Ukranian and Russian Easter eggs are justly famous for their intricate designs, which often take many hours of work by the artists who make them. This Ukranian Easter card from from 1911 features a fancy Easter egg. I don’t know what the translation of the Ukranian is, though, as none was given for it. I found this image on Wikipedia Commons. Click to download / view it full-sized.

Peace,
Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1911, color, daily public domain, DPD, Easter, egg, free, graphics, holiday, illustration, image, postcard, public domain, Spring, Ukraine, Ukranian, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia

Speaking of chicks, here’s another cute onel He’s just hatched, and has been sent to give Easter greetings.

This postcard is from 1910, and reads ‘Easter Greetings’ in fancy gold lettering in the bottom right hand corner. The artist is unknown. I found this little gem on Wikipedia Commons. I think it would make a great image for the front of an Easter greeting card. Click to view it / download it full-sized.

Peace,
Bekka

Tags: .jpg, animal, birds, chick, chicken, color, daily public domain, DPD, Easter, egg, free, graphics, greeting card, hatching, holiday, illustration, PD, postcard, public domain, Spring, Victorian, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia

Going back to the Easter theme, here is a postcard greeting from 1907. It shows a rather realistic looking rabbit sitting on its hind legs and holding a branch of pussywillow blossoms. The caption reads ‘Loving Easter Greeting’. I think he’s a rather cute little rabbit. He’d make a great new Easter greeting for someone, I think. I found him on Wikipedia commons. Click to see him / download him full-sized.

Peace,
Bekka

Tags: .jpg, animal, bunny, color, daily public domain, Easter, free, graphics, greeting card, hare, holiday, illustration, image, postcard, public domain, pussywillow, rabbit, Spring, Victorian, Wiki Commons

Okay, I’ve been getting behind in my blog posts. I apologize. It is supposed to be every day, but often it is late, or postdated. I am now resolving to amend this as best I can. So today, to make up for a couple of skipped days, I am going to include more than one image.

These are all old photographs and postcards [which I found on Wikipedia Commons] showing Mardi Gras revelers in New Orleans at the beginning of the 20th c. As many of you may know, last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, which is proceeded by a season called ‘Carnival’ or ‘Mardi Gras’ in many countries with strongly Catholic or Orthodox cultures. ‘Mardi Gras’ comes from the French for ‘Fat Tuesday’ and referred to the last day before the long fast of Lent (Pre-Vatican II), where you would celebrate and eat many of the foods forbidden during the Lenten fast. In England, though the association with fasting is no longer strong, this day is referred to as ‘Shrove Tuesday’.

In any case, the celebration of Mardi Gras is a season of events in New Orleans, featuring parades and general revelry for several days leading up to the actual ‘Fat Tuesday’. Here are some old photographs and postcards taken of revelers. Click to see them / download them full-sized.

Peace (and pancakes),

Bekka

P.S. On this last image, the Wikipedia file notes stated: ‘Note the whips the women are carrying to fend off unwanted attentions.’ !!! – Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1905, 1910, 1914, 1915, carnival, children, color, costumes, daily public domain, DPD, Fat Tuesday, free, graphics, holiday, image, ladies, Lent, Mardi Gras, maskers, masks, men, New Orleans, party, PD, photograph, postcard, public domain, Shrove Tuesday, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia, women

Proper Victorian ladies did not ask men to marry them. They simply waited and hoped. But popular belief held that in a leap year, on on February 29, it was acceptable for a lady to ask a gentleman to marry her. Hence this ‘Leap Year Valentine’ which shows a lady chasing a rather reluctant gentleman through the numerals ’1904′. [Yes, I know this year is not a leap year, but the graphic is so fun I decided to include it rather than wait two years!] Moreover, in 1904, the proper Victorian ladies hadn’t had a chance to turn the tables for eight years – because 1900 was not a leap year!

Click on it to see it/download it full-sized. This image is from the Library of Congress digital collections.

Peace,
Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1904, color, daily public domain, DPD, free, graphics, holiday, humor, image, lady, Leap Year, Library of Congress, LOC, love, man, PD, postcard, public domain, valentine, Valentine's Day, Victorian, woman

I suppose with both Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl coming up, I thought that this little Victorian gem was appropriate. It features two cherubic kids kicking around a heart-shaped football. It reads ‘O Cupid, Cupid / How can you be so cruel?’ I suppose it is a Valentine you send to someone who has resisted your advances! I found it on >Wikipedia Commons some time back. Click on it to see it/download it full-sized.

Peace,

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, children, color, daily public domain, DPD, football, free, graphics, holiday, illustration, image, PD, postcard, public domain, valentine, Valentine's Day, Victorian, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia

Today’s image is a French postcard from 1910. Loosely translated, the French means “Flowers Lead the Language of Hearts”. It’s a wonderful sentimental expression of desire. This was scanned by a member of the Public Domain Art email group from her personal collection.

Click on the lovely French damsel to see her/ download her full-sized.

Peace and Love,
Bekka

Tags: .jpg, 1910, bouquet, color, daily public domain, DPD, Edwardian, flower, flowers, free, French, graphics, holiday, image, lady, love, PD, photograph, portrait, postcard, public domain, valentine, Valentine's Day, woman

Tags: .jpg, ad, advertisement, color, cook, daily public domain, DPD, food, free, holiday, image, kitchen, ladies, Library of Congress, lithograph, LOC, postcard, Victorian, women

Happy New Year!

Today’s images are two rather odd New Year’s postcards I found on Wikipedia commons. They are from 1908 and feature frogs. Yes, frogs. What frogs (and bowling) have to do with New Year’s Day I don’t know. [Remember when I've posted about finding really odd stuff in my search for public domain images? Well, here's more proof...] Click on the images to see/download them full-sized. I found them, if you wish to look for more, on Wikipedia Commons.

 Peace in the New Year!

Bekka

Tags: .jpg, animals, bowling, champaigne, color, daily public domain, DPD, drink, free, frogs, graphics, holiday, illustration, image, New Year's, PD, postcard, Wiki Commons, Wikipedia, Winter