Stereoview Stereoscope Stereoslide Stereograph Vernacular Photography

Anyone can make a stereoscope photograph, but sometimes the question has to be why. Stereoscopic imaging tricks one's brain into creating depth perception. Ever since the technique was discovered in 1838 by Sir Charles Wheatstone, it has been a slippery slope all the way to Imax and beyond. My favorites are the striking hyper-color stereo slides of hoochie-kootchie girls from the 1950's. (Followed closely by Andy Warhol's Frankenstein in 3-D. While watching I remember reaching out over the head of the person sitting in front of me to catch a piece of dripping liver as it was being thrust towards the audience). The National Stereoscopic Association has an annual convention, and I have actually been to one, but to paraphrase a vintage t-shirt slogan "I went to the stereoscope show but all I got was this creepy relative, four screwdrivers, a leering bartender and a greek waiter"

Set of Four Anonymous Sterescopic image cards, c. 1965 Collection Jim Linderman

Billy Sunday Rips it up HOT in Springfield

Preacher Billy Sunday "ripped it up hot" speaking about vice in Springfield, Illinois in 1909. Sunday (his real name) preached for 1 hour and 35 minutes to a full house. He turned down a $3000 a month professional baseball contract to preach at the Chicago YMCA in 1891. He was against evolution, dancing, liquor, cards, eugenics, government regulation, sexual sin and child labor. He was also very much against the hi-jinks of his three unholy sons and had to pay blackmail more than once to shut up the women they "got straight" with. One other thing Sunday was against was theft...he earned nearly $1000 a day giving sermons at a time when that was roughly equal to a worker's yearly salary. His American Craftsman bungalow was furnished in the Arts and Crafts style, but more telling? It had two safes.

"Coming from a "Billy" Sunday Meeting Springfield, ILL real photo by B.W. Post Peoria, Ill. 1909 Collection Jim Linderman

Spring Bird, Passing Grade, One Mistake

A charming circa 1900 ink drawing of the "exterternal" Structure of a Bird from an industrious student's biology notebook. Otherwise perfect, I wonder if the misspelled title came after he spent all that time drawing the little fellow, or before. It is a beautiful little bird either way.

c. 1900 Anatomical School Child Drawing Collection Jim Linderman

Jethro Bodine Behind the Wheel (Horrors in Wax #5)

Wax Jethro Bodine, future Beverly Hills brain surgeon, "Double-Naught Spy" and in one episode big time Hollywood producer "Beef Jerky" drives the wax Clampett family to Beverly Hills. At the time, CBS fancied itself the "Tiffany Network" and the tightly-wound, nose-in-the-air suits HATED the idea of the country bumpkin show...but greed soon won them over. The Hillbillies ruled the airwaves! It was the number one rated show two seasons in a row, and one show alone attracted 22 million viewers. Some trivia? Future Charlie Manson victim Sharon Tate had a recurring role on the series as Jane Hathaway's assistant. Even more amazing, Granny Irene Ryan released a novelty single in 1966 titled "Granny's Miniskirt".
Beverly Hillbillies Postcard c. 1970 Collection Jim LInderman

Morris Katz The World's Fastest Artist

Two generic Presidents by the one artist listed in BOTH the Guiness Book of World Records AND Ripley's Believe it or Not. That would be the world's fastest artist, Morris Katz (1931-) I used to see him walk around New York City in the early 1980's. He had a television show of his own at the time, "The Instant Art Show" in which he would churn through canvas after canvas while appraisers watched. According to the artist's website, Mr. Katz is still available for Publicity Stunts, Corporate Events and more. Whatever the price, it is a steal. As his website asks "how many of you can say you have seen someone paint thirty-six 8x10 inch paintings in one hour?" The link here shows more of the Morris Katz Presidential series. Seldom a day goes by without a Katz being listed on Ebay. The more common (and by that I mean, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of more common) are usually palette knife works you can't avoid at flea markets. God willing, Mr. Katz is working on his Obama.

