I stumbled upon these old drawings recently and just had to get them (and for only $5 !!)...
By the appearance of the ladies and the delicate crumbling feel of the paper they seem like they were done in the late 1920s or early 30s. I don't think they were done recently by someone with the fondness for that era. They are too accurate, somehow. The fashions and the style of drawings (for instance, the slightly upturned noses.) The top lady in a yellow dress looks like she came out of a Marx Brothers movie. I can almost hear her speaking in a mid-Atlantic accent. And, take a look at the writing underneath the larger portrait - "A lady from the back street". Perhaps the artist was admiring this lady from the distance? The drawings are signed D.H. Roth, and maybe I'm too quick in thinking it's a he. Perhaps it's a Dorothy or Doris Helena Roth, who knows?
I didn't much care for the white lady (sorry D.H. Roth!) so I decided to try and display it without that image showing. I also wanted to just place it against the black background to show the rugged quality of the paper which contrasts with the delicate drawings. I wrote some quotes from D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Wolf, F.Scott Fitzgerald, EE Cummings, William Faulkner and Dorothy Parker around the drawings. I like how the writing looks in juxtaposition with the drawing. My favorite quote of them all is Dorothy Parker one:
"I shall stay the way I am because I do not give a damn."
It's somehow more interesting and intriguing to have in my possession an old drawing by an unknown artist. Somehow my acquiring and admiring his/her artwork 80 or so years later feels oddly right.
Here is the drawing framed (the reflection from the glass couldn't be helped). And next to it is my papercut - Victrola.
I also snatched this hand colored postcard from 1914 (for the large sum of $3.75)...
My heart just melted when I saw her. Isn't she adorable?
I have yet to read what it says on the back, as it appears to be written in pencil and therefore is quite faded. Maybe I will leave it like that. After all it's impolite to read strangers mail, isn't it? :)
But, I'll give you a peek anyway...
I think I'll make My Vintage Finds a weekly feature. I'm sure there will often be some interesting finds that I'll want to share with you.
Have a good night!
xoxoxo
Tina--I love these & have more to say (don't I always, unfortunately?) but must dash. Wanted to say yes, I hope you do make the Vintage Finds a regular feature. If nothing else it inspires me to try to walk to more places on my own as I'm redoing/rearranging apt. I rescued a few things from the dumpster area of our laundry room (people put things there that they perhaps cannot bear to put outside by the real dumpster) over some years. Two were needlework, framed, by I have decided, someone's lovely auntie. And they left them there. I adopted them & they hang in my bedroom. The other thing I rescued & refurbished was a handmade, little rocking chair. I gave that to a sister about 8 years ago for her toddler as he was about to greet a new sib. He wasn't happy & I figured that having his own pint-sized chair would help him rock out any mind-kinks he had about this (to his mind) sorry state of affairs. Now they fight over who gets to sit in it.
PS: I love the idea that the artist is named Dorothy...so let us know if you decide otherwise.
Posted by: Susan | May 12, 2010 at 09:29 AM