Words and Pictures From old Books

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Decorative cip-art Victorian border, Black and White, from The Art of Illum
2008-03-04 13:25:00
This is a version of the red border from Page 27 in black and white (actually grayscale, desaturated and darkened).(read more...)
More About: White , Black , Black and White , Victorian

Decorative cip-art Victorian border, antique brown, from The Art of Illumin
2008-03-04 13:24:00
This is a version of the red border from Page 27 coloured a sepia brown. There are also a green and a black and white version. To make your own coloured version of this old page border, see the notes for the Red and the black-and-white versions.(read more...)
More About: Brown , Antique , Victorian

Decorative cip-art Victorian border, antique green, from The Art of Illumin
2008-03-04 13:24:00
This is a version of the red border from Page 27 coloured green. There are also a brown and a black and white version. To make your own coloured version of this old page border, see the notes for the Red and the black-and-white versions.(read more...)
More About: Green , Antique , Victorian

1423.---Hever Castle. (From an Original Sketch), from Old England: A Picto
2008-03-03 13:02:00
Anne Bullen [Anne Boleyn] behaved throughout the whole affair with the utmost prudence. Shehad determiend to be the king’s wife, not his mistress; and from that determnation ensued events, the importance of which, in relation to the destinies of the country, it is hardly possible to overrate. Hever Castle (Fig. 1423), Kent, was the family residence of the Bullens; and there Anne Bullen chiefly resided during the period in question; and there, according to tradition, the bugle-horn was often heard sounding from the top of a neighbouring hill—Henry’s [Henry VIII’s] announcement to his lady-love of his approach. A regular correspondence by letter was also kept up; ans some of the king’s epistles are still preserved in the library of the Vatican.(read more...)
More About: England , Original , Sketch

1377.---Whitsun Morris-Dance., from Old England: A Pictorial Museum (1845),
2008-03-01 11:33:00
Whitsunday, or Whitsun, is the seventh Sunday after Easter, and is a time for a holiday. The Morris -dance was originally a Moorish dance. These days it involves men with white socks (always a bad start) and bells on their wrists and ankles, and lots of beer. There are also Morris dances on May Day. I made a lot of sizes of this image for use as computer Wallpaper.(read more...)
More About: England , Dance , Pictorial , Museum

173.---The South Front., from English Homes Vol III no. 1, Late Tudor (1922
2008-02-29 04:24:00
Benthall Hall, North Shropshire. There were de Benthalls in 1120, and when, two centuries later, a Burnell of Acton Burnell marred their heiress he took her name as well as her property. Their descendants built the present house in the latter part of the sixteenth century. ... The general appearance and the details consort exactly with what we should expect in a house built in 1583. I have included many difference versions of this English manor-house picture, some slightly cropped so that they will work as screen backgrounds.(read more...)
More About: South , Homes , Front , Late

Chapter Heading Woodcut Featuring Soldiers on Horesback with Spears, from A
2008-02-28 11:24:00
A decorative woodcut from above the section entitled Proverbs and Proverbial Observsations cocerning Husbandry, Weather, and the Seasons of the Year. It is not related to the text. The engraving features a battle of warriors or soldiers with spears and shields. I suspect it is based on the carved side of an ancient Hellenistic (Greek) sarcophagus thought to depict ALexander the Great, but I am not certain.(read more...)
More About: Soldiers , Spears , Chapter , Featuring , Heading

[Ancient] Greek Marble Mosaics 2: Eleusius, from The History of Ornament: D
2008-02-27 03:09:00
One corner of a mosaic floor, with a border of interlocking circles. It might make an interesting design element in a Web page or scrap book, perhaps faded out to one corner, or completed to make a full border. Figs. 2, 10 and 11. Marble mosaics (floors) from Eleusis (Poppe).(read more...)
More About: History , Greek , Ancient , Ornament

[Ancient] Greek Marble Mosaics 9: Hexagons, from The History of Ornament: D
2008-02-26 13:21:00
Figs. 3 – 9. Fragments of floors from Sicily, partly in the Museum of the Court of Biscari (Hittorf, Restitution du temple d’Empédocle).(read more...)
More About: History , Greek , Marble , Ancient , Ornament

[Ancient] Greek Marble Mosaics 1: Olympia - full-page border/decorative fra
2008-02-26 13:21:00
I made this decorative border, or full-page frame, gold on a black background, from one corner, for use in scrapbooking, Web design, or general publishing.(read more...)
More About: Greek , Page , Full , Marble , Ancient

[Ancient] Greek Marble Mosaics 1: Olympia, from The History of Ornament: De
2008-02-26 13:20:00
One corner of a gold-on-black border for a mural, with urns and pineapples.(read more...)
More About: History , Greek , Marble , Ancient , Olympia

Clip-art; calligraphic decorative initial capital letter L from Plate 65, f
2008-02-24 07:53:00
A detail from Plate 65 with just the decorative initial letter L. I also made a sample Web page using the decorative initial so you can get an idea of how to use it with HTML and CSS.(read more...)
More About: Letter , Clip , Capital

Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire (Wide-screen background version), from Old Engl
2008-02-19 06:32:00
A version of Wilfrid Ball’s painting of a thatched house in the English village of Long Wittenham made to fit a wide-screen or high-definition screen, for use as a wallpaper or desktop background image.(read more...)
More About: Screen , Wide , Background , Version

Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire., from Old English Country Cottages (1906), add
2008-02-19 06:25:00
From a water-colour by Wilfrid Ball, R.E.(read more...)
More About: Country , English , Long , Ages

