Moses Ogden New York Folk Art Sculpture Outsider Art Real Photo Postcard dated 1916

A truly extraordinary Real Photo Post Card of the Moses Ogden folk art environment dated 1916. Turned up by Natalie Curley. I was hoping the indistinct writing would reveal a first person impression of his folk art environment but all I can make out is “given to (???) 1916” written along one border, and the equally indistinct caption on the photo. It seems to identify the place as “Ogden’s Curios.” The place was in Angelica, New York. I am not sure if this view has been published before. Great find! I believe the first national publication to reveal Ogden’s sculptures was, of all places, Popular Science September in 1917. Numerous books have shown examples of Ogden’s work and scholar Tom Patterson tells his story in Raw Vision magazine Spring 2023 Real Photo Postcard collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb

African-American Yard Show Folk Art in the Black Eden Idlewild, Michigan Black History 1915 RPPC Collection Jim Linderman

Dated 1915 (which makes it likely one of the earliest photos of an African-American Yard Show) this scarce RPPC comes from Idlewild, Michigan. The city was founded in 1912 specifically as a resort town for black tourists who weren’t welcome most places at the time. A refuge from Jim Crow laws still rampant. Here, Black citizens could legally buy property, relax, use the facilities, fish the lake and take up residence. Numerous black notables visited and vacationed in Idlewild…even Louis Armstrong purchased a home there. The famed Flamingo Club operated and attracted countless famous Black entertainers. Members of the Black intelligentsia from Chicago and further established a foothold and the city flourished. By the 1920s Over 6000 people had purchased 17,000 lots in the area. Many articles and several books tell the history of the birth, decline and ongoing restoration of this Black Eden. The owner of this establishment is unidentified. The awning identifies the place as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and the rock creature has “Swannee River” written on it. Both problematic now, but during the earliest days of the 19th century black condemnation of Uncle Tom was not as strong as today. As for “Swannee” River, it could refer to the actual waterway (which ran from Georgia to Florida) rather than to the Stephen Foster song “Old Folks at Home” by written in 1851 and STILL the official state song of Florida. The song has a controversial history well-documented (having been composed as a minstrel tune) but it is surprising to see here in this context. Several of my posts have received informative comments from Michiganders. I hope some can add more information on this unusual find. The Folk Artist from Black Eden. African-American Yard Show art Idlewild, Michigan 1915 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb I have posted numerous other yard show photos on the Dull Tool Dim Bulb blog over the years, but this one is the oldest. #yardshow. #yardart. #blackfolkart. #african-american. #rppc. #idlewild #michigan. #realphotopostcard. #outsiderart. See the Wikipedia article on Idlewild HERE

Folk Art Pole full of Cowboy Culture.

Early snapshot of an unusual pole full of cowboy carvings! Unknown location Collection Jim Linderman

Cleo Crawford. Obscure African-American painter

A great, forgotten painting by African-American artist Cleo Crawford executed in 1938. Crawford lived in Haverstraw, New York. He unfortunately passed away shortly after his work was included in a Sidney Janis show and later the book “They Taught Themselves” in 1942. It also appears in Herbert Hemphill’s “Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists” in 1974. The other day I saw an eBay seller offering “Giclee print on canvas” reproductions! Ugh. My guess is that this was never approved by the legitimate owner. Cleo Crawford “Christmas” oil 28 x 40 1/2” Sidney and Harriet Janis collection, Museum of Modern Art

Burl Wood "Sculptures" from the Stump House Folk Art Environment RPPC

Two of my favorite Real Photo Postcards. From the defunct "Stump House" environment which burned up sometime around the early 1960s. Information about the place is sketchy. These big chunks of burl wood were turned into wonderful visual tricks. Check out the wood grain on the fence! Pair of Real Photo Postcards circa 1940? Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Why would the Outsider Artist Justin McCarthy sign a painting as by Rubens ?

A cruise ship lounger on deck with a bright red sunburned face. But why would Justin McCarthy sign a painting as by "Rubens" Justin McCarthy suffered what has been called "a major nervous breakdown" from 1917 to 1921 or so, some years of which he was in an institutional setting.This occurred shortly after his well-to-do family left him (as a young man) to wander the Louvre. The story of how he painted himself back to reality has been often told. But the signature? During his recovery McCarthy signed numerous names to his work, but Art scholar Nancy Green Karlins Thoman deserves the credit for revealing some of McCarthy's hand written notes from the time period in her dissertation “Justin McCarthy (1891-1977) The Making of a 20-century Self-Taught Painter.” In a sketchbook from 1919 - 1920 he jotted down his impressions of the great artists noting their characteristics as he remembered them. Among them Van Dyke (sic) Rembrant (sic) and Whistler. And for Rubens? McCarthy wrote “Rubens - red agent, ruby red.” He certainly couldn’t have been intending to copy Rubens with a woman on the deck of a steamer but in his somewhat troubled mind it made sense. To the artist, it was the color red. Years later his friend and patron Sterling Strauser had McCarthy go back and sign many works. Hence, his own signature appears as well! Justin McCarthy Untitled (Woman on a Ship) circa 1920 - 1930? Collection Jim Linderman

