Maryann Adair
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Category Archives: nostalgia
Cereal Collectors? – Not as Corny as it Might Seem
Cereal boxes – from 2016 Open House “Cabinets of Wonder” ephemera collection at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. This collection is entitled ‘Breakfast is Good for You’. The collector is identified as ‘IS’ and their occupation: Cleaner. IS claims: … Continue reading
A Bit of Hanky Panky
“Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases – So Trap Them in Your Handkerchief.” A handkerchief also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square and made from thin fabric that can be carried in the … Continue reading
Posted in Collectibles, Fabric, nostalgia, Textiles
Tagged handkerchief, hankies, hanky
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Apples of Temptation are Bonza!
Above are some great examples of Apple Case Art and Australiana. Labels began to appear in large numbers on wooden crates around 1920 and were only superseded in the 1960s by cardboard cartons. Although the designs were for the most part basic, and … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Edible Art, Illustrations, nostalgia
Tagged apple case art, apple museum, Australiana, Ephemera, Harcourt, huon valley, industrial folk art, tamar valley, wombat
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From Backstage Girl To Lucky In Love
Pulp Fiction paperback publishing did not only happen in America. In the second half of the 20th Century an Australian pulp scene burned brightly with tales of jaded gunshoes, valiant servicemen and women, daring spies, violent youth gangs and bikies. The … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Cover Art, Erotic Art, Illustrations, nostalgia
Tagged Cover Art, pulp fiction
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Bathroom Blues? Let Freddie the Frog Come to the Rescue On Demand
Arkie by Brett Whiteley (1967) oil mixed media on canvas on board (Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria). Australian Avant-garde artist Brett Whiteley (born Sydney, 7 April 1939 – died 15 June 1992) is well represented in many Australian galleries and was … Continue reading
Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair
Above is the cover design for Japanese ‘Rainbow’ Ne-Ne stationery note-paper designed ca. 1969. Japan has a plethora of smart pieces of stationery with both practical and sophisticated design elements. Japan is the design stationery capital of the world. Stationery … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Cover Art, Illustrations, nostalgia
Tagged Japanese Stationery, Notepaper, Rainbow, Vintage Writing Paper
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How To Create Some Very Angry Penguins
Editors of an Australian mid-century literary and artistic avant-garde magazine ‘Angry Penguins’ were devoted to the cause of Modernism which was based on the movements of Surrealism and Expressionism. From its humble beginnings in Adelaide, South Australia, through to its … Continue reading
This Berrie Fine Glaswegian Lass Must Not Be Extinguished
Above: University Cafe (2011) 24 x 19 cm from a series of drawings of Glasgow cafes. Scottish illustrator Christine Berrie is a born and bred Glaswegian, living in the town of Bishopbriggs near Glasgow. The daughter of a draftsman for … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Artists A-Z, Gallery Art, Illustrations, nostalgia, Paintings, StillLife
Tagged Glasgow shop fronts, graphite drawing, pencil drawing
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Lest We Forget Our Trench Art
ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day has been celebrated annually in Australia on 25 April. since 1916. ANZAC Day commemorates the combined participation of all soldiers and those associated with the military forces throughout all wars since 1914 including … Continue reading
There’s a Bear Out There… and What The Steiff Would I Know!
Above: Teddy Bear by Steiff (ca 1912) 48cm. German designer Richard Steiff was born on February 7, 1877 in the German city of Giengen. In 1897 at the age of 20, Steiff joined his aunt Margarete’s toy making enterprise. While … Continue reading
Posted in #Games&Toys, Collectibles, nostalgia
Tagged Richard Steif, Steiff Bears, Steiff Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears
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This is what’s left of the “Sons of Gwalia”
Still to this day in West Australia, there are goldfields remnants of the gold rush days. After the gold boom years from 1897-1923 came the bad years of decay; when the gold beneath the ground petered out and the people … Continue reading
when you’ve lived like I have, you’ve done it all
Australian bohemian, visionary artist, dancer, and muse of the 1950s and 1960s, Vali Myers was born in Canterbury, Sydney, on 2nd August, 1930. Her mother was a violinist and her father was a marine wireless operator. Vali’s penchant for art … Continue reading
Posted in Gallery Art, Illustrations, nostalgia
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Which do you prefer – Still life or distilled life?
So what does alcohol and art have in common? Well, in some cases, some people may need enough alcohol to appreciate art, but in this case, I saw the absolute opposite. Within the walls of the museum of Locke’s distillery, … Continue reading
For Cleopatra … I may be waxing lyrical
I remember as a very young child going to see the Kings Cross Wax Works at the Village Centre, Kings Cross, Sydney. The Village Centre, which is long gone, was between Springfield Plaza and Llankelly Place. The Waxworks museum, although … Continue reading
Posted in nostalgia, QuestionableArt, StreetArt
Tagged Cleopatra, Kings Cross Sydney, Wax Works
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