Happy New Year airbrushed, embossed and diverse

An airbrushed and embossed HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL! Each one is a little bit different, but then diversity is our strength. I have my shoulder to the wheel for the mid-terms. Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog.

Dick Dillon's Mechanical City in Real Photo Postcards

I had a cheap promo RPPC of “Dillon’s Mechanical City” years ago but didn’t post it as the piece, or city was apparently from Denmark and I was concentrating on domestic folk art environments. Plus the photo was unclear. Over the holidays I was reminded by Natalie Curley who sent me a real photo postcard of the place. I found the rest! Enlarge these, it’s remarkable. I also found a few ads from Billboard Magazine, then covering the “amusements” market as well as music. There is little useful information on promoter Dick Dillon, who paid to move this mechanical masterpiece from Denmark to East Liverpool, OH in the early 1950s. He also TOURED it around some…it took three giant trucks to move it! The cards hardly show the size. Dillon took it around the midwest in a caravan and parked the trucks in a semi-circle for tours. I consulted the writings of Amazing A.C. Stencell, whose book is the only source I can find. “…Dick Dillon from Youngstown, OH…had acquired a miniature village made in Denmark that consisted of 251 animated characters, 30,000 working parts and 50 European scenes. He told people that the builder took eight years to carve it with a pocket knife.” Dillon covered it in canvas with a few carvings in front but charged for the full tour. I do not know where the thing ended up! When these RPPC images were produced the thing was called the “defenseless” mechanical city, which leads me it may have been a World War 2 reference (?) Group of Dillon’s Working Mechanical city real photo postcards c. 1950 collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb #folkartenvironment #DickDillon. #carnival. #sideshow.

Unusual Sewer Pipe Pottery Monkey hand painted.

There were several dozen Sewer Pipe factories in the area around Ullrichsville Ohio. J.W. Moore comes to mind. This piece is incised with the company stamp "Superior Clay Corp. from Ullrichsville. Interestingly, the company stamp often indicated the maker! This piece appears to have been "Handcrafted by Phillip (Patterson)?. PAINTED Sewer Pipe Pottery is uncommon, but this piece looks to have been an "inventory" item, so there may be more with paint. The paint isn't just "slopped" on, it's well done. The date is unknown but is old. Mid to early 20th Century. Sewer Tile Monkey painted by hand. Collection Jim Linderman

Bettie Page Wood Carving Folk Art c. 1960 collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Bettie Page Wood Carving Folk Art c. 1960 collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Jim Linderman collection of Antique Wooden Folk Art Figures shown mid 1990s Articulated Figures and Whirligigs

Jim Linderman collection of Antique Wooden Folk Art Figures shown mid 1990s. Articulated figures and whirligigs

Our Curious World Sideshow

It’s Our Curious World! Cheap carnival midway booth circa 1960? Original glossy press photo by Larry Epstein Philadelphia, Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb. Thanks to Lauren Leja of FACEBOOK on eBay

Pair of Homemade Santa Claus Figures

Both these fellas obviously from the same template (or traced) and taken from the same scrapbook! Let's play the old game "spot the difference" and start with the buttons. Happy Holidays. DRIVE SAFE. Two Santas circa 1930 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb.

Original 19th century Photograph of a folk art sculpture group of carved dogs birds and more.

I was challenged to identify the maker but have failed so far. Lots of birds and a pair of dogs. Excellent carved folk art from 1890 to 1910 maybe. I would have had the dogs face each other, but that’s just my sense of balance. A detail scan shows the menagerie, the other shows the garden. Early photograph of folk art carvings in the garden. Circa 1890 - 1910. The photo is 5” x 7” in an 8” x 10” mount. Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb The Blog.

Group of Three Folk Art Articulated Figure Carvings

Small Articulated figure folk art figures. Circa 1920 - 1940 Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Folk Art Sewer Tile Miniature Shoe c. 1900 - 1920

Miniature Sewer Tile Shoe circa 1900 - 1920. A shoe formed in a mold for commercial sale made by Sewer Tile workers in their off-time. Length 5 inches, 2 1/2 inches tall at heel. Signed on base “JG” Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb the blog.

