My goodness gracious (ah! you can tell that I once lived in the southern U.S. can you?) in my wildest dreams I never expected all the tremendous warmth and support, wonderful visitor comments and lovely emails I have received since starting the blog a few short weeks ago. I am just delighted, humbled and (slightly... well that's an understatement) overwhelmed at such a response... it is a wonderful gift and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I pondered all yesterday afternoon as to what I could do to show my appreciation. I must have thought of a million things... some doable... some not.... my brain was definitely working overtime. I finally settled on a download of some scans of very vintage pages from an 1889 Delineator Magazine for you to use in your personal art.
This particular issue of the magazine is very special to me. It was given to me by my storytelling friend Lori who lives in Portland, Oregon. It belonged to her grandmother, who, judging by the date of the magazine probably inherited it from her mother. Lori told me at the time time that it had sat in a trunk for years and years and even though it was literally falling apart from age, she wanted me to have it. It was such a wonderful, generous gesture on her part to gift me with this magazine... she knew in her heart I would treasure it and I surely do.
The old ads, recipes, stories, "common sense" suggestions and fashions in this publication are absolutely priceless! For someone like me who loves Victorian dresses, hats and "old stuff", it is a goldmine of information. There is even a "Studies in Fine Arts" column.
Here's something that will sound familiar to us "artsy fartsy" types:
"Glazing and Scrumbling"
A mention of Glazing and Scrumbling being made in a former chapter, we give here instructions how to do them.
Glazing is done by laying on a thin film of one color to modify the tone of the second painting. The finishing tints must all be warm in tone, light or dark, as occasion may require. Do not paint too fast and always use small brushes. Use scrumbling where it is necessary.
Scrumbling is passing an opaque tint lightly over the work. Use a bristle brush for the purpose, mixing white with whatever that is required. The brush should be lightly filled with color and drawn quickly over the surface. (Sounds like a form of dry brushing to me!)
A love for the work, a constant and faithful study of Nature and her examples and much practice and careful attention to details will insure good results." (Boy, ain't that the truth!)
There was, of course, in every magazine of the day, advice columns. The lady who wrote for the Delineator, anonymously of course, certainly had a sharp tongue in spots and she didn't mince her words either. She'd be hunted down and strung up by her pigtails on the nearest clothesline if she tried getting away with it today!
It was her "job" to warn the ladies of the day against "participating in idle talk or gossip" or giving them a "scolding" about the perils of "lacing too tightly", admonishing them in no uncertain terms for their "poor etiquette and manners" or just chattering on about everyday "acceptable" fashion to give the wearer the appearance of the "demure and dignified" and suggesting they adopt the "Puritan girl of long ago, a style that is becoming to most women... "
So there you have it ladies... I don't know about you, but I think I'll stick to my blue jeans and t-shirts for "daywear". Can you imagine sitting at a computer in a full length dress (sometimes with up to 10 yards of material in it), a dustcap (oh my!), two or three heavy petticoats, a corset, corset covers, drawers and chemise? Puritan Girl be darned... I love comfy! GRIN!
Below you will find three smaller photos of the pages I selected with the download link for the zip file. Because the magazine pages are large, I re-sampled them down to a smaller size that will fit a standard sized printer. Enjoy!!
Before you download, please remember these pages are for use in your personal art ONLY. I respectfully request that you do not post them on any website, forum, flicker, etc.. If you would like other art buddies or friends to have them, please send them a link to mystoryART and this post. Thanks for your cooperation.
Download here
Thanks again for stopping by for a visit today. May the Chinese luck of the "8ths" be with you today. See you next week...
Sharon