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Illustrations by Shigeru Hatsuyama for Thumbelina (and other tales) (Japan, 1925)

"The Daisy" All scans via the National Diet Library. Not all of these illustrations are for the story "Thumbelina" but I matched the post title to the book title. Bio of Shigeru Hatsuyama (sometimes "Hatuyama," 初山滋) (1897-1973) from Kodomo No Kuni:Hatsuyama was born in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1897. In 1906 he studied yamato-e painting for three months under Araki Tanrei, a Kano-school painter in Yanaka (Tokyo), and in 1907 he painted kimono patterns at a workshop in Kanda-Imagawabashi. He studied the style of painter Ogata Korin (1658-1716). In 1911 he became a disciple of Ikawa Sengai, a Japanese-style painter known for his bijinga (images of beautiful women). In 1919, following the founding of the children's magazine Otogi no sekai [Fairy World] (Bunkodo), Hatsuyama did the illustrations for its cover from the inaugural to the very last issue which came out in October 1923. There's also a longer bio at The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints. This post is a birthday present to myself. I will stare at it all day.

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier"

"The Ugly Duckling"

"Thumbelina"

"The Daisy"

"Thumbelina"

"The Angel"

"The Little Match Girl"

"The Ugly Duckling"

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier"

"The Flying Trunk"

"The Fir-Tree"

"The Angel"

detail

"The Flying Trunk"

endpapers

title page spread

cover

detail If you like this post, don't miss the "Takeo Takei" filter. Previous posts on Japan

Vintage Swedish book design from the collection of Book Cover Lover

1970, En man från Danmark, cover by Svenolov Ehrén From the collection of Book Cover Lover The Swedish design and illustration blog Book Cover Lover is still going strong. I've pulled some more favorites for this sequel to my September 2011 post. Here's what I said then: Martin Klasch turned me on to the Swedish blog Book Cover Lover. . . Started in May [2011], there are already 224 posts to scroll through, the majority of them focusing on Swedish mid-century book covers and bindings from the blogger's own collection. You may recognize designers from my previous posts Cocktaildags and Lord of the Flugornas. Unfortunately the binding designers are unknown, as publishers rarely print credits for the binding.

1961, The Martian Chronicles From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1961, The Martian Chronicles, cover by Karl-Erik Forsberg From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1958, The Sling and the Arrow From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1965, Jag minns min blåa Donau, cover by Bo Lassen From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1957, cover: Per Silfverhjelm, illustrator: Staffan Brunius From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1960, Österhus brinner, cover by Gunnar Brusewitz From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1959, Tiburon, cover by Gunnar Brusewitz From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1958, Weep for a Wanton From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1956, From och Hård, vignette by Ylva Källström-Eklund From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1958, The Hangman's Tree From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1964, De tre små mästarna, cover by Rolf Lagerson From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1968, Nunnan av Monza, cover by Rolf Lagerson From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1967, The Three Friends, cover by Rolf Lagerson From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1960, Vedergällningens vägar, cover by Pär Gunnar Thelander From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1960, Spelboken, cover by Rolf Lagerson From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1971, Roseanna, cover by Svenolov Ehren From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1969, The Devil in Velvet, cover by Monica Schultz From the collection of Book Cover Lover

1969, Sjöjungfrun, cover by Monica Schultz From the collection of Book Cover Lover

From the collection of Book Cover Lover See all book cover posts on 50 Watts

Illustrations by Marcus Behmer (1879–1958) circa 1900

Marcus Behmer, from Ver Sacrum, 1901 I became fascinated by Marcus Behmer and his snoot-snout and big-beak creatures after seeing one of his bookplates in 2009 and posts of his work at feuilleton and The Cabinet of the Solar Plexus. (In 2011 I re-hashed feuilleton's work for a post on But Does it Float.) When I saw the image above in one of John's features on Ver Sacrum I knew I'd have to post it myself sooner or later. Most of the images here come from Ver Sacrum, "the art journal of the Viennese Secession," published from 1898 to 1903. See the complete archive. A few come from Simplicissimus and a few from auction listings. The only biographical information in English I could find is Oliver Tepel's account of the artist's life for an exhibit at Galerie Daniel Buchholz:Fascinated by the book art of Charles Ricketts and directly influenced by Aubrey Beardsley's revolution is in the field of illustration, Marcus Behmer starts out at the turn of the 19th century as an autodidact. He soon liberates himself from Art Nouveau and, parallel to Expressionism that was just emerging and to the new impulses from the Wiener Werkstätte in Vienna, develops his own inimitable formal idiom. In his native Weimar he catches the eye of the legendary Harry Graf Kessler. Behmer draws, writes and designs books (for Kessler's Cranach Press, but above all for the publisher Insel) developing a style of engraving that was both absolutely precise and astonishingly personal. He achieves a degree of fame in the bibliophile circles that keep abreast of the beginnings of Modernism. At the start of his career everything seems possible for Behmer, he makes early comic books, creates a language of ornament all of his own, and produces writings and pictures of astonishing comic imaginativeness and sexual frankness. But as early as the twenties Behmer suffers from the crisis in the field of the art book, and consequently from his unwavering dedication to the small format. While his book illustrations for Oscar Wilde's "La Sainte Courtisane", Hermann Bang's "Exzentrische Novellen" (Eccentric Novellas) and above all Phillip Otto Runge's "Von dem Fischer und syner Fru" (Of the Fisherman and his Wife) are highly regarded internationally, his visibly freer graphic works continue to disappear into a cultural black hole which swallows up almost all Modernist illustrators. He is still sufficiently visible however to come up on the National Socialists' radar, and in 1937 they imprisoned Behmer, who was living openly as a homosexual, for two years. [continue reading] Also check out the tantalizing installation views at the gallery. I wish I could take a look at some of these books!

