There's Too Much Fun Going On!

Can one have too much fun? After enduring long work weeks, our weekends have been filled with fun summertime activities. Two days is just not enough time to get it all in!

Today we went to nearby Elgin, Illinois. Have you heard of Elgin watches? Well, this is where they were made. Elgin is full of grand Victorian homes and buildings. They have a very active historic preservation board that has helped homeowners preserve their historic treasures.

But today, we weren't out to look at the houses. We were here for the "Art & Soul on the Fox River." It's such a summertime treat to attend these outdoor art festivals in and around Chicago every year.

Our good friend David Metzger was showing his art, so we stopped by to support him! We've purchased some of his art in the past. He likes to do quirky, Gothic but comical digital illustrations. He's a very talented illustrator. Terry and I both loved one of his new pieces of what a robot would have looked like c. 1900!

We looked at all the other artists and I did buy a photograph on canvas from a wonderful artist named Shelly Lawler. I could hardly make up my mind on which of her beautiful photos to purchase! I wound up choosing this photo of a flicker (or is it a red-bellied woodpecker?). Would you believe that all of her garden photos were take in her own garden? Amazing! I hope to attend more of her shows in the future and buy yet another piece... they were so beautiful!

Last weekend was my one year blogiversary! I have begun an undertaking for an upcoming post that will celebrate the event. But it's taking longer than I thought to get my information together.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying a variety of outdoor summer activities. If you're up north like we are, these warm days don't seem to stick around long enough!

Who Is She?

Some time ago, probably in the late 1980's, I came across this oval framed print, approximately 18" x 23" at an antique shop. Being an old frame fanatic, I was drawn to the size and the original wavy glass. I think it was no more than $10, so I happily bought it. My grandmother had recently died, and I was thinking of replacing the original print with a picture of her to hang on my wall as a memorial.

But as this Victorian lady hung on my wall, waiting to be removed from her frame, she grew on me. She's one of those pictures whose eyes follow you. Being a sentimental Victorian at heart, I eventually knew I would never remove her from her frame.

She is a chromolithograph, with very muted colors and a Gibson Girl look, probably from the early 1900's. But who was the model? Was it a copy of a more famous work of art, or simply created for the sentimental commercial art market? I wondered about it for many years, and then I came across this photo ten years ago in the April 1999 issue of Victorian Homes magazine.

From Victorian Homes Magazine, April 1999. Photographed by Esther & Franklin Schmidt.

That's my lady! Look at her in that ornate frame in that gorgeous room! It's an article about a couple who design Victorian rooms for their clients, and this article shows their own 1889 Victorian home in San Francisco. I just love all the details in their home and that my lady has a prominent place on an easel in the corner.

She kind of reminds me of the portrait of Elise McKenna in the movie "Somewhere In Time," played by Jane Seymour. Loved that movie and soundtrack! It always made me want to go to Mackinac Island and visit the Grand Hotel where the movie was shot. And I did just that a couple summers ago... but more about that in a later post!

What should I name my Victorian lady? Any suggestions?