Carny in a Pork Pie Hat At the Circus in Black and White (in color)

What is cooler than a slim strutting carny in a pork pie hat? One in COLOR! An exceptional exception to my "at the circus in black and white" posts. This a snapshot pasted on a page of circus scrapbook. Circa 1950? A tall drink of water, our slim striding sideshow side hand!
As a further aside, if you like sideshow folk, my Wondrous World of Frank Wendt site has some splendid examples, as does the Fringepop site.

Carnival sideshow Photograph, anonymous. Circa 1950. Collection Jim Linderman

Things to Make Crepe Paper Buffalo Bill Cody

May Houser and her Buffalo Bill (to whom I am proudly related (!) constructed from crepe paper and discarded ladies gloves. Prizewinner!

Original Press Photograph, 1946. Collection Jim Linderman

Where Babies Come From: Competing Illustrations Dull Tool Dim Bulb

BOTH illustrations appear in the May 1957 issue of Sexology: Sex Science Illustrated Volume 23 Number 10.

Where Warhol got the Heinz ?

Hand-drawn tracings from 1927 Heinz Kindergarten Book "Pictures to Trace" Collection Jim Linderman

Fooled and Fooled Again Design of Magic Japan

Japanese Card Trick circa 1950, collection Jim Linderman

"How He Looked" Place your Head Here Remnant

The remaining portion of a "place your head here" box from Holy Land environment in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Original Photograph (detail) Jim Linderman 1994

Odd Fellows Redwork Fraternal Lodge Quilt 1907

I don't collect folk art anymore, but who can help looking...and I certainly couldn't leave it in the pile I found it. A nice, in fact, quite nice signature Odd Fellows fraternal quilt with all the appropriate symbols, each of the TWENTY squares proudly made by the wife of one of the members. This was made for display in the lodge, not for warmth, and some squares are better executed than others giving it a lovely primitive appeal. Sorry it was too cold to take it outside and photo it properly. Real folk art isn't often seen these days. I put it on ebay where I will break even and someone who appreciates my find will hopefully display it properly.
Redwork Fraternal Odd Fellows Quilt, Dated 1907, Michigan Lodge.

Horrors in Wax # 14 The SECOND Wax Oswald!

Another installment in my Horrors of Wax series, and this one is my SECOND Wax Oswald. So which Wax Oswald did the dirty Dallas deed? Neither...but there certainly were at least two Oswalds made of wax, and to prove it to all you conspiracy buffs here they are, BOTH IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME! The other post focuses more on Wax Jack Ruby. Click Blue subject heading below to see the entire "Horrors of Wax" series.

"Wax Oswald patiently waits for triangulation fire signal from Umbrella Man" (my title) Wax Museum Postcard, circa 1965 Collection Jim Linderman

Sparse Circus (At the Circus in Black and White)

Click to enlarge. Hard to believe, but I THINK they've set up a ticket booth, so they're CHARGING for this ride. Snapshot, circa 1925? Likely Michigan. Collection Jim Linderman

Jim Linderman "Best Art Books of the Year" Oxford American

HERE Oxford American selects Jim Linderman and Lance Ledbetter Take Me to the Water for "Best Art Books of the Year" column. A subscription to this magazine would be well received by anyone, I have admired and read it for years, in particular the music issue.

The Greatest Masterpiece and The Missing Painting

Circa 1935 postcard with "missing painting" gummed insert "canvas" to affix a picture of a loved one (or to mail a picture of yourself to one) Unmailed. Colllection Jim Linderman

The Bizarre Erotic Outsider Art of B. E. RIDDICK

Examples of the outsider art by African-American Outsider Artist B. E. Riddick, who drew on flattened shopping bags and other paper circa 1970

Ta DA! Flipped Mirror RPPC from ANITA

Pretty hot, eh? Dearest Anita flipped it over for me! She's the BEST. We've corresponded, she is a bright young woman with a splendid eye and splendid blog and seemingly splendid life! Follow!

http://AnitaNH.blogspot.com

Novelty Reverse Risque Real Photo Postcard RPPC

Now HERE is an unusual real photo postcard. I apologize for not having mirror software...you'll have to lug your computer over to the mirror in the hallway. Caption reads "SOME CALVES AT THE ROPING CONTEST July 4th Dewey OK" but what appears to depict some hooves passing a fence is in fact some lovely legs of well-heeled women taken from under the grandstand bleachers. I suppose in 1911, it was so taboo to show dames gams, they had to resort to this convoluted deception. Note: Photoshop has a mirror effect, reverse technique which will allow one to "flip" an image. If anyone out there has the time, mail it back to me and i'll post it!

Real Photo Postcard Dewey Oklahoma 1911, Collection Jim Linderman

WORK

Illustrations by Nellie Farnam and Clarence Biers, 1939.

A BIG HAND of Giant Cards

Fred Kaplan at the National Bridge Tournament 1938
Original Press Photograph 1938 Collection Jim Linderman

Busy Workers Homemade Biblical Postcard

Handmade Postcard with Biblical Phrase and Applied Cut-out (Busy Work?) Collection Jim Linderman Also posted on old time religion blog.

Sherman Alexie The Hardy Boys and Kindle

So I saw Sherman Alexie on Colbert. He is a great writer with more guts in him than just about anyone I can think of, and if you don't believe me find his ten minute lecture on you tube from 2001, you'll see an example of the courage of a Native American. It is unfortunate he seems to be loosing some of his splendid Northwestern Indigenous patois, but that is beside the point. He doesn't allow his new book to be sold on Kindle. For him, it's about digital privacy and royalty payments for the most part, but here's another scary little gem I came across.

Say there is a "mistake" in the "first printing" of your book. Kindle plans on always selling the latest version. That's right...without the permanence of the paper page they will be continuously selling the um..."corrected" version.

When I was young, like all boys, I was mesmerized by the Hardy Boys. GAWD, I was horrified to find 30 years later while browsing the same book I had owned that the fellows had joined a ROCK BAND! In a book with the same title! Cripes...nothing is sacred. I don't remember if they had their fat friend Chet playing the drums, but I think so. I shudder. I didn't want my heroes to be practicing in the garage in a lousy group that probably sounded like the Monkees or the Jonas Brothers or whoever...I wanted them chasing scoundrels in outdated language and wearing outdated knickers while they chased them. It was atmospheric and exciting.

Use a Nancy Drew analogy if you like.

So what's to prevent Kindle from "correcting" something stupid a stupid politician says in a subsequent "edition" of the one for sale today. Or changing (they'll call it "updating") a statistic to more "accurately" reflect a situation?

There is a REASON books on paper stay the same. Because they are BOOKS.

Battling Queens of the Bronx Bad Girl Warfare Gang of the Fifties

Anonymous illustration from "Battling Queens" a short story by an anonymous writer, circa 1950, which describes a female shoplifting squad that operated as an auxiliary to the Battling Kings. "They sometimes even take on a boy gang, and they could use tire chains and sand-filled bobby socks as expertly as any of the boys." The Bronx is looking better these days.

Playing with a Marked Deck

6" x 10" Photograph of marked cards, cropped, dated 1928. Evidence Photograph?
Hand embellished dated 1928
collection Jim Linderman