Marcus Behmer, from Ver Sacrum, c. 1900

Marcus Behmer, "Karnevals Begräbnis" from Simplicissimus, 1900

Marcus Behmer, from Simplicissimus, 1901

Marcus Behmer, from Ver Sacrum, c. 1900

Marcus Behmer, "Faust und Wagner," Ver Sacrum, c. 1900

Marcus Behmer, from Ver Sacrum, c. 1900

Marcus Behmer, Simplicissimus, 1900

Marcus Behmer, from Ver Sacrum, c. 1900

Marcus Behmer for Balzac, "Das Mädchen mit den Goldaugen" (The Girl With the Golden Eyes), 1904

See a set of Behmer's Salome illustrations at The Peacock Skirt

Marcus Behmer, "Das Ungerheuer"

Cuban OSPAAAL posters from the archives of Michael Tyler, a collector from Bath, EnglandMike has a number of duplicates to offer in exchange for a few elusive posters he's trying to find. You can reach him at m_w_tyler [at] hotmail [dot] com

1969, poster by Rafael Zarsa, Day of Solidarity with the People of Laos From the collection of Michael Tyler From wikipedia:The Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America (Organización de Solidaridad con los Pueblos de Asia, África y América Latina), abbreviated as OSPAAAL, is a Cuban political movement with the stated purpose of fighting globalisation, imperialism, neoliberalism and defending human rights. [...] From its foundation until the mid-1980s, OSPAAAL produced brightly coloured propaganda posters promoting their cause, however, financial difficulty and ink shortages forced the organization to stop producing these posters. However, in 2000, these posters began to be printed again. These posters, as they intended to be internationalist, usually had their message written in Spanish, English, French, and Arabic. As opposed to being put up on walls around Cuba, these posters were instead folded up and stapled into copies of Tricontinental, so that they could be distributed internationally. This allowed OSPAAAL to send its message to its subscribers around the world.

1969, poster by Faustino Perez, Day of Solidarity with Venezuela From the collection of Michael Tyler

1968, poster by Faustino Perez, Day of Solidarity with the People of Palestine From the collection of Michael Tyler

1970, poster by René Mederos, Day of solidarity with the struggle of the people of South Africa From the collection of Michael Tyler

1975, poster by Lazaro Abreu, Queens House of Detention From the collection of Michael Tyler

1971, poster by Ernesto Padron, Together with Vietnam From the collection of Michael Tyler

1968, poster by Daysi Garcia, Day of Solidarity with the Afro American People From the collection of Michael Tyler

1970, poster by Alfredo Rostgaard, Santo Domingo 1965 From the collection of Michael Tyler

1969, poster by Guilermo Menendez, Day of solidarity with the Japanese People From the collection of Michael Tyler

1970, poster by Faustino Pérez, Day of solidarity with Zimbabwe From the collection of Michael Tyler

1970, poster by Lazaro Abreu, Day of solidarity with the Arab Peoples of Syria From the collection of Michael Tyler

1968, poster by Alfredo Rostgaard, Democracy Representative From the collection of Michael Tyler

1968, poster by Alfredo Rostgaard, Tricontinental Conference 3rd Anniversary From the collection of Michael Tyler

1969, poster by Daysi Garcia, Day of solidarity with Angola From the collection of Michael Tyler

1971, poster by Alfredo Rostgaard, Sekou Toure From the collection of Michael Tyler

1978, poster by Olivio Martinez, Day of the Heroic Guerilla From the collection of Michael Tyler

1970, poster by Asela Perez, Solidarity with Latin America From the collection of Michael Tyler

1968, poster by Berta Abelenda, Day of Solidarity with Palestine From the collection of Michael Tyler

1969, designer unknown, For an Independant South Yemen From the collection of Michael Tyler

1970, poster by Lazaro Abreu, Day of world solidarity with the people of so-called Portuguese Guinea and Cape Verde From the collection of Michael Tyler

