Vera by Victor

Mr. Vague is rounding off his one year anniversary of being a tintype photographer.

Completely self taught, he's become extremely adept at the art.

He's taken a variety of photos, from still lifes to outdoor scenes, but his favorite is the portrait.

Being on hand, I've had the opportunity to have my portrait taken plenty of times, and I share some of them with you now.

These are just some of the pictures in which I've been privileged to be. 

 There have been others, and there will be more to come.

To see more of his artwork, visit his wordpress page: 
 Vague International Photography

And like his facebook page.

tags: antique, art, collodion, photo, photography, portrait, tintype, vague, wet plate

she and he

a rare double-self portrait

The Art of MUCHA

   

The Czech born Alfons Mucha (1860-1939) was an artist and illustrator of the Nouveau style. 

{ above:  portrait of the artist as a man. }

Best known for his Slav Epic - a series of twenty huge paintings depicting the history of Slavic and Czech peoples - he was a prolific (as well as specific) in his output.

 

{ above:  Cycles of the Slav Epic in their varying styles; the original models posing for Mucha's Epic. }

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Mr. Mucha funded his formative schooling by use of his voice, and specifically singing, which he was quite skilled at.
Drawing was ever his passion, however, and eventually he moved to Paris to continue his studies; it was in that ancient city that he first saw a poster advertising a play staring Sarah Bernhardt (around 1894).  Mucha was so inspired by the aesthetics of that poster that within two weeks he had designed a poster of his own, and shortly there-after he'd attained a six-year contract with Bernhardt herself.

Alfons Mucha's success only sky-rocketed from there, and, though he would eventually lament his status as a commercial artist -- wishing instead he could use the medium to communicate a more spiritual message -- he continued to produce picture upon picture until his death on Bastille Day in his home of Prague, at the age of 79.

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More than just painting, Alfons Mucha also designed incredibly gorgeous jewelry in collaboration with designer George Fouquet, and worn by the likes of Sarah Bernhardt.

 

 

In 1901, Mucha designed their Paris jewelry store
… a masterpiece in its own right!

 

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{ the artist. }

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[ find mucha more Mucha here and here ]

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Turquoise Time

Turquoise is not only one of my favorite colors and semi-precious stones:
 because I was born in December, it's also my birthstone!

Let me share with you now some vibrant turquoisey finds from Etsy.

{ 1. Turquoise Chain Link Necklace by 16 BrandywineDrive; 2. Handcrafted Teal Wood Sunglasses by Tmbr.; 3. Landscapes Collection Desert Clouds Scarf by DesertsandLakes; 4. 50s Turquoise Sequin Blouse by SnootieSeconds; 5. Turqoise Shoes by ImeldaShoes  }

{ 1. Hexagon Stud Earrings by VividByEsther; 2. Arrow Turquoise Ring by Honeyandgoldies; 3. Upper Arm Cuff by LuxDivine; 4. MAIA Necklace by Keijewlery; 5. Leather Feather Earrings by LoveAtFirstBlush; 6. Crystal Stone & Turquoise Necklace by MichalGolanJewelry; 7. Turquoise Howlite Ring by NaturalGlam; 8. 24K Gold trimmed Turquoise by TrulyBlessedJewels; 9. Dagger Necklace by SparkleFarm   }

{ 1. Blue Pencil Case by Hennyseashell; 2. Wall Clock by DesignAtelierArticle; 3. Linen Flax Tablecloth by kukshome; 4. Custom Order Nightstand by ThePapayaTree; 5. Turquoise Rug by Bazaarbayar;  6. Vintage Spindle-Back Chair by ModAlley; 7.  Ikat Pillow by PopOColor; 8. Enamel Bowl by MonkiVintage; 9. Babushka Curtains by Miaandstitch  }

{ 1.  Travel Portrait by LolasRoom; 2. Abstract Painting by LolaDonoghue; 3. Bird in Hand by ClareElsaesser; 4. Bear Illustration by xmisslivx; 5. Spain Photography by coloron  }

Parisian Apartment Frozen in Time

On a winter's day in 2010, an apartment in the Pigalle District of Paris was unlocked and seen by human eyes for the first time 70 years. 

 But to know the full story, we have to back up a little..

Way back, to the early 1900s, when an aristocratic actress named Marthe de Florian enjoyed a life of high society and notoriety.  Marthe was known for her beauty, and her numerous love affairs.  She filled her Paris apartment with elegant and expensive éléments du jour, and entertained the upper crust of Parisian society.  

Eventually, this luxe apartment was inherited by her grand-daughter, Madame de Florian (stay with me on this).

In 1940 at the beginning of World Ward II, Madame de Florian, young and Jewish, fled her Parisian apartment for the south of France.  

Mme Florian never returned to her home there, though she would continue paying its rent until the end of her life.

And so it is because of her hasty exit that the apartment remained exactly as she had left it, every item precisely where it lay seven decades earlier.

Back to 2010:  Mme de Florian dies at age 91, and the apartment is left to heirs.  An auctioneer put key to rusty lock and opened what has become famously known as the Parisian Time Capsule.

What was found goes far beyond ornately carved bureaus, brocade upholstery and silk wallpaper:  they unlocked a long forgotten love affair.

As we've already established, Marthe the elder was known for her beauty and her beaus.  One of those beaus was the Italian Impressionist painter Giovanni Boldini, whose marital status didn't keep he and Marthe from their affair.

In fact, she served not only as lover, but as muse for at least one of his paintings, which had been left behind by her grand daughter in the apartment.  The painting was accompanied by a ribbon-bound stack of love letters, some of which bore the name of Mr. Boldini.

  { The Lady in Pink:  Marthe de Florian. The painting recently sold at auction for $2.1 million dollars. }

But just why Madame de Florian the younger never returned to her Paris apartment is a mystery lost to time, or perhaps just locked away for now...

The exact location of the apartment is a secret the inheritors prefer to keep.  It is not open for public consumption, and sources have it that the apartment continues to remain untouched-- and undusted-- to this day.  And this writer hopes it stays that way.

{ A self portrait by Boldini. }

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Want more secret Parisian apartments?  See here.

sources:  here and here and here.