Little Penny Dreadful

Here lies my collection of all things old and a little bit spooky. A bit of beautiful & dark illustration here, a dab of fabulous vintage there, surrounding that with a whole lot of the Victorian world and ending with whatever else that holds a dark... www.debrastyer.com

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Return of the Spirits by Debra Styer

New print in the shop.

Here's my latest haunted portrait, inspired by Mexican Folklore.

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"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.

"Flannery O'Conner (March 25th, 1925- August 3rd, 1964)

Happy 100th Birthday to the amazing Southern Gothic Writer Flannery O'Connor! Here's my portrait I painted of her. I hope you like it! Print available here in my shop.

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New in the shop! My portrait if the incredibly creepy, child eating Slavic Witch, Baba Yaga!

Fine Art Print available here.

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Desdemona by Alexandre Cabanel, 1871. This is an oil painting done in the style of Academicism. This is most likely a portrait of Desdemona, a tragic Shakespearean heroine from Othello, who represents honor, faithfulness and beauty. It currently resides in a private collection.

[enchantedbook]

'The Reunion of Body and Soul' by William Blake, 1813.

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FolktaleWeek2024

Follow along FolktaleWeek and here (me) on Instagram

Grab your tales and cast your spells - Folktale Week 2024 is coming! Mark your calendars for November 18 - 24 and join us for an enchanting week of story-telling and art. Are you joining?! Make an announcement of your own and share the details below to spread the word! How it works: ✨ October 21: the hosts will announce the prompts, so you'll have plenty of time to conjure up your creations, research your favorite folk & fairy tales, and make all your lovely art! You’re welcome to celebrate a classic or create your own timeless tale. ✨ November 18: The magic of Folktale Week 2024 begins! Share your work each day, interpreting the daily prompt in any way and with any medium. Illustrators, artists, storytellers, wordsmiths - come one, come all! No matter where you are in your art-making or storytelling practice, there is a place for you. 🖤 Use #folktaleweek2024 and and #folktaleweek and tag @folktaleweek in your image so the hosts can find your work. We encourage you to add the list of hosts below in your caption text as well. We want to see your incredible work and support you along the way! The 2024 edition of Folktale Week is brought to you by these spectacular artists: @debrastyer @jennifermpotter @kalyquarles @louve.draws @matejalukezic @rachaelschafermakes Let the mystical magic begin!

[nemfrog]

Circulation. Anatomie méthodique, ou Organographie humaine en tableaux synoptiques. Louis Cortin, illustrator. 1829.

National Library of Medicine

[gacougnol]

Julia Margaret Cameron

Days at Freshwater. Claud Anson, Florence Anson and unknown boy. 1870

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Caravaggio | The Seven Works of Mercy | 1607 | Oil on canvas | 390 × 260 (cm) |

[catsofyore]

Sweet snoozy bean. 1815. Source.

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My illustrated Ode to the Greek Goddess, Persephone.

Print available in my shop.

[ombre-originelle]

Pedro Americo - La nuit escortée par les génies de l'étude et de l'amour (1883)

[namedvesta]

𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒 𝑑𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑃𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑢𝑦̈𝑠, 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠, 𝟣𝟪𝟫𝟩.

[kaitropoli]

"The Silent Voice"

By Gerald Edward Moira

Oil Painting, c. 1892-93

Private Collection.

Just found this painting, and I had to post it because it's so gorgeous. Look at that BLUE!!!!!! UGHAAHHHHH.

There's a lot going on in this painting, but I'm somewhat busy atm, so I will be reblogging sometime tonight or tomorrow further information on this painting.

Other than that, it's popularly believed Moira was inspired by the poem "The Two Voices" by Alfred Tennyson. Tennyson says that he wrote the piece while dealing with depression after a friend passed, which is then brought into the poem, noting thoughts of suicide.

Moira's title echoes,

"Thereto the silent voice replied; / ‘Self-blinded are you by your pride: / Look up thro’ night: the world is wide."

(Tennyson, lines 22-24).

The poem was definitely controversial, and responses to it varied. How are you going to respond to a Victorian suicide poem? I'm not a poem freak--I know nothing about them, despite making my own (especially in my emo days)--but from what I read, I thought it was good. But I also live in an era of TikTok poems, so what would I know💀 N E Wayz, it did seem to spark inspiration, as we can see a young woman out in what appears to be a night-ridden forest, her dress matching the sky, as an apparition (the silent voice) whispers into her ear, holding her wrist.

I don't believe the apparition to be a demon because if we're following the lines of the poem, it wouldn't make much sense. If the voice were saying the quotes, they'd be talking her off the ledge. Her eyes are speaking realization--recognizing her pride (suicide is sometimes seen as a selfish act... been down this road before, so don't misinterpret what I'm saying: you're taking your own life because you're sad, but you don't realize that sadness will be inflicted on those around you. It's about being the stronger person and helping to take care of yourself and your loved ones after losing someone, which is more so the context present in the poem itself... or the afterthought of it because we're given a repeated line saying that there's one way out (suicide)). They say pride is rooted in selfishness, and basing that reasoning, which a lot of religious folks have, the lady is being told there's more to life, more to come. The night sky, though dark, still has light that shines (okay, I made up this part, but who says I can't make it sentimental? This is my damn interpretation on it👹👅).

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Here's a brand new art print in my shop. Here is my portrait of the incredible Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola. Although, her work was admired by her contemporary, Michelangelo, and she was a bit of a fixture on the 16th Century Portrait painting scene, her work was pretty much forgotten (or ignored) in the history of art. I discovered her work a few years ago. And it was all about the way she drew eyes, that really connected me to her work. (You know me and my big eyes). My watercolor painting of her is in tribute to all of her self portraits. I hope you like her.

https://bluehourstudio.etsy.com/listing/1764917872

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The abandoned woman by Octave Tassaert (1852)

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The Wish by Theodor von Holst (1840)