Well Bucket Ornament, Coloured, from Old English Country Cottages (1906), a
2008-02-18 13:53:00
A coloured version of the well-bucket typographic ornament that I made as an example.(read more...)
More About: Country , English , Ornament , Ages

Decorative element: overgrown well bucket, from Old English Country Cottage
2008-02-18 13:53:00
A woodcut of a well bucket with rope and overgrown winch, used at the end of a chapter. You could also see a letter “A” in it, so I have also marked it as a decorative initial A. I coloured it for you too, as an example of what you could do with it; see that here.(read more...)
More About: Country , English , Cottage , Element

Fort Dufferin and the moat, Mandalay, from Travels In The Far East (1909),
2008-02-17 10:59:00
Mandalay was the capital of Burma until the British captured the country in 1885. After that, the headquarters of the region were based here, in Fort Dufferin. Today Mandalay is one of the largest cities in Myanmar. It sits on the River Irrawaddy.(read more...)
More About: Travels , East

Plate 85b.---Fifteenth Century No. 15 (Borders), from The Art of Illuminati
2008-02-13 03:15:00
Various borders and corners from a Book of Hours from the 15th century. I have scanned it in two parts; this is part two (part one is not yet online). I have separated out some of the elements and cleaned them up a little more. British Museum. Hal. 2,900. Horæ B. Mariæ Virginis.(read more...)
More About: Illuminati , Borders , Century

Border with corner, Item 17 from Plate 85, from The Art of Illuminating As
2008-02-13 03:13:00
Fifteenth century vertical floral border with corner and horizontal segment, from Plate 85.(read more...)
More About: Item , Corner , Illuminating

Horizontal border with flowers, Item 15 from Plate 85, from The Art of Illu
2008-02-13 03:13:00
Fifteenth century horizontal floral border from Plate 85. I have edited it a little so that it more or less joins on to itself, to make a longer line.(read more...)
More About: Flowers , Item

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, from Religion in the Home (1913), added
2008-02-04 12:17:00
Matt. 26; 38,39(read more...)
More About: Religion , Jesus , Garden , Home , In The Garden

Chapter Tail Ornament: Ancient Musical Instruments, from Religion in the Ho
2008-02-02 04:09:00
A barefoot and shirtless man (I think) plays a long trumpet or horn; other instruments, including pan pipes, are also shown. A sort of ancient music clip-art engraving.(read more...)
More About: Religion , Musical , Instruments , Ancient , Tail

Molly Sat Waiting For Her Father, from The Leisure Hour (1896), added on 1s
2008-02-01 08:51:00
An attrctive young lady sits gazing out of an open window into a rose garden. She is dressed in Victorian costume, with a tight corset. She is in love. This picture was used to illustrate an episode in the serial story “Forestwyck” by E. Boyd Bayly. Molly sat at her lattice window, clusters of yellow Banksia roses framing the casement and the bright face watching there. She was waiting for her father, and he was late, busy with Masterman and Laurance Ryan. (p. 343)(read more...)
More About: Leisure , Father , Waiting , Hour , Olly

Title Page: Bailey's Universal Etymological Dictionary, from Universal Etym
2008-01-30 11:29:00
The title page of the dictionary: title page transcription(read more...)
More About: Page , Universal , Dictionary , Title

Front Cover, from Universal Etymological Dictionary (1726), added on 30th J
2008-01-30 11:28:00
The front cover of Nathan Bailey’s Universal Etymological Dictionary (read more...)
More About: Cover , Front

Poor Marksman, from A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy (1885),
2008-01-29 11:44:00
Cupid is watching a Frenchman practice his archery, shooting arrows at a heart on a pole.(read more...)
More About: France , Italy , Journey , Sentimental , Poor

Antique typewriter, from Scribner's Magazine 1903 No. 11 (1903), added on 2
2008-01-28 02:37:00
An old picture of a typewriter, suitable for clip-art; the machine was new when the picture was taken. This is taken from an old ad for a type-writer.(read more...)
More About: Magazine , Antique

Old Advert: The Sun Typewriter, from Scribner's Magazine 1903 No. 11 (1903)
2008-01-28 02:37:00
The SUN Typwriter No. 2(read more...)
More About: Magazine , Advert

36. Seal of Stolas, or Stolos., from The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon
2008-01-25 04:30:00
(36.) Stolas, or Stolos. — The Thirty-sixth Spirit is Stolas, or Stolos. He is a Great and Powerful Prince, appearing in the Shape of a Mighty Raven at first before the Exorcist; but after he taketh the image of a Man. He teacheth the Art of Astronomy, and the Virtues of Herbs and Precious Stones. He governeth 26 Legions of Spirits; and his Seal is this, which is, etc.(read more...)

37. Seal of Phenex or Pheynix., from The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon
2008-01-25 04:30:00
(37.) Phenex, or Pheynix. The Thirty-Seventh Spirit is Phenex (or Pheynix). He is a great Marquis, and appeareth like the Bird Phoenix [Ph?nix], having the Voice of a Child. He singeth many sweet notes before the Exorcist, which he must not regard, but by-and-by he must bid him put on Human Shape. Then he will speak marvellously of all wonderful Sciences if required. He is a Poet, good and excellent. And he will be willing to perform thy requests. He hath hopes also to return to the Seventh Throne after 1,200 years more, as he said unto Solomon. He governeth 20 Legions of Spirits. And his Seal is this, which wear thou, etc.(read more...)