New Favorite Store...FrenchBlue and Co.

Found via the lovely Paris Apartment blog, this store sells mostly one of a kind vintage finds...go check out their site, you might find something lovely you can't live without!

Balloons...

I just couldn't resist these...too much fun!  Via the Paris Apartment blog and Ffffound!

Past and Present Art

I love to see the echoes of great past artists in the work of innovative artists working today.  When I stumbled across Barbara Cole's website I was thrilled to see how beautifully her work visually quotes so much of what I love about 19th century British art.  Here are some of my favorite comparisons...

Mirrors (2007), Barbara Cole; Mischief and Repose (1895), John William Godward

Without Pretense (2007), Barbara Cole; Thisbe (1909), John William Waterhouse

Swan (2006), Barbara Cole; The Priestess (1895), John William Godward

Water Bangle (2006), Barbara Cole; Circe Invidiosa (1892), The Necklace (1909),  Psyche Opening the Golden Box (1903), John William Waterhouse

French Children's Book Illustrators

Benjamin Lacombe's website is a gorgeous gothic haven...I want to live there!  I really must see about tracking down some of his incredible books for my own collection.  Here are just a couple of his beautiful illustrations, but go check out his website for yourself and fall in love...

www.benjaminlacombe.com

Another french artist to keep an eye on is Rebecca Dautremer...

www.rebeccadautremer.com

Joseph Cornell

Abeilles, Joseph Cornell

After exploring Emily Cooper's fantastic mixed media photography, I find myself daydreaming about Joseph Cornell's beautiful and eclectic assemblages; I think these two artists have a very similar Romantic sensibility.  I love the nostalgic Victorian vibe mixed with Symbolist/Surrealist juxtaposition that runs through Cooper's work.  You can definitely find a similar aesthetic in Cornell's assemblages, constructed mostly during the 30s and 40s in New York.  Cornell essentially created a new genre of work through his miniaturized boxes and found objects.  His work owes something to Duchamp's concept of the Readymade, but has a distinctly different sensibility owing to the nostalgic Victorian inspiration that infuses the pieces.  Here are some of my favorites...

 

Taglioni's Jewel Casket, 1940;  Hotel Eden, 1945

Untitled (Pink Palace), 1946-48

Verso of Cassiopeia

check out more Cornell at www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/cornell/

Arthur Rackham's Alice illustrations

John Tenniel's iconic Alice illustrations are true originals and easily the most beloved of the Alice universe, but I adore the delicate and lyrical quality of Arthur Rackham's images.  This is his take on the pool of tears that Alice finds herself in.  I will definitely be devoting future posts to the work of this brilliant illustrator and artist.

"I daresay it's a french mouse..."

This phrase from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland comes as close to encapsulating my interests as possible.  My passion is Britain in the 19th Century, which may seem strange since the title of this blog is The French Mouse, but it is hard to think of a more quintessentially British touchstone than Alice in Wonderland.  I chose this phrase because it captures both the whimsical absurdity of the story, and is a lovely nod to the influence that French culture had on my beloved 19th century British arts and culture.