The Bettie Page Scrapbook found in Virginia Robert Harrison and his Cheescake

Over on my Facebook "Rare Bettie Page" page I’ve been posting from a 1950s Scrapbook found in a dumpster in Virginia. These magazine photos appear to have come mostly from Robert Harrison magazines of the era which featured gossip and cheesecake. He employed an army of pinup photographers. One page is significant as it shows Bettie Page with her famous Bettie Bangs and without! African American NYC policeman / photographer Jerry Tibbs suggested she would look better with them and he sure was right. I used some of these in a book years ago without identifying the model. Original pages from the vintage scrapbook Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb #bettiepage. #scrapbook #robertharrison #1950s. #pinup #pinups

Jack Savitsky the coal miner folk artist two early works from 1965

Jack Savitsky, AKA “Coal Miner Jack” (1910 - 1991) was in fact a coal miner with a 6th grade education from Pennsylvania who developed Black Lung Disease in 1960. This forced him to leave the job he followed his father into. His son Jack Savitt suggested Savitsky take up art not long after he became sick in 1960. He achieved great success for a folk artist primarily as his well-known “Train in a Coal Town” painting was featured in 1974 on the cover of Herbert Hemphill’s book “Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists” in 1974, A book which belongs in any art collection and which frankly remains the best source on this thing of ours. Hemphill, or “Bert” as known was preternaturally inclusive in the self-taught masters he first brought to the attention of many collectors. Now that used books are affordable, an essential purchase. I was proud to visit and call Bert a friend, and I was also proud to visit Jack Savitt and his wife Mary Lou many times at their house where they continued to sell the work by Savitsky until they both also passed. In my mind, all legends now but at one time approachable to a novice collector like myself. Hemphill passed in 1998. Unlike the familiar coal mining themes of Savitsky’s work, he was prolific in all manner of subjects as the rather strange early drawings here reveal. These are 9 x 12 or so and on paper unlike the hundreds of small drawings he did on the back of cut-up cereal boxes later in life. His work is included in a dozen prominent museums today. The photo was given to me by painter Sterling Strauser, who knew Savitsky and many notable artists from an earlier era of the appreciation of self-taught art. NOTE there are several fake works attributed to the artist but being offered on eBay currently. Don’t be misled. Pair of Jack Savitsky drawings 1965 collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog.

Large Folk Art Carving of a Standing Man Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Folk Art Carving of a Standing Man with in interesting mid-section. His likely unfinished (?) quality gives him a large sculptural presence. Nearly 20 inches tall and 5 inches wide. Dating from early 20th century. Collection Jim Linderman. /. Dull Tool Dim Bulb the Blog. #folk art. #folkartcarving. #folkartsculpture. #anonymoous. #unknownartist.

Long Nose Ring Toss Hand Painted Vintage Folk Art Dull Tool Dim Bulb Archives

Long Nose Ring Toss Hand Painted Vintage Folk Art now in a private collection Dull Tool Dim Bulb Archives

Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving from Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Books by Jim Linderman currently available from Blurb.com

I have a few books "in print" and available from BLURB.com. Paper books are expensive so opt for the downloads where possible! It's a hobby and your order won't even buy me a gallon of gas...But feel free to browse. HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Paintings by Jim Linderman 2011 - 2012

Paintings by Jim Linderman 2011 - 2012. Acryllic on paper.

Stylish Drawings from a Schoolgirl Folk Art 1935

Stylish Drawings from a Schoolgirl Folk Art 1935. A young woman amateur artist finds glamor in her pencil...I obtained nearly 50 individual drawings by the nameless and unknown artist, some mounted on scrapbook paper. Fortunately one piece has the date. Selection from a large group of 1935 amateur fashion drawings by a young woman. Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb

Dilmus Hall Seated Devil African-American folk art sculpture Athens, Georgia c. 1980

Dilmus Hall Seated Devil African-American folk art sculpture Athens, Georgia c. 1980 Dull Tool Dim Bulb Archives.

Antique American Folk Art Sign original paint two-sided 32" x 37" on Galvanized steel with frame

Antique American Folk Art Sign original paint two-sided 32" x 37" on Galvanized steel with frame Collection Jim Linderman / Dull Tool Dim Bulb.