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Fabric Forest Signs

April 26, 2012, 9:09 am
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Fabric collages by Marta Pieczonko, who was born in 1980 in Warsaw and lives and works in Cologne. "forest sign I," 2010 "forest sign II," 2010 "forest sign III," 2010 "forest sign IV," 2010 "goodbye," 2011 (PSYCHOLOGIE HEUTE magazine) "praying mantis," 2008 (ZWIERCIADŁO magazine) "cybersex," 2008 (ZWIERCIADŁO magazine) "fight I," 2010 "fight II," 2010 See all posts tagged "Poland" on 50 Watts
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The Bookplate Collection: Second Half

April 29, 2012, 7:43 am
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20 bookplates from the John Starr Stewart Ex Libris Collection at the University of Illinois Library PK at BibliOdyssey featured bookplates from the first half of this database Design by A. Dachenhausen, 1900 "Coat of arms: Escutcheon parted per fess, upper part or (gold) charged with an eagle displayed sable (black), lower part paly of six gules (red) and argent (silver), charged with a banner or (gold). Heume surmounted by a deer's head argent, on either side wings paly gules and argent. Mantling. Artist's monogram lower right: AD." "Chimpanzee, holding in one foot a caliper, sits on a pile of books contemplating a human skull;. On one book spine: 'Darwin'; on an open book: 'Eritis sicut deus' (You will be as a god)" Design by M. H. "Partly bald man trapped in stocks made of two rows of books supported either side by feather pens." Design by K. Rosnyai "Owl classroom: teacher owl stands beside blackboard with letters and holds open book and pointer, 6 student owls in a line attend." "Dock of books and carved waves" "World globe with glasses reads an open book, text on cover and spine" Design by Aiglon (Attila Sassy), 1911 "Naked woman places chaplet on head of man in robe, who points to a large skull at their feet." Previous post on this artist Design by Marguerite Edwards, 1901 "Snake twines around cup and torches" Design by Kraus "Printed in black on blue paper. Bird's-eye view of Lisbon." Design by Harry Townsend Design by L. Brunet "Caricature of Liszt as hand-puppet watches screeching cat claw strings of a guitar" Design by Mary Dodd "Elegantly dressed young girl is driven in a carriage past a line of poor girls." Design by Anne M. Danielsen, 1948 "Alice in Wonderland, Little Bo Peep, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the bears, pigs, mice and fish in corners." Design by Alfred Petrasch, 1904 "Stylized house, trees and sun." Design by Bernard Linnig, 1903 "Dragon on open book, shining sun in background" "Stack of books framed by wreath, top book open to picture of steam engine from early railroad." Design by Ralph L. Reed, 1902 "Old camera on tripod, crossed rifle and fishing pole, and books against and between two leafy trees with roots." Design by H. David "Man in legal wig reading a manuscript at his desk, behind him a towering skeleton; on a small ledge, a fetus in a glass jar. Books with legible spine labels, incl. "Johnson', 'De motu cordis', 'Theobald's Shakespeare', 'Smollett', 'Akenside', 'Hippocrates', 'Pope's Homer', 'The Works of William Smellie'." William Edgar Fisher, 1902 "Snake winding around apple, surmounted by tree with 6 books; above, angels hanging from ribbons; kneeling naked figure looks up at the central design." "Masked heart and spinning top." See all bookplate posts on 50 Watts See the companion post at BibliOdyssey
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The whole world is a series of miracles

May 2, 2012, 9:36 am
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Illustrations from a 1928 edition of Andersen's fairy tales, from 50 Watts fave Takeo Takei Bio from the Kodomo No Kuni site:Takei was born in Suwa, Nagano prefecture in 1894. After studying at the Hongo Yoga Kenkyujo (Hongo Research Institute for Western Art) he entered the Western-style art department of Tokyo Art School in 1919. He was an ardent admirer of illustrator Takehisa Yumeji and poet Kitahara Hakushu. After graduation from art school, he married in 1921 and to support his new family he began to produce illustrations for children for Kodomo no tomo [Child's Friend], a children's magazine published by Fujin no Tomo Sha. In 1922 he became one of the leading illustrators for Kodomo no kuni [Children's Land] from its inaugural issue. In 1923 he published Otogi no tamago [The Fairy's Egg], and in 1925 his first individual exhibition was held in Ginza in the heart of Tokyo. His Ramu-ramu O [King Ramu-ramu] came out in 1926. The following year, with Shimizu Yoshio, Okamoto Kiichi, Kawakami Shiro, and other illustrators contributing to the Kodomo no kuni, Takei formed the Nihon Doga Kyokai (Japan Association of Illustration for Children), as part of the effort to achieve artistic quality in illustrations for children. Following Okamoto's death, Takei succeeded him as critic and selector of illustrations submitted to Kodomo no kuni in 1931. In 1955, he became editorial adviser for the magazine Kinda bukku [Kinder Book]. I again found these images in the database of the National Diet Library. My only disappointment is that there are no dogs with eyes as big as mill-wheels. The post title of course comes from Andersen. Some of Takei's books have been reprinted and are available from amazon.co.jp. Previous posts on this artist cover Previous posts on this artist
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Shanghai Expression: Graphic Design in China in the 1920s and 30s

