BibliOdyssey just featured a beautiful series of anatomical illustrations from Florence Henwick Miller’s An Atlas of Anatomy, 1879.
They are rather vibrantly colored for illustrations of this period.
See the rest of the set here.
Category: antiques
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I’ve had this collection of pictures on my desktop for what feels like eternity. They are from my last shopping excursion in NYC. I think they give a fairly good idea of what my little eyes like to drink up along my travels. Here are a few of my favorite oddities hot spots.
Giant Robot is PACKED with adorable kitsch and random imported goodness. They also have art displays in the front of the store.
Atomic Passions looks like grandma’s attic…if you happen to have the most awesome grandmother in the history of the world.
Ah, Obscura…a favorite indeed. These antique acquisitions are nothing short of impressive. Wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, the place is overflowing with amazing things to look at. My imagination gets lost in the stories contained in these pieces.
I never tire of looking around Evolution, which I’ve posted about before. On this particular day, the upstairs section was closed, so I missed checking out the incredible taxidermy specimens (which, for my own sanity I MUST believe died of natural causes…don’t ruin it for me).
Clearly, I like densely packed displays of meaningful objects! So beware, if I ever ask you to go “shopping,” I won’t be referring to 5th Avenue boutiques…there will be antiquated medical instruments and rotting dolls involved. Usually, anyway. I also like bookstores. 🙂
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The Japan Society in NYC is currently showing Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters: Japanese Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the Arthur R. Miller Collection
Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s vivid scenes from history and legend, wildly popular 150 years ago, are a major influence on the work of today’s manga and anime artists. This exhibition features over 130 dramatic depictions of giant spiders, skeletons and toads; Chinese ruffians; women warriors; haggard ghosts; and desperate samurai combat.
And my favorite:
See more here.
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I love this page on The Selby (a showcase of inspiring personal spaces), featuring Jessica Grindstaff and Erik Sanko. Amazing handcrafted marionettes, sculptures, displays…all around fun oddities to gaze at.
See the rest of the collection here.
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This post is really just a photo and my reaction to it: this piece of furniture looks hungry.
Despite my love of Victorian style, I’d be afraid this thing would devour and digest me. There’s no shortage of “artistic” furniture design aimed at looking menacing, but this one has unintentional sinister appeal.
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Morbid Anatomy recently posted about this amazing collection of antique European mannequins, covered and forgotten for decades in a Detroit warehouse until recently.
They are made of wax, like the expressive anatomical models made centuries ago to aid in medical education.
Most of these figured were modeled after specific women, aiming for a true likeness.
Made with human hair, each strand inserted with a hot needle, teeth made from denture material, glass eyes, and realistic expressions, these figures possess a haunting, enigmatic aura. Indeed, without their facial imperfections caused by heat and jostling, many of these ethereal beauties could be mistaken for their real counterparts.
See more in the collection here.
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I would love a chance to view the Victorian Blood Book in person at the University of Texas. This decoupage project was assembled from hundreds of engravings, accented by red India ink.
View the slideshow and hear descriptive commentary here.
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I must thank my dear friend Skye for reminding me about these. Collector’s Quest has a feature on antique vampire killing kits.
Inside the beautiful Rosewood case with mother of pearl cross inlay there’s an assortment of items to deal with the undead, including a cleaver, prayer book, Holy water vials, looking glass, silver occult dagger, candles, what looks like some wooden stakes, and a pistol with silver bullets in an ornate coffin case.
These items were made to address deep, dark, primal fears. And then, like our fears often are, they were not thrown away but stored in equally dark and out of the way places… Antique wooden killing kits in the attics of old houses, just waiting for the day when the creatures creep from the attics of our minds.
The craftsmanship and detail that went into creating these kits is astonishing. This is luxurious highbrow undead protection. Definitely design inspiration for next year’s Halloween decorations (I’d need a bit more time than I have this year to put together something so lovely).
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Every now and then I pop back on Luminous Lint to browse their fantastic photography exhibitions. Here are a few selections from the skull collection.
Some are actual medical images, quite disturbing (such as this 1966 Vietnam War X-ray of a grenade implanted in a man’s forehead):
Some are art photography…
(Look at the gentle detail of color in the eye of the feather!More skulls here
SheWalksSoftly 