Fair Helena

 

"Fair Helena, who more engilds the night
Than all yon fiery oes and eyes of light..."

This illustration is by Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) from A Midsummer Night's Dream (1908) by William Shakespeare. This is a reproduction on a notecard from the Green Tiger Press (circa 1980).

Edmund Dulac's "Queen of the Ebony Isles"

 

A haunting image of "The Queen of the Ebony Isles" by Edmund Dulac (1882-1953), created for Stories from the Arabian Nights....

Pleasure Bright

 

This illustration is from the book The Brownies around the World (1894) by Palmer Cox (Canadian, 1840 - 1924). An impish Brownie holds a half moon and reminds us that "Every month brings pleasure bright, If the heart is only right...." This vintage Green Tiger Press Notecard would make a charming Valentine.

The Blue Bird

 

This illustration, "The Bird about to Fly Off" by F. Cayley Robinson (active 1910's), is from the book The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck. It was reproduced as part of the Fairy Tale Notecard series by the Green Tiger Press in the early 1980's.

Vintage Green Tiger Press Card, "He Claimed for His Bride"

 

Vintage Green Tiger Press Notecard with Poem Insert and Envelope, "He Claimed for His Bride", illustration by Florence Harrison.

A princely figure greets his love at a gate in the springtime. Fruit trees and tulips are in bloom, and bluebirds of happiness fly about the couple.

Here is a classic image by Florence Harrison, who was commissioned to produce illustrations for a sumptuous edition of Christina Rossetti's poems published by Blackie and Son in 1910.

This full-color image has been printed and tipped (glued) onto high-quality laid paper stock. The interior of the card is blank. The back of the card contains descriptive text giving details about the illustration in the lower left-hand corner. A matching envelope is included, as well as a poem insert page with a translation of a German medieval lyric. The poem is reproduced from hand-calligraphy.

You can find this and many other Green Tiger Press items in my Etsy shop.

Jessie Willcox Smith & a Little Contest

 

 

 

 

One of the rare images from my Green Tiger Press archive is the one shown here by Jessie Willcox Smith, "Washing Day for Doll Clothes". The sentimental way in which she captures moments from childhood reminds me in this particular instance of the illustrations from the "Dick and Jane" readers that I grew up with as a child of the 1950's.

Vintage collectors know that often we try to collect the essence of our childhood, what we delighted in at Grandma's house, the favorite casserole dish of our Mom. I suppose my attraction to the Green Tiger Press images that led me to collect them close to a generation ago could be explained in that way. I love classic children's books and their timeless illustrations and have surrounded myself with them all my life.

What do you collect that reminds you of your childhood? Please leave a comment below and at the end of the week (next Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 at 11:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Saving Time), I will hold a drawing with a number generated at random.org and send the winner an image from my Green Tiger Press archive.

Hint: in addition to answering the question about your personal collections, please mention a favorite fairy tale or character from children's literature, and I'll do my best to select a Green Tiger Press card that complements that theme for the winner. Thanks, and happy reminiscing!

Home is in My Mother's Eyes by Jessie Willcox Smith

Home is in My Mother's Eyes by Jessie Willcox Smith, originally uploaded by confections.

One of my favorites by Jessie Willcox Smith from my Green Tiger Press archives.

"Secret Garden" by Jessie Willcox Smith

Secret Garden by Jessie Willcox Smith, originally uploaded by confections.

This is one of my favorite images printed by the Green Tiger Press back in its heyday. "Secret Garden" by Jessie Willcox Smith (1863 -1935) appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine in 1922.

This notecard was exactingly reproduced by the legendary Green Tiger Press in San Diego, California, in-house on a four-color Heidelberg printing press in the early 1980's. It displays all the attention to detail for which the Green Tiger Press was justifiably famous.

It is a reminder of childhood days and encourages me to cultivate my garden this spring.