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A beautiful sunrise at the Cleveland script sign located at Edgewater Park in Cleveland Ohio. The Edgewater script sign was the first of six that has been installed throughout the Cleveland, Ohio area. Prints available at DaleKincaid.com.
I found a couple of photos from Honduras that I'd still like to post here. Besides, they remind me of great summer times...
For those, who think that Armenian letters are complicated: see the Mayan script :)
{Wikipedia}The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered. The earliest inscriptions found which are identifiably Maya date to the 3rd century BCE in San Bartolo, Guatemala,[1][2] and writing was in continuous use until shortly after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century CE
Thanks for your visit and have a great day.
North Baltimore, Ohio
A now demolished CP 7011 leads I166 into North Baltimore. This was taken 5 days before the locomotive was involved in a washout wreck.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis
St. Louis is an independent city and inland port in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is situated along the western bank of the Mississippi River, which marks Missouri's border with Illinois. The Missouri River merges with the Mississippi River just north of the city. These two rivers combined form the fourth longest river system in the world. The city had an estimated 2017 population of 308,626 and is the cultural and economic center of the St. Louis metropolitan area (home to nearly 3,000,000 people), which is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, the second-largest in Illinois (after Chicago), and the 22nd-largest in the United States.
Before European settlement, the area was a regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, and named after Louis IX of France. In 1764, following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War, the area was ceded to Spain and retroceded back to France in 1800. In 1803, the United States acquired the territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase. During the 19th century, St. Louis became a major port on the Mississippi River; at the time of the 1870 Census it was the fourth-largest city in the country. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics.
The economy of metropolitan St. Louis relies on service, manufacturing, trade, transportation of goods, and tourism. Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich. Nine of the ten Fortune 500 companies based in Missouri are located within the St. Louis metropolitan area. The city has also become known for its growing medical, pharmaceutical, and research presence due to institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. St. Louis has two professional sports teams: the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. One of the city's iconic sights is the 630-foot (192 m) tall Gateway Arch in the downtown area.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Park_(St._Louis)
Forest Park is a public park in western St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers 1,326 acres (5.37 km2). Opened in 1876, more than a decade after its proposal, the park has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and the 1904 Summer Olympics. Bounded by Washington University in St. Louis, Skinker Boulevard, Lindell Boulevard, Kingshighway Boulevard, and Oakland Avenue, it is known as the "Heart of St. Louis" and features a variety of attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center.
Since the early 2000s, it has carried out a $100 million restoration through a public-private partnership aided by its Master Plan. Changes have extended to improving landscaping and habitat as well. The park's acreage includes meadows and trees and a variety of ponds, manmade lakes, and freshwater streams. For several years, the park has been restoring prairie and wetlands areas of the park. It has reduced flooding and attracted a much greater variety of birds and wildlife, which have settled in the new natural habitats.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Forest_Park_Balloon_Race
The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is an annual hot air balloon festival held in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. With more than 70 entrants and 130,000 spectators, it is the most well-attended single-day hot air balloon race in the United States.
Vintage metal trim piece from a COLDSPOT refrigerator or freezer found at an estate sale. the script is gold plated plastic. Measures 11 x 4.
Coldspot 1928-1976
When the Coldspot electric refrigerator debuted in 1928, it was somewhat of a novelty. Most early refrigerators were expensive and suffered from design and maintenance problems. The Coldspot, however, met with immediate public acceptance, and the 1929 model was a main point of interest for visitors to the Paris International Exposition that year.
Sears knew that there was a large market for electric refrigerators, but that costs prevented most people from buying them. So, Sears decided to design its own refrigerator. At the time, most refrigerator manufacturers were building 4-cubic-foot models. Sears wanted to build a 6-cubic-foot model and sell it at the price of a 4-cubic-foot model.
Sears hired Herman Price, a well-known refrigerator engineer, to help with the project. Then, in 1934, Sears hired industrial designer Raymond Loewy to completely redesign the Coldspot refrigerator. Price and Loewy incorporated a contemporary streamlined design, plus new ideas that improved both the reliability and serviceability of the refrigerator. These men also pioneered the use of aluminum for refrigerator shelving. In one year, sales of the Coldspot soared more than 300 percent.
Over the years, Sears' Coldspot line of refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners featured several other product innovations. In 1953, Coldspot upright freezers included dense fiberglass insulation that saved on electricity, plus a cabinet guaranteed not to "sweat." The Coldspot "Cold Guard" debuted in 1960 as the first frostless refrigerator, and 1971's model included a built-in cold-water dispenser and an improved "humidrawer" food crisper.
