Justin McCarthy early drawing in colored pencil "Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford" collection Jim Linderman

A VERY early drawing by self-taught artist Justin McCarthy dated 1920 depicting the first Hollywood power couple Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. McCarthy loved motion pictures and used them a subject matter his entire career. “Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford” Justin McCarthy collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb.

Gary Panter drawing for Vintage Sleaze the Blog (on hiatus) Collection Jim Linderman

I hope everyone has seem the documentary on Pee Wee Herman now streaming. It’s great. Gary Panter, the artist who drew this little tribute to my blog Vintage Sleaze (on hiatus for NINE YEARS now) won two daytime Emmys for his work on the Pee Wee Herman show as a designer, but I suspect he had FAR more to do with the show than just design. I met him twice, once while doing a TV profile on the artists from RAW magazine (a visual delight with a list of contributors hard to believe) and again while attending a small show in a Williamsburg NY gallery show in which he created shadows he threw up on a wall. I also lived three blocks from a Pee Wee Herman installation he created in a room in the Paramount Hotel back near Times Square back In the 80s. It’s been featured on the much lamented lost blog Lost New York. I used to sneak my dates in there. Anyway, Mr. Panter is something of a hero of mine. I don’t trust AI censorship, so I took out the nicest part of the drawing. “Vintage Slease” Original Drawing by Gary Panter 2011 Collection Jim Linderman

What is Dull Tool Dim Bulb ? (A flattering artificial intelligence answer)

Analysis of the Dull Tool Dim Bulb Blog by Jim Linderman The blog "Dull Tool Dim Bulb" is an online repository curated by Jim Linderman, dedicated to showcasing and analyzing vernacular photography, folk art, ephemera, and curiosities, often with a focus on the unusual, unexpected, and often-overlooked aspects of American popular culture. The blog's name itself, "Dull Tool Dim Bulb," reflects a slightly irreverent and unconventional approach, referencing the only "swear words" his father ever used.  Here's a breakdown of the key elements and aspects of the blog based on the provided search results: Content and Focus: * Vernacular and Self-Taught Art: A central theme is the exploration of art created by individuals outside of traditional artistic institutions or formal training. This includes self-taught artists, outsider art, and antique American folk art. * Vernacular Photography and Ephemera: Linderman's collection encompasses a wide range of vintage photographs, postcards, and other ephemeral materials that offer glimpses into everyday life and cultural trends. * The Unusual and Unsung: The blog often highlights unique and often obscure items, focusing on those that might not be considered "high art" but hold cultural and historical significance. * Underground History of American Popular Culture: Linderman delves into the stories behind the objects and their creators, revealing an underground history of American popular culture. * Authenticity and Storytelling: The blog emphasizes the authenticity of the featured items and provides research and narratives behind them, offering insights into their origins and contexts. * Thematic Exploration: The blog sometimes explores broader themes like racism and its representation in art, or the intersection of art and natural disasters.  Style and Tone: Style and Tone: * Erudite and Humorous: The blog is characterized by an erudite and well-informed approach, combined with a good sense of humor. * Direct and Informative: The writing is generally direct and focuses on presenting the items and their associated information. * Personal Touch: Linderman often includes personal anecdotes and perspectives related to his collecting experiences, such as the story of Rover the Folk Art Dog. * Occasional Juxtaposition: The blog sometimes draws unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated items, such as putting Professor Longhair and Jayne Mansfield together in a post about artist Hudson Marquez.  Overall Impression: The "Dull Tool Dim Bulb" blog functions like a digital flea market run by an "erudite eccentric". It is a treasure trove of fascinating and often unusual objects, accompanied by informative and engaging narratives that shed light on their cultural significance. It caters to those interested in self-taught art, outsider art, vernacular photography, and the often-overlooked corners of American popular culture. The blog also serves as a platform for Linderman's limited edition publishing house, which aims to present unusual and uncommon books and ebooks. 

James Harold Jennings Devil Art and Cigarette Butts for a Brush

I never knew why North Carolina artist James Harold Jennings painted women wrestling the devil into submission, and I never remembered to ask him. I DO know how he made hundreds of dots on all his work. He used a cigarette filter as a paint brush. A Primitive practitioner of Pointallism. James Harold Jennings “Devil Gets Sat On” Early 1990s Dull Tool Dim Bulb Archives.

