The Caution

Most of the works of great art from the 19th century and earlier are in the public domain, and can be used, with or without modification, in your graphic work today. This interesting Mother-Daughter portrait is by English artist John Crawley, born 1847. Notice the letter the daughter doesn't want her mother to read. And who is that man skulking at the edge of the hill? Tremendous storyline potential in this image.

Pigface

This is a plant of the genus Carpobrotus, commonly called Pigface. This image dates from 1845. Carpobrotus plants are a popular ground-cover under such names as Icicle Plant, Strand Ivy, Cape Fig, Hottentots Fig, or Sour Fig. But these plants also have medicinal qualities, the sap being used like like Aloe Vera for burns and skin problems.

Hoopoe Who?

Here is a great bird image -- this guy carries his own war-bonnet. This picture was first published in a book in 1862, so obviously it is now in the public domain -- just like millions of other useful and interesting images!

Mathew and Edith Luce

A photo by Notman in Boston from ca 1880, this image shows a young boy posed with his little sister. He is looking at the camera, but she is looking at something in her hands, a letter or photograph perhaps. The studio props are carefully chosen to give the illusion of a typical Victorian home, with knick-nacks and ornate furniture. The names are inscribed on the back. I believe this is the Mathew and Edith L Luce listed in the 1880 census in Boston, children of Mathew L and Elizabeth Luce. Mathew was 11 and Edith 5 at the time of the census, so this image was probably within a year or two of that. This is just one of the thousands of old photographs lined up for eventual inclusion in our ClassyArts Photohistory site.

A Spare Penny Mistuh?

This is a fine example of the kind of lithographic work being done in the last quarter of the 19th century. It portrays a young beggar girl with her hand out, while her little brother cries into her apron. Both are in patched and ragged clothing, and both are barefoot. The original of this image was just about four inches high, and had printed on back an advertisement for a cure-all for childhood ills. Presumably it even cured poverty.

1893 Fashion Plate

This is a fashion print from 1893, from the ClassyArts print collection. Fashionable ladies in 1893 featured large sleeve-puffs on the shoulders all their dresses, and even on coats which of course needed corresponding puffs to keep from damaging the underlying dress. Those puffs were to become even more exaggerated as the decade wore on.

Wagon Train in Ute Pass

This is one half of a stereo pair -- to really appreciate the image you need both sides and a stereo viewer -- that chasm down to the river is really impressive. Here we have a view of an authentic 19th century wagon train. It is probably a commercial transport company, the wagons and horse and too uniform for an emigrant train. Also, emigrants usually used oxen, and would often have a cow or mule tied to the back of at least some wagons.

Ute Pass is just west of Colorado Springs, and today you would find US Highway 24 following this route. The highest point on the pass is 9165 feet, but since Colorado Springs is at 6,000 to 7,000 feet, that isn't really very high above the plain.