Detail of the Water Organ (1902). Samples from a set of pictures at LUNA Commons of the wonderful water gardens at the Villa d’Este, Tivoli, Italy. Among the 164 items in the collection are plans, engravings, and photographs old and new. I’m partial to the older photos, most of which seem to be photogravure reproductions [...]
“This dark and steep alley took its name from Sir James Stewart of Goodtrees, Lord Advocate of Scotland, 1692–1713, whose mansion stood at the foot of the close. It was a fashionable quarter in the early 18th century, and here resided Andrew Crosby, the famous lawyer, the original of Scott’s ‘Andrew Pleydell,’ Lord Westhall, John [...]
Voyage de Nuit (etching/engraving; no date). Michael Goro’s etchings and engravings are rich with the kind of gritty urban verisimilitude I love. His site has several more examples and there’s a good interview with the artist here. Michael Goro, a prominent intaglio printmaker, has lived and worked in Russia, Europe, Israel, and the U.S. His [...]
The Crystal Gazer (or The Magic Crystal, 1904). The photographs of Gertrude Käsebier (1852–1934) seem to be popular with art directors; the picture above was used on the sleeve of the Spangle Maker EP by the Cocteau Twins in 1984 and her Silhouette of a Woman / A Maiden at Prayer (1899) appeared on the [...]
Maiden-hair fern. Photogravures by Karl Blossfeldt (1865–1932). More here. Tendrils of a pumpkin. Previously on { feuilleton } • The Dawn of the Autochrome • Fred Holland Day • The Door in the Wall • Edward Steichen • Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla
Photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882–1966) illustrates HG Wells’ wonderful short stories in a rare edition of The Door in the Wall and Other Stories, from 1911. More pictures here. The Door in the Wall was a true three-way collaboration between the author, the photographer and the typographer, Frederic W. Goudy, who specifically produced his Kennerley [...]
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