May 7, 2012, 6:23 pm
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As featured in the book Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century by Scott Minick and Jiao Ping About half of this 160-page book is devoted to the 1920s and 30s, when the ideas of writer and artist Lu Xun were very influential, particularly on the young design professionals involved with the May Fourth Movement. My favorite factoid in the book: Lu Xun—who introduced modern woodblock techniques to China—loved the German Expressionists and Käthe Kollwitz in particular. The authors point out that though Lu Xun taught many Western techniques, he always encouraged designers to seek inspiration in Chinese design history. China Sketch, December 1936 "The End of Science" (back cover) Illustrator: Zhong-xin China Sketch, December 1936 Designer: Tian Wu-zai Ten Years of the Shenshi Telegraphic Dispatch Agency, c. 1930 Designer: Qian Jun-tao The Short Story Magazine, August 1927. Designer: Chen Zhi-fo The Big Black Wolf, 1930 Designer: Qian Jun-tao A Great Love, 1930 Designer: Qian Jun-tao Modern Student, June 1931 Designer: Chen Zhi-fo Book cover, 1936 Designer: Zheng Ren-ze Children's Music, c. 1930 Designer: Qian Jun-tao Art Deco-style ad, c. 1930s Creation Monthly, 1928 Ahead of the Times, January 1931 Designer: Qian Jun-tao Science and Engineering Magazine, 1935 Designer: Hong Qing Military Magazine, April 1937 China Sketch, April 1936 "Madame Sanger in China" (Sanger was an American proponent of birth control) Illustrator: Zhu Jin-lou The Dividing Line in Love, 1929. Designer: Qian Jun-tao The Ladies' Journal, October 1931 Designer: Zhang Ling-tao Wandering, August 1929 Designer: Tao Yuan-qing Literature, October 1933 Designer: Chen Zhi-fo Literature Weekly, undated issue on Russian short stories Designer: Qian Jun-tao The Ark, February 1935 Modern Woman, 1933 Designer: Qian Jun-tao Shanghai Private Kaiming Correspondence School, Members' Club Quarterly, c. 1930 Designer: Qian Jun-tao The Muddy Stream, 1931 Designer: Qian Jun-tao New literature advertisement, c. 1937 Designer: Zhang Xue-fu For a few more political works see the complementary post on A Journey Round My Skull: Santa Claus delivers a new child into a world of violence and death Publisher's description:From posters and advertisements to book covers and magazines, this book presents a dazzling panoply of modern graphic design in China. Beginning with the basic traditions of Chinese graphics, the authors show how the writer and artist Lu Xun became the center of cultural revival in the new China. We see Art Deco coming to China in the Shanghai Style, and the birth of a dynamic national design style, born of Russian Constructivism and China’s own drive for new technology. The Socialist Realist art of Mao in turn adopted folk art traditions to fuel the Revolutionary machine, while the continuing search for a new identity can be seen in the graphic images of protest from the summer of 1989. 150 color and 135 black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century makes a nice companion to the Steven Heller's Art Deco Graphic Design series for Chronicle (though it's published by Thames & Hudson). Previously: Extraordinary early twentieth century book and magazine covers from Japan Tweet this
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Joanne Oldham

