Show & Tell: Art Frahm's 'The Crossing Guard'

While wandering through an antique mall over the weekend, I stumbled across this colorful gem of a picture hanging in a simple 8x10 frame. My eyes just about popped out of their sockets because, as my good friend Matt said, "It's sooo up Anthony's alley!" And if you're a regular Pop Circus visitor you know how true a statement that really was. So, of course, I snatched that puppy right up and took it home. But I was curious to know more about the artist. Just WHO was this Frahm person? Was this print out of a book, or was it one in a series? I had to know more. To the internet I went, and what I found was quite interesting...

Art Frahm (1907-1981) was an American painter of campy pin-up girls and advertising. He lived in Chicago and was active from the 1940s to 1960s. Today he's best known for his "ladies in distress" pictures involving beautiful young women whose panties mysteriously flutter to the ground in public situations, often causing them to spill their bag of groceries.

Frahm was commercially successful, and even his falling-panties paintings were later imitated by other pin-up artists. In fact, to this day the falling-panties art has a small cult following as mid-20th century kitsch, or even as fetish art.

In addition to pin-ups, Frahm created a series of humorous hobo-themed calendar illustrations. Another set of paintings celebrated traffic safety, complete with smiling, chubby crossing guards and schoolchildren. (Ding! Ding! Ding! Just like the one I have!) His advertising art included works for Coca-Cola and Coppertone.


























Boy, talk about one extreme to the other, huh? Somehow, Frahm even managed to make an adorable pup look like a "horn dog" in the second picture. That's a bit TOO creepy. I think I'll just stick with the traffic safety series, thank you very much.

Show & Tell: Our Playmobil Victorian dollhouse, a Christmas tradition.

I have mentioned before that I never really outgrew toys, right? Well, here's even more proof of it! Yes, this beautiful Playmobil Victorian dollhouse has graced our home for the holidays, proudly displayed by, or near, the Christmas tree for almost 18 years. And it is certainly one of my favorite Christmas traditions!

When it isn't out at Christmastime, it's tucked away up in a closet the entire rest of the year, so you can imagine how dusty it gets. I actually kind of enjoy the whole process of taking it down, meticulously cleaning it (inside and out), and then, the BEST part of all... placing the furniture and people inside!!

The following photos are a somewhat goofy gallery of interior shots (plus a few exterior) just to give you a closer look. Btw, for some reason, I had a devil of a time getting the lighting just right. So if they seem a bit funky, that's why. Enjoy!







Here is the back side of the house, with
"handy" access to all rooms and floors.

 

These lovely ladies are relaxing in the living room and
enjoying a command performance by the pianist
on the left (you'll see his piano in the next shot).

Here is the artist at work, on a piano that really plays!
(Well, technically, it's just an electronic tune when
you press down on the keys...)



One of many maids, Sophie arranges place
settings at the formal dining room table.

Meanwhile, out in the nearby moonlit forest, a small
family of deer is seen grazing along the barren, icy floor.

Jane, the kitchen maid.

Jacques, the house chef.

Maxwell, the family dog.

























Grampa enjoys his newspaper next to a toasty fire.



Unbeknownst to Grampa, a fiendish
imposter lurks in the shadows nearby...

Look out, Grampa... She's right behind you!

Between the den and the veranda lies one of the
bedrooms simply referred to as the Flower Room.
(Notice the detail of the chamber pot sitting on
the floor, next to the bed. Sign o' the times!)

Out on the veranda, a professional photographer
takes a lovely holiday portrait of a fine couple.



Here we see the other bedroom, aka the Red Room,
and it looks as though we've caught a young couple
just settling in for a nice, long Winter's nap... 

Yet another maid, Louise, ensures that sanitary
standards are upheld at all times in
the house's one and only bathroom.
(It ain't a fun gig.)

As we progress up the stairs to
the attic nursery, we can see both
kitties AND kiddies.
(Har, har! Get it?)

Like typical children, this close to
Christmas it's real hard to go to sleep!