Two Morris Katz postcards, 1967 Collection Jim Linderman

Don't write-record it on the Voice-O-Graph

The Voice-o-Graph was produced by Mutoscope, the company responsible for flip book peepshow machines on every midway and in every sin palace. Each customer inserted their coins, chose the speed (45 rpm or 78 rpm) and had five minutes to say whatever they liked.They then waited for their own 6" disc to vend right out of the machine. The mailing envelope, which pre-figures the sleeves we get from Netflix, was an additional 5 cents. This example features "Dane + Myself Singing Comming (sic) around the mountain." I have a few other discs which include "Talking about Seaside Beach" "The Penny Arcade" "Little David" and "Spooky Giggling." The machine even warned you when ten seconds was left (I guess so you could cram in the last verse or slur your phone number) The song here is one of those catchy, cheerful child's songs based on death...it was printed in Carl Sandburg's 1927 "The American Songbag" but was based on "When the Chariot Comes", a negro spiritual. An odd song to sing at the seashore, but it did allow some voice and response, and that does make sense.



Voice-O-Graph 6" disc sound recording c. 1955 Collection Jim Linderman

George Jerome Rozen and his brother Jerome George Rozen Artist Illustrator Twins Pulp Painting Geniuses

A double dose of drawing dynamite! George Jerome Rozen had a twin brother named Jerome George Rozen. No kidding! The twins were born in 1875, one lived ten years longer than the other. Jerome was the first to enroll in the Art Institute of Chicago, Jerome followed a year later and had George as an instructor! Jerome was the first to paint covers for The Shadow, but George did them later. Both were in GREAT demand for their pulp magazine illustrations (as these six examples from my collection should serve to illustrate) These were done by George, who is shown in the dreary black and white photo here, which should also illustrate just why artists were favored over photographs for magazines during the 1930's. However, even though the pair of brothers painted their way through the depression, they could not paint their way through the technological progress of the camera, and not long after WW2 the glory days of pulps were over. Between the two, hundreds of pulp covers, from True Crime to Fictional Science were produced. These are six simply incredible examples of George #1's talent. Never mind they didn't quite come true.

Six Modern Mechanix and Inventions Magazines 1934, 1935, 1936 cover illustrations George Jerome Rozen. Collection Jim Linderman

Algebra Mothers Strawberry Cheescake Black Punk Rock

I said I would never link to music on this blog, but minds are made for changing. Since I moved back to Michigan, I rely on my friend Robert to tip me off culturally. He sent me a great link to a recently rediscovered African-American punk rock band from Detroit called "Death" profiled in the New York Times March 15. It reminded me of my favorite black punk record from Michigan (and how lucky I was to grow up with the Michigan blues...from John Lee Hooker to Jack White, Detroit has always been the home of rock. It comes from the industrial crunch of the auto plants, think Iggy and the Mc5) But I digress. The Algebra Mothers (or affectionately, the A-Moms) were a short lived punk rock group from Detroit with a black lead guitarist and singer named Gerald Collins. Their entire output, sadly, consists of one single, "Strawberry Cheescake" which you can hear on the great KBD website. It was recorded in 1979 and released as a 45 the same year. I sold mine. Roctober.com has an article by James Porter and Jake Austen "Black Punk Time: Blacks in Punk, New Wave and Hardcore 1976-1984" which certainly begs for a major book publisher and major compilation. Jack White? Are you listening?

Philip Simmons Blacksmith

Every great city has a great museum, but one city IS a museum to the work of one man. Charleston, South Carolina has been the home of blacksmith Philip Simmons his entire life. (A life continuing at age 97) Mr Simmons recently moved to a rest home...at the time of my first visit he was still pounding the anvil, the second time he was passing his skills down. The blacksmith shop was built by a slave who gave it to his son in the late 1800's, who in turn hired Mr. Simmons at age 13. Simmons worked in the shop for 77 years. Well over 200 of his gates, doorways and other ornamental ironwork have been identified, the documentation continues. Some of his beautiful work, along with a map is illustrated at the Philip Simmons Foundation site, they are raising funds to preserve his shop as a museum.