By 1977, however, the brand recognition of Kenmore was so great that most people surveyed by Sears believed that Kenmore already had a line of refrigerators, even though it did not. Sears then decided to replace Coldspot with Kenmore on all Sears refrigerators, freezers, and air-conditioning units.
A pioneer Movie script from years of research/study/work and something ..strange [ some..signs..] ABOUT a boy who fight the British Empire of 56 in Cyprus with..Roses..- == WANTED support/partners to find the right produce/tv channel = LIKE/share/participate = www.facebook.com/dimitrisTheMovie/ = PUSH the shop Now TO support = OR go NOW = i ll give BIG gifts [ seats for the BIGGEST concert, SEATS for the.PREMIERE days..OR...play IN the Movie [ background actor in a BIG historical fight scene ] = LIKE /SHARE/PARTICIPATE = GO to = www.magikdo.info/advertising----support- == AFTER your LIKE in the f page ASK for the FULL presentation Page in the website .
This is an example image of my new Gimp Script "Startrails"
It can be used to create startrails videos.
Here is an example video:
And here you can find the script: registry.gimp.org/node/25638
Update V2: www.flickr.com/photos/pascalk89/6284336886/in/photostream/
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Condone Any Acts Of Vandalism Nor Do I Participate In Such Criminal Activity. I Am Simply An Observant and Take Photos Of This Graffiti You Have Come Across. ALSO I Will Not Condone Any Usage Of My Photos To Support Any Legal Matter Involving These Acts Of Vandalism Therefore YOU ARE NOT WELCOME TO VIEW OR TAKE THIS MATERIAL For ANY Purpose...
Dr Colin Milton Thiele AC
Background:
Born at Mrs Knabe’s Nursing Home, Eudunda, 16 November 1920.
Father, Carl Wilhelm (1873–1954) and Mother Amalia Anna, nee Wittwer (1887–1983), Brother Armin Louis (1916–1992), Sisters Stella Louise (1911–1995), Dora Meta 1914–2002) and Avis Anna 1929-).
Two childhood homes in Hundred of Julia Creek, first farm on Block 308, Register No 71420, second farm (from 1925), Section 318, in a cropping and grazing area ten kilometres northwest of Eudunda.
Baptised (19 December 1920) and confirmed (6 October 1936) in Julia Lutheran Church.
Educated Julia School (1926–32), Eudunda Higher Primary School (1933–34), Kapunda High School (1935–36), University of Adelaide and Adelaide Teachers College (1937–42).
Served with RAAF as a radar mechanic in the Second World War (1942–45).
Married Rhonda Gladys Gill, 17 March 1945 in Adelaide. Two daughters, Janne Louise (born 1948) and Sandra Gwenyth (born 1954).
Educator:
Taught at Unley High School (1945), Port Lincoln High School 1946–55), Brighton High School (1966).
Lectured at Wattle Park Teachers College (1957–65)
Vice-Principal (1964–65) and Principal of Wattle Park Teachers College (1965–72); Principal of Wattle Park Teachers College 1973–80).
Author:
Colin Thiele’s career as a writer started in the 1940s with poetry and ABC radio scripts. Burke and Wills (1949) was a successful radio verse play.
He has written or edited a total of 101 books. The first was Progress to Denial, a book of poetry, in 1946. His complete list of works incudes poetry, radio scripts, short stories, biography, history, environmental and educational titles and children’s books. He is represented in numerous anthologies and collections of stories and articles.
Storm Boy (1963), his most famous book, was adapted as a film in 1976.
The Sun on the Stubble (1961), The Shadow on the Hills (1977) and the Valley Between (1981) form a loose trilogy about his childhood in the Eudunda district and, with Uncle Gustav’s Ghosts (1974), provided the scenes and characters for an ABC series, Sun on the Stubble, in 1996.
Blue Fin (1969) and The Fire in the Stone (1973) have been adapted as films. “The Water Trolley”, a short story (1996), was adapted for a television version in 1990.
His long list of national and international awards include two Commonwealth of Australia Jubilee Federal Arts Prizes (1961), the Grace Levan Poetry Prize (1960, the Children’s Book of the Year Prize (1982), and the Dromkeen Medal (1998). His books have been translated in many other languages.
The Statue:
Colin Thiele, who moved to Dayboro, Queensland in 1993, unveiled the fireglass statues of himself on Saturday 5 November 1995, here in the town gardens.