Well, folks, that concludes our tour of the Playmobil Victorian dollhouse. Sure hope you liked it! Until next time, I wish everyone a very merry Happy Holiday and a shiny New Year!!


~ All photos property of Anthony See. ~

Show & Tell: Henry

Here is yet another post unrelated to pop culture, but I so enjoyed Heidi's post about her kitty, Dizzy, over at her Gold Country Girls blog, that I felt inspired to share with you MY late Tonkinese cat, Henry.

Gosh, I guess it's been about a decade now, since we lost him to kidney failure. That was very hard. We actually had to have him put to sleep, after he had been through all that the doctors could do for him. And, I think, that was the most DIFFICULT thing I've had to do in my life. If you have ever owned pets, odds are that you probably know what it feels like. I'll never forget how paralyzed I felt when I was trying to sign the release form authorizing Henry's euthanasia...





Henry, in the thick of it all!



In case you aren't sure what a Tonkinese cat is, it's a Siamese/Burmese cross-breed. I much prefer it over a normal Siamese because Henry did not have the typical eyes that they do. His were the same pretty, light blue, but they did not look crossed. I was so glad about that since I've always thought that the cross-eyed ones look really DUMB! (Sorry, if you have one. I'm sure that yours is just lovely.)

I can remember Henry's coat being VERY soft, which made it especially nice whenever you held him. And I miss how you can usually hold a cat in the same manner as you would a baby, cradled in your arms. Every once in a while, I attempt to hold Mr. Scoots that way, but he wants NO part of it! Oh, well...

I asked Tommy what quirky things he remembers about Henry, and he mentioned how, at Christmas time, Henry absolutely loved to lay under the glowing tree for hours in an almost trance-like state. While under there, he also enjoyed selecting one particular hanging ornament (usually something irreplaceable) to bat at, and then eventually squirrel away with to nibble on!





Tommy & Henry, caught playing
their reindeer games!






Oh, to be a cat... Wouldn't that be nice?



I'd like to have a cat again, someday. I love Mr. Scoots, but there's just something about having a cat for a pet that is sooo different from a dog. And vice versa, of course! Even if we did get another cat, I doubt that we'd ever find another one as SPECIAL as our Henry was!

Show & Tell: Mr. Scoots

My dog is soooo cute and lovable that I just had to share! His name is Mr. Scoots, but we did NOT name him that because he drags his behind across the floor. No, he does NOT even do that! Tommy and I were thinking of the American Heritage College dictionary's definition of the word, as in "To go suddenly and speedily; hurry". He WOULD go suddenly, too, when we first brought him home from the pound! In fact, when we first got him home, he escaped out our front door and onto the busy street running toward certain death. And if it weren't for two selfless neighborhood kids that were able to outrun him, we might never have known the joy he's added to our life these last 8 years.

Our vet says that he is most likely a Terrier/Chihuahua mix and you can see the Chihuahua part whenever he gets nervous or emotional, as he will shake like a leaf! I tend to think that the Terrier part is a touch of Jack Russell. He looks a lot like the 'Wishbone' dog on the television show.



The famous book-loving dog and possible
cousin to Mr. Scoots, Wishbone.


A lot of the time he'll just sit and stare at me for what seems like an eternity. I like to think that it is just an adoring gaze, but he looks so expectant that I KNOW he wants something. It sure would be nice if he talked like Wishbone does. Then I wouldn't have to wonder what he's longing for. We could also talk about celebrities and their latest fashion faux pas (or in this case, faux "paws").

Of course, we have nicknames for him. Among my favorites are: Scooty-licious and Licky Licardo. The latter is used whenever he's administering kisses!

There is nothing quite like having a dog for a pet. They are just so loyal and completely trusting. I never will understand how some people can abuse them. They love us so unconditionally and I feel that they embody the true meaning of innocence. Dog IS man's best friend!



Yes, we let Mr. Scoots jump on the furniture.
Cesar Millan would not be happy...