Scientific Illustration

Long before X-rays were X-rays and daguerreotypes were de rigueur, academia had drawings. Simple, line-dominated dissections of fauna and flora; art meant more for learning than decoration. I could pore over every minute detail for hours...

Death’s Head Sphinx Moth

From: ‘A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidæ’ By W.L. Distant

Drawing of a retinal neuron by Ramón y Cajal

Sequoia sempervirens
From ‘Hooker’s Icones Plantarum’ vol. 4: t. 379 (1841)

From Text Book of Mycology and Plant Pathology,  John W. Harshberger

olio-ataxia: Phytological History 1673 Nehemiah Grew

Pelagia Cyanella, William Keith Brooks, 1910

Snakes: Curiosities and Wonders of Serpent Life. Catherine C. Hopley, 1882.

‘Anatomia del corpo humano’ - Rome, 1559
Juan Valverde d'Amusco

Snake Skeleton, A. Duméril, 1834

Metacrinus Cingulatus
From the 'Report of the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1873-76)

Skeleton in Giovard Bidloo’s Ontleding des menschelyken lichaams
 (Gerard de Lairesse)

All images found via Scientific Illustration

My Baltimore (II)

Our family always likes a modicum of self-imposed mental flagellation (or rather it is imposed on us) and Saturday was no exception. Our car broke down in Roland Park. No plausible explanation, just obstinately refused to start. No problem, we thought... we would catch a bus home. No buses from that location on a Saturday. Then we shall walk, I stated. What about a cab, was my husband's response. No! I exclaimed in a knee-in-the-nuts tone that prompted a sideways empathy glance from my daughter to my husband. A few hours later, we were home with aching limbs. But, at least it was a perfect fall day. Along the way we stopped to gawk at the AMAZING window in the Hampden Junque Shop. Wonderfully off-center, slightly macabre and infinitely original...

Hampden Junque

Halloween Baby

is what I am. Quite a lot to compete with, living in America. But always a perfect excuse for the multitude of parties being thrown left, right and center...

Loved this shoot photographed by Ruven Afanador. And as for those anatomical posters...

First images are of Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora from PseudoRandom's Flickersite

Not your average soap

Sweet Petula have trumped most in terms of their packaging. I would find these soaps practically impossible to unwrap and use...

Initially via here; images via here and Sweet Petula

Brimfield, MA III

It would not have surprised me if I had spotted Noah's Ark (or the architectural remnants of it) at Brimfield this year. One practically did need a boat, and thigh-high galoshes to navigate the rice paddy-like conditions. Not only had Brimfield endured a devastating tornado in June, but it (and the dealers) also had to contend with a severe dumping of rain during the show. What added to the mix of good times, though, were my two intrepid companions who never quit as long as there were extraordinary things to marvel at. We terrified our unassuming 'porter-for-hire', by vowing we would abuse him (gently) for the hour we had him to ferry our flotilla of purchases. He asked me if I was afraid of tigers when I went home to Africa for holidays!!! I said I was more afraid of tigers in America. Then back at our motel room in the evening, the abundance of dinky bottles of Gin and Southern Comfort were most effective sleep aids. After all, re-energizing our flippers was absolutely essential for the following day's hunting...

Mia trying on hats for size

Liz

Wanted the giant ball of braided yarn

We weren't too sure if he was real for a second

All photos by Philippa Berrington-Blew