This event was planned to coincide with “Eudunda Revisited” celebrations of 125 years of European settlement. Chris Radford, the Freeling sculptor, has depicted his subject sitting on a rock, holding a notebook, and looking down at Mr Percival, the pelican in Storm Boy.
The Eudunda community raised over $60,000 to have the statue cast in bronze by Tim Thomson of Crafers in 2004.
[Details for this sign have been taken from “Can I call you Colin”, the authorised biography of Colin Thiele, 2004, by Stephany Evans Steggall, and from her PhD thesis, 2005, entitled “Colin Thiele: Double Vision. A Biographical Study of an Australian Writer and Educator”.]
*Colin’s life was a deep well, from which one could draw refreshment and encouragement. He walked tall down the road of recollection among the people and the land he loved and portrayed so well.
(From the eulogy given at Colin’s funeral, written by Mr Max Fatchen one of his closest friends.)
Colin Thiele died of heart failure at Brisbane, Queensland, on 4 September 2006.
SUDTIPOS NEWS
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We are proud to announce the release of Courtesy Script, our latest ornamental tribute to late S. XiX penmanship.
Get Courtesy > www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/courtesy-script-pro/
ABOUT COURTESY
--------------------------------------------
As in Victorian times, the precious, hand-lettered look of custom stationery is back in vogue. Enter Courtesy Script, my newest ornamental script typeface.
Courtesy captures the elegance and propriety of finely practiced Spencerian penmanship, in particular the Zanerian school. Its lowercase is notably understated, a simple monoline with very wide connections that ease readability. In the capitals, Courtesy adds variety in both the weight of the strokes, and in degrees of flourish — from merely fancy to over-the-top engrossery.
Based on an alphabet found in a 19th-century penmanship journal, Ale created hundreds of additional, stylistically complementary letterforms. Alternate capitals and lowercase letters, swashed lowercase forms, and ending and ornamental swashes; numerals, punctuation, and non-English and accented characters.
With virtually endless ways to customize its use, Courtesy helps designers create fluid, signature looks on stationery and invitations, book covers, fashion layouts, and packaging.
More fonts
Visit www.sudtipos.com
166.365.
19th June 2010.
So tired. Had to get up early. Been on a train, had one change, been shopping, concluded I hate shopping especially with (teenege) girls, been on another train, had another change, got home, no daily shot, gone for quick takeway tea/supper/whatever, tooks quick shot of church, had tea/supper/whatever, watched Doctor Who, played with textures. Done. Thats it. Sorted.
This is a Kim Klassen texture, I linked to her site several shot ago. But here it is again kimklassen.blogspot.com/ The texture's under free textures, called scripted.
The classic Canadian Pacific script logo on any equipment makes for a must have photo. That includes the lowly ore car? ballast car? seen here at Thunder Bay, Ontario. September 29, 2002.
New font by Ale Paul for www.sudtipos.com
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Get the font MyFonts with a 35% introductory price > www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/auberge-script/
ABOUT AUBERGE SCRIPT
It took me a long time, but I think I now understand why people of my generation and older feel the need to frame current events in an historical context or precedents, while most of the young couldn't care less about what happened ten years ago, let alone centuries back. After living for a few decades, you get to a point when time seems to be moving quite fast, and it’s humbling to see that your entire existence so far can be summed up in a paragraph or two which may or may not be useful to whoever ends up reading the stuff anyhow. I suppose one way to cope with the serenity of aging is trying to convince yourself that your life and work are really an extension of millenia of a species striving to accept, adapt to, and improve the human condition through advancing the many facets of civilization -- basically making things more understandable and comfortable for ourselves and each other while we go about doing whatever it is we are trying to do. And when you do finally convince yourself of that, history becomes a source of much solace and even a little premonition, so you end up spending more time there.
Going far back into the history of what I do, one can easily see that for the most part it was ruled by the quill. Western civilization’s writing was done with quill pens for more than thirteen centuries and with newer instruments for about two. By the mid-18th century, the height of the quill experience, various calligraphy techniques could be discerned and writing styles were arranged in distinct categories. There are many old books that showcase the history of it all. I recommend looking at some whenever the urge comes calling and you have to get away from backlit worlds.
Multiple sources usually help me get a better perspective on the range of a specific script genre, so many books served as reference to this quill font of mine. Late 17th century French and Spanish professional calligraphy guides were great aides in understanding the ornamental scope of what the scribes were doing back then. The French books, with their showings of the Ronde, Bâtarde and Coulée alphabets, were the ones I referenced the most. So I decided to name the font Auberge, a French word for hotel or inn, because I really felt like a guest in different French locales (and times) when I going through all that stuff.
