers, actually — of the 1850s through the early 20th century. The best part is that some have been transcribed and biographies of the kids are provided. I kind of fell in love with the pages of the last diary shown above, mostly because of the doodles, kept by 14 year old Linnie Hagerman (1852-1934), of Keokuk, Iowa. (Check out that handwriting! Gorgeously messy.) Born in Missouri in 1852, Linnie moved with her family to Keokuk at age 10, and remained there for the rest of her life. She began drawing by doodling in her diary, and later became an artist, creating many oil paintings during the 1880s.
Freemasonry is so fascinating. The symbolism, the historic beginnings, the handshakes — not to mention the secretive nature of the group — make for a regular investigative wormhole. This print, found by Erie Basin and titled “From Jerusalem to Jericho,” is circa 1890. Notice the “Friendship, Love, Truth” scroll, the all-seeing eye (a recurring motif) and references to “the Golden Rule.” The moon and stars amidst the clouds is my favorite element.
Any recommendations for interesting Freemasonry books? I’d love to hear it.
If you enjoyed a dog in a bowler hat milking a goat (and who doesn’t, honestly?), you’ll love drunk pups and a frantic Queenie having her jewels stolen. This clip comes courtesy of the 1930 film The Dogway Melody. After some random internet research I’ve unearthed the source of all this adorable absurdity. This particular genre of film, known as the Dogville Comedies, came about in the early era of talkies. According to a source,
“Talent from all over – veteran vaudevillians, musical icons, radio personalities, Broadway luminaries – performed in specialty shorts augmenting main features that packed moviehouses. One particular pack stood out: the amazingly trained tail-waggers of the 9 ‘All-Barkie’ Dogville Comedies. Directed by Zion Myers and Jules White, these unusual attractions showcased creatively costumed ‘talking’ dogs of various breeds and spoofed the noble and naughty behaviors of people. They pulled off grrrreat rrrriffs of the era’s movies, from unquiet Western Front war heroics and Great Woof Way musical extravaganzas to Great Whelp Hunter jungle expeditions and Prison Pups breakout thrills. A nationwide theatre owners poll in 1930 rated the Dogvilles as the best short subjects over more legendary comedy and musical series. See if you agree, as you walk these dogs and unleash a whole lotta laughter.”
For more adorable vintage entertainment, check out the entire repertoire of Dogville shorts. Enjoy!
So, truth: I’m not really a “beach person.” I grew up in the middle of America, where chlorinated pools were de rigeur and the only “beaches” to be had were on small lakes with a set of buoys to keep you from venturing too far. (And I also burn like a lobster, so, there’s that excuse too.) I never experienced a true tide, a rumbling wave, beach glass, the smell of salt water and the taste of fresh clams until I moved to the East Coast. Now that I have — well, I kind of love it! I’m not about to go lay out anytime soon — at least not without the aid of a giant umbrella! — but with these antique bathing suited youths as role models, I might just have to brave the water. I want a romper suit made of wool, high socks and a bathing cap! Nudity be damned.
Originally released in 1937, stop-motion animation pioneer Starevich had been making tons of other cool animations prior to this gem — animating two dead stag beetles in battle while working at a natural history museum in 1911, for example. (Apparently he tried to do it with live beetles, but they’re nocturnal and would immediately go to sleep when the bright lights came on.)Le Roman de Renard is based on the many tales of Reynard, the anthropomorphic trickster fox famous in much of European folklore.
Luckily enough, Le Roman de Renard is available in its entirety on YouTube.
As a bit of a Tumblr addict, I’m continually on the prowl for interesting photography and themes. Fuck Yeah, Victorians! provides both: all Victorian, all the time, with strange gems (those tin types!), painterly inspiration and random tidbits. Sold.
[Via My Love for You, I think? I just fell in love with this Tumblr so fast that I kind of don't even remember.]
Oooh la la! This fan dance is pretty G-rated, really. (She’s wearing a body stocking! So George Costanza.) However, I’m sure it was the height of cheesecake in its day.
Love the ending line. “That’s all for now, boys. Maybe her fans will slip tomorrow…”
Obscurio just keeps getting better and better. This circus performer photo? Incredible! The leopard leotard on the dude, with the ‘fro and mustache, is just unreal.
Margaux Kent of The Black Spot Books is an inspiration. Everything she touches takes on the aged, obsolescent tinge of a simpler era, where functional pieces were meant to become heirlooms. Her beautiful leather work is composed of “olde things, treasures found and recovered from misfortune and neglect, relics of the unusual, the confused and the macabre, cut and pulled and bound into wearable curiosities and inscribable keepsakes.” Check out her latest in her Etsy shop, as well as brilliantly curated antiques and curios at Plundered.
I miss when jeans were really jeans: the hard, rugged denim worn by farmers and cowboys that had to be worn in to perfection via hard work and sweat, not bought pre-torn with strategically placed “weak spots” achieved in a factory (one of my biggest pet peeves).
These photos come from Michael Wells’s Denim Legends project, a visual history of the most interesting jeans of the last 150 years. The textures, colors and seemingly disintegrated “limbs” (missing pant legs and sleeves) create such a compelling story: Who wore this clothing? How did it survive to the present day? And can jeans with spandex built in ever really achieve this level of durability and character? (Doubtful.)
Ellen Harding Baker set the standard for nebulous quilting way back in 1876. Check out all of the tiny stars and what appears to be the Milky Way! This magnificent embroidered wool and silk quilt, currently housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, was used as a teaching aid in Baker’s astronomy lectures and based on textbook illustrations available at the time. According to the museum, “astronomy was an acceptable interest for women in the 19th century and was sometimes even fostered in their eduction.” (I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by this revelation.)
Best of all: Baker constructed this beautiful quilt while living in Cedar County, Iowa (and later moved to Johnson County — my old stomping grounds). I’m so proud of my fellow countrywoman!
And to think that I considered interstellar quilts as strictly a token of the modern age…
What a beauty! I was immediately struck by this lovely lady’s fur hood, headband (predating the trend) and knowing gaze. According to some rudimentary research, Nell Shipman was an actress, animal trainer and Canadian pioneer in early Hollywood (her first production was in 1910!). She was known for playing strong, adventurous characters and was one of the first women to do a nude scene on screen. Learn more here.
I’ve been thirsting after a vintage medical wall chart (or even the newer varieties) for a what seems like forever. This antique German dental wall chart from Etsy seller luckylittledot has all the qualities I look for: black background, skulls, cutaways to the inside of a body part… In other words, I want. Badly.
P.S. Everything else in luckylittledot‘s shop is also drool-worthy. So good!
My name is Alison and this is where I obsess // muse // and drop all of the the curious, obsolete, outré and otherwise noteworthy things I come across on the weird, wide expanse that is the Internet.