1972, poster by Alfredo Rostgaard, Nixon From the collection of Michael Tyler

1972, poster by Alfredo Rostgaard, Nixon (unfolded) From the collection of Michael Tyler

Twenty-five covers for the 1930s Spanish publication Gente Menuda by Francisco López Rubio (1895–1965) and others From the collection of Museo ABC in Madrid and with great thanks to curator Felipe Hernández Cava and my friend Alfonso Melendez

Gente Menuda, 1933, cover by Lopez Rubio These covers come from two exhibits curated by Felipe Hernández Cava for Museo ABC: one on Gente Menuda, the other on Francisco López Rubio. Gente Menuda first appeared in 1904 as a children's supplement of Blanco y Negro. Its heyday and real popularity occurred from 1932 up until the Spanish Civil War. Some of the artists involved were Salvador Bartolozzi, Piti Bartolozzi, Masberger, Ramírez, Tauler, Tono, Viera Sparza, K-Hito, Barbero, Alonso, A.T.C., Hidalgo de Caviedes, Climent, Serny, Mihura, and Hortelano. Curator Felipe Hernández Cava is also one of Spain's best comic strip writers, starting out in the El Cubri collective. Much gratitude to the ABC Museum staff for sending the two catalogs. Alfonso Melendez, who introduced me to this world of illustration, shows a lot of his own work and the work of his brother, illustrator Francisco Melendez, on his Facebook page.

Gente Menuda, 1933, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1934, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1932, cover by Felix Alonso

Gente Menuda, 1935, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1936, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1932, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1933, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1934, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1934, cover by Lopez Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1932, cover by A.T.C. (Angeles Torner Cervera)

Gente Menuda, 1931, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1934, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1935, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1936, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1934, cover by Lopez Rubio Sometimes familiar-looking characters make guest appearances:

Gente Menuda, 1936, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1933, cover by López Rubio

Gente Menuda, 1936, cover by López Rubio This post first appeared on October 10, 2013 on 50 Watts

A Modern Dance of Death: A portfolio of prints by German artist Joseph Sattler (1867–1931), c. 1894

The images come from a 1912 Berlin edition scanned by Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, with a handful from what appears to be a Berlin/London edition (in French) held by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The German wikipedia entry tells us that Sattler is a big name in Art Nouveau remembered especially for his illustrations in Simplicissimus and Pan. via Peacay (are you not following BibliOdyssey on tumblr?). See also his post "Danse Macabre Collection."

from the earlier edition

from the 1912 edition This post first appeared on October 29, 2013 on 50 Watts

Works by the great Irish illustrator Harry Clarke, circa 1910–1930

1913, for "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" ("The souls did from their bodies fly") I put this post together in October 2012 and for some reason never unleashed it—better late than never. If I remember correctly most of these scans come from Nicola Bowe's The Life and Work of Harry Clarke. From James White's preface to the Bowe book, here is Clarke's eldest son Michael discussing his father:"...the priests did make an indelible mark on every sensitive child who listened with care: he would have a grim understanding of the quality of hell and an idealised version of an improbable Paradise. Thus Harry Clarke would carry into the world a comforting picture of the glories of salvation joined inevitably to a fascination with the terror of damnation which had particular bearing on those matters of sensual indulgence which his masters constantly trumpeted as a major road to eternal fire. He would never be a devout Catholic, but would never decry it in others. Much of religion in which he did not believe he found aesthetically pleasing. The peripheral rules he found an irritation. The deeper mysteries filled him with awe." Also: "Michael has described how his father loved swimming with them, organizing games of all sorts, and would write them amusing letters enclosing illustrations and altered photographs signed with the melancholy nom-de-plume J. Sick..." See all Harry Clarke posts on 50 Watts

1915, for "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

1913, for De Profundis (Wilde)

1920, "Out on the wind of Time, shining and streaming," illustration to Rupert Brooke's "The Great Lover"

1925, Faust and Mephistopheles, end-piece to Faust

detail

1914, Hibernia, calendar design for an insurance company

1923, Christmas card

1917, cover for fifth exhibition of Arts and Crafts Society

1925, unpublished illus. of Garden scene in Faust

1928, design for panel, Geneva Window, based on Yeats' "Countess Cathleen"

1924, illus. for Clemence Dane, Women Voters and the Death Penalty, Good Housekeeping

1924, The Devil's Wife and her Eldest

1925, Dublin Drama League

detail

1913, Silver Apples of the Moon

1925, Ophelia (or Lobster), after Hokusai

1913, The Dream, Pope, The Rape of Lock, 1913

1925, Mephistopheles, for Faust (misshapen bodies with wormlike heads)

1925, The Street, from Faust

1925, The Two Distilleries on the Same Hill, for Warren, Elixir of Life

c. 1920, untitled

1917, The Mad Mulrannies, Synge's Playboy of the Western World

1922, The Last Hour of the Night, illus. to Dublin of the Future

1923, cover for Lennox Robinson's plays

Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination illustration, mixed media on paper

detail

1923, from dustjacket for Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination

1923, first US edition of Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination

caricature self portrait in medieval garret See all Harry Clarke posts on 50 Watts This post first appeared on October 30, 2013 on 50 Watts.

