The Magic of the Black Mirror and Other Optical Devices

{A Claude Glass, or Black Mirror}

My love for antique optical devices started with my discovery of the Stanhope, and it has snow-balled into a mini obsession. The Victorians certainly found clever ways to fulfill their need for visual stimulation with a plethora of odd optical toys and fascinating illusionary devices. The names of the devices alone are enough to make me giddy with intrigue. For example, doesn't the Black Mirror sound like something straight from Grimm's Fairy Tales? Despite its sinister-sounding nickname, the Black Mirror {also called a Claude Glass} was a small pocket-sized mirror used by landscape artists in the 1700's and 1800's. The slightly convex mirror had a dark surface, and when held up, it would abstract the scenery reflected in the surroundings. The image would have a soft, slightly painterly quality, which the painter could then use as inspiration for his work.

:The Camera Obscura {aside from being the name of one of my favorite bands} is an optical device that projects the image of its surroundings onto a screen using a hole. The earliest know account of a camera obscura being used was from 5th century BC. They became popular devices during the 19th century when they were installed at tourist destinations and seaside resorts -- a precursor to movie theaters!

:Like the Black Mirror, the Camera Lucida was used as a drawing aid by artists. It creates an optical superimposed image of the subject being viewed on the surface the artist draws upon. A bit like cheating, no?

:The Magic Lantern was a very popular form of entertainment in the Victorian period. Magic lantern shows were the combination of projected images, live narration, and live music. Some lanterns had up to three lenses, which allowed for the creation of various special effects. I'm certain I would be totally mesmerized by this even today!

:The Phantasmagoria was probably as terrifying as it sounds...particularly to unsuspecting old ladies! This was also called "Pepper's Ghost Effect" and it was often used in theater productions during the 1800's. Victorians were notoriously obsessed with death and the supernatural, so clever theater managers began using a modified magic lantern to incorporate images of ghosts and skeletons into their productions. The projectors were mobile, so the operator could create the illusion that the ghost was moving around the stage.




:The Zoopraxiscope was an invention by the photographic genius Eadward Muybridge. The zoopraxiscope projected images from rotating glass disks in rapid succession to give the impression of motion -- an early precursor to film!

::If you find these objects as fascinating as I do, you really must treat yourself to a visit to The Richard Balzer Collection to see an amazing collection of optical devices in action / And how about this fascinating tidbit: In 2001, artist David Hockney's book Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters argued that great artists of the past, such as Ingres, Van Eyck, and Caravaggio did not work freehand, but were guided by optical devices {via}. Shocking!

"What are we supposed to do now? Everything is still night!"

Everyone seems to have a solution for fending off nightmares. When I posed the dilemma to a group of friends, I recieved so many varied responses -- some funny, some fascinating. Here are just a few I gathered:

• Drink warm milk.
• Or...cut dairy from your diet completely.
• Take a sleep aid, like Ambien or Lunesta.
• Put a dream-catcher by your bed.
• Keep a dream journal, and write down the dream as soon as you wake.
• Abolish guilt {perhaps nightmares are a product of guilt?}.
• Play relaxing music or a funny movie in the background.
• Keep a glass of half-full water on your nightstand -- an old wive's tale.
• Learn to wake yourself while dreaming, or train yourself to lucid dream.
• Be grateful that your dreams, rather than your life, are nightmarish!

I personaly like Nietzsche's bit of snarky wisdom on what to do when you wake up after a nightmare: "You ingrates! You should go to sleep again and dream better!"

::The images above are from the Coma pool on Flickr. Also check out Coma Magazine, to see more work from these amazing surrealist photographers...who seem to have a bit of experience with nightmares.

Blogger Manifesto Project: Manifesto #3

My name is Ana. Tara has asked for my manifesto. There are so many ideas and things I'm obsessed with; so many declarations I could have made. But here is the one that made it - the one that is most important to me. A manifesto on time. Care to spend a few minutes of yours with it?

Time is perception. It flies, it grinds, in very long work meetings it feels like it has suspended itself completely, trapping you like a fly in amber.

Time is always measured. Seconds, hours, days, months, and years. It is a framework for our lives in which our language is even divided into past, present and future tenses. When you are stranded without a means of telling time, it makes you feel uncomfortable and uneasy. It can even amount to torture. The measurement of time anchors you to your life.