May 9, 2012, 7:43 pm
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Sammy Harkham of Family recently edited and published a wonderful 48-page zine of artwork and memoirs by Joanne Oldham. I've included some of my favorite images and passages below. The memoir excerpts in Good Morning No. 1 are incredibly moving, and I hope the full work will be published some day. Due to Joanne's remarkable honesty and openness, her tales of growing up in Louisville in the fifties take on a heartbreaking and near mythic tone. She writes that "much of [her] adult life has been spent unraveling the tangled web of my childhood," and reading her honest words I feel closer to unraveling my own tangled web, and what more can you ask for from a book? "I was always disappointed with my finished art. It was never as good as I hoped it would be. At age seven, I was already judging myself by impossibly high standards; my mother, too, judged me by adult standards. In fact, I still have the Junior Art Gallery clay sculpture; when I look at it now, I can see that it was quite accomplished for a seven year old. Now, in my early sixties, making art has been a big part of my life for years, as much of a saving grace for me as reading was when I was six. When I draw, my muse speaks to me." "The stallions I drew were copies of one on the covers of one of the first horse stories I read, The Black Stallion, but the stories I imagined about them were different. I had listened to the cowboy stories on the radio with my grandfather after dinner. I especially liked 'Straight Arrow' and 'The Lone Ranger' because both heroes had hidden identities. In bed at night, I lay in the dark and imagined that I had a stallion like the one in my drawings, a wild stallion, wild to every one but me. He was mine, and when I whistled my secret whistle, he thundered to my side in a flash. I whistled for him to save me from bad guys or to help me save good guys from bad ones. Then I galloped away on my stallion, leaving every one dazed and wondering who that brave little girl was." "At home I drew horses in pencil on the blank pages in the front and back of my books. In Miss Brooks's class we worked on art projects twice a week. I made clay finger puppets of all the puppet characters on my favorite TV show, 'Kukla, Fran and Ollie.' Kukla was a cheery little bald guy with a round nose, dots for eyes and a high, squeaky voice; Ollie, my favorite, was a friendly but naughty dragon with only one big pointy tooth just under his pointy snout at the front of his huge mouth. I didn't care much for Fran, who was a human being, sweet but boring. There was also a snooty old woman puppet, Madame Oglepuss, who acted very glamorous, but with her huge curved nose and baggy eyes, was really ugly. When I wrote the cursive 'J' of my name at the top of my school papers, I always made it as a profile of Madame Oglepuss." "The collage of the baby enjoying the frolicking alligator is me and it came to me in a very positive dream about fifteen years ago. The setting was the backyard of the house I have lived in for 38 years. In the dream the alligators were playful, filled with energy and not at all frightening. I did not come to terms with my father's death until I was in my fifties, after a dream in which I was able to look into my father's coffin and see that he looked just as he had looked in life--and then I cried for him for the first time." Press release (edition of 500 copies):Joanne Oldham has quietly been making art in a range of mediums for several decades. Though mostly known for a scattering of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy releases, including the iconic cover for I See a Darkness, the vast majority of this prolific artist and writer’s work has never been seen outside of her circle of family and friends. Intensely personal, warm, and often terrifying, her art is playful and mysterious, existing in a space of constant conflict. The debut issue of Good Morning dedicates the entire issue to a selection of work done over the last 25 years showcasing Oldham’s unique vision. Collages, paintings, drawings, as well as excerpts from Oldham’s memoir of growing up in the south in the 1950s are included, as well as biographical notes written by the artist herself.
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Putukajutud: Insect Stories from Estonia

May 20, 2012, 6:55 pm
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Illustrations by Vello Vinn for Helvi Jürisson's Putukajutud (Insect Stories, 1983, Estonia) Read more about the artist in a previous post on his work, and see another of his wild children's books here. I've also featured another book by Jürisson, illustrated by Heinz Valk. front cover back cover Estonian art and illustration on 50 Watts
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Twenty Postcards of the Wiener Werkstätte

