“Elegance is elimination.”–Balenciaga
Ngaio Marsh by Henry Herbert Clifford (1935).
This 85-year-old photograph of New Zealand writer Ngaio Marsh proves that elegance, coziness, and individuality can be as stylish as anything out of the pages of a 21st-century fashion magazine.
Embellishments are minimal: an eccentric shoulder, a few buttons, an indifferently tilted hat, a bit of pattern and texture here or there.
Clean lines. Confidence.
She is, more than anything, mysterious.
How appropriate.
I’ve always loved this photo of Frida Kahlo (which was taken by her dad), but I’m especially digging it today. She looks how I feel.
Frida Kahlo by Guillermo Kahlo (1932)
A local used bookstore recently closed after 25 years. They had a fantastic going-out-of-business sale. While part of me feels “guilty” for taking advantage of their sad circumstances, the rest (and logical) part of me knows that they needed to sell as many books as possible. Through these books, a bit of their entrepreneurial and intellectual spirit will live on. With that idea in mind, I’m doing a limited-run series where I’ll spotlight each of the volumes I “adopted” from this sweet little shop. Shine on, you bookish gems!
Today’s selection? The Film Till Now by Paul Rotha.
The Film Till Now
DETAILS:
Stylish endpapers
WHY I BOUGHT IT:
The Film Till Now has been on my TBR list for more years than I care to count. My laziness in never actively looking for a copy truly paid off, as this edition dates to just a year after the book was first published. It is in wonderful shape for its age (87 years!).
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re enjoying the series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
“History is a novel that has been lived, a novel is history that could have been.”-Writer Edmond de Goncourt (born 26 May 1822)
All photos taken by Dorothea Lange (born 26 May 1895) during The Great Depression
I can think of few better ways to slosh through the winter months than by reading 1930s pulp fiction.
Phoenix Press: Depression Era Pulp [Abe Books]
The Leprechaun Murders by Adrian Reynolds (Image via Abe Books)