Because it is multi-sourced, Auberge does not strictly fit in a distinct quill pen category. Instead, it shows strong hints of both Bâtarde and Coulée alphabets. And like most of my fonts, it is an exercise in going overboard with alternates, swashes, and ornamental devices. Having worked with it for a while, I find it most suitable for display calligraphic setting in general, but it works especially well for things like wine labels and event invitations. It also shines in the original quill pen application purpose, which of course was stationery. Also, as it just occurred to me, if you find yourself in a situation where you have to describe your entire life in 50 words or less, you may as well make it look good and swashy, so Auberge would probably be a good fit there as well.
This is one quill script that no large bird had to die for.
A few technical notes
The Auberge Script Pro version includes 1800 glyphs, everything is included there. Also latin language support. We recommend you to use the latest design application to have full access to alternates, swashes, small caps, ornaments, etc. The images from the gallery uses this version. For better results use the fonts with “liga” feature on.
Awards
During 2014 the early develop of Auberge Script was chosen to be part of Tipos Latinos, the most important type exhibition in South America.
Take a look of the complet project at on.be.net/15Yq5XY
catherine deneuve, having been approached by tony scott to appear in the hunger, was advised by co-star david bowie that director paul schrader had her in mind to star in a coming production (for which mr. jones had been hired to provide some songs). knowing that both were horror films and having little interest in wasting her talents on what she thought of as commercial dreck (or in being typecast as a scream queen at this point in her career), she requested scripts and storyboards for both films, as well as mockups of the appearance of her character so she could decide which film, if any, to go with.
tony scott wisely concealed the artwork being pushed by the studio (which wound up on the theatrical poster, of course) and hired his niece to rework some screencaps from fw murnau's nosferatu (with ms. deneuve's face eerily replacing that of max schreck). paul schrader, meanwhile, believed that his screenplay was superior and allowed the studio to attach the above image, created before anyone realised that the film was really soft-core pornography.
upon opening both packages, ms. deneuve sent mr. schrader her regrets before reading one page of the script. furious at the star, the director and the hallucinating greeting-card designer who created the imagery, rko pictures frantically looked to replace ms. deneuve's european allure and chose nastassja kinski as their star, while the silly cat painting became a bad joke in the film and publishing industries until some unknown prankster convinced andre norton to use it. one positive thing: i may put the title on a t-shirt for pride.
...
a while back i picked up a small box of books from the sidewalk, partly for my own pleasure (there was exactly one book in the box that i ended up wanting to read), and partly to save them from a rainstorm that was beginning. some of the books went to friends, some to a couple of places where i volunteer, and a few remained that looked so horrible, their covers had to be scanned. this is one of those awful books, and instead of reading it, i decided to make up a story to fit the cover.
3 tier wedding cake with bride and grooms names scripted at various angles all over the cake, then wrapped in a chocolate brown ribbon
Free for your use, please do not reshare, distribute, or claim/imply it to be your own. I would love to see how you are able to make use of this image and would appreciate a link back to the texture! Happy texturizing!
Beat The Street Setra S 531 DT tour bus, reg. no. IL 980PJ, seen here at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff with The Script 'Greatest Hits' Tour 2022.
The picture was taken on 22nd May 2022.
New font by Ale Paul for www.sudtipos.com
--
Get the font MyFonts with a 35% introductory price > www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/auberge-script/
ABOUT AUBERGE SCRIPT
It took me a long time, but I think I now understand why people of my generation and older feel the need to frame current events in an historical context or precedents, while most of the young couldn't care less about what happened ten years ago, let alone centuries back. After living for a few decades, you get to a point when time seems to be moving quite fast, and it’s humbling to see that your entire existence so far can be summed up in a paragraph or two which may or may not be useful to whoever ends up reading the stuff anyhow. I suppose one way to cope with the serenity of aging is trying to convince yourself that your life and work are really an extension of millenia of a species striving to accept, adapt to, and improve the human condition through advancing the many facets of civilization -- basically making things more understandable and comfortable for ourselves and each other while we go about doing whatever it is we are trying to do. And when you do finally convince yourself of that, history becomes a source of much solace and even a little premonition, so you end up spending more time there.
Going far back into the history of what I do, one can easily see that for the most part it was ruled by the quill. Western civilization’s writing was done with quill pens for more than thirteen centuries and with newer instruments for about two. By the mid-18th century, the height of the quill experience, various calligraphy techniques could be discerned and writing styles were arranged in distinct categories. There are many old books that showcase the history of it all. I recommend looking at some whenever the urge comes calling and you have to get away from backlit worlds.