Bookplates from the collection of Richard Sica

Leonid Stroganov (Russian, b. 1979)

Max Švabinský (Czech, 1873–1962)

F. S. Coburn (Canadian, 1871–1960)

Vladimir Suchánek (Czech, b. 1933)

Jrisdu (?)

Fritz Gilsi (Swiss, 1878–1961)

Henry Chapront (France, 1876-1965), Charles Baudelaire, 1922 Thank you Daniel for the i.d. Read about this one at Idbury.

Harry Jurgens (Estonian, lives and works in Germany, b. 1949) See all bookplate posts on 50 Watts (including parts 1 through 10 of this series). This post first appeared on

Liu Chunjie (刘春杰), b. 1965, 856 State Farm, Heilongjiang The Revolving Moon, 1992 multi-block woodcut, printed with water-soluble ink These images come from the hard-to-find book Chinese Prints 1950–2006 in the Ashmolean Museum by Weimin He and Shelagh Vainker. They are also on the Ashmolean website. I provided links beneath each image, though the site seems to have some glitches (and the links might all be dead). I say "hard-to-find" but good news: "Eastern Art Online will soon present an online version of Chinese Prints 1950-2006 in the Ashmolean Museum, enabling visitors to browse and search all the objects and their high-quality zoomable images featured in this publication..." [at which point this post becomes even more useless] For some reason I've been sitting on this post since November 2012 (maybe waiting for the online version of the book to appear?). It was meant to be paired with the post "Dancing On and Beneath the Great Wall." All works © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford and the artists or their estates

Li Yili (李毅力), b. 1954, Qijiang, Chongqing Hometown Record, 2004 woodcut, printed with water-soluble ink

Wang Bing (王兵), b. 1961, Gannan, Gansu Restaurant in Grazing Land, 1996 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Chen Long (陈龙), b. 1974, Heilongjiang State of Existence, 2003 waste-block woodcut, printed with water-soluble ink on canvas

Chen Yanlong (陈彦龙), v. 1965, Fujin, Heilongjiang Impact, 2002 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Ma Hongwen (马洪文), b. 1962, Qing'an, Heilongjiang Autumn Dance, 2003 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Dai Daquan (代大权), b. 1954, Beijing The Head of the Yaozemao Village, 2003 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Yu Chengyou (于承佑), b. 1953, Jimo, Shandong Misty Morning, 2003 multi-block woodcut, printed with water-soluble ink

Chao Mei (晁楣), b. 1931, Heze, Shandong September in the North, 1963 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Chao Mei (晁楣), b. 1931, Heze, Shandong The First Track of Footprints, 1960 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink Quote from the book: "This work records an event during the late 1950s when ten million soldiers were sent to the Great Northern Wilderness in northeast China to become agricultural workers; Chao Mei was one of them."

Kong Fanjia (孔繁佳), b. 1957, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Vigorous Grass, 1992 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Dai Zhengsheng (戴政生), b. 1954, Quxian, Sichuan A Distant Sound from the East, 1998 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Chen Haiyan (陈海燕), b 1955, Fushun, Liaoning Dream - Shout, 2004 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Gu Wenming (谷文明), b. 1964, Yakeshi, Inner Mongolia (in Beijing since 90s) Dreams of Nature series no. 1 - The Green Flute waste-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Xu Bing (徐冰), b. 1955 Chongqing Life Pond, 1987 woodcut; ink inscription

Guang Jun (广军), b. 1938, Shenyang, Liaoning Picking Lotus, 1985 screenprint

Li Qun (力群), b. 1912 Lingshi, Shanxi Beijing Snow scene, 1957 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink Read about Li Qun, who died at age 100 in 2012

Li Qun, In the Trees, 1980 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Su Xingping (苏新平), b. 1960, Jining, Inner Mongolia, teaches in Beijing Magic series, 2000 lithograph

Chen Yuping (陈玉平), b. 1947, Ning’an, Heilongjiang Autumn Sound Also see this Chinese blog post.

