Beatrice and Amy Were Seasonal Milliners Extraordinaire

I thought I ought to get this fashionable pair posted before autumn slips away. Bea and Amy were part of a trio found in Godey's Lady's Book. The paper is so thin and the letterpress printing so heavy that the music on the page behind them shows through - instantly creating another layer. The hats are composed of flowers from recycled greeting cards and wallpaper. The cameos and hat pin are from a vintage bead catalog. 5" x 5" on archival mat board. [Not for sale]

Holiday hours at Paper With a Past Studio

I adore this DIY craft project Santa from the December 1868 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, so I thought he'd be the perfect image for the announcement of extended holiday hours at my studio. I put all this info on the studio page but thought it would be good to repeat it here. Instead of being open only during the second Friday night open studios, Paper With a Past will be open noon-8 p.m. Thursdays ('cept Thanksgiving) and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 22.

Please stop by to see what's new. I'll be whipping up all kinds of holiday goodies from ornaments to greeting cards to tags to, well, whatever else comes to mind. I'll also be squeezing in some new non-holiday collages. For directions to the studio: go here.

Oh, I'm usually at work every afternoon, so if you want to stop by at another time, please call or text 254-9776. I'll try to keep my cell on - really! 

Moon Dance

One of the things I enjoy the most is combining antique paper - in this case, fashion engravings from the June 1865 issue of Godey's Lady's Book - with newer papers. The background, moon face and text are from recycled proof copies of modern children's books. The golden planet on the right came from a vintage pop-up book about space. Putting these odd heads atop the dresses evokes the often strange juxtapositions seen in Victorian advertising. 4.75" x 4.75" on archival mat board. Matted to fit a standard 9" x 9" frame. [SOLD]

Jane And Isabella Shed Their Inhibitions on All Hallows' Eve

Now what would the genteel readers of Godey's Lady's Magazine make of this reinterpretation of the fashion plate found in the November 1865 issue? I'm not sure. But when I spotted this pair - part of a larger plate in bad condition - their dresses screamed Halloween. So, into the Halloween file they went. I resisted the urge to dress them up more. Keeping it simple allows viewers to focus on the details of the lovely, hand-painted dresses. 4.75" x 4.75" on archival mat board. Matted to fit a standard 9" x 9" frame. $55 + $7 shipping & handling

The Grand Tour 16: Maude and Henrietta DiscoverThat a Teapot Is a Discreet Decanter for Chianti

Here's the last of the new collages for the Cincinnati Dreams Italy exhibit, which opens 6-8 p.m. Thursday with a progressive potluck reception that will move visitors through the four exhibit sites - and will continue 11 a.m.-5 p.m. during the next three weekends (Oct. 8-9, 15-16, 22-23).

The women are courtesy of Godey's Lady's Book, which featured numerous black-and-white fashion plates in addition to the larger, hand-colored ones. The "rug" beneath their feet might look familiar. It is recycled holiday wrapping paper designed by architect Michael Graves based on drawings he made in Tuscany. It was folded and tucked inside a Christmas card that I received from his office back in my reporting days. I used it before in The Grand Tour: 4 as part of the fabric of a Godey's traveling cloak.

5.5" x 8.5" with ink & watercolor on archival mat board. {SOLD}

Shape shifting

A few months ago, I posted a photo of canvases that I had covered with papers as first layers for future collages. One of them became April and another one - papered with a fantastic map by Guyot - now is this escapist collage. I've been itching to make this piece for a while. I spotted the engraving of the balloon in an issue of Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly last summer and added it to my "collage ideas" bin. I knew I'd use it to aid Victorian women trying to outrun the strictures of the time.

The idea of corsets as ballast came next and I began clipping them from advertisements in 19th century women's magazines - looking for a variety of sizes and brands from Dr. Warner's Electric Corsets (yes, they were wired) to Armorside and Glove-Fitting. I'm not sure if the women atop the balloon are approving or disapproving - I'm leaving that up to viewers to figure out.