Cedar Creek Charlie Fields Folk Art Sculptures from a long lost folk art environment and the book by Elinor Lander Horwitz Contemporary American Folk Artists

Three remaining folk art sculptures made by Cedar Creek Charlie. There aren't too many of them around. Of course, Mr. Fields is one of the earliest 20th century yard art creators. I've done a few posts over the years on Charlie as it was a friend of mine who paid the rights to salvage (and save) significant portions of his house. By the time they got to it the place had been ravaged by vandals. So much so that in 1990, when the Rosenak encyclopedia of American Folk Art was published, they wrote "Probably only about ten objects from the whole house and his environment survive." One if them, the "Polka--Dotten Crucifiction" wasn't even made by Charlie. It was made by a prisoner and Charlie only added the polka dots. So, they were wrong. On the other hand, I recently bought a copy of the Elinor Lander Horwitch book Contemporary American Folk Artists for the third time. Both my other copies were lost while moving. It's still available as an out-of-print book for less then ten bucks if one is patient. There have been numerous writings on Charlie but this one is still the best. No errors...and she faithtully shares pictures of both the place and the Museum of Appalachia collection. There were ten objects by Charlie there alone. I guess the Rosenaks missed them. Contemporary American Folks Artists remains a VERY entertaing survey from the earliest days of discovering these self-taught geniuses. I later learned her son was the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tony Horwitz and the mother of journalist Geraldine Brooks! So, the objects here were "insiders" in that that were installed in Charlie's house rather than spread out in the yard. The yard, which originally included a Ferris Wheel, a giant airplane and functioning Polka-dot Beehouses, was trashed. Howard Campbell and Marcus King preserved much of the exterior including the famous front door. For some revealing photographs of Charlie's yard, see SUSAN CHANDLER'S FIND A GRAVE post HERE Three objects by Cedar Creek Charlie Fields c. 1950 - 1960. (Sign Holder jar, repurposed Ball jar and Talcum power cannister. Tallest 20". Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Black Jesus Last Supper Outsider Art collection Jim Linderman

Black Jesus Outsider Art. The Last Supper, mid 20th Century. Signed by RAY (unknown)said to be from Virginia. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Nyla Gladine Thompson (1927-1969) Texas Outsider Art by a Polio Victim The Landscape Paintings Collection Jim Linderman

Nyla Gladine Thompson was 9 years old when began to suffer infantile paralysis. She began painting at age 13 with a brush held in her mouth. She painted this way for 20 years, becoming well known in the several Texas towns she lived in. Among her fans was first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. These works date to 1955 or so. Nyla Gladine Thompson works in oil, circa 1955 Collection Jim Linderman

Untitled (Man with a Beef) original 35mm photograph c. 1990 by Jim Linderman

Untitled (Man with a Beef) original 35mm photograph c. 1990 by Jim Linderman

19th Century Folk Art Outsider Art Drawing on Flattened Prang Christmas Card Box Man, Woman, Horse

A sketch on a c.1890 flattened box reeking of age and creativity! Drawn on a Prang Christmas card box. Any school art teacher knows of Prang. They are still in business "providing children with the freedom to create without boundries" which means crayons, markers, chalks and modeling clay. The company was founded in 1882. I do not now if Mr. Prang intended to inspire a drawing of a man with a gun and a woman without a head. 19th Century Folk Art Outsider Art Drawing on Flattened Prang Christmas Card Box Man, Woman, Horse Collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb. Thanks to Box Lot on Facebook

Rare Photographs of Justin McCarthy and Elijah Pierce 1972 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Two Man Show

I was surprised to come across a group of photographs of the outsider art masters Justin McCarthy and Elijah Pierce taken at their two-man show in 1972. At the time, there had been very few institutional exhibitions of this kind. Pierce had been "discovered" only a year earlier. McCarthy had been included in the "Seventeen Naive Painters" traveling show from the Museum of Modern Art in 1966. Along with the artists, the set shows my mentor Sterling Strauser with Elijah Pierce. I believe others at the show could be indentified by any old timers reading this...and it is interesting to see who turned up for the opening. These pictures actually come from contact prints taken by an as yet unidentified photographer. The whole set is posted on the digital archive of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts along with numerous installation views. Beautiful and historic pictures! See the entire set on the PFAFA Archives page at the following LINK