Song Wenzhi, 1919–1999 New Aspects of Lake Tai, 1973 painting reproduced as lithograph [inscribed "painted at Xishan at Dongting in Suzhou, March 1972']

Xu Xiangdong, b. 1962, Heilongjiang Dream, 2004 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Qijia Dawa (其加达瓦), b. 1946, Ganzi, Sichuan Ancient Temple on the Plateau, 1981 woodcut, printed with oil-based ink

Yu Chengyou (于承佑), b. 1953, Jimo, Shandong Night in a Small Village, 1984 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink "In my career as an artist, my goal is to approach perfection and sincerity, using my cutting knife to enrich my life."—Yu Chengyou

Liu Chunjie, Heilongjiang Deer's Call, 1993 multi-block woodcut, printed with oil-based ink Previously: The Great Northern Wasteland This post first appeared on December 5, 2013 on 50 Watts

Illustrations by Richard Teschner for the December 1923 issue of Die Muskete This is my third post on Teschner. From the first one: Richard Teschner (1879, Bohemia—1948, Vienna) made prints and illustrated books in turn-of-the-century Prague, hanging out with writers like Meyrink and Paul Leppin and exhibiting with Hugo Steiner-Prag. He finally settled in Vienna and devoted himself to the puppet theater. Brittanica says he "developed the artistic potentialities of the Javanese rod puppet for western puppet theatre." I'll keep digging! (For instance, someone needs to comb through this archive of his puppets.) [update: some photos of Teschner's puppets here.] You can read the text of this issue (in German) at the Austrian National Library.

detail

cropped from the cover

Previously: Etchings of a Puppeteer Master of Puppet Masters Franz Wacik This post first appeared on January 31, 2014 on 50 Watts

circa 1897–1928

Franz Wacik, illustrated cover for Wiener Kinder 1. Buch, 1923 See my June 2013 post on Franz Wacik From the catalog: "The first primer to appear in Vienna according to the requirements of the Social Democratic school reform. Franz Wacik, who was commissioned to illustrate this book, was already well-known as an artist. Published in many editions, the primer—its exterior already signalling clarity and contemporary self-awareness—is now considered a key work of interwar primer art." Most of these scans come from the book Jugendschatz und Wunderscherlein: Book Art for Children in Vienna 1890–1938 (text in German and English; Amaz link). The book accompanied a 2009 exhibit at the "works on paper" arm of the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. For an excellent overview of the book, read Helen Chang's piece for Design Observer. Here's the publisher's description:From the end of the 19th century to 1938, many children's books of artistic importance were published in Vienna. This publication is devoted to this special genre of book art, which at that time ranked in importance alongside architecture, painting, literature, music and theatre. The illustrations of notable artists such as C. O. Czeschka, Heinrich Lefler, Bertold Loffler, Koloman Moser, as well as those of numerous, talented—though as yet unknown—graphic artists are evidence of the variety of high quality works produced. Moreover, the selected children's books, divided into four chapters (I. From Monarchy to Republic, II. Bourgeois Life, III. The Modern World, IV. New Teaching Methods) can be seen in the political, social and economic context concerned. As part of daily culture, they reflect contemporary realities and utopias, which at this stage are still revealed to children by means of the 'picture book'. In a fifth chapter (V. Art for Children - Children's Art), aesthetic developments and artistic possibilities of expression are put into visual form. The historical children's book in particular reveals impressively individual artistic craftsmanship, and styles and modes typical of particular epochs. Based on around one hundred works, the publication charts not only the history of the development of the modern children's book in Vienna, but also that of the modern book art overall. A handful of the scans come from the harder-to-find Wien und Berlin: Zwei Metropolen im Spiegel des Kinderbuchs 1870–1945 (worldcat) and a handful from various online sources.

Wenzel Oswald, illus. for Himmlische Mär by Leo Blonder, 1914 According to a Swiss bookseller in 2009: "Spectacular children’s book uniting the work of two artists of the Wiener Werkstätte. This book is of the utmost rarity in any form and has never come up for auction in the past 30 years; we only know of one other copy of the deluxe edition in private hands. $12,500."

Heinrich Lefler, illus. for Die Bucher der Chronika der drei Schwestern, 1900

C. O. Czeschka, Die Nibelungen, 1908

C. O. Czeschka, Die Nibelungen, 1908 full set here thanks to Mattia Moretti

Koloman Moser, sketch for Jugendschatz, 1897

Wiener Werkstatte Bilderbogen, 1907 (M Jung?)

Adelheid Malecki, Mein Herz gehort meinen Volkern, 1913

Class of Franz Cizek, Jugendkunstklasse, 1922

Anna Lesznai, Die Reise des Kleinen Schmetterlings..., 1912 Read a short bio of this Hungarian artist (wife of Tibor Gergely) here.

Richard Teschner, Tobias Immerschneller, 1910, cover Teschner keeps popping up everywhere I turn. See three 50 Watts posts on him here.

Richard Teschner, Tobias Immerschneller, 1910 this image from the collection of Amélie Ziersch

Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel, Tierfabeln des klassischen Altertums, 1919

Lore Bohler, School of Emmy Zweybruck, 1924

Ferdinand Andri, Ausgewahlte Gedichte, 1904

Alfred Zangerl, Zirkus, 1925

signed Steffi Krauss Weihnacht, Vienna, 1922

Risa Bernt, illus. for Unser Franzi by Nelly Goebel, 1908

Lilly Jacobsen, etc., Leporello Bilderbuch Blumenstrauss, 1919

Maria Grengg for Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach, 1917

Heinrich Lefler and Joseph Urban, Kling Klang Gloria, 1907

Heinrich Lefler, Die Prinzessin und der Schweinehirt, 1897 The clear inspiration for Einar Nerman's Swineherd. The catalog says these illustrations "mark the beginning of modern book art in Vienna."