12" x 12" on stretched canvas, with acrylic and watercolor paints, colored pencil and ink. Ready to hang. $75 + $10 shipping & handling

The Grand Tour 9

One thing I find appealing about using antique engravings that were printed on lightweight paper is the show through from the other side when they are glued down. In this case, the text on the page behind this illustration from Godey's Lady's Book peeks through as does a slight shadow behind her from the fashion illustration on the other page.

Her Walking-Dress is layered with maps from “Guyot's Physical Geography” (Scribner, 1872), “Harper's School Geography” (Harper & Brothers, 1882) and a 1957 U.S. Geological Survey of Idaho; as well as a sliver of a mosaic illustration from an art book. Off to the sides are vintage postage stamps and a vintage label from an Italian tarot card deck I picked up at a small print shop in Florence in 1989. Mixed-media, 3.75” x 5.75” on archival mat board. {Sold}

On the Wings of Summer

This is another of the seasonal collages in the long-format series (to view the other one: click here) and it includes antique endpaper, the faded cover of a vintage Little Blue Book, an embroidery pattern courtesy of Godey's Lady's Book, an illustration from the 1905 Prang art education manual for children I'm so fond of and butterflies cut from "The Butterfly Book" by W.J. Holland (Doubleday, Page & Co., 1902), which I nabbed at the public library's annual used book sale.

The series is at the framer's being matting. After finishing, I realized they wouldn't fit pre-cut mats. Yep, another lesson learned. They will float on the backing board with space between the collage and the mat opening. This way, they can be viewed to the edge, which is critical on these. 4.5" x 11.5" on canvas.

The Grand Tour: 13

I'm winding down The Grand Tour series for a bit. One more is in progress on a work table and it will be No. 14. I've made 11 since moving into my new studio just eight weeks ago and need a break from them. I loved the voluminous skirt of the dress, which was shown in the June 1865 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, and the wistful appearance of the woman. Behind her is a German postcard with its original stamps. The city scene is softened by a vellum overlay under the railing that came from a travel brochure. To show the range of The Grand Tour, which hit all the European Continent's hot spots, Venetian gondoliers glide by her hem.  4.5" x 7" on the inside of a varnished, leather antique book cover; hangs from a brass chain. $75 + $5 shipping & handling

Of note: the dress is described as "cuir-colored* poplin Imperatrice, trimmed with narrow black velvet, and fancy jet and gilt buttons" with a corsage (bodice) of "very long coat tails, trimmed with velvet and buttons, and finished with black chenille tassels." *dark brown

Fresh from my drawing table ... The Grand Tour: 4

I've been working on The Grand Tour series for the past few weeks in anticipation of my first show (see blurb at top right) and just wrapped up 10 new collages. The one here is bit different from the rest, because it incorporates a black & white 19th century engraving from Godey's Lady's Book while all but one other collage use hand-painted, color fashion plates from Peterson's Magazine as a jumping off point.

The maps are from 1872 and 1901 geography books. My favorite part is the background "fabric," which is Christmas wrapping paper designed by post-mod architect Michael Graves. It arrived as a folded sheet tucked inside a greeting card and is based on drawings he made in Tuscany. Perfect for The Grand Tour. 3.75" x 5.75" on archival mat board. {Sold}

The Grand Tour: 3

One in a continuing series using original engravings from Peterson's Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book. I'm obsessed with 19th century women's magazines and, especially, their "fashion plates." The two monthlies were based in Philadelphia and each had more than 100,000 subscribers in their heyday. Hundreds of women were employed to paint the engravings, making each one an original work of art. But while the engravers, the Illman Brothers of Philadelphia, are credited the women remain anonymous. 

I try to preserve the painted sections and to use tattered plates. (Trust me, no good fashion plate was harmed in the making of these collages). The collages play on the originals' aspirational qualities, as well as commenting on the intricate clothing fashionable women wore whether at home or on the requisite grand tour of the Continent. You'll see more of the series; the new ones are taking an interesting turn. 9.5" x 7.5" on acid-free watercolor paper