Multiple sources usually help me get a better perspective on the range of a specific script genre, so many books served as reference to this quill font of mine. Late 17th century French and Spanish professional calligraphy guides were great aides in understanding the ornamental scope of what the scribes were doing back then. The French books, with their showings of the Ronde, Bâtarde and Coulée alphabets, were the ones I referenced the most. So I decided to name the font Auberge, a French word for hotel or inn, because I really felt like a guest in different French locales (and times) when I going through all that stuff.
Because it is multi-sourced, Auberge does not strictly fit in a distinct quill pen category. Instead, it shows strong hints of both Bâtarde and Coulée alphabets. And like most of my fonts, it is an exercise in going overboard with alternates, swashes, and ornamental devices. Having worked with it for a while, I find it most suitable for display calligraphic setting in general, but it works especially well for things like wine labels and event invitations. It also shines in the original quill pen application purpose, which of course was stationery. Also, as it just occurred to me, if you find yourself in a situation where you have to describe your entire life in 50 words or less, you may as well make it look good and swashy, so Auberge would probably be a good fit there as well.
This is one quill script that no large bird had to die for.
A few technical notes
The Auberge Script Pro version includes 1800 glyphs, everything is included there. Also latin language support. We recommend you to use the latest design application to have full access to alternates, swashes, small caps, ornaments, etc. The images from the gallery uses this version. For better results use the fonts with “liga” feature on.
Awards
During 2014 the early develop of Auberge Script was chosen to be part of Tipos Latinos, the most important type exhibition in South America.
Take a look of the complet project at on.be.net/15Yq5XY
New font by Ale Paul for www.sudtipos.com
--
Get the font MyFonts with a 35% introductory price > www.myfonts.com/fonts/sudtipos/auberge-script/
ABOUT AUBERGE SCRIPT
It took me a long time, but I think I now understand why people of my generation and older feel the need to frame current events in an historical context or precedents, while most of the young couldn't care less about what happened ten years ago, let alone centuries back. After living for a few decades, you get to a point when time seems to be moving quite fast, and it’s humbling to see that your entire existence so far can be summed up in a paragraph or two which may or may not be useful to whoever ends up reading the stuff anyhow. I suppose one way to cope with the serenity of aging is trying to convince yourself that your life and work are really an extension of millenia of a species striving to accept, adapt to, and improve the human condition through advancing the many facets of civilization -- basically making things more understandable and comfortable for ourselves and each other while we go about doing whatever it is we are trying to do. And when you do finally convince yourself of that, history becomes a source of much solace and even a little premonition, so you end up spending more time there.
Going far back into the history of what I do, one can easily see that for the most part it was ruled by the quill. Western civilization’s writing was done with quill pens for more than thirteen centuries and with newer instruments for about two. By the mid-18th century, the height of the quill experience, various calligraphy techniques could be discerned and writing styles were arranged in distinct categories. There are many old books that showcase the history of it all. I recommend looking at some whenever the urge comes calling and you have to get away from backlit worlds.
Multiple sources usually help me get a better perspective on the range of a specific script genre, so many books served as reference to this quill font of mine. Late 17th century French and Spanish professional calligraphy guides were great aides in understanding the ornamental scope of what the scribes were doing back then. The French books, with their showings of the Ronde, Bâtarde and Coulée alphabets, were the ones I referenced the most. So I decided to name the font Auberge, a French word for hotel or inn, because I really felt like a guest in different French locales (and times) when I going through all that stuff.
Because it is multi-sourced, Auberge does not strictly fit in a distinct quill pen category. Instead, it shows strong hints of both Bâtarde and Coulée alphabets. And like most of my fonts, it is an exercise in going overboard with alternates, swashes, and ornamental devices. Having worked with it for a while, I find it most suitable for display calligraphic setting in general, but it works especially well for things like wine labels and event invitations. It also shines in the original quill pen application purpose, which of course was stationery. Also, as it just occurred to me, if you find yourself in a situation where you have to describe your entire life in 50 words or less, you may as well make it look good and swashy, so Auberge would probably be a good fit there as well.
This is one quill script that no large bird had to die for.
A few technical notes
The Auberge Script Pro version includes 1800 glyphs, everything is included there. Also latin language support. We recommend you to use the latest design application to have full access to alternates, swashes, small caps, ornaments, etc. The images from the gallery uses this version. For better results use the fonts with “liga” feature on.
