Across years and oceans.

My great grandmother in front of her shop in Berlin at the break of WWI.

Me and some of my gals, at the break of lunchtime on a Tuesday - (from Glamour).

Uncanny, no?

xo

Rony

Perfect.

Right? Photograph by Ludmila Yilmaz.

via Silent Storyteller

My Daguerreotype Boyfriend

My boyfriend likes to hang out with his sister because he’s all about family.

My boyfriend disagrees with you vehemently before taking you behind the garden shed

Gustave Doré wants to take you back to his place to see his engravings.

Where early photography meets extreme hotness. One million percent brilliant.

Chupa Chups?? Really?!

Did you know that the Chupa Chups logo was designed by Salvador Dali in 1969? I sure didn't!

The cruel seas.

A woman's "memorial poesy ring" from 1592, made of gold and rock crystal. On the ring's inner surface is inscribed, "The cruel seas, remember, took him in November."  Goosebumps, no?

* From the NYT, via the ever lovely even*cleveland

From Russia With Love. In Color.

From a collection of color photographs taken between 1902 and 1912.

"...photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) undertook a photographic survey of the Russian Empire with the support of Tsar Nicholas II. He used a specialized camera to capture three black and white images in fairly quick succession, using red, green and blue filters, allowing them to later be recombined and projected with filtered lanterns to show near true color images. The high quality of the images, combined with the bright colors, make it difficult for viewers to believe that they are looking 100 years back in time - when these photographs were taken, neither the Russian Revolution nor World War I had yet begun. Collected here are a few of the hundreds of color images made available by the Library of Congress, which purchased the original glass plates back in 1948."

*Thanks Leigh!

Rare color photos from The Great Depression

Riveting photography from an era that is all too easy to romanticize. Go. Look. Now.

K is for Kiss.

Beautiful, letterpressed, Victorian kisses. For you and you and most especially... you. In store now, $22

Cutting Room

"Operating room in Brooklyn Navy Yard Hospital."

New York circa 1900

Shorpy, via Me Melodia

Whispering Ticket

These old business and calling cards have rendered me speechless. Whispering Ticket? What could that MEAN!?? Also, cheese + graph paper. Together at last. Sigh.

From ink_ling's flickr page, found via Oh Hello Friend.

Tilda Swinton as Marchesa Luisa Casati

"Nude servants, gilded in gold leaf, attended her. Bizarre wax mannequins sat as guests at her dining table, some of them even rumored to contain the ashes of past lovers. She wore live snakes as jewelery and was infamous for her evening strolls, naked beneath her furs, while parading cheetahs on diamond-studded leashes.

She was tall and thin. A thick blaze of flame-colored hair crowned her pale, almost cadaverously white face with its sensually vermilioned lips. Above all, however, the Marchesa’s large green eyes cast the strongest spell of her unique beauty. She exaggerated these further still with immense false lashes and surrounding rings of black kohl, while droplets of poisonous belladonna made them glitter like emeralds."

From Acne Paper

Lucy Harmon and Madelene from Stockholm

Remember what it was like to be 19 with Le Portillon. You loved Lanvin at 19, right?

Mad Pen.

Secretary Pens, $22

I inherited a strong love of pens from my dear dad. I have many many. They are all over my house and in every bag I own. But where are they when I most need them? Full of betrayal, those pens. No more. Hanging around my neck on a nice long chain, it is close to my heart (to remind me of my dad), as well as at my finger tips, to meet all my pen-related needs, which are great. (Great in quantity, not so much in quality.)

Soooooon they will be available on line as well. The world needs to know about this.

Mix-masters

I meant to share this ages ago, but it was filed away in a nether region of the computer. An inspection of said electronic nether regions upturned the photo this morning, and I am so very pleased. I bring you back to months and months ago: an assemblage of some of our finest. Doug bought the grey Katrina LaPenne ring last week (she's making us another! congratulations Doug!) and the vintage rings that Rony brought back found new homes rawther quickly- one of them being on this hand above, nestled next to a glowing opal number that had me singin', a delicate gold band, and a deep funereal garnet. The art is in the mix, and our beautiful ladies of Brooklyn know how to mix like none others.

Mad Pen.

gold plated secretary pens, $22

I inherited a strong love of pens from my dear dad. I have many many. They are all over my house and in every bag I own. But where are they when I most need them? Full of betrayal, those pens. No more. Hanging around my neck on a nice long chain, it is close to my heart (to remind me of my dad), as well as at my finger tips, to meet all my pen-related needs, which are great. (Great in quantity, not so much in quality.)

Soooooon they will be available on line as well. The world needs to know about this.

imPRESSed

It's a fine day when a stationer is induced to buy stationery from another stationer. Austin Press, today is that fine day. I want one of everything we just got in the shop.

Salt to give it savour

If you are a regular reader of this here blog, you might be a little tired of me pushing these wee little bird boxes on you. BUT, a brilliant customer yesterday reminded me that salt is a traditional good tiding to bring to a new home, AND since we New Yorkers do tend to move house so often, at $19 plus the cost of some salt (which you've probably got a ton of left behind by sundry and assorted roommates) you have the pleasure of being a most sweet and thoughtful friend. We'll gladly provide the silk ribbon for you to tie around birdie's belly.

on the rocks.

Look at this 103-year-old mansion in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.

The Gleaners

I met Margaux, of the Black Spot Books, and her friend, photographer and story-teller, Katie, in Philadelphia a few years ago. They honest-to-goodness seem to find magic wherever they go. I would love to fall down a rabbit hole with them, but until I do, I'm so pleased we have Margaux's book necklaces at the shop.

Ye olde wacko books.

Ah, so you like your books weird and old-timey? Well good citizen, here you go.

Old Aunt Elspa's book is for those who...

call children "chubbies", don't care to
differentiate between F's and S's...

and like to confuse, and slightly frighten
said Chubbies as they learn to read.

This itty bitty pocket book is useful when you need
to send a specific message to someone via flowers.

Need to let someone know you would like to be buried in the woods?
Well, obviously just send a persimmon. What could be clearer?
And everyone knows that nothing expresses indifference
like a beautiful bouquet of Pigeon Berries.

This beautiful hard cover book houses such classics as...

"The Fox and the Visor Mask". Loved by all.

All books are 19th and 20th century reprints from the UK. From $8 - $40.