African-American Yard show Folk Art Alabama c. 1990s

Unidentified African-American Yard Show in Alabama, early 1990s. TV in the air! Original photos Jim Linderrman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Satina Smokes ? Sideshow circus banner vintage snapshot photograph 1964

Satina appears to be one of the animals available at the 1964 Clyde Beatty circus sideshow. Satina was likely an electrical act who would shudder when the switch was thrown. Writer A.W. Stencil writes of an electric act in which the assistant would throw horsehair on a hot electric skillet to produce smoky fumes. Who knows. Original snapshot collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Folk Art Sign for Furniture in Vintage photograph

Looks like it was easier to buy a home back in the late 19th century. Folk Art Handmade Furniture Sign. I’m not quite sure what (or who) is being offered, but it looks like a deal! Lagte 19th Century (?) snapshot photograph with hand painted sign Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Monster on the streets of Duluth.

Duluth, Minnesota parade 1926. “An off center wheel in the rear moved the tail in a grotesque fashion while an operator within open and shut the huge teethed jaws”. Original press photo 1926 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb #monsters. #dragon. #vintagephoto. #parade. #dulltooldimbulb #duluth.

Harold Maxwell Outsider Artist of Pinups and Burlesque c. 1955

Harold Maxwell first appeared, I believe, at Brimfield, the legendary slog in the mud for Antiques. I don’t know how many of these bizarre portraits were created, but I have four and found 5 or 6 already appearing on auction sites, and a few which have sold. One listing says Ohio. One friend says Michigan. I find nothing with facts on the web before 2024. Harold Maxwell works are large, most of mine are 22 x 24. The black and white pieces are apparently India ink and I would say the color ones are poster paint. Bright and vibrant although the cheap cardboard paper stock is yellowing. So far they are all signed and most dated 1955. That was the year pinup and men’s magazines exploded…the top racks at magazine shops were full of them, so maybe these were based on actual performers. I’d call these show girls from burlesque as much as pinups. Frankly, not the most alluring. In fact downright weird. It was a hobby. Is he an outsider artist? Well he is eccentric with a consistent vision and also appears a bit compulsive but he likely had training. Your call. Group of Howard Maxwell paintings of women, circa 1955. Four collection Jim Linderman, The others are currently offered for sale on auction sites. I try to do an annual Outsider Art Fair post and many are found on Dull Tool Dim Bulb at: https://dulltooldimbulb.blogspot.com/search?q=outsider+art+show

Pair of Vintage Hand Made Folk Art Puppets from Paper - Mache

Handmade 1950s Folk Art Puppets with moving extremities and mouths. Folk Art. Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Wood Carved Mule Factory of Mr. Webb in Missouri Folk Art

H. P. Webb does some quality control at his Mule Factory in Missouri. Real Photo Postcard c. 1940 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Las Vegas Kim the Risque Texas Postcard King of the 1930s

Little Lithographs of Las Vegas Kim Texas Cowboy Art Postcards of J. Edgar Kimsey Cowboy Artist Las Vegas Kim aka J. Edgar Kimsey Postcards from the American West. Las Vegas Kim was a real cowboy artist active in the 1930s. J. Edgar Kimsey was also the postmaster of the small town of Texon, Texas. He was more specifically a cowboy postcard artist of sorts…and that is one with a ribald, romping nature too. The West was his place and time. As reflected in his work, he was a bull rider too. The cards themselves are beautiful little relics of Texas past with an unusual primitive printing technique like a lithograph. The cards appear to have been tinted by hand, but aren't. It is also nice to know Mr. Kimsey had a risqué side. Several of the postcards here were shared by the Fire House Museum of Crowell, Texas online years ago. There are a few mentions of Mr. Kimsey online. One is in the book Texon: Legacy of an Oil Town. and I remember a longer, more complete post online years ago. However, ANY search with "kim" in it is going to give you a passel of Kim from Las Vegas you probably aren't searching for. Group of Las Vegas Kim postcards, c. 1935 - 1939. Collection Jim Linderman and from the collection of the Fire House Museum of Crowell website.

Antique Folk Art Handmade Mickey Mouse Figure collection Jim Linderman

Great paint on this Mickey Mouse standing figure for the yard. Circa 1940 or so, so an early Mickey. Both Sides Shown Great paint and wear. Mickey Mouse standing yard figure c. 1940. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Unusual Make Do Antique Child's Hand Painted Blocks Folk Art Toy

A rare group of hand-painted child’s blocks from Oklahoma, circa 1930-1940. One can easily imagine a mother painting these wood scraps to entertain her child. Homemade toys that have been kept for decades. These are painted on both sides and could have been a collaborative project with the kids, these fall under the category of humbling. Dark patina. Folk Art homemade educational block for a child or two, Oklahoma circa 1930 ish. Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Leroy Person Carved Table Early Southern Black Folk Art