Time can obsess people. The anticipation of it, the keeping of it, the passing of it. Some plan their time out very carefully with calendars, alarm clocks, lists and five year plans. Others resolutely turn their backs on this and drift on by, declaring they have no mission and no ambition, that they are just content to see what comes. Both both approaches spring from the same source - the realisation that we do not have much time (therefore we need to plan it or as such we need to enjoy it while it lasts).

And isn't that the rub? That no matter what we think of time, no matter what we believe, we all know that time will only ever leave us behind.

And if we substitute the word "love" for "life", Yehuda Amichai still speaks true: Love is finished again, like a profitable citrus season or like an archeological dig that turned up from deep inside the earth turbulent things that wanted to be forgotten. Love is finished again. When a tall building is torn down and the debris cleared away, you stand there on the square empty lot, saying: What a small space that building stood on with all its many floors and people. (extract from Love is Finished Again by Yehuda Amichai )

Click on each picture for its source. For more, visit the Looking Into The Past Flickr Group and Elliot Malkin's Home Movie Reconstructions.

A Beautiful Mourning.

A dose of mid-week mourning seems like a major downer now that I consider it. Oh well, I'm going with the theme anyway...

A short absence in the blog world seems like the equivalent of an entire year somehow, doesn't it? I've been so busy. I took on a freelance photo editing project last week for a book on medical forensics {a random assignment...not an area of expertise by any means}, and I had no time to pay attention to my beloved blog. I hope she {and you} will forgive me. Needless to say, I was up to my eyeballs in photos of decapitations, bullet wounds, and diseased organs. Yes, a bit yuck. But also fascinating. Needless to say, this got me thinking a lot about death: not in a depressing, teen-angsty kind of way, but in a morbidly romantic kind of way. And who was more morbidly romantic than the Victorians? I sort of wish we hadn't forgotten how to make death a beautiful ritual...

::Check out Chrissy Piper's lovely Victorian mourning photostream on flickr / Learn about Victorian mourning rituals here / Have a look around this fun site that features Victorian low-brow art and objects, including Memento Mori...more goodies for my curiosity cabinet!

Girl Crush: Uma Thurman

I originally saw the incredible series of Polaroids by Hollywood casting director Bonnie Timmermann on Model's Own blog, and I was literally left breathless by this photo of Uma. This shot was taken at the very beginning of her career! I have always loved her -- lanky, sensual, and beautiful without being overly perfect. She is so sexy in her early films: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Henry & June, and Dangerous Liaisons are some of my favorites {probably because I saw them when I was young and impressionable}. And Quentin Tarantino was certainly justified in making her his muse: Pulp Fiction is incredibly memorable, in part because of her quirky character; but, her role as "The Bride" in Kill Bill is just...well, killer. Have you heard there's a third Kill Bill in the works??

Enough gushing for now...

Weekend Links.

I'm technically on vacation now, and I've been indulging in holiday laziness and frivolity. I'm sure I should be doing more work toward my dissertation, but instead I've been sleeping in, catching up with friends, and gallivanting around town. Let me gush about two great local outings I had this week {since I don't get out much these days!}: I had an unexpected surprise this week from Shae at the Tulsa Food Blog, who set me up with a luxurious mini-facial at Spa Lux here in Tulsa {they are one of her sponsors}. I really cannot say enough about my experience there -- the facial was so relaxing, my esthetician Morgan was sweet and professional, and my skin was ridiculously soft when she was done. It all made me feel so pampered -- thanks Shae, and thanks everyone at Spa Lux! I also wanted to thank Kristen at Cheap Thrills Vintage for always being so gracious and helping me find just what I'm looking for -- I finally bought a red velvet dress! It's a snug, 60's empire-waist dress with giant, poufy sleeves. Now, someone just needs to have a fancy holiday party...anyone?

Enjoy the links this weekend, m'dears!

::Tom Palombo's Flickr photostream of Paris, circa 1962 has been making the blog rounds, but if you haven't had the chance to see them, you must head over for some soft-focus inspiration.

::The Singular -- a new blog featuring fashion polaroids!

::Check out the Best Interior Design Blogs, according to the UK Times.

::Mossiere -- gorgeous scientific and industrial design photo-blog.

::V Magazine will devote their January issue to plus-size models {in other words, average sized women}. Maybe they hope this will save them from the black-face debacle?

::Have you casted your vote in Vogue's "Best Dressed of the Decade" yet?