John Martin's Clara Cow Pete Pig Hal Horse and Puppy Dog

If my calculations are correct, you can click to enlarge, print, cut out and make with your kids.

J.P. Coats thread Spool Pets (four shown) 1930 Collection Jim Linderman

Rev. Promise House of Prayer Spiritual Healer & Advisor

Original 35mm photograph Location Unknown American South c. 1995 Collection Jim Linderman

Not all Sideshow Freaks were Human Frank Wendt

Linus II had a 10 foot double mane and a 16 foot tail. He was owned by W. A. Rutherford of Marion, Oregon, and presumably won many ribbons at the local state fair, not to mention attracting many nickels and dimes from sideshow attendees in the 1880's. Circus sideshow performers with unusual attributes were far from common, but even fewer had four legs.

Original Cabinet Card Photograph c. 1880 by Wendt Collection Jim Linderman

Gene Bilbrew African-American Artist of Vintage Sleaze (part three)

New York City was a good place for an illustrator in the early 1950's, in particular one with the obvious but quirky talents of Gene Bilbrew. The comic market was exploding...the Kefauver Senate hearings had yet to dent their sales to vulnerable youth, Mad Magazine was getting off the ground and lurid pulp magazines requiring sexual humor were booming. Demand for less than tasteful "adult" humor was in demand. (Remember "cocktail napkins") In fact, one of Bilbrew's first jobs as an artist was replacing the recently drafted Jules Feiffer in the studio of noted cartoonist Will Eisner, who not only created the well-known comic strip "The Spirit" but also was one of the founders of the institution now known as the School of Visual Arts. This connection led to Eugene's enrollment and the cartoonist began taking his craft more seriously. He befriended famous fetish artist Eric Stanton who was also studying at the school. Soon he has made a connection to no less than Irving Klaw, the now "notorious" photographer of Bettie Page. Bilbrew sold drawings to Klaw and infamous publisher Lenny Burtman, it wasn't long before his work began to appear in racy publications of the 1950's which were sold under the counter near the Port Authority building and by mail order. Many of the drawings from this period are startling, offensive and lurid to the extreme, but were still, technically, not violating the law. Thousand of archetypical men in gray flannel suits passed the sleazy stores every day and many ducked in on their way home. Attention seeking politicians began to harass the shops, and sale through the mail also brought problems from governmental agencies. Drugs, filth, and one imagines the lifestyle of an artist hanging on the deuce, as 42nd street was known, soon took a tole. Most who know of the artist's work believe it began to deteriorate in the early 1960's, but these paperback covers show he was still in control of his quirky talents shortly before his death. They also, as far as I know, are the only examples of his drawings with full color treatment. Soon, legal pressures put most of the publishers he sold to out of business, and when they returned, several years later after legal rights were more or less granted to sleazy book sellers, actual photographs were used to illustrate the covers and illustrators like Bilbrew were in less demand. Bilbrew sunk lower, selling drawings to even more pornographic publishers with no interest in presenting even the facade of art or a professional front. How long after this he passed away is uncertain, but he was living in the back room of a 42nd street bookstore when he overdosed in 1974. Paperback books with Bilbrew illustrations on the cover are fairly scarce. They are nearly 50 years old now, and as you might imagine, if you were reading one while your wife was visiting your in-laws, or if you came across one while cleaning out Dad's stuff...they might not make it to the estate sale.

