The Public Domain Review

Golden Pheasant in the Snow, ca. 1900 — one of several beautiful Meiji-era copies of original designs (ca. 1771) by Itō Jakuchū, a Japanese painter of the mid-Edo period.⁠ ⁠ Visit link in bio and click image for more.⁠ Prints also available in our online shop.⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ #woodblock #printing #japaneseart #japan #pheasant #snow #birds #art

Plastic Reconstruction of the Face (1918) — a silent film, created in the final year of WW1, exploring the Studio for Portrait Masks, the Paris workshop of American artist Anna Coleman Ladd (1878-1939). Ladd volunteered her skills as a classically trained sculptor to help design and construct detailed facial prosthetics and, in so doing, further advanced what is now known as Anaplastology. Also seen in this film is British sculptor Francis Derwent Wood (1871-1926) who founded the Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department at the Third London General Hospital and was a pioneer in the use of metal masks, both lightweight and more durable than the then commonly used rubber masks. Reference to the use of prosthetics dates back to pre-antiquity, and the first textbook on plastic surgery was published in the sixteenth century by the Italian surgeon Gaspare Tagliacozzi. Nonetheless, this film captures a particularly noteworthy time for both fields that resulted from the intersection of a number of recent medical advances and the overwhelming need to utilize those advances to aid the more than twenty million soldiers that were wounded during WWI. . . . . . #war #plasticsurgery #mask #masks #prosthetics #ww1 #AnnaColemanLadd

Illustrations from the beguiling Clavis Artis, a German alchemical manuscript which claims to hail from the 13th century and have pages made from dragon skin.⁠ ⁠ More on the site — click link in bio and tap image.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #alchemy #occult #illustration #dragons #magic #darkarts #clavisartis

“All art aspires to the condition of snowmen”, thought the scholar T. J. B. Spencer. “A work of art that survives outside its own age is inevitably impaired by time, the destroyer as much as the enchanter.” The advent of photography in the nineteenth century, however, offered snowmen a form of extended life. What can better freeze a scene and ensure that spring’s ablation never comes?⁠ ⁠ The earliest known photograph of a snowman was taken by Mary Dillwyn, circa 1853, the first female photographer in Wales. The bright exposure of the salt print makes him almost invisible, as his body fades out into a field of white light. From there, Frosty’s cousins flocked to have their portraits taken. In the latest images post in our site we have collected more than 40 photographs of snowmen, from 1854 to 1950 — a gigantic Azerbaijani iceman, the towering Alaskan “Father of the Glaciers”, a slushy Muscovite from 1906 (as surprised to see us as we are him), a criminal snowman cuffed by Australian police, Dalmation-like humanoids with leaf-pocked skin, one “snow suffragette”, one snow Queen Victoria, rotund bon vivants, Michelin Man–adjacent nightmares, and many more wonders raised from fallen powder. ⁠ ⁠ Visit link in bio to see the full selection. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #snowman #snowmen #snow #snowsculpture #winter

A few highlights from John O. Westwood’s sensational Victorian facsimiles of Anglo-Saxon and Irish medieval manuscripts.⠀⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ While the style of the Book of Kells has by now grown relatively familiar, the lithographs of the many lesser-known manuscripts which appear in Westwood’s 1868 book reveal the astonishing variety of styles available to these artists, over a thousand years ago. Westwood’s intricate reproductions show us not only the artists’ ornate Celtic knots and squiggles but also their bold use of color and inventive integration of images and letters.⠀⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ It sold for £21 in his day, that's a whopping £1300 in today’s money⠀⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ John Obadiah Westwood (1805–1893) was a bona fide polymath. An archaeologist, entomologist, editor, artist, and art historian, he was a regular contributor to the Gardner’s Chronicle, a founder of the Entomological Society of London, and the author of books about everything from sessile-eyed crustaceans to the early sculptured stones of Wales.⠀⁠ ⠀⁠ More on the site — visit link in bio and click image.⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ #manuscripts #art #medievalart #medieval #religion #bookofkells #books #illustration #celtic

“The flying Dragon is somewhat troublesome to compose...” ⠀⁠ ⠀⁠ From The Mysteries of Nature and Art (1634), an illustrated manual for building devices relating to water works, fire works, drawing, painting, and miscellaneous experiments “confusedly intermixed”. Julie Gardham describes the wonderful book that is said to have spurred a young Isaac Newton onto the scientific path — visit link in bio and click image.⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉 🐉⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ #dragon #dragons #flying #newton #books #bookstagram #inventions