Joseph Binder, Indianermarchen, 1921

Class of Adolf Bohm, Bilderbuch der Kunstschule fur Frauen und Madchen, 1901

Richard Rothe, Das Marlein vom Wunderscherlein, 1926

Otto Schubert, Hoch die Republik, 1928 See the full "Kinderbuch series" of German, Austrian, and Swiss children's books See all children's books on 50 Watts This post first appeared on February 4, 2014 on 50 Watts

Vera Idelson’s costume and set design illustrations for the Italian Futurist play The Anguish of the Machines (La mascherata degli impotenti, 1923) by Ruggero Vasari From the January 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin) This play made it into English—as The Anguish of the Machines—in the anthology Robots, Robots, Robots (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1978). Naturally, I'm investigating that anthology! There's an academic article about Vasari here and an Italian blog has discussed the play. Vera Idelson (1893–1977) doesn't turn up in many search results. Here's a 1937 costume design. I have a few more posts in the works from the archives of Der Sturm.

Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin) The above and below are captioned "Die Maschinenverdammten"

Vera Idelson, costume design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

Vera Idelson, set design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin)

Vera Idelson, set design for Maschinenangst by Ruggero Vasari From the Jan. 1925 issue of Der Sturm (Berlin) Putting together this post I came across these illustrations for the first Italian book edition.

Enrico Prampolini, illustration for La mascherata degli impotenti, 1923 via

Enrico Prampolini, illustration for La mascherata degli impotenti, 1923 via Previously: Mummy Was A Robot, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil This post first appeared on February 6, 2014 on 50 Watts

Illustrations of "skomorokhs"—Russian minstrel buffoons—by Boris Messerer, c. 1972

Boris Messerer, 1972 I bought this small vintage postcard set last year on a tip from my pal OvO. Laboriously typing on a cyrillic keyboard (once again), I identified the artist as the famous set design Boris Messerer (Борис Мессерер). Here's a bio from pravda.ru:[Messerer] has been making scenery for plays staged in Moscow's best-known theaters and theaters in other Russian cities since 1960. Specialists call him one of the few successors of the classical theater-scenery art. Messerer also worked a lot for TV and made brilliant book illustrations. In 1980, together with his wife, outstanding poetess Bella Akhmadulina, he took part in the publication of the well-known opposition magazine Metropol. Boris Messerer is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts. He has been awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation and is a winner of the Russian State Prize. I put a handful of his paintings and set designs on the 50 Watts tumblr. Read about skomorokhs (скоморох) at wikipedia and at Russia IC, who write, "Skomorokhi were the wandering minstrels of ancient Russia; they were singers, jesters, musicians, play performers, acrobats and animal trainers. But first of all skomorokhi were singers of freedom, who dared to ridicule the power, the clergy, and the rich and sympathized with the common people."

Boris Messerer, 1972

Boris Messerer, 1972 The artist at work:

"Boris Messerer paints a portrait of his wife, the famous poet Bella Akhmadulina (circa 1980s)" via marxists.org See all posts tagged Russia

Illustrations by Fortuné Méaulle for Alphabet des Insectes by Leon Becker (France, 1883)

The scans come from the Bibliothèque nationale de France. A previously-covered Cotsen exhibit says about the book:Insects stand in for people in this highly fanciful French alphabet. In addition to weight-lifting or parading down the boulevard, they file into church, ice skate, duel, dance, sail, paint, serenade a lover or invite her to dance, and, of course, improve their minds reading. Hetzel was one of the most important publishers of children's books in late nineteenth-century France, whose publications were distinguished by their handsome gold-stamped cloth bindings and excellent illustrations. You can see covers Meaulle (fr.wiki) did for Le Petit Journal here. Also see: Ready or Not, Here I Come Insect Stories from Estonia Eskimo Grasshoppers Birds, Beret, and Butterflies

See all posts tagged "France" on 50 Watts

Illustrations by Vello Vinn for ‘Kas Sa Tunned Seda Teed?’ by Helvi Jürisson (Estonia, 1973)

Google translates the title as "Do You Feel that Way?" Read more about Vello Vinn in a previous post and see all my posts of his work here. Helvi Jürisson (b. 1928) is an Estonian poet and translator who also published many books in verse for children.

