Thursday, August 28, 2008

Illustrated Letters

"Often the expression of joy or affection, illustrated letters represent an irrepressible urge to picture language. They are evidence of the writer's use of words and images to amplify the form and effect of a message. These are drawn entirely from the collections of the Archives of American Art, encompassing exuberant thank you notes, winsome love letters, lively reports of current events, graphic instructions and other personalized communiqués from the early nineteenth century through the 1980s, in each sender's distinctive style."
Visit Getting the Picture: Illustrated Letters in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian. Browse by artist or date.
This is the first of several pages by Dale Chihuly

2 comments:

  1. I love letters like this, the illustrations always make you feel like you've received a treasure in the mail.

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  2. Hi. I just discovered your fascinating blog- and I must say I'm in awe. Since you posted the link to the Smithsonian's jouranls- are you aware of the the article in the November magazine featuring Janice Lowery? She was such an amazing mixed media artist. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Object-at-Hand-Drawn-From-Life.html

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