"They were three months passing through the forest".⠀⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ Illustration by Virginia Frances Sterrett for Old French Fairytales (1920), a collection of works from the 19th-century French author, Comtesse de Ségur. The exquisite set of illustrations were Chicago-born Sterrett’s first ever commission, taken on at the tender age of 19. Shortly after completing them she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Sterrett would manage a few other commissions, including illustrations for a 1928 edition of Arabian Nights, but her failing health meant she could only work in short bursts. She eventually passed away in 1931, at the age of 30.⠀⠀⁠ ⠀⠀⁠ We've this image, and others by Sterrett, available to buy as prints form our online shop — visit link in bio and click image.⠀⠀⁠ ⁠ 🎁 Last order dates for Dec 25th delivery 🎁 ⁠ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 US / Canada: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 8th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇬🇧 UK: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇪🇺 EU: 8th Dec (Framed) and 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇦🇺 A̶u̶s̶t̶r̶a̶l̶i̶a̶:̶ ̶2̶8̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠ 🌍 Everywhere else: 2̶4̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠̶⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ .⠀⠀⁠ #art #illustration #virginiafrancessterrett #book #books #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #fairytale #folktale #painting #bookillustration #illustrator

Today is the last day to order if you want any unframed prints shipped to US or Canada, or any framed prints to the EU, before Dec 25th.⁠ ⁠ They make lovely gifts, and all profits back into the project! ⁠ ⁠ Visit link in bio and click image to browse our collection of 900+ prints.⁠ ⁠ 🎁 Last order dates for Dec 25th delivery 🎁 ⁠ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 US / Canada: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 8th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇬🇧 UK: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇪🇺 EU: 8th Dec (Framed) and 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇦🇺 A̶u̶s̶t̶r̶a̶l̶i̶a̶:̶ ̶2̶8̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠ 🌍 Everywhere else: 2̶4̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠̶⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #prints #christmasgifts #gifts #art

Earlier this week we launched our End-of-Year Fundraiser!⁠ ⁠ It's a vital two week period in which we raise most of the funds to keep us going for the next year. If you like what we do, and want to see it continue, then please do lend your support! We are a not-for-profit project and need your help. 💚 ⁠ ⁠ Available to donors, our lovely themed postcard packs: upcoming theme on... HOME.⁠ ⁠ Visit link in bio and click image to see our donate page and lend your support.⁠ ⁠ ---⁠ ⁠ Image shows an illustration by Don Davis of a solar eclipse viewed from an imagined space colony, created in the mid-1970s during Gerard K. O’Neill’s summer research program on space colonization held at NASA’s Ames Research Center.⁠

“Skating Owls” by Adriaen van de Venne, 1660.⁠ ⠀⁠ 🦉⛸🦉⛸🦉⛸🦉⛸🦉⛸🦉⠀⁠ ⁠ Although most scholars consider the image a light-hearted piece, some see it as conveying a moralizing message condemning the vice of adultery and warning the male audience about the dangers of “cunning women”.⠀⁠ ⁠ Available to buy as a print in our shop – visit link in bio and click image.⁠ ⁠ 🎁 Last order dates for Dec 25th delivery 🎁 ⁠ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 US / Canada: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 8th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇬🇧 UK: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇪🇺 EU: 8th Dec (Framed) and 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇦🇺 A̶u̶s̶t̶r̶a̶l̶i̶a̶:̶ ̶2̶8̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠ 🌍 Everywhere else: 2̶4̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠̶⁠

Hyvää Itsenäisyyspäivää — Happy Finnish Independence Day!⁠ ⁠ “Iona Came Floating Up Through the Waves” — frontispiece by Jay Van Everen for Parker Fillmore's Mighty Mikko, a beautifully illustrated collection of 12 stories loosely based on Finnish tales. See more in our latest post on the site — visit link in bio and click image.⁠ ⁠ We've also a couple of prints from the book — of this illustration and another — on our shop.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #illustration #art #JayVanEveren #finland #HyvääItsenäisyyspäivää #mightymikko #books #bookstagram

Solar Eclipse, 1880.⁠ ⁠ The photograph is supposedly of the January 11, 1880, solar eclipse from California's Mount Santa Lucia. Although attributed by @GettyMuseum to Carleton Watkins, some scholars doubt this to be the case.⁠ ⠀⁠ Available as a print from our online shop — visit link in bio and click image.⁠ ⁠ 🎁 Last order dates for Dec 25th delivery 🎁 ⁠ 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 US / Canada: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 8th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇬🇧 UK: 1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇪🇺 EU: 8th Dec (Framed) and 15th Dec (Unframed)⁠ 🇦🇺 A̶u̶s̶t̶r̶a̶l̶i̶a̶:̶ ̶2̶8̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠ 🌍 Everywhere else: 2̶4̶t̶h̶ ̶N̶o̶v̶ ̶(̶F̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶1̶s̶t̶ ̶D̶e̶c̶ ̶(̶U̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶d̶)̶⁠̶⁠ ⁠.⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ .⠀⁠ #eclipse #moon #sun #photography #solarecplise #carletonwatkins