Leroy Person. Handmade Table with incised wood on legs and the supports. Unpainted. c.1960 - 1970. Mr. Person’s early work was etched on the wooden trim of his house and carvings on his fence surrounding it. He also began making rudimentary furniture such as this table. Much has been made of the Africanisms found on his objects. I believe he was later given paint by an encouraging patron, and his latest works were made rubbing crayons into his carvings. He was an obsessive worker. Dull Tool Dim Bulb Archives. Table approx. 32 inches square. Private Collection #africanamericanart #blackfolkart #northcarolina. #dulltooldimbulb #leroyperson

The Famous Mouth Artist of Texas Nyla Gladine Thompson Texas Art BOOK by Jim Linderman

My new book is NYLA GLADINE THOMPSON: The Famous Texas Mouth Artist. It is a remarkable story, She was a victim of infant polio, and taught herself to paint while paralyzed with a brush in her mouth. 8 x 11 and 40 pages. With 40 original paintings from my collection and her first biography. The printed softcover book has 40 pages. The much more affordable Ebook will be available shortly. A brief excerpt is here and a link to purchase. Only the hardcopy is available, the more affordable ebook will be soon. Nyla Gladine Thompson was born in 1928, the daughter of Lillie and Pum Roy Thompson. The family were tenant farmers from near Glen Flora, Texas. They were not wealthy and there was a Depression around the corner. She was struck with infantile polio nine years later in 1937. She lost the use of her legs, arms, and most of her torso up to her neck. It was unknown if she would survive. She retained a small bit of utility in one hand but was confined to a wheelchair and held in by straps for the rest of her life. Then after seeing a friend's watercolor set it was with great determination she also began to paint and completed her first reasonable result in 1938. She found it was possible to hold a paint brush in her mouth which she was able to direct with the slight available movements of her head. It was slow, tedious work. The early works were tentative, crude and often marked with unusual but distinctive pecked strikes at the paper. At the age of 13 in 1940 she had painted enough to have been written about in an AP wire story which ran in a hundred or more local newspapers across the country. The story notes all her brushwork was done with the tool in her mouth. It also notes the young artist was making a quilt by holding one handle of the scissors in her teeth and the other in her "uncertain" right hand. This disability is visible by the misshapen hand in the photo of the artist at work shown on the cover. She became famous by overcoming her disability and becoming a master painter, many which were turned into postcards in the 1950s. https://www.blurb.com/b/12353852-nyla-gladine-thompson-the-mouth-artist-of-texas

Antique American Folk Art carved Man in a top hat letter opener Uncle Sam Collection Jim Linderman

Antique American Folk Art carved Man in a top hat letter opener. Original Paint. Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Six startled women Outsider Art Drawings by "Miss Daisy"

SIX STARTLED WOMEN! Drawings by an anonymous west coast shut-in at this point known only as Ms. Daisy. Each is 9" x 12" and there are hundreds. Each drawing has the date created on the reverse and most have a weather report! (Cloudy today, sunny and hot, smog, etc…) She lived into her 90s, and while institutionalized drew one every few days from 1952 until tapering off in the 1960s. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Large Carved Folk Art Articulated Dancing Man in original paint dated 1957 Collection Jim Linderman

Giant (goofy) articulated figure! 20 inches tall with original paint Made in 1957 as a gift Large articulated figure collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog

Turtle Quilt

Turtle Quilt 20th century Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog

Niuglo the mystery photographer for VEA Magazine from Mexico

A scarce photo of Niuglo, the obscure Mexican photographer! I was so glad to find it. I check in on Niuglo every few years to see what’s been learned, but he is still largely a mystery. The staff photographer of Pin up magazine VEA remains an unrecognized master. In a cover photograph from 1954, he places a model next to a massive antique camera. He appears to have been staff photographer for VEA magazine from 1941 to 1954. He also sold work to other places. Niuglo is likely a palindrome of his surname Olguin. He also MAY have produced and sold postcards of beautiful Mexican Women poses, possibly at tourist shops and through the mail. I wish I could confirm this. In the last few years there have been a few brief mentions of Niuglo in scholarly publications   VEA is a pretty hard magazine to find copies of these days. It ran in the 1940s and 1950s, and when you figure in acid-based paper, few are left. Do not confuse it with Vea the Puerto Rican gossip magazine, or Vea which came from Chile. VEA was a weekly pulp periodical which ran for years but was apparently often in trouble with the law, largely due to Niuglo’s spicy photos. The magazine was a mix of news, bullfighting reports, pulp fiction, novellas and more. Flipping through them makes me love Mexico. As our new leader forces a tariff on one of our allies, I love them even more. He even thinks he can steal the Gulf of Mexico simply by saying so, He is wrong. We’ve been allies for centuries. He doesn’t know how to treat allies and that is obvious.  VEA is scarce, but someone is paying attention. These are worthy of saving. Scholar Ageeth Sluis recently wrote “Projecting Pornography and Mapping Modernity in Mexico City” for the Journal of Urban History which drew upon the images in VEA. A portion of the abstract reads:  “By analyzing depictions of female nudity as conversant with urban landscapes in the banned magazine Vea, the author argues that pornography connected Mexico City to transnational ideas of the early twentieth century that held that sexually liberated women were part and parcel of cosmopolitan modernity. Vea exemplified and fueled concerns over “public women” and helps scholars understand larger debates on the gendered effects of revolution, urbanization, and transnational currents of global modernity.”  A group of original negatives of erotic images which have been attributed to Niuglo were discovered in 1996 and exhibited (in 2002) by photographer Merrick Morton at the Fototeka Gallery in Los Angeles. Attributed might be too strong a word, as it was speculation, and there were several other “house” photographers doing similar work for VEA. The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston owns two copies and one day I’ll pass mine along. In an issue of Vea, Niuglo ran an ad which ran (in Spanish) “Niuglo is asking for a capitalist partner to open a large-scale photography studio! Please write to…NIUGLO Article 123 no.22. Mexico City Serious Matter…Sure Business.” I hope it worked out. In one issue of VEA I read “…the sound of the camera penetrates the secrets of a woman’s soul…this psychological paroxysm when passion burns the female soul that shows itself like her tempted body,” In recent years, LUNA CORNEA ran a good piece and there have been a few other mentions…but Niuglo remans A phantom with a big camera. Issues of VEA magazine with Niuglo Covers collection Jim Linderman and other private collections.

The Dull Tool Dim Bulb Office 2025 Folk Art Collection

The Dull Tool Dim Bulb Office 2025 Folk Art Collection

Antique Whirligig Figure in original paint collection Jim Linderman Folk Art Carving

An antique whirligig fragment of a particularly less than beautiful man. Folk art carving, Original paint, human hair, red,white and blue. Circa 1930 - 1940 collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Builb

Young Woman's drawings in a practice notebook c. 1877 Schoolgirl Art of impressive skill

Some highlights from a practice notebook of a schoolgirl. I use “delightful” sparingly but it is appropriate here. Some are full pages, two cropped. The notes indicate the booklet is for “History Maps, Agricultural Figures and Physiology Figures…and mind you, this wasn’t even handed in. They were produced from 1876-1877 by a young woman. A prize, and humbling. Note the map is likely not included, not required and not shown in Florida any longer. Child’s workbook/notebook 1877 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Anonymous was a Woman an essential and beautiful book

First published in 1975, "Anonymous was a Woman" is one of my favorite titles and one I frequently mention. As if women didn't have enough to do during the 18th and 19th centuries, they often took the time to make it beautiful as well. Easy to find affordable (and I mean really, really cheap) on Amazon. I see used copies there for less than ten bucks. A beautiful book and the best book title for a book on Folk Art ever! Anonymous was a Woman by Mirra Bank (Author), Phyllis Rose (Preface). "In print since it was first published in 1979, this book is a glorious collection of American folk art by "ordinary" women of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Filled with beautiful four-color reproductions of samplers, quilts, paintings, and needle-pictures along with excerpts from diaries and letters, sampler verse, books, and magazines of the period, Anonymous Was a Woman celebrates the daily experiences and inner lives of women who, in acts of love and duty, created many masterpieces of American folk art."

A Folk Art Carving of a Couple "coupled" Antique Risque Motion Toy

A Folk Art Carving of a Couple "coupled" Antique Risque Motion Toy collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Folk Art Handmade Original Paint Greenhouse Sign Retro Vintage

Hand Painted Sign for Star Greenhouses Big Rapids, MI. Hand cut letters and stars, original paint. Approx. Five feet long. Circa 1950 - 1960? Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb #folkart. #handpainted. #sign. #Vintage.

Painted by Hand Envelope Cachet works which correspond to each city from which they originate! Unusual Art

I firmly believe everyone should have a hobby, and this gent certainly did. In every town he would stop and paint the a work to represent it.In Battle he puts two fellows going at it with guns.In Lilly one would grows. Redwing? A painting of a black bird with redwings. Farmer got a farmer, and as you can see Bigbow was given just that. He would address them to himself, drop them at the local postoffice to have their stamps cancelled…and when his trip ended he would receive them courtesy the U. S. Postal Service.

