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Pine cones taken from ‘Alpenflora’ by Gustav Hegi, Gustav Dunzinger.

Published 1905 by J.F. Lehmann.

archive.org

#pine cones #botanical illustration #botany #trees #alpine botany

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Box (French, 1774-1792) by an unknown maker.

Lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay.

Image and text information courtesy Carnegie Museum of Art.

#box #18th century #decoration and ornament #decorative #French

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Thistles (circa 1890) by Shibata Zeshin (Japanese, 1807–1891).

Woodblock print.

Image and text information courtesy Carnegie Museum of Art.

#thistles #Japanese art #floral art #woodblock print #19th century art

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The Reader - Firmin Baes , 1926.

Belgian , 1874-1943

Pastel on canvas , 98 x 78 cm. 38.58 x 30.71 in.

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A Goose Family Feathursday

Mildred and Horace Start a Family!!

Every spring for the past few years a mating pair of Canada Geese take up residence on the green roof outside our window for a couple of weeks. We've named them Horace and Mildred, and we did a post about them in 2021. We wondered if they would ever establish a nest in the roof's sedum, but they just hang out for a few weeks and then depart. This year they finally decided that our roof was suitable to start a family and about 20 days ago Mildred set up housekeeping with a downy nest and six eggs near one of the vents on the roof. We are all very excited here in Special Collections, and we maintain daily goose alerts!

Mildred will incubate her brood for about 30 days, rarely leaving the nest. She is a very devoted mother. Horace on the other hand is usually gone during the day, so we rarely see him. Canada Geese are monogamous and mate for life, so we don't think he's cheating on Mildred, but we all thought he would be more present as the male usually hangs about to help guard the nest, but apparently he has other ideas.

We should see some hatchlings in about ten days or so, and we'll bring you an update then. While we are interested in seeing the couple nest on our roof, we also have concerns. There is no water, and the goslings will be susceptible to falling off the roof and becoming prey to raptors and other avian predators, especially the peregrine falcons that raise their own families on the nearby rooves of our campus's tallest buildings. Nature will have its way, but we do hope that Mildred and Horace have strategies for keeping their family safe.

Stay tuned!

View more Feathursday posts.

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Typography Tuesday

PRINTING WITH WOOD TYPE!

Every semester, when we finally get to the invention of letterpress printing in Europe in my History of Books & Printing course, we all head over to a local print shop to set type and print a collaborative broadside. Last week we did just that and went over to Adam Beadel's Team Nerd Letterpress in the Walker's Point neighborhood of Milwaukee.

Usually, we compose in metal type, as that is what the students just learned about, but Adam recently received a huge influx of foundry type that wasn't set up yet, so we had to use wood type instead. Even though we wouldn't learn about the invention of production wood type for a few weeks, we were game because wood type is the best!

Each student was assigned to come up with a 3-5-word phrase based on the theme of "Transitions." They set their own phrase in wood type, I arranged the phrases into an exquisite corpse poem, we locked up the type on the bed of a poster press, and pulled a proof in blue ink (second to last image). Everyone was satisfied with the results, and with only a couple of adjustments, the students went on a tear, inking up the type in a rainbow of colors (last image), and pulling 15 more prints. Everyone went home exhausted and happy.

There are few things more thrilling than making your own letterpress prints. Thanks Adam!!!

View another letterpress post from a previous book history session.

View other posts on wood type.

View our other Typography Tuesday posts.

-- MAX, Head, Special Collections

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Title page Tuesday!

This elaborate engraved title page is found in our copy of Bouquet composé des plus belles fleurs chimiques (1629) by David de Planis Campy

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Violet-backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), male, family Sturnidae, order Passeriformes, found in southwestern Africa

photograph by Nigel Voaden

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Did you know that there is a Toaster Museum????

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April is National Poetry Month, and at JSTOR, we celebrate the boundless creativity that poetry inspires across various forms of expression. 🎨 📜

This month, we highlight the seamless blend of visual art and verse, featuring stunning prints by William Blake from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's open collection. Blake's work exemplifies the powerful synergy between poetry and imagery, reminding us that words and art are profoundly interconnected.

Images: William Blake. Songs of Innocence: Spring. [1789] printed ca. 1825. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

William Blake. Songs of Experience: The Tyger. [1794] printed ca. 1825. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

William Blake. Songs of Experience: The Angel. [1794] printed ca. 1825. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

William Blake. Songs of Innocence: The Lamb. [1789] printed ca. 1825. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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The Palm Beach Post, Florida, November 30, 1942

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View of a windmill in Holland, Michigan, with tulips in foreground. Printed on front: "Dutch mill, Holland, Michigan." Printed on back: "L.L. Cook Co., post cards, Milwaukee, Wis." Handwritten on back: "Dear Ethel, Just wanted you to know we are thinking of you. Tressa & Olin are such nice hostesses. We had a good trip over although it rained. Laura Lee was very good and has been. I think she misses her daddy. We'll go to Toledo on Monday. Then home later in week. Chet will meet us there. We'll see you soon. Love, Dorothy & Laura Lee. P.S. Fri. morn Chet wrote about G. Its wonderful." Card is postmarked April, 1929.

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

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Flowering branch by Pancrace Bessa  (1772–1835).

Graphite, watercolour, gouache, gum arabic.

christies.com

Wikimedia.

#botanical illustration #botany #blossom #Pancrace Bessa #flowering branch

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Front cover of McCall's Magazine (April, 1916) with an illustration by Ruth Eastman.

Source: David LaFave. Image Processing by: magscanner

Internet Archive Python library 1.8.1

#april #magazine illustration #vintage magazine #spring #Ruth Eastman

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'Spring.'

Postcard by Mela Koehler (Austrian, 1885–1960).

Published by Wenau Brabant.

Image and text information courtesy MFA Boston.

#spring #vintage postcard #vintage illustration #Mela Koehler #austrian art

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XIX century Library at Marienburg Castle, Germany

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Feast your eyes on the dazzling colors of the Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus). Males of this species use their iridescent feathers to attract mates. Found in the Himalayas, this bird inhabits high altitudes. In fact, it can be found at elevations of up to 16,000 ft (4,877 m) during the summer! Its distinctive hooked beak aids it in foraging for snacks like insects, seeds, and berries.

Photo: Hari K Patibanda, CC BY-NC 2.0, iNaturalist