I have a few more entries in me about illustrators working on the underside of morality. Stay tuned. In the meantime, the 2008 book "Erotic Comics: A Graphic History from Tinuana Bibles to Underground Comix" by Tim Pilcher and published by Abrams contains a four page profile of Bilbrew. 
SEE ALSO TIMES SQUARE SMUT THE BOOK AND EBOOK
Four Original Paperback books with Gene Bilbrew cover illustations, c. 1966 Collection Jim Linderman

Good Neighbor Policy Mexico US Border RPPC

I woke to read the banner headline "Obama: Troop move to Mexican border under consideration." It appears the assault weapons we've been sneaking south at a considerable profit might start being aimed north. I don't think the explorers shown here were armed. "Tijuana Mexico Line Between Mexico and US Sept 30, 1915" RPPC Collection Jim Linderman

Scarface Smokes (Horrors in Wax #4)

Wax Crime Czar Al Capone enjoys a last fat one as he ferries to Alcatraz while chained to his escort. Known to his friends as "Snorky" and the rest of us as "Scarface" Capone earned his nickname by scars he obtained working as a bouncer on Coney Island (which he later claimed were war wounds). While in prison he reportedly "cut in line" at the prison barbershop, so inmates gave him a new (and now politically incorrect name even for a murdering mobster)..."Wop with a Mop." After being paroled, Capone returned to Florida where he soon died of complications from syphilis.

Crocker Mirror-Chrome Postcard, c. 1960. Collection Jim Linderman

Gene Bilbrew African-American Artist of Vintage Sleaze (part two)

African-American illustrator and artist Eugene Bilbrew was born in Sunny L.A. in 1924. As with most of the illustrators I hope to profile here (see my earlier Bill Alexander post) his life is sketchy. In fact, even his 1974 death of a heroin overdose in the back of minor mobster Eddie Mishkin's bookstore on 42nd Street in Manhattan is poorly documented, especially for an artist whose work has had such an influence. Remarkably, it is known that Bilbrew knew Alexander in Los Angeles before WW2. While Alexander was able to come close to the music business (illustrating 78rpm records for Roy Milton's Miltone label) young Bilbrew actually made it to the stage, if only in a minor role. He somehow finagled himself into temporary membership in "The Basin Street Boys" a LA based Doo Wop group with one hit, the prophetic "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman." The song was later recorded by Patti Labelle and has been performed in concert by no less than Bette Midler and Bruce Springsteen. The group broke up leaving Eugene in New York City (from where I will continue his story in a later post) A warning to the faint...since Bilbrew obviously fell into some bad habits in the Big Apple, you would be correct to assume most of the young black man's talent was directed at artistic pursuits even less, umm..."acceptable" than the lurid sleazy covers of these 1965 paperbacks from my collection, so if you choose to google him up with your preferences open, you might be disturbed. There are literally thousands of entries on Bilbrew and his work on the web, and yet the "real" art world seems to know virtually nothing about him. This may be due to his "way outside the norm" life and body of work, but it could just as easily be due to his race or the fact that virtually none of his original work survives. Although he was accepted into the program at the "Cartoonist and Illustrators School" (later titled the School of Visual Arts in 1956) one suspects his drift into drug addiction and work which was was largely considered pornographic at the time may have been at least partially caused by discrimination. He had a most unusual and completely individual style which emerged from a more traditional genre of cartooning, and once one becomes familiar with his work it is instantly recognizable. The best biographical material on Eugene Bilbrew and other sleaze paperback artists is found in the outstanding 2005 "Sin-A-Rama" book published by Feral House, in particular the entry on Bilbrew by Brittany Daley. This year, Feral Press has also published "Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks 1900-1975" by Stephen J. Gertz which is equally as fascinating and even more scholarly but just as much fun.

Six c. 1965 Paperback books, cover illustrations Eugene Bilbrew. Collection Jim Linderman

SEE TIMES SQUARE SMUT THE BOOK HERE

The Dead Horse Investigation (Forensic Photo Analysis)

What can you tell from this old photograph of a dead horse? PLENTY, as shown in the new book "The Dead Horse Investigation: Forensic Photo Analysis for Everyone" by Colleen Fitzpatrick. Ms Fitzpatrick is chairman of the Dead Horse Investigation Committee and involved with the fascinating Forensic Genealogy website. Each week photo collecting members submit a mysterious photograph for consideration and other members try to date, identify and figure out the image. For example, "how can you tell this couple had five or more children" and such tips as "which way is the flag blowing." GREAT stuff, a wonderful book and just damn cool. Site AND Book Highly Recommended.

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