May 21, 2012, 7:23 pm
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I scanned these twenty postcards from the squat 1980s Austrian book Mail Art Anno Klimt, but searching tonight I see that a comprehensive collection is currently available titled Postcards of the Wiener Werkstätte. The publisher's description of that book gives some background:The Wiener Werkstätte or Vienna Workshops was founded in 1903 by architect Josef Hoffmann and artist Koloman Moser. In 1907, the Wiener Werkstätte began publishing a numbered series of postcards, which would ultimately include nearly 1,000 cards. Many of them were designed to celebrate holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. Fashion, both contemporary and historical, became another popular subject, along with humorous topics and favorite tourist spots of the period. All of the major designers who worked for the firm were contributors in this medium including Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, and Dagobert Peche. Other noteworthy artists who were active in this area whose names may be less familiar include Moriz Jung, Rudolf Kalvach, Mela Koehler, and Maria Likarz, among others. This catalogue raisonné accompanies the first major museum exhibition ever held in the United States devoted exclusively to the postcards produced by the Wiener Werkstätte. The work in the exhibition is drawn exclusively from The Leonard A. Lauder Collection and coincides with the gift of nearly 1,000 of the cards to the Neue Galerie. A selection of these cards will be on view on a regular basis as part of the museum's permanent collection. Ruldolf Kalvach, postcard 29 Hans Kalmsteiner, postcard 305 Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel, postcard 380 Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel, postcard 381 Fritz Zeymer, postcard 151 Mela Koehler, postcard 556 Moriz Jung, postcard 96 Moriz Jung, postcard 82 Berthold Loffler, postcard 71 Rudolf Kalvach, postcard 148 Rudolf Kalvach, postcard 100 Oskar Kokoschka, postcard 78 Carl Otto Czeschka, postcard 252 Josef Diveky, postcard 501 Unknown, signed LZ, postcard 576 Maria Likarz, postcard 748 Mela Koehler, postcard 477 Moriz Jung, postcard 532 Moriz Jung, postcard 87 Urban Janke, Til Eulenspiegel, postcard 18 Previously: Kolo's Kinderbuch
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Space Teriyaki 5

May 22, 2012, 9:02 pm
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Visions of space and the future in Japan in the 70s and 80s. What you are seeing here is a selection of scans from my ever-growing collection of books and catalogs on Japanese illustration and design. I'm putting the series on hiatus to focus on a new one highlighting dream imagery from this time (of course, most of these could fall in that category too). Sadao Sato, late 80s (this image extends an inch beyond my scanner on all four sides) Shusei Nagaoka, from Androla in Labyrinth, 1984 "Falling motion," illustration by Kazuho Itoh for "Newton," mid-80s Kazuo Haba, early 70s Sonoko Arai, early 70s Kazumasa Nagai, poster Masao Minami, early 70s Kazuaki Iwasaki, mid-80s Hiroshi Manabe, early 70s Hiroshi Manabe, early 70s Tadanori Yokoo, early 70s Tadanori Yokoo, early 70s Ikuo Niida, early 70s Kozo Mio, early 70s Yasuhiro Yomogida, early 70s Yoji Kuri, early 70s Yoji Kuri, early 70s Shusei Nagaoka, from Androla in Labyrinth, 1984 Shusei Nagaoka, from Androla in Labyrinth, 1984 Kazumasa Nagai, poster Kazumasa Nagai, poster credit to come Natsuo Noma, late 80s See the full series
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Ex Libris Mr. Reaper (9)

May 29, 2012, 8:40 am
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Bookplates from the collection of Richard Sica Antioukhin Helfenbein Durand Oliete unidentified artist unidentified artist Vereschagin Vadasz Kocak Missieri A bookplate by Richard Sica himself See all bookplate posts on 50 Watts.
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Twenty-two posters by Charles Verschuuren

June 4, 2012, 8:55 pm
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Dutch-American illustrator Charles Verschuuren (1891–1955) had a long career. Starting out as a teenage cartoonist for local papers in Tilburg, Netherlands, Verschuuren trained in Amsterdam and Paris before creating hundreds of posters, fliers, and advertisements for large firms such as the printer Drukkerij Kotting (the works in this post come from this time). He moved to Cleveland in 1922 and then to New York, where he would illustrate 380 covers for the Brooklyn Eagle, design posters for the WPA, and make animations for the Air Force (and very briefly for Disney). See a timeline of his career and some of his oil paintings here. Click through each poster to read more about them on the The Memory of the Netherlands. ca. 1920s ca. 1920s 1921–1922 ca. 1920s 1917–1918 1923–1924 1921 1918–1923 1920–1923 1919–1920 1920 1918 1918–1920 ca. 1920s ca. 1920s 1922–23 ca. 1920s ca. 1920s 1920–21 ca. 1920s 1919–1920 I would have guessed late 1960s... 1920–21 See all posts featuring material from the Netherlands
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Ukrainian Space Invaders

