Handmade Flash Cards

LAST WEEK I DID A POST ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF THE SILHOUETTE IN PHOTOGRAPHY. Based on that, folk art and extraordinary objects dealer Joshua Lowenfels of NYC sent me these incredible vintage flash cards, made to teach a child to recognize animals by their form.

What you see here are small handmade flash cards, probably from the first part of the 20th century. There are 21 in total that he has, all made from black cut paper lightly glued on these wonderful speckled cards. They are each about 5 x 8 inches in size, and each one is signed on the back. Josh says they are each signed by a woman on the back, and she was from the rural Midwest.

What I like about these besides their complete charm as part of Americana, but that the maker took some unique artistic liberties as she cut the paper. Take the goat, for example. His head is bent down, so we can only see one ear and have to imagine the other. Sweet.

Joshua Lowenfels has some of the best, most extraordinary stuff in the country. Ahhh-h, if only I were a rich man....

Plowshare of a Post-war Germany

THERE IS SOMETHING MAGNIFICENT and poetic about this humble object. Only great words can describe it and there, I fall short with things of such raw beauty. I purchased this from my friend Joshua Lowenfels, who found it at a flea market in NYC. He purchased it from an old German fellow who was parting with a few things from his life. The handle is only about two feet long, so it appears to have been used as a sort of ladle for scooping and pouring wet concrete. I got weak-kneed when I saw it. If this isn’t the most perfect statement on the whole failed Nazi experiment, and of war in general, I don’t know of one. You can see more great things at in Josh’s online shop at: http://www.joshualowenfels.com

Peace.

Weekend Random Images

(Above) A rare, carved 19th century Phrenologist’s head, used as a table top model illustrating the properties associated with various parts of the brain. Carved and painted with ink descriptions along the scalp. Sensitive rendering of the face with inlaid glass eyes. C. 1870; 10 inches high. Via One Good Eye.


(Above) Terra cotta sculpture found near Ossining, N.Y., thought perhaps to be an end-of-day piece. Via Candler Arts.


(Above) C. 1940-50: These simple silhouettes represent a virtual arsenal of ray weaponry. All were made by a single youngster to be at the disposal of his imagination. Via Joshua Lowenfels.


(Above) Brooklyn Harbor, 2007. Photogravure 28 x 20.5 inches by Lothar Osterburg.

(Above) 19th Century photograph of woman with parrots. Via eBay, private collection.


(Above) Image © Geoff Story.


HERE IS A BUCKET FULL OF IMAGES CULLED FROM the web, near and far. Enjoy your weekend and we’ll see you next week.

Paper Plates Fit for a Queen

(Above) Click on any image for larger view.


(Above) Click on any image for larger view.





ART DEALER EXTRAORDINAIRE Joshua Lowenfels discovered these paper plates decoupaged with male imagery, photocopied and manipulated through use of the Xerox machine. Lowenfels says they came from California and are dated to around 1970. Each plate is 9” (diameter) x 3/4” deep.

Individually, these plates were never made to be used for eating on, but as a sculptural art piece about the male gay lifestyle. As a group, these plates present a raw, pop art art centered message with a kind of “Mapplethorpian” twist.

Mask of the Lamb

HOW WONDERFULLY CREEPY IS THIS? This haunting mask, symbolic of the innocence of a lamb, represents a rare and previously unknown character example likely used in fraternal lodge ceremonies. It’s origin is New York State, and is circa 1880s to 1900. I love it because there is absolutely nothing innocent about this. If I saw someone with this mask on, I’ll expect to hear next: “It rubs the lotion on the skin.” (Silence of the Lambs)

Of course, this is from Joshua Lowenfels and can be found on 1st Dibs here.

Objects of Power

(Above) Clown Babies: Custom mounted paper mache masks painted in polychrome. Manufactued by The American Mask Maufacturing Company, Finday, Ohio. 18 inches x 9 inches.

(Above) Detail

(Above) Strange Fruit: from India; Late 19th early 20th century; Redware in matt glazes of polychrome. Displayed dimensions: 5” (h) x 21-1/2” (w) x 17-1/2” (d) Sold as a set.


(Above) Detail.

(Above) Target Silhouette: c. 1940 - 1950; A live ammunition firing range “Target Silhouette” of the classic G man type; Midwest, United States; 42-1/2 (h) x 24” (w) x 3-1/4” (d)

(Above) Detail.

JOSHUA LOWENFELS HAS SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE OBJECTS I have ever seen. His eye is second to none. He is the kind of guy who can go to the flea market and spot what others do not—the rare, the esoteric, the transformational object.

You can find his rare collection for sale on 1stDibs, the on-line shop for the best of the best from many different dealers—or you can visit Joshua’s on-line store here.

This Horse Rocks!

(click on images for larger view)
GREAT DESIGN IS TIMELESS. When I look at this early to mid-19th century child’s rocking horse, there is an elegance of simplicity that speaks to modernist design. Free of pretense or decoration, there is rhythm, balance and perfection here. I believe the sculptor Brancusi would have looked at this object with some awe.

This incredible object is available at the shop of Joshua Lowenfels in NYC.