Love of Someone’s Life

HERE IS A REALLY ODD, COPPER ENCASED SILHOUETTE, CIRCA 1820, of a woman with a huge head and tiny little flipper-like hands. Turn the small oval frame over and you will find a finely interwoven, heart-shaped design in braided hair with the initial “M” in the middle of the hearts. Probably a love token, this object was spotted on eBay.

Inside Outside

SOMETIMES MY BLOG POSTS ARE ABOUT CONNECTING DOTS. My life is about connecting the dots, but only my friend Paul would say he understands that statement. Anywho, here are two dots “connected”— a totally odd and bizarre terra-cotta “cutaway” sculpture of a primitive human-like sitting man, and a more contemporary scientific illustration of a male human body who looks a bit like television’s Don Draper of Mad Men. The primitive one has a penis, the more modern representation of a man does not. I don’t know, I’m just making an observation here.

Via here.

Via here.

A Closet of Authenticity

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Click any image for larger view.




(Above) Front of dress.

(Above) Back of dress showing newspaper backing.


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Click any image for larger view.














AS IS PRONE TO HAPPEN IN MY SEARCH FOR THE BEAUTIFUL AND SUBLIME, I CAME UPON THIS amazing collection of handmade paper doll dresses on eBay made by a little girl who was born in the 1890s in Portland, Oregon. The eBay seller gives us the provenance of this collection and states that the creator was a girl whose name was Alda Carlson. Young Alda never married and kept almost everything from her childhood in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. This was her entire collection of dolls and handmade paper dresses that she made over 100 years ago, using crepe paper, wallpaper and sweetly applied lace, trim and ribbons. In many cases, she used newspaper as a backing for the dresses and a few are dated to 1905 and 1906, when Alda would have been about 10 -12 years old. Alda passed away at the age of 93 and the collection was acquired by the present owner who is selling it now on eBay. The entire collection consists of 5 dolls and over 80 handmade dresses.

I am impressed not only by the fact that this collection is so extensive, but the beauty and authentic love, care and use is something you cannot buy or recreate. These dresses are precious reminders of female childhood at the end of the 19th century and the dawn of the 20th. Hours and hours of creativity mimic the elaborate fine dresses of the day, some being this young dress designers own vision on fashion. And while the dolls themselves are store bought, it’s the doll of the little black child that is the rare one in this bunch.

I could go on and on about the visual beauty of these little icons of fashion, the honest, straight-forward and loving detail I see, but I am going to let my readers revel in these lovelies with no more commentary. Just... look.

Find this item on eBay here.

Putting Snakes to Work

(Above) 19th c. lithographed game board, “The Game of the Sea Serpent.”

(Above and below) 19th c. hand-forged iron door hinges.


I LIKE SNAKES. WELL, SORT OF. I am fascinated and slightly scared of them because of their reputation as slithery, poisonous or evil things. Ninety-nine percent of any story about a snake is not good. But graphically—snakes are incredible! Few creatures in the natural world give you more of an opportunity to energize a space than a snake.

Here are two examples of snakes used commercially because of their expressive form. The first is a 19th century lithographed game board which recently sold for $232.00 on eBay; and the second, a pair of 19th century iron door hinges shaped into the form of a snake. S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s!!!! Both from eBay!

A Memory Painting of Sing Sing Prison

(Above) As acquired, original watercolor and pen & ink drawing of Sing Sing Prison, in original frame from late 19th century.

(Above and below) Nothing makes your heart sink more than an artwork that has been against a wood backing for 100 years. You can just feel the acid burning—the pain.

(Above) The back of the framed watercolor. Ouch!


(Above) Poster from the 1932 Spencer Tracy, Betty Davis movie drama, “20,000 Years in Sing Sing.” Sing Sing and Alcatraz were the most infamous prisons of all time.

(Above) Newly framed watercolor in an acid free environment.


(Detail) Detail of inmates lined up in the Sing Sing Prison yard. (click image for larger view).


(Above) Detail... click for much larger view.


(Above) Detail. Praying for Survival... click for much larger view.

(Above) Detail... click for much larger view. Notice you can see the weather vane directions.

(Above) Detail... click for much larger view. Prisoner talks with prison guard.


ABOUT A MONTH AGO I WAS THE WINNING BIDDER ON EBAY for this beautiful anonymous watercolor and pen/ink drawing of Sing Sing Prison. Sing Sing—the original big house. Home of the electric chair—where prisoners went to spend their allotted time in hell.

This piece can be dated by the warden pictured in the drawing—I surmise his image was possibly traced from an engraving done during the period. The reason I say that is that the style of the warden’s image is different from the rest of the painting.

Warden W.R. Brown was at Sing Sing for only two years, between 1891 to 1893.

So, I thought it would be good to share this recent find with the readers of Accidental Mysteries— an opportunity to see a new item in my collection. Down the road, I plan to have this amazing piece of documentary history fully restored, but for now—it’s in a safe and archival environment.

A Very Tough Decision

(Above) Anthony Falbo: “At the Pizzeria” 24 x 30 inches, oil on stretched canvas; Price: $21,000,000.00.

(Above) Tommervik, “Abstract Semi-Truck Snake Urban” : 16 x 20 inches; oil; Price: $21,000,000.00.


THE OTHER DAY I WONDERED “WHAT ARTIST IS ASKING the highest price for one of his or her artworks on eBay?” That’s when I discovered Anthony Falbo, a painter who sells most of his original paintings for $21 Million Dollars on-line (that’s $21,000,000.00)! Falbo bills himself as “one of today’s HOTTEST international contemporary artists.”

But Falbo has some competition and this is wreaking havoc on my decision-making process on which one to buy. If you go to ebay and search for either artist, you’ ll see for yourself.

Right next to Falbo is the artist TOMMERVIK, who has a painting listed for the same price. Damn! Now I am torn. Let’s see, both are oils. Both are abstract.... one is on a stretched canvas—but wait!!! Falbo’s painting is BIGGER! Obviously a better value at $21 million dollars.

Funny—both artists do have a Make Offer category. Any suggestions?

And—do you think I should ask for free delivery?