June 8, 2012, 9:56 am
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I'm not sure how I stumbled on "J.B's" 2008 picasa gallery "UA_Ancient_Embroidery." I hoped to find out more about these scans before featuring them—I've been staring at them for months in disbelief—but laziness prevailed, so here's a blurb on embroidery from wikipedia:Ukrainian embroidery occupies an important place among the various branches of Ukrainian decorative arts. Embroidery has a rich history in Ukraine, and has long appeared in Ukrainian folk dress as well as played a part in traditional Ukrainian weddings and other celebrations. Appearing all across the country, Ukrainian embroidery varies depending on the region of origin. From Poltava, Kiev, and Chernihiv in the east, to Volyn and Polissia in the northwest, to Bukovyna, and the Hutsul area in the southwest, the designs have a long history which defines its ornamental motifs and compositions, as well as its favorite choice of colors and types of stitches. If you have any clues about dates, please get in touch.
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Takeo Aesop

June 12, 2012, 9:59 am
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Illustrations from a 1925 edition of Aesop's Fables, from 50 Watts fave Takeo Takei Bio from the Kodomo No Kuni site:Takei was born in Suwa, Nagano prefecture in 1894. After studying at the Hongo Yoga Kenkyujo (Hongo Research Institute for Western Art) he entered the Western-style art department of Tokyo Art School in 1919. He was an ardent admirer of illustrator Takehisa Yumeji and poet Kitahara Hakushu. After graduation from art school, he married in 1921 and to support his new family he began to produce illustrations for children for Kodomo no tomo [Child's Friend], a children's magazine published by Fujin no Tomo Sha. In 1922 he became one of the leading illustrators for Kodomo no kuni [Children's Land] from its inaugural issue. In 1923 he published Otogi no tamago [The Fairy's Egg], and in 1925 his first individual exhibition was held in Ginza in the heart of Tokyo. His Ramu-ramu O [King Ramu-ramu] came out in 1926. The following year, with Shimizu Yoshio, Okamoto Kiichi, Kawakami Shiro, and other illustrators contributing to the Kodomo no kuni, Takei formed the Nihon Doga Kyokai (Japan Association of Illustration for Children), as part of the effort to achieve artistic quality in illustrations for children. Following Okamoto's death, Takei succeeded him as critic and selector of illustrations submitted to Kodomo no kuni in 1931. In 1955, he became editorial adviser for the magazine Kinda bukku [Kinder Book]. I again found these images in the database of the National Diet Library. Some of Takei's books have been reprinted and are available from amazon.co.jp. Previous posts on this artist Previous posts on this artist
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Night Thoughts of William Blake

June 26, 2012, 8:50 am
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A couple weeks ago I opened at random the Selected Non-Fictions of Borges to the line:In 1717, he [Swift] said to Young, the author of Night Thoughts, "I am like that tree; I will begin to die at the top." I quickly read the whole amazing essay (on the phrase "I am that I am"), then backtracked to "the author of Night Thoughts" — Edward Young (1681–1765) sounded perfect for my side project on obscure authors. A few clicks on Google revealed that William Blake illustrated parts of Young's poem — Night Thoughts: Or, the Complaint and the Consolation — in 1797, and that the Yale Center for British Art houses large scans of the illustrations. Dover has also published an edition of these works. I've been waiting five years to feature Blake. Enjoy.
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Living Lights

