Mother Lode of Victorian Trade Card Art

I just came across an incredible resource for artists or anyone who loves Victorian illustration, humorous advertising and the color lithography of the late 1800's. I have shown only a few examples of Victorian Trade Cards here. Follow this link to an online reference library of an amazing amount of unique and exciting images:

THE TRADE CARD PLACE

Click on all of the links, you can't go wrong! A feast for your eyes.

Here's a brief intro to Victorian Trade Cards: "Over a century ago, during the Victorian era, one of the favorite pastimes was collecting small, illustrated advertising cards that we now call trade cards...Some of the products most heavily advertised by trade cards were in the categories of: medicine, food, tobacco, clothing, household, sewing, stoves, and farm. The popularity of trade cards peaked around 1890, and then almost completely faded by the early 1900s when other forms of advertising in color, such as magazines, became more cost effective." from article by Ben Crane

The Art of Amy Crehore

Look and Learn!

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It is stamped "Property of Blackwell Jr. High", but it looks like a textbook for a 2nd grader. It's my "Look and Learn" book by Scott, Foresman and Company from 1949 that I picked up at a flea market so long ago that I can't remember where or when. It's my single most used reference book next to my Golden Nature Guides. And it's surreal. No real words, just some very strange and exciting pictures. I love the style of it, yet it was painted by nine different people. It's torn and beat up and dirty. I wouldn't have it any other way and I can't do without it sometimes.
The Art of Amy Crehore

myspace: been there, done that

I'm cancelling my myspace account. Anyone who was my friend at myspace who would like to be on my emailing list please contact me here: amy@amycrehore.com
Or anyone else, for that matter, who would like to get my news updates via email.
I gave myspace a good ol' try since last February, but I am much happier spending my time writing this blog.
The Art of Amy Crehore

Audrey Style

Photo by Unknown 1954

Photo by Anthony Beauchamp 1950

It's hard to say when Audrey Hepburn "peaked".

She had some perky peaks and pointed peaks. This gal was all about style. Whether it was starring in a film or doing charity work for Unicef, Audrey could do no wrong. She had class, humor and strong values. Too bad her life was so short. I'm sure she would have accomplished even more and grown even more beautiful as the years went by. This is my little tribute to that rare gem with the unforgettable eyebrows and photogenic face, a designer's dream girl:

Audrey Hepburn

Now, why can't we have more Audreys and Louise Brooks girls? I'm tired of hardcore tacky.

The Art of Amy Crehore

KAHN and SELESNICK

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(photos copyright Kahn&Selesnick)
"Richard Selesnick and Nicholas Kahn have been collaborating as Kahn/Selesnick since 1988 on a series of complex narrative photo-novellas and sculptural installations.... they found that shooting a 360 degree panorama could create a truer, more cinematic sense of the place, while their manipulation of costume, props and period color would help them alter the sense of time. " -from their bio
They have a new great website that you will have to check out for yourself.
The lovely surrealistic creations of:
Kahn and Selesnick
The Art of Amy Crehore

In the Hokum Spirit - CRANKbait!

Lure Sculpture by Scott Harbine
Lure Sculpture by David Krys

If you haven't seen the CRANKbait! exhibit you are missing out.

Finkbuilt Gallery has an unusual assortment of lures still available to collectors.

Read all about the 16 wacky artists who created them:

CRANKbait!

The Art of Amy Crehore

Teenar Is Hip

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Hey, check it out! Lou Reimuller and Teenar are in this month's Popeye Magazine, a very fashionable men/boys magazine from Japan. Funny! By the way, Teenar has a whole new updated outfit, but I'm not allowed to show it yet. Stay tuned.

The Art of Amy Crehore