Seventh Day of Advent

At last the day of the grand dinner-party arrived, and the guests all assembled, in good spirits, with keen appetites for the feast. Never had so many sleek, well-dressed dogs met together before, and the variety of their coats and countenances was very striking. from Cock Robin’s Picture Book printed in colours by Kronheim &…

Fifth Day of Advent

The earth, in colours brown and gray, Seems to forget to lure the sunbeam’s ray, And bathed in shadow, loves the shrouding mist, That cometh silently, and having kissed The hill-crest, and the valley, fades from sight. From ‘Christmas Joy and Peace’ by Dora Ross, published by the Religious Tract Society, 1897   The Religious…

Third Day of Advent

O is for Orange – good, eaten in reason, P for Plum Pudding, the crown of the season. From “Father Christmas’ ABC” illustrated by Alfred J. Johnson, published by F. Warne & Co., 1894 I love the bright, cheerful warmth of this illustration – I can almost smell the tangy scent of those oranges. Is…

Second Day of Advent

Come to the window, little folks, And read these tiny Story-books! From ‘Snow-Flakes and the Stories they Told the Children’, by Matilda Betham-Edwards, illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz), published ca. 1862   This is my personal favourite, it’s by Phiz, Dickens’ illustrator. I love his pictures full of charming, quirky detail. The elves in…

People see what they want to see

David Henty is an extraordinarily gifted artist who paints copies of paintings by well known artists, such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Monet, Modigliani, Basquiat, Lowry, Rockwell, Sickert, Picasso and many more. Is this art forgery? Not really, because David is transparent about his paintings, signing them on the back and selling them openly as copies –…