July 9, 2012, 9:20 pm
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Illustrations from Living Lights: A Popular Account of Phosphorescent Animals and Vegetables by Charles Frederick Holder (1887) Holder (1851–1915) sounds like a real character. He was considered the "father of big-game fishing," wrote many books, and "In 1910, he traveled with Frederick Russell Burnham to Mexico and uncovered Mayan artifacts, including the Esperanza Stone, a supposedly paranormal relic described in [Fort's] Book of the Damned." The illustrations are not credited in the book though some are signed "A. L. Clement." View the whole book at archive.org. I think I first spotted this at Old Book Illustrations tumblr. "Pyrosoma and Diver" Reading like something from a Gustav Meyrink novel:"Professor Moseley captured a Pyrosoma four feet long, ten inches in diameter, with walls an inch in thickness. It was placed upon the deck of the vessel, and, when the naturalist wrote his name upon the animal with his finger, it came out in letters of fire: each letter seeming to increase in size, until the entire name was lost in a blaze of light that radiated rapidly and soon suffused the entire animal, presenting a marvellous spectacle and showing, in a striking manner, how intimately the animals are connected." "Sea Bottom" "Luminous Protozoans" "Luminous Insect / Luminous Mushrooms" "Chiasmodus / Sun-Fish / Plagiodus / Harpodon / Beryx" "Luminous Sea-Jelly and Mollusk" "Venus' Girdle" "Luminous Star Fishes" "Burrow of Pholas / Sea Pen" "Apolemia / Cleodora / Praya" "Luminous Beetle (In burrow of Mole Cricket)" "Spider Crab" "Luminous Crustaceans" "Luminous Umbellularia / Luminous Fish / Silicious Sponge / Luminous Crustacean / Luminous Corals" "Luminous Fish. With two luminous disks, one emitting a golden, the other a greenish light." "Pelican Fish" "Luminous Beetles, etc." [a loaded "et cetera"] From the facing page (reminding me of the hats of the poet-general's mossy troops in The Baron in the Trees): "Gen. Count Dejean, aide-de-camp to Napolean, was a most enthusiastic collector of beetles; and it is even said of him that he would march his army out of its way to pass through a good collecting locality. At all times during the campaigns which he helped to render famous, his attention was not taken from his favorite occupation; and his military cap was invariably conspicuous from the gorgeous beetles that were there immolated. Every one in the army, from the emperor down to his men, was aware of what was termed his weakness; and the latter were constantly on the lookout for specimens for their commander. At the battle of Wagram, 1809, the general went into the combat with his hat as usual ornamented with beetles, which he had received that morning; and, while standing near the emperor, a shot from the enemy struck him upon the head, knocking him senseless, and destroying his collection, -- the hat being completely torn to pieces. The emperor, thinking him fatally wounded, hastened to his side, asking if he was still alive; upon which the general gasped out, "I am not dead; but, alas, my insects are all gone!"
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Twenty-one More Ads from 1950s Japan

July 11, 2012, 9:22 pm
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Here's a sequel to my previous post of 1950s Japanese ads. 1954 Seven scans come from the book 1950: Japanese Graphic Design in the '50s: The Designer Is Born (possibly still available from Amazon Japan, ISBN 9784336050755). The rest come from the great Japanese blog Retromaniagogo and its previous incarnation That's Eurobeat (source for my first post). The blogger has been scanning vintage magazine ads since August 2007 (the same month I started "A Journey Round My Skull") and he occasionally highlights illustrations too. He's well on his way to 10,000 scans. 1954 1951 1954 1955 1957 1957 1952 1953, Toyo Rayon ad by Ryuichi Yamashiro 1956 1957 1951 1954, designed by Tadashi Ohashi These two are probably magazine covers 1955, designed by Tadashi Ohashi 1954 1954 1957 1950 1958 1957 1956 Previously: a post of 1950s ads from the same resource See all posts tagged Japan on 50 Watts
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The Bird

July 13, 2012, 9:00 am
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Illustrations by Carlos Mérida for The Bird by Janette Sebring Lowrey (1947) Previous post on Mérida (1891–1984): The Hungry Moon About the artist (from the back flap)Carlos Merida, born in Guatemala, went to Paris at 19. He studied art there for five years, took a brief trip through the United States, and then returned to Guatemala. Five years later he moved to Mexico, where he now lives. Mr. Merida has always been closely connected with the native art, both modern and traditional, of the two countries in which he has lived. He has worked with the famous mural painters Rivera and Orozco, has done settings for the Mexican theater, and is now working with a Mexican ballet group, on costumes, sets, and choreography. He has done colorfully illustrated books on the folk arts of Mexico and Guatemala and has recently taken great interest in the illustration of children's books. Carlos Merida's versatility and success have brought him wide recognition. His paintings are exhibited in important art centers all through the United States and Mexico. endpapers And though one of my friends dislikes it when I post details of images... Previously: The Hungry Moon
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The Frog Who Would A Wooing Go

July 16, 2012, 11:02 am
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Illustrations from The Frog Who Would A Wooing Go (Boston, circa 1858) The illustrator is not credited though I would like to see more of his or her proto-Mike-Judge cats. There have been countless reworkings of this traditional folk song. I recommend viewing Feodor Rojankovsky's illustrations for Frog Went A-Courtin while listening to Rowlf & Sam. I again found this through the OBI Scrapbook Blog, who found it at archive.org (where you can see the whole book). update: Chris at Dreamers Rise pointed out that H. L. Stephens [Cock Robin!] illustrated an edition around the same time. See it here (superior duck swallowing image below):
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The Monkey King