Art Brut from Detroit Michigan Sam Mackey

The little known work of Sam Mackey is shown here from several institutional collections. Mr. Macky was the grandfather of Tyree Guyton, creator of Heidelberg Project, a long standing (and constantly changing) folk art environment in Detroit. Mr. Guyton has said his grandfather was an inspriation on his own work. I am not sure how widely Sam Mackey's work has been publicly shown, if at all. Some 25 years ago I was fortunate to see of number of originals in New York courtesy of a friend who had the work sent to him for approval. Great work, and work which I believe is quite scarce. The art here is dated circa 1987 - 1992. Crayon and pencil on paper. Images of Sam Mackey work from the following sources: Knight Foundation The Wayne State University Collection For art and artists(blog) University of Michigan Museum of Art

Blanch Ackers African-American Artist from Arkansas, Michigan.

Blanch Ackers moved from Arkansas to near Detroit, Michigan in 1943. In 1985 she found employment in a Foster Grandparent program and was introduced to art by Christine Hennessay, an art teacher. She was over 70 years of age when her first drawings were produced. Essentially "memory paintings" the work reflects strongly the African-American experience in the Southern United States where she spent her childhood. Blanch Ackers passed in 2003 at the age of 88. Ms. Ackers has a wikipedia entry, and her works are held by the University of Michigan Art Museum Blanch Ackers. Five untitled drawings, c.1990 Collection Jim Linderman

Outsider Art from The Seaside Psychiatric Hospital in Waterford Ct circa 1950-1970

Tempura or watercolor paintings on paper said to have been produced by a patient at the now abandoned Seaside psychiatric hospital in Waterford, Ct. I don't know about that, but they are very interesting. Group of paintings by F. Jennings circa 1950 - 1970. Collection Jim Linderman

A curious Folk Art Watercolor Painting c. 1900 Collection Jim Linderman

A curious Folk Art Watercolor Painting c. 1900, likely from Pennsylvania. On scrap paperfound in a scrap book. Anonymous. Collection Jim Linderman

African-American Yard Show Outsider Art Folk Art Environment Assemblage Art Alabama c. 1993

Original photographs of a previously undocumented African-American Yard Show taken in the early 1990's by Mary Klein and Jim Linderman. The gentleman who built the environment, which was nearly as tall as his garage, is today unknown. Somewhere in Alabama, lost in the past. Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog.

Caroline Goe Missing NYC Street Artist and Outsider Art collection Jim Linderman

There are plenty of mysteries and coincidences in the world of Outsider Art. I can add these four pieces to the mystery of lost New York City street artist Carolyn Goe. I've owned the group above TWICE in the last thirty years! I sold them in a batch of things before I moved out of Manhattan in 2008 and hadn't thought of her since. When I saw them turn up recently on an online auction site (without the artist's name) I added them right back into my collection. How they got to Maine I have no idea. I also had absolutely no knowledge of the Caroline Goe at White Columns in 2019 until browsing it up a week ago. I wish I could contribute more to fill in the missing blanks. Cori Hutchinson wrote a lovely, particularly thoughtful review of the White Columns Goe Show HERE in White Hot Magazine. It is a very good read. One thing I do know about Ms. Goe is that somewhere along the line I was told the artist's name was Carolyn GOES. As in "she comes and goes…?" Although I personally knew both Barry Cohen, who collected and promoted her work, and the folks at the Artisans antique shop who had work of for sale at one time, I don't think my set came either sources. Could be wrong, as it's a world away to me now. In the 25 years I lived in Manhattan, I did purchase from (and personally befriend) lots of street artists (including the now better known "outsiders" Bertha Halozan, and Ionel Talapazan. I "discovered" Haitian artist Max Romain's work in a public library show and first tracked him down through his librarian friend. There were many more. More than these three became friends of mine as well, which is why I am sure my Goe pieces didn't originally come directly from her. If they had, I would know plenty more about her than folks seem to know now. I can not remember ever seeing Carolyn Goe. I can't claim these are among her best. Lynne Tillman has the best. The show was drawn from her collection. One indication of her possible disappearance could be that one of my pieces features a nurse, which could now foretell an uncertain future for the artist. Most street artists have a rough life. Even Art Forum got aboard and featured the show HERE illustrating a woman in a kimono from the exhibition. Caroline Goe Four untitled mixed media works on canvas scrap circa 1970 - 1980 Collection Jim Linderman