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Rina Fosati
@pierinafosati.bsky.social
I mostly post things I find interesting from the first half of the 20th Century. Click on the image to display the meandering content I call alt text.
134 followers128 following580 posts
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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

The Eden Corn Festival was held this past weekend. Besides food, it featured many rural entertainments, including corn husking, corn hole & horseshoe competitions. My grandpa had a horseshoe court on his lawn. I tried it once as a child. Throwing a horseshoe 40 feet accurately was pretty hard.

This is a black & white photograph of a teenage boy preparing to toss a horseshoe at a target stake during a contest. He stands in a 3 x 6 foot sandy area surrounding the stake known as the pit. His left foot is carefully positioned behind the foul line, making sure his toss will count. Generally played as a team sport, the rules for scoring are surprisingly nuanced. Reminds me of curling. “Champion Horseshoe Pitcher, Merritt Neese of Anderson, Indiana, displays his winning technique at the 1928 State Fair.” Image courtesy of the J.C. Allen and Son Collection, 1926-1952 at the Indiana Historical Society.
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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

sigh, the image you posted was created as a spoof gif that has fooled thousands of people. Once you've seen the original (from 1904), it seems like a perfectly reasonable extrapolation.

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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

Gutenberg has it in their library. You can read a free copy of “East of the Sun” here: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30973

East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North by Asbjørnsen et al.
East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North by Asbjørnsen et al.

Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by volunteers.

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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

In researching Kay Nielsen, I re-discovered this image, which he also created for “East of the Sun.” Before I was married, I used it as a bookplate. You might find one pasted in the front of an ancient tome; my name written in sprawling child-like cursive across the bottom.

In this illustration a man and a woman ride a white steed. A small hill rises behind them. The woman is cradled in the man’s lap. Her long gown drags along the ground. The man’s visage is skull-like & he wears a long openwork crown. The steed’s mane & tail are elaborately braided & behind the saddle, he carries a decorative broadsword & elongated shield with a highly stylized face carved in it. “The Lassie and the King riding home,” illustration for the Norwegian fairy tale “The Lassie and her Godmother,” from “East of the Sun and West of the Moon: old tales from the North,” 1914 by Kay Nielsen (Danish, 1886–1957)
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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

“The North Wind goes over the sea,” illustration for “East of the Sun and West of the Moon: old tales from the North,” 1914 by Kay Nielsen (Danish, 1886–1957) I see so many precursors to contemporary anime in this striking illustration.

In this illustration, The North Wind (personified as a powerful man with long red hair) holds a power pose while flying over turbulent waves.
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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

“Covered bridge. Northfield Falls, Vermont,” September 1937. Photo by Arthur Rothstein (American, 1915–1985.) Railroad crossing Look out for the cars How do you spell it Without any Rs?

This is a black & white photograph. It features a railroad crossing sign that is situated to the left of a dirt road. The sign does not have the flashing red lights & crossing gates that, these days, usually block the roadway as a train approaches. Beyond the crossing is one of the four covered bridges that Northfield Falls, VT is known for. This one crosses the Dog River on the west side of the village. Source: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection at the Library of Congress
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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

They ARE pretty & stylish, winsome even. As I've gained experience in the history of advertising, I've become more aware of how these manipulations continue to affect us today. Admittedly, the issue of hair dye triggers me, but I want folks to think about how the "pretty" influences them.

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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

Been feeling spicy lately.

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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

The discourse regarding whether hair dyes are carcinogenic or not, is akin to the path of ciggies & pesticides. Scientists have known about the elevated risks for decades (esp for Black women.) But for 100+ years it’s been 🎵 wash away the grey 🎵 Stop encouraging women to use this shit.

“Grey Hair Banished in 15 minutes,” 1924 advertisement for Inecto Rapid, Notox hair dye, illustrated by Homer B. Conant (American, 1887–1927) This is a color illustration for Inecto Rapid hair dye. It features a youthful woman dressed in a 1920s-era gown; a fantasy confection of expansive blue silk decorated with sprays of floral embroidery. A wide band across the bottom of the gown’s skirt is embellished with women’s heads that sport the various colors of hair dye available. This advertisement has several lines of text below the illustration. One of the paragraphs reads: “It is specifically guaranteed to impart to gray, streaked or faded hair all its former harmonious beauty of luster, of silken texture and shade. Its use cannot be detected. It is guaranteed permanent; its coloring will withstand any condition or treatment that Nature’s will – brushing, rubbing, shampooing, sunshine, salt water, perspiration, Turkish and Russian baths, permanent waving, marceling and curling.”
“Grey Hair Banished in fifteen minutes,” 1924 advertisement for Inecto Rapid, Notox hair dye, by an unknown illustrator. Continuing with its theme of equating youthful appearance with a plethora of flowers, this advertisement features a smiling woman who flirts with the viewer by playing peek-a-boo with a fluttering feather fan. She is dressed in an elaborate gown with a huge floral patterned skirt. Similar to the previous ad, the text below touts that Inecto Rapid Notox “has been created by science for coloring the sensitive organism of human hair.”
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RFpierinafosati.bsky.social

I had occasion to ride thru the Cattaraugus Indian Territory recently. Dear Reader, those small independent trading posts that were once scattered throughout the reservation have grown; now they rival Walmart plazas in size. Not surprising. Perhaps even fitting, I suppose.

This is a black & white photograph of a roadside establishment, which touts its “Honest Weights, Square Dealings.” An assortment of fruits, melons & plants are displayed in-and-around an open-air market. Signs posted on the building highlight the variety of fresh fish for sale. A large sign posted above the entrance advertises the services of “F.M. Pointer – The Old Reliable House Mover.” “Roadside Stand Near Birmingham” 1936 by Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975) “[Walker Evans’] photographs of roadside architecture, rural churches, small-town barbers, & cemeteries reveal a deep respect for the neglected traditions of the common man and secured his reputation as America’s preeminent documentarian. From their first appearance in magazines & books in the late 1930s, these direct, iconic images entered the public’s collective consciousness & are now deeply embedded in the nation’s shared visual history of the Depression.” – Dept of Photographs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Rina Fosati
@pierinafosati.bsky.social
I mostly post things I find interesting from the first half of the 20th Century. Click on the image to display the meandering content I call alt text.
134 followers128 following580 posts
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