Monday, January 05, 2009

And a flood of Cheer and Loveliness spread ...

They promised us rain. We got snow. And more snow. It's snowing now, has been all night.


The snowman doesn't seem to mind.

I entertained myself inside, in the warmth, with a candle in an orangey glass and the camera.


This was all the lighting I needed.

I wandered around my darkened room with the candle, taking photos of small collectibles:


First, a self-portrait by candlelight.


An old, utilitarian tin with a pincushion lid.


Antique Japanese fabric, sandwiched between cardboard and glass, with a sewn-on cloth edging.


Reflection of the candle in a small table mirror that lost most of its silvering decades ago.


A rose Laurie cut for me, long ago.


"The toilet of good shoes." That's what it says. Meltonian White Cream tin.


"Just You and I" by Laurence Hawthorn. A Buzza Motto, 1927

This picture is one I inherited from my grandmother. I think she framed it herself; the backing is cut from advertising copy, an ad for the new-fangled electric lights.

I reproduce here the part my grandmother used:
"... into the Forest Haunts of Robin Hood. Now it leads us to this June Night in Provence, the land of the Troubadours. The Italian Wars were things of the past and men's minds so long burdened with horror now sought refuge in the pursuit of beauty. All the Arts gained a fresh impetus and artificial Light, heretofore strictly utilitarian, became recognized as a decorative factor, the stuff of which Beauty and Enchantment could be made.

What those far-away disciples of beauty dreamed has today become an established (real)ity. Gone are the messy, smoking lamps of that bygone age and in their place Science has produced the MAZDA lamp. More light than even our grandfathers thought possible is now concentrated in less space than their cumbersome, ineffectual lamps required and can be released and used for far less cost. The enchantment of light is now the heritage of all mankind: for the genius of Edison and the organized research signified by the mark MAZDA have not only produced light such as the fondest imagination never dreamed but they have placed it within the reach of even the most humble homes and the most limited incomes.

Beauty and Charm lie at your fingertips. Gloom and Glare, those twin enemies of artistic decoration, may be banished with a touch and a flood of Cheer and Loveliness spread ..."
No 7-second sound bites in those days! Unfortunately, this is where Grandma cut the paper.

The reverse has most of a 1926 calendar, and the header:
ENCHANTMENT
CANADIAN GENERAL ELECTRIC
COMPANY, LIMITED
Lamp Sales Department
TORONTO, Canada


The candle, again. The flame is reflected in the melted wax. I like that.

I just checked outside. It's still snowing, but it's very wet. Maybe ...
.

3 comments:

  1. You folk are really get the snow. Some people get it all. They promised us a blizzard here ... all we got is a skiff of snow and a little wind. We live in such a dry pocket ... we WANTED the snow. Snow, snow and more snow to help with our water table. Sigh.

    I see you were way inventive with your photography. I think I've become dull in the imaginative line.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know. Someone in the weather planning office really got their wires crossed this year. Should be fired.

    I remember a dry summer up in Bella Coola; my hose dripped, slowly with all the water I could gather from the spring. The garden grew only where the dampness spread. After that, I appreciated the snow load in the winter.

    Re; photography; we need another challenge to knock us out of the winter blahs. Like 36 photos of an egg, but we've done that one. I'll poke around in the groups, see what I find.

    ReplyDelete
  3. More snow...wow...
    Love the snowman photo and all your little collectibles..
    and your image in the mirror..

    ReplyDelete

I'm having to moderate all comments because Blogger seems to have a problem notifying me. Sorry about that. I will review them several times daily, though, until this issue is fixed.

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