On Walking

“A pedestrian seems in this country to be a sort of beast of passage — stared at, pitied, suspected and shunned by everybody who meets him… Every passing coachman called out to me: ‘Do you want a ride on the outside?’ If I met only a farm worker on a horse he would say to me companionably: ‘Warm walking, sir’ and when I passed through a village the old women in their bewilderment would let out a ‘God Almighty!’”

– Karl Philipp Moritz, Journeys of a German in England in the Year 1782 (Reisen eines Deutschen in England im Jahre 1782)

Cheese Post

Making cheese in Hilversum, The Netherlands, circa 1920.

Polo Belle

An illustration by artist Court Barber.

Air Mail

Who knew sewing needles could be presented in a dirigible with the Statue of Liberty and a postal reference?

Snow Chess

Snowmen play chess in this wonderful 1991 piece by Wim Finck. In response to my query, he writes from Belgium, “I made this drawing about 20 years ago commissioned by Mr. Daniël De Mol. It was originally meant for a postcard, but he used it also as a Christmas greeting card. The basic-idea of the two snowmen playing chess was provided by him also. I made the drawing with water colour, gouache and ink. I still work as a free-lance artist (illustrations, drawings, paintings, etchings, etc.) and I also teach drawing lessons at a school nearby.” My thanks to Wim for responding, and for his lovely image.

Giving Wings to Words

I learned to type on an Underwood and Franklin Booth is one of my favorite illustrators, so this image fairly sings for me.

Making Free with the Rural Free Deliveryman

Pillar Boxes

A postman in India, standing by a pillar box with the letters he has just collected. The card is captioned, “A Postman,” and was published in Bombay by Thacker & Co., Ltd., as No. 117 in a series. It interests me that Florida does not have a monopoly on barefoot mailmen.

And in a Spanish-speaking country, Snoopy posts a letter.

The Queen of Cheese

And who would have thought I’d find a second image?

The Chilling Unit

– From Electric Refrigerator Menus and Recipes: Recipes prepared especially for the General Electric Refrigerator (1927) by Miss Alice Bradley, from the collection of Laurie Winship