(I've definitely felt this way)

(but maybe not this way)

Estonian art and illustration on 50 Watts This post first appeared on February 11, 2014 on 50 Watts

Book covers and ephemera from the collection of the tumblr "Jell-O Biafra Says" Joe started "Jell-O Biafra Says" in March 2013 and has already posted 1767 scans from his towering thrift store hoard. Here's a selection of my faves. (In case you are wondering: "this tumblr is not affiliated with mr. jello biafra...or kraft jell-o.")

Push Comes to Shove (1970) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

A Survey of Chemical and Biological Warfare (1969) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

The Nature of Violent Storms Anchor Science Study Series paperbacks (1959-1961) cover designs by George Giusti see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Two Novels by Nathaniel West (1971 ed.) Cover design by Ellen Raskin see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Interstellar Communication: Scientific Perspectives (1974) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Nihilists (1969 ed.) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Iron Men and their Dogs (1941) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Threepenny Novel (1960 ed.) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says Also see my Oct. 2012 post on the rororo series

The Sound of the Mountain (1974 ed.) Cover illustration by Barney Wan see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

The Leper King (1957) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Britain at War (1941) signed McKnight Kauffer [E. McKnight Kauffer on 50 Watts] see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Malone Dies (1956) [looks like a Kuhlman] see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

The Human Use of Human Beings (1954 ed.) Cover design by George Giusti see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Management Thinkers (1970) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Discourse on Thinking (1969 ed.) Cover design by Roger Hane see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Printing (1948), illustrated by Jack Brough) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Design as Art (1971 ed.) Cover illustration by Bruno Munari see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

The Last and First Men / Last Men in London (1973 ed.) Cover design by David Pelham see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

The Sioux Spaceman (1960) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Birds of New Jersey (1999) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Turtle Geometry (1984 ed.) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Digital Computer System Principles (1967) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Chemistry and You (1957) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

The Advance of the Fungi (1962 ed.) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Automation (1965) vs Automation (1966)

Marine Society bookplate see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

James Scott Memorial Fountain, Belle Isle Park, Detroit (postcard, c1930s) -- "different days" as Joe says see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

Feather image representing Kukailimoku, god of war (postcard, n.d.) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says

"Facial expressions in different motivational contexts" from Understanding Your Cat (1977 ed.) see the original post on Jell-o Biafra Says Previously: Stacks of Books Crushing Me one and two See all book cover posts on 50 Watts This post first appeared on February 12, 2014 on 50 Watts

Comics by Antonio Rubino for the Corriere dei Piccoli, circa 1910–1955 Italy

Antonio Rubino, "Quadratino" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1910, panel This is my fourth post—with many more in the works—on the great Italian illustrator Antonio Rubino (1880–1964). The scans come from Antonio Rubino: Gli anni del Corriere dei Piccoli (Black Velvet Editrice, 2009), which focuses on Rubino's comics for the Corriere dei Piccoli, a children's supplement to a big daily Italian newspaper. Here are some links: —post at Lambiek.com —Comics from Coconino-World.com —In the Nursery of Good and Evil —kid's room decorated by Rubino See all posts on Rubino

Antonio Rubino, "Quadratino" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1910 Italo Calvino, from the "Visibility" chapter of Six Memos for the Next Millennium In my own development, I was already a child of the ‘civilization of images,’ even if this was still in its infancy and a far cry from the inflations of today. Let us say that I am a product of an intermediate period, when the colored illustrations that were our childhood companions, in books, weekly magazines, and toys, were very important to us. I think that being born during that period [Calvino was born in 1923] made a profound mark on my development. My imaginary world was first influenced by the illustrations in Corriere dei Piccoli, the most widely circulated weekly for children. I am speaking of my life between three and thirteen years of age, before a passion for the cinema became an absolute obsession, one that lasted all through my adolescence. In fact I believe that the really vital time was between three and six, before I learned to read. In Italy in the twenties the Corriere dei piccoli used to publish the best-known American comic strips of the time: Happy Hooligan, the Katzenjammer Kids, Felix the Cat, Maggie and Jiggs, all of them rebaptized with Italian names. And there were also Italian comic strips, some of them of excellent quality, according to the graphic taste and style of the period…I used to live with this little magazine, which my mother had begun buying and collecting even before I was born and had bound into volumes year by year. I would spend hours following the cartoons of each series from one issue to another, while in my mind I told myself the stories, interpreting the scenes in different ways—I produced variants, put together the single episodes into a story of broader scope, thought out and isolated and then connected the recurring elements in each series, mixing up one series with another, and invented new series in which the secondary characters became protagonists. […] Reading the pictures without words was certainly a schooling in fable-making, in stylization, in the composition of the image.

Antonio Rubino, "Quadratino" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1910, panel

Antonio Rubino, "Pino e Pina" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1910

Antonio Rubino, "Pino e Pina" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1926

Antonio Rubino, "Pino e Pina" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1926, panels

Antonio Rubino, "Piombino e Abetino" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1917

Antonio Rubino, "La Tradotta" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1918 Most of the "La Tradotta" comics are double-page spreads (but just a single image like the above) and impossible to scan. They are damn cool, though.

