THE TATTOOED SAILOR

Last week,was the beginning of a "small scale" spring cleaning,as i had to make room for new books to come....well !! here's one my latest troves:" THE TATTOOED SAILOR" by Andre Francois . As totally in sync with my nautical obsession, i couldn't resist and decided to share this 1952 nugget with you on "RIVETED"....

André François (November 9, 1915 – April 11, 2005), born André Farkas, was a Hungarian-born French cartoonist.He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest and moved to Paris in 1934 worked with the famous poster artist Adolphe Cassandre (1935-36). He became a French citizen in 1939 just before ww2.

Francois worked as a painter, sculptor and graphic designer, but is best remembered for his cartoons widely influenced by those of Saul Steinberg. François initially worked for French leftist newspapers (Le Nouvel Observateur) and illustrated books by authors such as Jacques Prévert, but gradually reached a larger audience, publishing in leading magazines of the United Kingdom (Punch) and the United States (The New Yorker). He became a close friend and collaborator of Ronald Searle......

MY REAL PASSION .....

2 little "self caricatures" of me ,as i sometimes like to portray myself ........

For those of you who don't already know it ,my real passion is art .....i spend most of my time drawing and painting whenever i feel inspired .so Here's a link to my other blog that i hope you'll enjoy . Comments are always welcomed of course ......

OOHLALA!!!....RISQUE ADS FROM THE 50'S

I'got rid of some 50's risque magz today ,to make room for some new books.Before doing so, i've decided to take the time to document some of my favorite ads for you to enjoy .I think they speak by themselves right !!?......... the first "nudy" magazine appeared in France,no wonder!! the new kind of magazines featured nude and semi-nude burlesque actresses who were hired as models for photographs displayed on the cover and throughout the publication. While these would now be termed softcore, they were quite shocking for the time. The publications soon either masqueraded as "art magazines" or publications celebrating the new cult of naturism, with titles such as Photo Bits, Body in Art, Figure Photography, Nude Living and Modern Art for Men.

Another early form of pornography were comic books known as Tijuana bibles that began appearing in the U.S. in the 1920s and lasted until the publishing of glossy colour men's magazines commenced. These were crude hand drawn scenes often using popular characters from cartoons and culture.Original examples are rare and highly collectable.

In the 1940s, the word "pinup" describes pictures torn from men's magazines and calendars and "pinned up" on the wall by U.S. soldiers in World War II. While the '40s images focused mostly on legs, by the '50s, the emphasis shifted to breasts. Betty Grable Betty Page and Marilyn Monroe were some of the most popular pinup models.

NAVY-ISM

A little sketch i did while i was bored ......

SUMMERTIME BLUES

A typical pair of canvas deck shoes,that turned out to be a rare find......
Close up of the original brand's logo......

.Faded chino pants, stripped shirt and a pair of canvas deck shoes, summer is a great time to sport a classic " French riviera" look.The pair showcased on today's post was another "lucky score",considering the fact that it was found at well sorted place,literally surrounded by stores for skateboarders and hipsters.My guess is, they didn't connect the dots and realize they weren't Vans knock-offs,but in fact the original "van authentic" from the late 60's .

In 1966 in Anaheim, California, Paul Van Doren and three partners opened up their first store. The Van Doren Rubber Company was born and unique in that it manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public, eliminating the "middle man" . On the first day , 12 customers purchased Vans deck shoes[ now known as Authentic],which were just display items in the window. The shoes were made later that day and were ready for pick-up in the afternoon.

The company continued to grow into the 1970s. During this period they also produced wool lined canvas and rubber mukluks under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. Skateboarders who liked Vans rugged make-up and sticky sole were seen sporting Vans all over Southern California in the early 1970s.

As the 1980s rolled around, Paul Van Doren began to take a lesser role in the company 's activities. Over this period, Vans started to create shoes for a number of sports from skateboarding, wakeboarding, motor cross, to surfing in an effort to compete with large athletic shoe companies. Vans Slip-Ons gained international attention and appeal when they were worn by Sean Penn in the 1982, iconic youth film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Although Vans core shoes were selling well, the wide range of products that the company now offered had drained the companies’ resources, and with Vans not able to overcome its debt they were forced to file for bankruptcy in 1983.Nowadays,Vans is more than ever back on the map ,doing what a lot of American"iconic brands" are doing: use their heritage to revamp old classics .

THRILLS AND ADVENTURES ON THE BARBARY COAST...

Perfect pocket size......
this great WW1 RCN sailor's knife features the practical spike that splits the toughest knots and some...

Whether you were "shipping out", on "liberty", or about to be "Shanghaied",these little "tools of the trade" might have come handy .A sailor's best friends i should say.

for those of you unfamiliar with the term Shanghaied,or Shanghaiing ,it refers to the practice of conscripting men as sailors,by using coercive techniques such as:trickery, intimidation, violence but also promises of "good times".the practice was originally used by the BRITISH ROYAL NAVY ,but Shanghaiing predominantly took place in the Northwest United States in SAN FRANCISCO ,PORTLAND and SEATTLE.Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps. Until 1915, unfree labor was widely used aboard American merchant ships.

EAT YOUR HEART RRL

Strange to see how some people will spend hundreds of $$$ for artificially distressed clothing but will refuse to spend way less for an original piece and i'm not talking in consideration the size factor here.....well !!good for me i must say,as i can still get my hands on some descent sweat shirts ......Sweatshirts were made of cotton, which is the "bloom" of a cotton plant. At maturity, the cotton is picked from the stalks, the seeds removed, and then processed for making cotton thread, from which the fabric is then woven. The "legend" says that ,the sweatshirt was invented in the early 1900's by Russell Corporation of Alexander City, Alabama when the owner Ben Russell's son complained that wool shirts used in football practice were uncomfortable. Russell then modified a version of an undergarment into the earliest form of the sweatshirt.As far as i can remember in my years of collecting and sorting vintage clothes, the early version from the 20's were mostly straight crew neck shirts ,the infamous "V" designed to assure a tight fit, appeared later in the late 30's .One says that the hooded sweatshirt,was invented in New York by Champion sportswear in the 1930s. It was for people working in cold warehouses.........

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Doctor Ross : "Cat Squirrel" - Fortune Records, 1961 (RARE BLUES!)