Mrs. Albert Friedrich's Rattle Snake Deer

Life size deer made of 657 Texas Rattle Snake Rattles "the patient and artistic work" of Mrs. Albert Friedrich, San Antonio Texas.
"Life Size Deer" Curteich Postcard c. 1950. Collection Jim Linderman

Rev. Anderson Johnson Artist Singer Preacher

The congregation of Reverend Elder Bishop Anderson Johnson numbered in the thousands, but they were virtually all painted by the preacher himself and most hung by threads from the ceiling instead of sitting in pews. Surrounded by crime, blight, drugs and wig shops, he appeared to lead a quiet life on Ivy Street in Newport News, VA following a long career of selfless ministry. I am only now beginning to appreciate, some 15 years after my first visit, how special was his gift and talent. Within the door of his church and home a dark cave of religious passion entirely of his own making awaited. Completely surrounded by his own paintings of "followers" he performed on guitar, pedal steel and piano, hidden within the walls and largely for himself. I was surprised years later to find he had recorded commercially. Despite many conversations about his life, service and mission, he never mentioned his gospel steel guitar recordings made by Henry Stone in Florida in the late 1950's released on the Glory and Angel Labels. I understand there has been a resurgence of steel guitar gospel players in Florida since, I suspect the roots of this movement were planted by Reverend Johnson. He passed away near poverty, but at least one painting was added to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1998. He once told me, in all seriousness, the reason he painted so many portraits was that he hoped to find work as a courtroom artist. The house he transformed was destroyed by urban renewal (which in this case was needed, believe me) Portions of the environment also remain in historic preservation museum projects in Virginia and in private collections. There is a beautiful essay about his life on the website of the Middle Passage Project run by the College of William and Mary. Some of Mr. Johnson's recordings have been reissued, one appears on the Dust-To-Digital "Goodbye, Babylon" box set of 2003

Original 35mm photographs 1993-1995 collection Jim Linderman

Wallace the Dictator Box Set

I have some friends who create the most beautiful box sets of sound recordings, and I mean truly beautiful works of art by any standard. One day I intend to link to them all. But even they might have trouble matching the glory of "WALLACE DICTATES" which came with six 78 rpm records each in fold out sleeves, no less than ten printed inserts of various forms, including the book "A Woman's Birthright" (a slim body) with 15 pages of testimonials, a diet chart to record your progress and more in a HUGE box which they were able to mail for 15 cents. The original owner of my set lost 5 pounds she dutifully recorded, an amount about equal to the weight of the box. Wallace Camp founded the Wallace Institute in 1920. Shown are only a smidgen of graphics including the time-dishonored technique of "Before and After" testimonials.

Wallace Records Box Set Chicago Illinois c. 1940 Insert details collection Jim Linderman

Three Original Sponge Bobs

Must be HOT in these suits, note tacky air-conditioner and wire next to the fellow in the middle here. Some "museum." Sponges are alive but don't have any guts! They just sit around with water rushing through them for nutrition. If you want to read some big words, look them up...(gemmules, viviparous, spicules, syncythia, homoscleromorpha, halkieriids, chancelloriids, sessile, calcareous, cchonocytes, asconoid, endosybionts and on and on and on) No wonder we prefer plastic ones. By the way, these are indeed "bobbers" as they would float unless wearing lead shoes.
Three "spongeworthy" postcards, c. 1960 collection Jim Linderman

Another Bob (Horrors in Wax #3)

Say...isn't that something? Bob "Ski-Nose" Hope's head packed securely for a trip to the wax museum back room. Mr. Hope lived until the age of 100 yet never told an old joke. This is a press photograph, earlier known as wire photos, radiophotos, telediagraph and belinograph (jeepers, am I looking up words today) There has been some question as to the legality of buying and selling press photos, they have copyrights after all...but I guess if the agency wants this one back, they need just ask.

"Heading for Cold Storage" UPI press Original Photo 1968 Collection Jim Linderman

Incongruity Tintype The Painted Backdrop

Not Harmonious. Lacking Propriety. Incompatible. Incoherent and Illogical. Those are dictionary entries. "That's just wrong" says it these days. Incongruity marks most tintype photographs. ANY photo was still just about fine, since a good part of the country still had very few photo albums indeed. The photographers who were in business collected around crowds for the most part...vacation spots, large cities, and at the end of the train line where folks joined horse transportation to REALLY reach home. 1880 or so, this baby might be incongruously posed against a sunny seashore (or even a raging storm for that matter) but I'm pretty sure it was the first time she had her image documented and given the life-span and lack of antibiotics, it could have even been the last. My book The Painted Backdrop will be published in 2010.

Original tintype with backdrop c. 1880 Collection Jim Linderman

The Devil has the whole world Hypnotized Tract (let)

What is smaller than a Tract? A TRACTLET! A one page version of the small booklet warnings you'll remember finding on your windshield after shopping or being handed while you're in line for a rock concert. The most famous tract company is Chick Publications, named after Jack Chick, a man who could not decide to pray or draw, so he did both. I was pleased to see Chick has kept up with the times for you young kids, creating cyber "flip pages" for the Lord which you can even select and embed in your own webpage. (I have chosen not to, but I bet you will)

Chick Publications
Miniature One page Tractlet Gospel Stationary & Tract House, c. 1890 Collection Jim Linderman

Rev. N. T. Rucker Brown's Holy Chapel

Unknown Location, American South c. 1995 Original 35mm photo collection Jim Linderman

Color if you like Draw if you like

Crayola comes from the French words for chalk (craie) and oily (oleaginous) which were joined in1903 by Alice Stead Binney, wife of industrialist J.W. Binney. Binney's company was responsible for RED BARNS... how iconic is that? His company created the first red paint containing red oxide. Binney's boys had also invented a carbon stick which was used to mark barrels but it was toxic, they later came up with a product safe enough for children to eat, stick in their nose or mark any surface they could reach.

Pages from Child's commercial drawing and coloring book c. 1920 collection Jim Linderman