Antonio Rubino, "Caro e Cora" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1919

Antonio Rubino, "Lio e Dado" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1934

Antonio Rubino, "Lio e Dado" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1934 When Rubino returned to Corriere dei Piccoli late in life, his work had pushed even further into eye-popping proto-psychedelia:

Antonio Rubino, "Dino Din e Din Dinora" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1955

Antonio Rubino, "Dino Din e Din Dinora" comic, Corriere dei Piccoli, 1956 See all posts on Rubino See all posts tagged "Italy" This post first appeared on February 13, 2014 on 50 Watts

Rokuro Taniuchi's illustrated covers for the Weekly Shincho (Japan, circa 1956-1981)

1964 These scans are courtesy of Jimoto and his stunning site Dassaishooku. I hope to highlight a few more of his posts in the coming months. Rokuro Taniuchi (or Roku, as he signed his paintings) is one of my favorite illustrators from any time and any place. Some of his work has been reprinted and is available from amazon.co.jp. Previous posts on this artist My note from the first post I did on Roku in October 2008:I discovered the incredible Japanese illustrator Rokuro Taniuchi (1921–81) while searching for Tadanori Yokoo books. On the Amazon listing for this profusely-illustrated book—Taniuchi Rokuro Gensouki (Shinshindo, 1981)—Yokoo is listed as the editor. The book seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth, and I feel incredibly lucky to have found it. Through some creative googling of Japanese characters, I did manage to dig up an archive [link now dead]. Comparing the book to this site, I discovered that many of the images were originally made for the Weekly Shincho. I think others must surely be illustrations for children's books. The artist dated some of the works: late 40s / early 50s. The book includes an insert promoting the "Unicorn Color Series." Has anyone heard of this series? I plan to do another post from this book—it is too good not to share.

1968

1973

1956

1963

1969

1978

1977

1981

1972

1960

1958

1970

1972

1975

1979

1980

1964

1965

1967

1962

1976

1977

1976

1961 Previous posts on this artist This post first appeared on February 17, 2014 on 50 Watts

Vintage illustrations from the book Norske Malebøker by Einar Økland, which features his extensive collection of Norwegian coloring books and cut & paste books With big thanks to Are Mokkelbost (b-o-r-g.org)

Hans Hauger, 1940s Are Mokkelbost—whose incredible work I featured in 2009—tells me Norske Malebøker was designed by Yokoland (website / facebook), "an interesting group of designers/artists with many fine book releases." It was published in 2012 by Samlaget. The illustrations here date from about 1920 to 1945.

Hans Hauger, 1940s

Paul Lillo-Stenberg, 1940s

Marie Walle and Eyvin Ovrum, 1921

A. Tyrihjell, 1930s

Inga Havig-Gjelseth, 1940s

Arne Johnson, around 1940

Johs. Berggren, ca. 1940

Elbjørg Øien Moum, 1930s

Augusta Sand, 1911

Eyvin Ovrum, 1937

Eyvin Ovrum, 1938

Thorbjørn Egner, 1940

Olaf Reither, 1940s

Jens Jensen

Hans Hauger, 1940s

Per Krogh, 1921 Scariest coloring book ever?

cover of Norske Malebøker by Einar Økland Are says about "Mr. Goatee": On the cover you see the Alf Bjercke paint company's character, a kind of artist type with a moustache and pointy beard, and always a sly smile. He looks similar to Alf Bjercke himself, and is interesting as this character became a kind of mould when describing an archetypical artist or painter in advertisements. Yet, it is hard not to see the resemblance to the archetypical jew of the Nazi propaganda of the same time, which makes it all very peculiar to me. Especially since one of our dearest children's book authors, Thorbjørn Egner, cast another painter character in a similar look, Maler Klattiklatt (Painter Splat-in-splat), who went to "Negroland" in a story released during the Nazi siege of Norway. In 1945, when Norway was liberated, the same character was suddenly cast in another very political story where he escaped the Nazis to join the Resistance in the woods, taught them to paint, and came back to the city after the war and helped repaint Norway in jolly colors to celebrate the freedom (!). Egner rarely mentioned these books after the last book, even though they sold very well. One reason was that he felt colouring books were a poor way for a child to learn to draw. But I can't help speculate whether there are other reasons as well. Previously: Mokkelbost's Entity

Fifty years of workplace safety posters courtesy of Geheugenvannederland.nl (Memory of the Netherlands)

1926, poster by Albert Hahn Alcohol increases the risk of accidents This is a belated follow-up to my April 2013 post Vintage Safety. I tried really hard not to include too many "missing finger" posters. [update: I swear to you that I wrote that fate-tempting sentence on Monday and then totally hurt my hand moving boxes the next day at work. I may never again look at this post.] "Hoogspanning!" means "high voltage!" (see poster below).