This colorized picture of Abraham Lincoln is mesmerizing to me. Just look at that Friday Face!
Here’s an oddly pertinent quote from Mr. Lincoln:
“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war.” –Abraham Lincoln in a letter written to William Elkin, 1860
The colorized version somehow makes him more immediate, more real, less mythical.
My favorite book as a first-grader was this one by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire:
I withdrew it from the school library time after time. Just a few years ago, I found one in a used bookstore that had been discarded from a library in Missouri. (The book is available on Amazon, just click the above pic.)
I was fascinated by this illustration and others in the book
Naturally, there were two things I loved at Disneyland: the Nickelodeon (long gone), and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln… the original (it’s been updated since 2001).
I know, I am a nerd, and Abraham Lincoln is today’s Friday Face.
JSM of NoHo sent these really great pix… telling me about taking pictures of downtown L.A. from Montecito Heights, when he encountered two taggers, who were surprisingly friendly.
Jeremy had them do their tags in mid-air using their cell phones, while he used a long exposure to capture it.
In the not-too-distant future, the sky will also be tagged.
Are you planning a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits, or perhaps a potentially unpleasant family reunion? Here’s the perfect shoe for you! Created by the wild Iris van Herpen, this dreamy dinosaur-toothed ankle boot is all business on the top and Nurse Ratched on the bottom!
Your Chexy attended the L.A. Photo Show held earlier this month, where this photo absolutely floored me — from the wonderful mind of photographer Liz Steketee (pronounced “Steketee”).
Liz uses images from her own family’s history, digitally manipulated with other images, to rewrite her own history as it suits her. The idea fascinates me. The above photo is one of her relatives (an aunt, if I recall correctly), with her son’s face superimposed on the image. It is so stunning and arresting, I had to stop to talk with her. Here is the description of her “Reconstructed Memories” series in her words, from her website:
“Reconstructed Memories is a unique print series that uses my personal family photographs to rewrite history from my vantage point. By choosing unrelated images and digitally manipulating them into unlikely combinations, I build new memories. I forge new relationships, address old confrontations, imagine difference experiences, and face old demons. I disrupt linear narratives and recompose events, establishing my family history as a construct. Once these new snapshots have been finalized digitally, they are printed, aged and weathered according to their appropriate time period. This rebuilding of memory has allowed me to establish my own version of reality, as I prefer it. Reconstructed Memories takes the form of a unique print series as well as a series of reconstructed “false” family photo albums that adhere to my revisionist history.”
The above image is another breathtaking shot from the Reconstructed Memories series. The idea of manipulating one’s own visual history is so compelling! What would you do with yours?!
See the rest of this captivating series by Liz Steketee here. Be sure to check out her “American Snapshots” as well.
Actor, writer and director John Paragon created and played the hilarious Jambi character in “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” for which he received 5 Emmy nominations for writing and co-directing. He also wrote many of the episodes, and wore this spiffy turban!
He starred in his own special, “The Paragon of Comedy” and in such cult classics as “Eating Raoul” and “Echo Park.” He had a recurring role on “Seinfeld” as one half of a gay couple. Paragon is now a creative consultant for Walt Disney Imagineering and appeared in the recent Broadway resurrection of “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”
Here’s a clip from a live 1981 performance of the show in Los Angeles. Long live Jambi!
The delectable dirigible! That’s the wonderful Zep Diner at 515 W. Florence Ave. in South Central Los Angeles as it appeared in 1931 (click pic for larger view) during the airship craze. Note the mooring mast on the left. Today it’s this…
… drive-thru of a McDonald’s. Oh, the humanity.
Here’s a book of matches from the joint. Airships lost their popularity after the Hindenburg disaster of 1937.
And here’s an article about some other wacky eateries in Southern California… in 1934 (click to enlarge).
Bonus! An eyewitness account of the Hindenburg crash from photographer Fred Bamberger. Did you know that the Hindenburg was the length of five city blocks?!
Zep Diner: L.A. Public Library
article: Modern Mechanix, April 1934
matches: laTaco.com
