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This as-found doctored pencil aphorism felt like it had to be shared so I whipped up a bunch of desktop and device wallpapers that are free to download.

These desktops are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Lower East Side 1948

I found these black and white images of New York City’s Lower East Side at the junk shop. Both are dated January 1948 and were labelled “New York, East Side.” Looking closely, I can see that the street sign in the first image says Delancey Street. I can also make out an 86 on the corner awning. This leads me to believe that the photo was taken at the corner of Delancey and Orchard.

Here’s what that city corner looks like today according to Google’s street view.

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What: Handmade cloth needle book Found: In a lot of vintage sewing supplies purchased on eBay Identifying Marks: Tag reads “Salvation Army 719 NO. State St. Chicago” Additional: Came as shown, including used needles, pins, and patch. No clue about date, but the pins indicate age (they’re not like contemporary pins).

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Cantaloupes

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The Green Dragon

In the fall of 2005 we travelled to Ottawa by train for a funeral. Exploring the streets near our hotel, we chanced upon The Green Dragon, a Chinese souvenir and gift shop packed to the gills with nick-knacks, silly lewd cards and plaques, costume jewelry, and a wide breadth of items of a certain vintage, almost all of which may have been made in China, but had nothing to do with the country or culture. 

It was as if we had found where the souvenirs from my childhood went to die. Heaven. We spent as long as we could in the store, taking it all in and eventually leaving with a few purchases. We went back the next day with our cameras.

This is Doris Ewin, proprietor of the shop. When we visited in 2005 she had been in business for 68 years. Doris and her son (brother? I should have asked) were very warm and eager to talk about the shop. I don’t know if she is still there today, but a quick search online indicates that the store is. Let us know if you go!

Where: Green Dragon Chinese Gift Shop Ltd. 179 Sparks Street. Ottawa, Canada When: November 2005.

All photos by Gayla Trail.

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The Threads Series are Penguin classics whose covers have been re-imagined and hand-stitched. The first six were done by artists Rachell Sumpter [above] and Jillian Tamaki.

View larger versions of the two covers above on Rachell Sumpter’s portfolio site [Little Women | The Wind in the Willows]

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American Beauty

I fell into a deep and colourful hole digging through the Grateful Dead Archive Online’smassive collection of almost 15,000 envelopes artfully decorated by fans. Motifs run the gamut from popular band iconography such as dancing bears, roses, and the red/blue the Steal Your Face skull — to abstracts, penciled landscapes, painted rainbows, collage, flying eyeballs, and other vibrant psychedelic nonsense.

See all envelopes at The Grateful Dead Archive Online.

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Coal & Coke Co., Elkhorn West, VA Right side text: Day Shift May 29, 1940. Left side text: “Sessions Photo”

Davin was the one who unearthed this panoramic print in a pile of assorted paper at the junk shop, but I scanned it. The image was too wide for our scanner — I had to scan in two pieces and stitch it together in Photoshop.

I did a little research online and believe this is the Crozer Coal & Coke mine. I found several more old photos of the mine on the Virginia Tech digital library website. There are a few more on the Mining Artifacts and History website.

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Found at the junkshop. I counted and there are 82 sewing and embroidery needles of various sizes. Alas, only about 5 of them are usable. The rest are either rusted, bent, or broken.

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wound | unwound

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Esoteric Solutions

Math isn’t my strong suit and I left it behind in school as soon as it became a viable option. This also meant that the goal I entered high school with — to go into Computer Science and make games — seemed lost and that some type of art making was my future.

When I was presented with math, real math, it tended to look like this to me…

It’s not to say that I wasn’t interested. I’ll blame some of my quite literal failings on a particular teacher for whom math was like breathing but empathy was an alien concept. But the parts of math that not surprisingly always piqued my interest were those that had a visual component. When geometry could be visualized and even constructed and held I was captivated. Even the shapes and forms of complex equations appealed to me visually — just not in some sort of Beautiful Mind synesthetic floating solutions kind of way.

So when I bought the 1971 algebra solution guide shown above (its title being set in the glorious Colin Brignall “Countdown” font obviously played a role) I was drawn in by the sharp graphed figures that appear between the ridiculously dense solutions.

Removed from their original intent, these lines, arrows, arcs, and numerals feel abstracted and beautiful in their way. The way that maps are compelling even stripped of their purpose to guide — just pleasing abstract lines and shapes in motion. I know, it sounds a little bit odd and both cartographers and mathematicians may well see straight through what seems abstract to a clear set of data.