July 17, 2012, 9:43 pm
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Shotaro Honda's illustrations for the 1939 children's book Son Goku (The Monkey King) I assume this is an adaptation of bits of the Chinese epic Journey to the West. The scans come from the database of the National Diet Library. I've previously featured this illustrator's Koganemaru the Dog. Bio for Shotaro Honda (1893–1939) via Kodomo no kuni:Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture in 1893. In 1907, at the age of fourteen, he was accepted at the Taiheiyo Gakai Kenkyujo, a school of Western-style art affiliated with the Taiheiyo Gakai (Pacific Art Society Institute) established in 1904. He studied Western-style painting under Ishii Hakutei and Ishii Toraji. At the same time, he taught himself ukiyo-e by copying works by the masters. In 1910, he won first place in a cover design contest for the magazine Shonen sekai [Boy's World]. In 1913, he started illustrating for magazines published by Hakubunkan, including Yonen gaho [Toddler's Illustrated] and Yonen sekai [Infant's World], and for the magazine Shojo [Girls] printed by Jijishinpo. In the 1920s, he was active as an established illustrator for such prominent journals as Kodomo no kuni [Children's Land], Kodomo asahi [Children's Asahi], and Kodomo no tomo [The Child's Friend]. From 1928 to 1936 he illustrated for Shonen kurabu [Boy's Club]. He was also one of the artists recruited to illustrate the well-known Nihon dowa senshu [Collected Japanese Stories] (Maruzen Co., 1926-1936) and Nihon jido bunko [Library for Japanese Children] (Arusu, 1927-1930). Among Honda's leading works are Koganemaru [Koganemaru the Dog] by Iwaya Sazanami (1938), Songoku [The Monkey King] (1939), and Songoku to Hakkai [The Monkey King and Hakkai] (1940) in the Kodansha Picture Book series. Previous posts tagged "Japan"
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The Night Riders

July 19, 2012, 8:31 am
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Pages from Matt Furie's stunning wordless picture book The Night Riders (2012, McMullens) As a frequent visitor of 50 Watts might imagine just by looking at the cover, The Night Riders is my favorite book of the year. It will soon enough be referred to as a classic and I hope it spawns many sequels. With his new imprint, Brian McMullen picks up where the legendary Harlin Quist left off, and I can't wait to see what he dreams up next. Launched just last year, the McMullens imprint joins Enchanted Lion in what feels like a renaissance in visionary independent children's book publishing. Buy The Night Riders from the publisher, Amazon, or fine bookstores everywhere. Better yet just buy a subscription to the McMullens series. Here are some pages with my commentary to help locate you in the story. [Our night riders, a frog and a rat, wake up for a late night snack and bike ride — or maybe, as I like to think, they're dreaming.] [Fetching the bike from their mushroom garage, they set off for their adventure.] [They meet a dragon who turns out to be very friendly.] [The dragon introduces them to his subterranean friend...] [...a jean-short-wearing gamer bat.] [Together they visit a deserted seaside compound with lots of fountains.] [They soon decide to take a dip in the ocean.] [Purple dolphins save them from a scary crab.] [And they watch the sun rise.] Like all McMullens, the book's cover folds out into a huge 2-sided poster: detail from fold-out front cover other side of fold-out poster, made much smaller than actual size
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Lux-Lesebogen

July 25, 2012, 9:04 am
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Lux-Lesebogen was a miniature bi-weekly magazine for young people published in Germany between 1946 and 1964. The forgotten illustrator and graphic designer Karlheinz Dobsky designed the covers for almost all 410 issues. He also contributed texts and illustrations for the encyclopedic series. Each 32-page booklet covered a scientific or historical topic in a popular science style. Print-runs of thirty to sixty thousand and affordable prices ensured that the magazine had a large impact in post-war Germany. Michael Schekalla recently organized an exhibit and plans to publish a book (see the gorgeous mock-up) about Lux-Lesebogen and Karlheinz Dobsky. I feature here some of my favorite covers, and thank Michael for sharing them and the information above. Much thanks to John Coulthart for turning me on to these. Two blown-up images:
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