Mister Crew

Page 9 of 97

August 30, 2011

Stereographs

Spending too much time in photo archives, I would often come across prints that looked like duplicates, like this famous picture of Mark Twain or this one of Roosevelt in Yellowstone. I did not think much of them, assuming that was just an industry standard that photographers used back then for copies – I learned recently however that these were special prints called stereographs, and when viewed with proper glasses would produce a crude 3D effect (it is essentially the same concept behind the View-Master, a toy that many of us probably had when we were kids).

The Library of Congress maintains large collections of stereographs, including many from the early 20th century when it was a big industry for photographers. Some favorites:

August 22, 2011

Manzanar Photographed by Ansel Adams

Two articles over the past month introduced me to a collection of photographs that Ansel Adams donated to the Library of Congress documenting life at Manzanar, one of the internment camps used by the U.S. government during WW2 to imprison Japanese Americans. The first was in the Seattle Times highlighting an exhibit by the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum:

“Ansel Adams: A Portrait of Manzanar,” composed mostly of black-and-white photographs taken by the legendary American photographer in late 1943, acknowledges the prejudices and fears that led the U.S. government to confine American citizens and legal immigrants of Japanese ethnicity behind barbed wire.

But its main focus is on the personal experiences of the internees Adams photographed. Adams was given two ground rules when he went to Manzanar: no shots of guard towers and no shots of barbed wire. Yet in the eyes of the people he photographed, many of them staring directly into the camera, you can fathom the twists and turns of the internment-camp experience.

The second was included in the Atlantic’s excellent 20 part photo essay on WW2 this last Sunday which featured several pictures taken by Adams (see the previous parts here).

The entire collection can be viewed on the Library of Congress website along with some background notes by staff.

August 22, 2011

A Volume of Duels

“Haven’t you heard of the duel going on ever since 1801?”

Browsing the Elliott Bay bookstore this last weekend led me to a collection of short novels written by five different authors but all under the same title – The Duel. Recently released by Melville House Publishing as part of its larger Art of the Novella series, each book provides a look into the upper class societies where young military officers and gentlemen would resort to pointless illegal duels to settle differences (the practice was often banned by Emperors, Kings, Generals, and the like).

At $10-12 a pop though, I decided to start with just two of them and picked the stories that were in my favorite historical settings: Czarist Russia and Napoleonic France.

The Duel - The Art of the Novella
By Alexander Kuprin and Joseph Conrad, respectively – the other three are by Chekhov, Heinrich Von Kleist, and Giacomo Casanova. Each book also comes with a special URL included in the back that provides access to additional reading material which looks to be ideal for the type of person who can get distracted for hours on just wikipedia alone.

August 21, 2011

Belltown’s Popsicle

If you find yourself going north through downtown Seattle on 4th Ave, you will eventually pass by this:

popsicle_belltown_sculpture
The giant popsicle will make you smile every time and is one of the few nice things to see in Belltown. Some background reading on the sculpture (it showed up early this summer, and at first nobody knew who made it until recently).

belltown popsicle
Look for it at the intersection of 4th and Blanchard.

August 11, 2011

Mapping the Pacific Coast

There is a great collection of old maps available for viewing online at Mapping the Pacific Coast. The background:

The maps and illustrations in the Quivira Collection date from 1540 to 1802, a span of 260 years or so. These dates also bracket a period of history unprecedented for the general expansion of knowledge and information. The first application of the new technology of printing to maps and geographical knowledge coincides almost exactly with Columbus’s first voyage in 1492. Thus the maps in this collection span the transition from the European Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment and bear eloquent testimony to the expansion of useful knowledge.

Being close to home, the maps and explorations of the Pacific Northwest area are of particular interest to me. Some earlier prints:

Gerard Mercator, Septentrionalium Terrarum descriptio, Amsterdam, 1595. The innovative and well-known cartographer and author of this map, Gerard Mercator, died in 1594, leaving his son Rumold to publish it in the last of three parts forming the famous Mercator atlas Atlantis Pars Altera. This is not only the first, but also the most influential map to be devoted to the Arctic.

Joseph-Nicolas de l’Isle, Carte Generale des Découvertes de l’Amiral de Fonte. A general map of the discoveries of Admiral de Fonte and other navigators, Spanish, English and Russian in quest of a passage to the South Sea by Mr. De l’Isle of the Royal Academy of Sciences, etc. Published at Paris in September 1752.

Related Posts: Early New England Maps, Old Maps of Antarctica

August 10, 2011

Ralph Lauren at the Double RL Ranch

I finally found a video of the full interview that Ralph Lauren did for Oprah this last spring and while some of the narration is a bit soft in a few parts, it is very inspiring. Several great views of the picturesque Double RL Ranch are shown as well, and in another related video there is footage shot from a small aerial drone by Oprah’s production crew.

August 9, 2011

Filson and Levi’s, Part 2

The latest batch of Filson x Levi’s goods were put out for sale today and I walked down to the flagship store here in Seattle to see them in person. Some thoughts and observations:

– My favorite from this set is the sawtooth shirt made from dry finish tin cloth and oil finish tin cloth for the yokes and underside of the collar. Unusual for a Filson, it fits very slim all around (sleeves, armholes, chest, everything) – if you intend to wear it as a shirt jacket, you might want to size up.

– The hunting vest is great in its own quirky way. Slim fitting and made with a heavy denim, it is covered with pockets inside and out – size up if you’re going to wear it over a jacket.

– The tin cloth pants in the 505 cut are also interesting, but not enough for me to buy them. I wonder why they didn’t make 501’s instead? It seems like it would have been the obvious choice, but maybe that will come in a later round.

– The hunter trucker jacket is an odd combination. I didn’t try it on.

A view of the layout Filson has for the collection when you first walk into the store:

filson_levi_2_1 Read more

August 8, 2011

Ebbets Field Flannels

Now working out of Pioneer Square, I’ve taken an interest in exploring more of the quiet parts of the neighborhood beyond 1st Avenue and on one of the side streets just north of the stadiums I found the store for Ebbets Field Flannels – the maker of historical reproduction sports jerseys, hats, and jackets.

I stopped by last week to check it out and I was impressed by the quality of what it sells as well as the background story behind each piece (the employees are very knowledgeable, and I’m sure it helps to be a sports nerd here). Despite an unassuming storefront and a location that would be easy to miss unless you walked right by it, a small but steady stream of customers were coming in and out during my visit, including many fathers out with their sons.

Some shots from the store – a selection of its famous wool flannel baseball jerseys:

ebbets_01 Read more

August 7, 2011

Our National Game

Also now on exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum is a small baseball themed collection under the title of Our National Game. Pieces from Douglas Tilden, Normal Rockwell, and Jacob Lawrence are included, along with a selection of rare photography and print memorabilia. The exhibit itself is fairly small, but is worth looking at if you’ve stopped by for Beauty & Bounty (it will be located on the opposite side of level 3 in the Knight/Lawrence Gallery).

baseball_ex_1 Read more

August 4, 2011

Men’s File – Issue 5

The latest issue of Men’s File is now available. Along with the usual pictures of clothing, cars, motorcycles, and women, this issue has a great photo spread done on the Double RL ranch and a short piece on the Parisian Apaches.

mens_file_5_1 Read more

A collection of things on men's clothing and culture