I can’t help it… it’s a little bit Pareidolia a little bit Wabi-sabi but I do find these beautiful.

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Foolish Houses

Foolish House, Ontario Beach Park in 1910, George Eastman House Collection

I forget now how I came to this image of the “Foolish House” taken by Charles C. Zoller. It struck me of course for its jumble of wild letters with short words popping out (bug, zip) and phrases (“we will get you yet”, “wait for the parade”). But what was this place? I saw the same photo pop up on a few other websites but they didn’t provide any further backstory.

Another image of the Foolish House seemingly after the price had skyrocketed from 5¢ to 10¢ but I suppose now you got a souvenir ring for parting with your dime.

A bit more searching and more about Ontario Beach Park emerged…

“Sponsored by the NY Central Railroad and a local brewery, an amusement park opened here in 1884. The park flourished becoming known as the “Coney Island of the West”. There was a scenic railroad (roller coaster), Virginia Reel, circle swing, Venetian canal boat ride, carousel and a foolish house. Other attractions included a penny arcade, tintype gallery, camera obscura, shooting gallery and a band stand. Vaudeville acts, wild animal shows, fireworks displays, concerts and daredevil performances attracted thousands.” —  Charlotte, NY

A postcard of Ontario Beach Park — the Foolish House’s stacked letters clearly popping up in the corner.

Not related, as far as I can tell, but while I was looking around, the MVMNT Café designed by Morag Myerscough jumped out at me with its own hodgepodge of letters and colour.

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The sign tacked to the tree reads, No Hunting or Fishing.

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Notre-Dame du Haut

I remember, at a very young age, I saw the building in the photo above. It was in a Time-Life book and I had no idea who Le Corbusier was and very little concept of what architecture meant. But that building, with its mushroom-cap roof and seemingly randomly cut windows, transfixed me. Something sparked for me as a kid. I felt some sort of connection with the shapes and forms drawn into life by Le Corbusier 1955.

Yesterday, I saw the building again in this image…

http://instagram.com/p/lZdW4zzdXD/

And it struck me again as an adult how just an image of this small French chapel has a huge emotional impact on me. Someday I’ll see it in person and it will be revelatory — or maybe it will be simply a remarkable building after all.

Notre-Dame du Haut drawing by Le Corbusier

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This photo is another mystery from the junk shop. Its only clue is a date in each corner (I cropped it out): 1960. My assumption is that this is kids art, although it appears as if it was displayed in the school’s boiler room!

I tried CSIing the image in order to ascertain just what in the heck the character on the right side is doing to the main character’s arm. I couldn’t get much more than a blur. My best guess is that he is sick and she is a nurse administering treatment via needle. But what is wrong with her nose?

I also tried to read the text in the “nurse’s” speech bubble, but it couldn’t be done. All I know is that the main character does not look happy and “In case of flood turn off upper valve.”

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Centripetal Yearbook – Toledo’s Class of 1944

There is always something intriguing about finding someone else’s high school yearbook. No matter what the year, there are common curiosities that make just about any of these bound generational time capsules fascinating.

Obviously all those faces locked in time are a huge draw. Whether it’s the 1980’s and I can recognize versions of myself and my high school classmates or it’s a 1940’s Catholic school in Toledo, Ohio and the faces all seem so much older than they were. It’s basic, people are interesting.

All these kids in high school at the height of World War II… cheering their teams, putting on plays, editing their yearbook, hoping to capture themselves as they are. All of the nicknames… Nobby, Dizzy, Babs, Chick, Bugs, Big Jim, Duff, Bull, Sharpy, Blackie, Lulu, Rufus, Pinkie, Katty, Doc, Butch, Dimples, and Squirrel and the sad rare kid with no nickname — their photo feeling that much more wistful.

These 1940’s grids of teens with every boy in suit and tie and every girl in sunday-best. The importance of an official photograph enforced upon them. I remember often showing up to school surprised that it was picture day, my hair wild with bed-head and an unfortunate wisp of hair on my upper lip.

The yearbook editors at Central Catholic High School placed a clear value on their sportsmen. They burst off the pages in lavishly designed action layouts. Each photo of these “Central” heroes in their shiny shorts is carefully cropped and hand-labelled.

And finally, that staple of the yearbook, the local businesses and sponsors get their due. Who can argue now that Hudson Potato Chips were not in fact “Toledo’s Best Tasting Chips” or that Gramling Meats Inc. did not sell “Meats of Quality” — it’s there in print.

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