Travelling Lightly – Edwardian Style
“It must be admitted that a very large fraction of our time was spent in dressing and undressing. We were forever changing our clothes, a custom that necessitated travelling with a mountain of luggage.” – Lady Cynthia Asquith (English writer and socialite).
The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 27th of November is “bags and suitcases”. Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. In this case, pardon the pun, I have a range of luggage, set in a scene outside an English country railway station in the 1920s, judging by the stylised L.N.E.R. advertisement in the background. The pieces of luggage include suitcases, a portmanteau, a travel de necessaire, a gladstone bag, two hat boxes a purse and a beaded handbag. All pieces except the beaded bag are made of leather, and all are artisan miniatures made, and in some cases aged, by hand.
The blue travel de necessaire (small travelling case) and its matching hatbox on which the straw hat decorated with ribbon, flowers and feathers is sitting are 1:12 artisan miniatures and made of blue kid leather which is so soft to the touch, and small metal handles, clasps and ornamentation. They have been purposely worn around their edges to give them age. The brown leather hatbox at the back against which the brown and gold umbrella is leaning is also a 1:12 artisan miniature and unlike the blue pieces, it is made to open and be fully functional and has a cream satin lining. All three pieces come from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in England.
The gladstone bag in the foreground, the white and brown leather portmanteau and the large brown suitcase in the background are also made of deliberately aged leather with metal buckles and clips. The red handbag on top of the blue hat box is also a hand-made artisan piece of soft red kid leather, with a gold chain strap. All these pieces I acquired from The Dolls’ House Shop in the United Kingdom.
The beaded handbag is also a 1:12 artisan miniature. Hand crocheted, it is interwoven with antique blue glass beads that are two millimetres in diameter. The beads of the handle are three millimetres in length. It came from an online specialist store on E-Bay.
The taupe knitting (essential for a long railway journey) on the two long pins that serve as knitting needles is properly knitted and cast on. It was hand made by Mrs. Denton of Muffin Lodge in the United Kingdom.
The two furled 1920s umbrellas with the luggage are all 1:12 artisan pieces made of silk, with handles made from painted wood. There is also a gilt walking stick featuring a deer’s head for a handle, also a hand made artisan piece. They come from specialist artisan miniature makers in England.
The straw hat decorated with ribbon, faux silk flowers and white feathers was made by an unknown artisan and acquired from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in England. The white straw Panama, also hand made, was acquired from a seller on E-Bay selling off part of their miniatures collection. 1:12 size miniature hats made to such exacting standards of quality and realism are often far more expensive than real hats are. When you think that it would sit comfortably on the tip of your index finger, yet it could cost in excess of $150.00 or £100.00, it is an extravagance. American artists seem to have the monopoly on this skill and some of the hats that I have seen or acquired over the years are remarkable.
British miniature artisan Ken Blythe was famous in miniature collectors’ circles mostly for the miniature books that he made: all being authentically replicated 1:12 scale miniatures of real volumes. I have quite a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my collection. However, he did not make books exclusively. He also made other small pieces like the two 1920s railway travel posters pinned to the wall in the background. The one on the left advertises travelling to the east coast via L.N.E.R., whilst the one on the right advertises the Flying Scotsman express train. To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make these miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago and through his estate courtesy of the generosity of his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.
Travelling Lightly – Edwardian Style
“It must be admitted that a very large fraction of our time was spent in dressing and undressing. We were forever changing our clothes, a custom that necessitated travelling with a mountain of luggage.” – Lady Cynthia Asquith (English writer and socialite).
The theme for “Smile on Saturday” for the 27th of November is “bags and suitcases”. Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. In this case, pardon the pun, I have a range of luggage, set in a scene outside an English country railway station in the 1920s, judging by the stylised L.N.E.R. advertisement in the background. The pieces of luggage include suitcases, a portmanteau, a travel de necessaire, a gladstone bag, two hat boxes a purse and a beaded handbag. All pieces except the beaded bag are made of leather, and all are artisan miniatures made, and in some cases aged, by hand.
The blue travel de necessaire (small travelling case) and its matching hatbox on which the straw hat decorated with ribbon, flowers and feathers is sitting are 1:12 artisan miniatures and made of blue kid leather which is so soft to the touch, and small metal handles, clasps and ornamentation. They have been purposely worn around their edges to give them age. The brown leather hatbox at the back against which the brown and gold umbrella is leaning is also a 1:12 artisan miniature and unlike the blue pieces, it is made to open and be fully functional and has a cream satin lining. All three pieces come from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in England.
The gladstone bag in the foreground, the white and brown leather portmanteau and the large brown suitcase in the background are also made of deliberately aged leather with metal buckles and clips. The red handbag on top of the blue hat box is also a hand-made artisan piece of soft red kid leather, with a gold chain strap. All these pieces I acquired from The Dolls’ House Shop in the United Kingdom.
The beaded handbag is also a 1:12 artisan miniature. Hand crocheted, it is interwoven with antique blue glass beads that are two millimetres in diameter. The beads of the handle are three millimetres in length. It came from an online specialist store on E-Bay.
The taupe knitting (essential for a long railway journey) on the two long pins that serve as knitting needles is properly knitted and cast on. It was hand made by Mrs. Denton of Muffin Lodge in the United Kingdom.
The two furled 1920s umbrellas with the luggage are all 1:12 artisan pieces made of silk, with handles made from painted wood. There is also a gilt walking stick featuring a deer’s head for a handle, also a hand made artisan piece. They come from specialist artisan miniature makers in England.
The straw hat decorated with ribbon, faux silk flowers and white feathers was made by an unknown artisan and acquired from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in England. The white straw Panama, also hand made, was acquired from a seller on E-Bay selling off part of their miniatures collection. 1:12 size miniature hats made to such exacting standards of quality and realism are often far more expensive than real hats are. When you think that it would sit comfortably on the tip of your index finger, yet it could cost in excess of $150.00 or £100.00, it is an extravagance. American artists seem to have the monopoly on this skill and some of the hats that I have seen or acquired over the years are remarkable.
British miniature artisan Ken Blythe was famous in miniature collectors’ circles mostly for the miniature books that he made: all being authentically replicated 1:12 scale miniatures of real volumes. I have quite a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my collection. However, he did not make books exclusively. He also made other small pieces like the two 1920s railway travel posters pinned to the wall in the background. The one on the left advertises travelling to the east coast via L.N.E.R., whilst the one on the right advertises the Flying Scotsman express train. To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make these miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago and through his estate courtesy of the generosity of his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.