Current Obsession: Photographer Jan Durina

"With this sense of the splendour of our experience and of its awful brevity, gathering all we are into one desperate effort to see and touch, we shall hardly have time to make theories about the things we see and touch." ~Walter Pater

The erotic/neurotic photography of Jan Durina seems to capture the aftermath of these moments Pater speaks of: moments of utter ecstasy...moments when the toll of decadence and sensuous experience push us over the edge of rational thought...of consequence.

Such exhausting, beautiful darkness...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I just want to take the opportunity to say "thank you" to all of my wonderful, kind, intelligent readers who keep this blog fun and always inspire and challenge me! If you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends, plenty of yummy food, and lots of laughs. What are you thankful for today??

{To see more of Benny Horne's Pilgrim-inspired photo shoot, visit Foto Decadent}

Wet Plate Collodian Photographs

{photos by Robert Szabo}

If you've travelled anywhere in the midwest or southern United States, you have inevitably come across one of those wonderfully kitschy old-time photo booths. On a summer vacation many years ago, my sisters and I had our photos taken dressed as Southern Belles. There is just something so fun about imagining yourself as you might have been in another time, don't you think? I like to imagine I would have been a woman who lived on the fringe of society: A hooker with a heart of gold? A rogue girl-pirate who stole from the rich and gave to the poor?

Robert Szabo is a contemporary photographer that takes the idea of the old-time photo booth to the next level. He is one of the few photographers in the world who produces wet-plate collodian prints using much the same process as was used during the 1800's. There is just something so uncannily authentic about his work, partly due to his eye for historical detail and nuance. Let's face it, the vintage iPhone camera apps and the Bakamatsu Koshashin Antique Photo Generator are awesome toys, but there is just no comparison. I will officially be removing one of my items from the "101 Things to do before I Die" list and replacing it with: having my photograph taken as a dead Victorian corpse by Robert Szabo...or maybe a circus performer...or an eccentric countess. I'll need to narrow it down.

::Also, check out the amazing photos Anna over at Wildflowers:Pretty had taken by Robert!

Back from Eureka Springs.

::Here are some snapshots of my weekend trip to Eureka Springs. Downtown Eureka Springs has such Victorian charm! Some people find the town a bit creepy...locals believe the town is bustling with paranormal activity. The theory is that because the town is surrounded by limestone {and many of the buildings are also built from limestone} the town acts as a spirit-conductor. Paranormal researchers assert that limestone is a magnet for ghosts...

::This is an old Catholic church on the grounds of our Hotel, The Crescent {which was built around the 1880's}. There was a kitty wandering through the little church graveyard, which I thought was an appropriate motif for our haunted getaway...

::I'm just a sucker for flowers...I can't help taking pictures of them. These were taken on the church grounds.

::Views from the grounds of the Crescent Hotel. The hotel itself is up on a hill. During the early 1800's, the hotel was converted into a girl's school. One of the main ghosts who wanders the halls is supposed to be the spirit of a girl who jumped {or was pushed} from the top floor of the building. Some people say they have heard her falling to her death outside their window!

::More views from the grounds... In the 1930's the hotel was bought by "Dr." Baker -- a quack cancer doctor who practiced horrendous medical experiments on his patients. Hundreds of people are reported to have died inside The Crescent. Bones were even found buried in the basement floor, walls, and on the grounds itself.

::Some eerie decor inside the hotel.

:I love the entrance...the bronze crescent is so striking!

::The locker on the left is located in the basement of the Crescent hotel {which was a morgue during the 30's}. This is the exact location where TAPS and the Ghost Hunters team captured a full-body spirit entity! No such luck for me...On the right is the old staircase -- see the ghostly orb floating on the left?? Is it dust...or a ghost??.

::Eureka Springs is bustling during the fall -- everyone comes for the ghost and cemetary tours!

::The leaves were turning, and it was so serene. On the right is a dilapidated staircase that leads deep down inside Onyx cave, which is located on the outskirts of Eureka Springs. We decided to check out the cave on our way out of town. It was the first self-guided tour of a cave that I have ever taken...it was just me, my boyfriend, and a few bats hiding out in there -- creepy but fantastic!

**We had such a lovely time, and I'm feeling very refreshed from the trip {and from the massage and body wrap I treated myself to!}. I hope you all had a refreshing weekend yourselves...