Resurfaced

What with the resurfacing of the Titanic movie, and all things salvageable, this seems like a good time to let this photo resurface from the ol' image morgue—a stunning portrait of Kate Winslet.

Annie Leibovitz — Kate Winslet — 1998

Dr. Neff — Ghost Breaker

Before there were Ghost Busters, there were the 1948 Ghost Breakers, featuring Dr. Neff. This is a sliced off cover that's been rattling around in my morgue, and every time I see it, I think of the actor John Noble, who portrays our beloved Walter on Fringe.

Bob Powell — Ghost Breakers #1 — 1948

Personally I think the resemblance is spooky. What's even spookier: John Noble was BORN in 1948! Coincidence? You decide . . .

John Noble

Sesquipedalia Verba

This is a slightly disturbing image from Weird Tales by Virgil Finlay in an early phase of his style, a loose page in my image morgue.

The prose is interesting to glance at, what with words like 'stertorously' and 'horripilation'. I bet the rest of the story is filled with sesquipedalianism as well, not to mention phrases like, "stripping off her flaring-skirted frock of white organza and the clinging slip of primavera printed satin as one might turn a glove."

Whew, is it just me or is it hot in here?

Virgil Finlay — Living Buddhess — November 1937

Floating Around

This old editorial cartoon, too, has been floating around in the pictorial morgue. No idea what it's trying to say, editorially, but, by golly, I'll defend the artist's right to say it.

Leon V. Solon — Fickle Fortune Changes Clime — 1900ish

Hanging Around

This picture has been hanging around in my reference morgue for the longest time, under 'B' for, uh, bondage. But I wonder why I kept it. I don't see that I'll ever need to draw anything evenly remotely like this. Still . . . I guess ya just never know.

Disney Studio — Jessica & Roger Rabbit

Pretty in Ink

I'm not a fan of Boris Vallejo's work (oh, and I'm sure that breaks his heart), but there have been a few works of his that made their way into my morgue. Most of his paintings leave me exceedingly cold (there are a few exceptions), but some of his earlier pen and ink drawings are pretty to look at, such as this one:

Boris Vallejo — 1978

Inspiration

This beautiful picture of this beautiful woman has been floating around in the image morgue as inspiration for my photography, with no information attached to it.

It's been in the morgue for several years. I'm thinking it might be a Chris Fortuna photo. Is it possible that's a young Keira Knightly or is it some other well-known model? I'm not well-versed on the modeling world. But I know when I like an image.

Flirty

As I complain about the decline and downfall of the quality of graphic illustration, I always know there have been exceptions—LOTs of 'em—over the decades. I certainly don't mind change in general—different styles, experimentations, exaggerations. It's only when art and design become dry and lifeless, dull and unmemorable that I am disheartened.

Ah, but those exceptions always make it worth paying attention. I clipped this Steve Madden ad to put in the morgue, but short-sightedly didn't think to put the date on it (who knew back then I would someday put it up for the world to see), but sometime in the 80s or 90s. Maybe you can date it with those boots.

Anyway cool fashion ad:

Sorry, don't know the artist. Anybody know?

Spring Snow

We've had a beautiful spring snow. This is sort of how it looks here at our new place—rabbits, flowers and all:

Artist unknown — Spring Snow — 1897

The robins here are very confused, with dozens of them hanging out in one tree.

Duo of Dulacs

A duo of Dulacs, floating loose in the image morgue:

Edmund Dulac — Masqueraders

Edmund Dulac — Madame s'est piqué le doigt.

Those Eyes!

Reese Witherspoon — 1998 — sorry, I don't have record of photographer

Always an Adventure

I love photographs that show the old days and the old ways. Travel is always an adventure, but it seemed more exotic in the pre-1960s.

Brahma's Golden Egg

'Brahma,

says Hindu tradition,

created the Universe from a golden egg.

First he made the waters and in them put a seed.

It grew into an egg, which Brahma split open.

From the golden half came the heavens,

from the silver half, Earth.

From the egg came all creation.'

If I were given the above passage as an assignment for an illustration, I don't know that I'd feel it could be captured in a small rendering . Yet it was, in an elegant solution from an artist that, I'm sorry to say, I haven't yet identified—since the image was floating around in my image morgue.

The Girl You Love to Look At

This beauty surfaced from the swimsuit file in my pictorial morgue. From May, 1941, this ad illustrated by Esquire's Alberto Vargas ran in Life magazine, reaching millions of households . . . and that's how some artists became household names.

The Old Fairy Tale Style

Some renderings visualize nature spirits as being more malevolent and crass.

This somewhat disturbing image, dripping with sexual innuendo, was a commissioned illustration by Kinuko Craft, for an adult version of Goblin Market, so don't blame her for its content. But it's a lovely execution in the old fairy tale style.

This image is a small print in my pictorial morgue, but it was originally an illustration for Playboy in 1973.

Advice for the Image Morgue

I remember, years ago, one of those Walter Foster books on cartooning, gave advice for collecting pictures for the image morgue. The guy said, y'know, collect pictures of everything you might need — lawnmowers and lampposts, buckets and barstools—not just the things you have a weakness for, like (in his case) pretty girls and streamlined trains.

My picture morgue has diversity alright, but I too have a weakness—for pretty girls and galaxies as seen from other worlds. I hardly ever find the two subjects together, but here at least I get double the galaxy— a cool painting by David A. Hardy of colliding galaxies seen over a civilization influenced by their privileged view. Hardy's website can be found here.

Blonde Venus

Stunning and clever art direction:

1932

The "swipe file" reference:

Avalanche

Another item from the image morgue, filed under 'trees' for heaven sake, which is where I'm guessing the previous Booth drawing must have been as well.

A mysterious drawing by Luis Royo with the incongruous appellation 'Avalanche'.

Luis Royo — Avalanche

Valley of Silence

I found this 1911 Franklin Booth drawing floating around loose in the image morgue. Ya never know what'll turn up in dat ol' morgue.

Franklin Booth — Valley of Silence — 1911

X-treme

The previous post reminded me of this X-treme guy that's been hanging out in my image morgue for some years now. Sorry, I don't have a credit or provenance for it, other than it's from a design periodical.