Robot Graffiti in the Crossroads

This is one of my favorite bits of now defunct graffiti. Found in an alley across from the dead Arts Incubator in the Kansas City Crossroads district.

Stranger than Alice in Wonderland?

This illustration comes from the "Pictured Knowledge" children's encyclopedia. Copyright date unknown. The fun part is that it is not meant to be ironic, strange or vaguely terrifying.

Steve McCurry: The Last Roll of Kodachrome

The Last Roll of Kodachrome on Steve McCurry's Website

This a wonderful tribute to a bit of technology and visual history.  That almost every shot is a keeper is a credit to a true professional.

Industrial Design of the Week - Victor Breeze Spreader

While making the rounds of antique stores in the West Bottoms of Kansas City, one piece caught my eye for its distinctive design.  The Victor Breeze Spreader fan is highly functional with slats that can be positioned to direct the breeze.  The overall look is curiously industrial.  At first glance, I guessed it came from the 1900-1925.  Surprisingly, even though the look is more Art Nouveau than Art Deco, it is actually from the Deco era in the early 1930s. 

Why did I think Art Nouveau?  The shape of the guard and the overall form of the motor housing strike me as a simplified expression of Nouvea.  Nothing about this device is in the streamlined or stepped forms typical of Art Deco.

I fell in love with this fan.  It is all about function with just enough ornamentation to make it appropriate for a home or office.  It typifies objects that were built to last decades as opposed to the modern equivalent that might make it a few years.

I wonder if Restoration Hardware has cloned it yet?