An enterprising and as far as I know unique passion. I have five envelopes from five different cities But have no idea how many he produced. I believe it costs some 60 cents to mail a letter now, to any city in the 50 states…but the nearest competitor (Fedex) charges TEN BUCKS! Every few years stupid Republicans try to “privatize” the mail…don’t let them. Mailed envelopes with hand-painted cachets from respective towns. All c. 1950. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog.

Three original drawings by Basil Merrett c. 1945 - 1950 Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog Outsider Art Art Brut Christmas

Three hand-drawn Christmas pieces by Basil Merrett drawn while confined at the mental hospital Bedlam in London c. 1950. Other “occupants” at Bedlam include Vincent Van Gogh and Louis Wain (The cat artist). Each approx. 4 x 6 Three original drawings by Basil Merrett c. 1945 - 1950 Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog

Beatnik wannabee anonymous snapshot.

BEATNIKS! Well, beatnik wannabe privileged white folk with a mural, anyway. They must have recently read a Life Magazine expose on the “Beat Generation” and decided to drink too much wine, I’ve always said there was only three real beatniks…Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and a Times Square thief and Junkie named Herbert Huncke. Look him up. “Beatnik Party” anonymous snapshot c. 1959 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Bizarre Real Photo Postcard of a group of strange paintings. RPPC

A bizarre real photo postcard seemingly depicting a life gone wrong through 4 paintings. Some allegorical tale of which I do not know.I guess folk art paintings preserved for all in simple mailing format,but this one is unmailed. #realphotopostcard #rppc. #dulltooldimbulb

Calamity Ice Bombs and the Coming Super Man. D.W. Matter Marches from Hell

The Coming World-Wide Calamity was originally published in 1943 and sold for a dime. There isn’t anything remarkable about it except the cover. One thing I’ve noticed about modern zealot evangelicals causing havoc on our school libraries, forcing away diversity progress electing a buffoon? You don’t hear them saying “Love thy neighbor” anymore. The other thing that bothers me? Whenever one of the disasters shown on this ridiculous book cover actually happens it’s God that caused it, not climate change or science or reason or denying fools in office. Sigh. The author, one D. W. “Matter” doesn’t matter at all, except for the notable prediction of 100 pound hailstones! The same drivel occurs in most of these disposable tracts. But I absolutely LOVE the cover. “The Coming World-Wide Calamity by D. W. Matter” 1943(?) not indicated. Artist not identified. collection Jim Linderman

Real Photo Postcard of Uncle Sam. Circa 1920 collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Real Photo Postcard of Uncle Sam. Circa 1920 collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Sewing Card Set hand stitched 1927 Schoolgirl Art

A Sewing Card Set created by 4th Grader Miss Lillian Ethel Wandel in 1927. The set was commercial (although the box indicates only an inventory number) and consisted of a dozen or so pre-punched cards to be hand sewn by the student. Although she hand-stitched the collection appropriately I believe the idea of stringing them together into what is essentially A giant flip book…or as seen here a wall hanger was her own. I have had several pieces from the same unidentified manufacturer over the years. I have duplicates of some, but this is the only set I have seen in this format. Completed sewing card set by Lillian Ethel Wandel 4th Grade dated December 14, 1927 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Soap Carving of a Prison and Prison Yard made from Ivory Soap c, 1930

Prison (and prison yard) hand-carved from a bar of Ivory Soap. Circa 1930. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb #soapcarving. #ivorysoap. #prisonart. #folkart.

Captain Hadacol and the Hadacol Bounce 25 cents off token

America still runs on snake oil, but not like the good old days. Every few years, some criminal chemist discovers and markets a concoction which "health" stores and urban delis sell to the bridge and tunnel crowd. Once the FDA figures it out, it's gone. Generally related to caffeine but often far worse. Hadacol was the one which inspired lore and legend. A Southern slop with a potent mixture of B-Vitamins and alcohol from New Orleans. While the instructions were a teaspoon four times a day, it was sold by the glass in after-hours clubs and dry counties. The powerful stuff was invented and marketed by Lousiana State Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc and even sold in pharmacies. The senator was pretty good at promotions. Witness the Captain Hadacol SUPER HERO who appeared in an official comic book. He doesn’t look so good until he pulls himself to the fridge and pulls a draw. Even sullen kids with no pep could benefit from a swig. My Hadacol token here was good for 25 cents off. The drink inspired all manner of celebratory songs, mostly by rockabilly types aimed at white trash. Famously Professor Longhair had the best Hadacol song, and you can find it online.