Awards
During 2014 the early develop of Auberge Script was chosen to be part of Tipos Latinos, the most important type exhibition in South America.
Take a look of the complet project at on.be.net/15Yq5XY
About Heráldica Script
We are proud to add a very complex and new font to our collection.
Ornamented scripts are a Koziupa/Paul specialty, and Heraldica is one of their most expressive. It attains the very definition of deluxe by conjoining the classic thin-and-thick script treatment with thin-only counterpart strokes, then it goes the extra mile with a varied complement of overlaid flourishes. The usual assortment of multiple alternates and ending forms pushes it even further in class and versatility.
Monograms, logos, jewelry packaging and book covers are only a few of the possibilities with such a high-end script.
Typeface design: Angel Koziupa & Ale Paul for Sudtipos.
License the typeface with a Lted. Time 30% exclusive discount here.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however we are following Lettice’s maid, Edith, who together with her beau, local grocery delivery boy Frank Leadbetter, have wended their way north-east from Cavendish Mews, through neighbouring Soho to the Lyons Corner House* on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. As always, the flagship restaurant on the first floor is a hive of activity with all the white linen covered tables occupied by Londoners indulging in the treat of a Lyon’s luncheon or early afternoon tea. Between the tightly packed tables, the Lyons waitresses, known as Nippies**, live up to their name and nip in and out, showing diners to empty tables, taking orders, placing food on tables and clearing and resetting them after diners have left. The cavernous space with its fashionable Art Deco wallpapers and light fixtures and dark Queen Anne English style furnishing is alive with colour, movement and the burbling noises of hundreds of chattering voices, the sound of cutlery against crockery and the clink of crockery and glassware fills the air brightly.
Amidst all the comings and goings, Edith and Frank wait patiently in a small queue of people waiting to be seated at the next available table, lining up in front of a glass top and fronted case full of delicious cakes. Frank reaches around a woman standing in front of them in a navy blue dress with red piping and a red cloche and snatches a golden yellow menu upon which the name of the restaurant is written in elegant cursive script. He proffers one to Edith, but she shakes her head shallowly at him.
“You’ve brought me here so many times, Frank, I practically know the Lyons menu by heart, Frank.”
Frank’s face falls. “You don’t mind coming here again, do you Edith?” he asks gingerly, almost apologetically.
“Oh Frank!” Edith laughs good naturedly. She tightens her grip comfortingly around his arm as she stands beside him with it looped through his. “Of course I don’t mind? Why should I mind? I love coming here. This is far grander than any other tea shop around here, and the food is delicious.”
“Well so long as you don’t think it’s dull and predicable, Edith.”
“How could anything be dull and predictable with you involved in it, Frank?”
Frank blushes at his sweetheart’s compliment. “Well it’s just that we seem to have fallen into rather a routine, going to the Premier in East Ham*** every few weeks, before coming here for tea.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with that, Frank. You know I love going to the pictures, and a slap-up tea from here is nothing to sneeze at.”
“Well, so long as you don’t mind, Edith.”
“Frank Leadbetter, I don’t mind anything that I do with you.” Edith squeezes his arm again. “Anyway, it isn’t like we haven’t done other things on our days off as well between our visits here. We go walking in Hyde and Regent’s Parks and Kensington Gardens, and we do go dancing at the Hammersmith Palais****, so it’s not always the same.”
“And you’ve been a good sport, coming with me to the National Portrait Gallery.” Frank adds with a happy smile.
“Oh, I loved gong there, Frank!” enthuses Edith. “Like I told you, I never knew that there were galleries of art that were open to then public. If I had, I might have gone sooner.” She smiles with satisfaction. “But then again, if I had known about it, I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of you introducing me to it. I’m looking forward to us going back again one day.”
“But I suspect you enjoy the pictures more than the National Gallery.” Frank chuckles knowingly.
“Well,” Edith feels a flush fill her cheeks with red. “It is true that I perhaps feel a bit more comfortable at the pictures than the gallery, Frank, but,” She clarifies. “That’s only because my parents never took me to the gallery when I was growing up, like your grandparents did with you.”
“Whereas your parents took you to the pictures.”
“Oh yes Frank!” Edith sighs. “It was a cheap bit of escapism from the everyday for the whole family: Mum, Dad, Bert and me.” Her voice grows wistful as she remembers. “I used to look forward to going to the pictures on a Saturday afternoon with Mum and Dad and Bert. We’d walk into the entrance of the Picture Coliseum***** out of the boring light of day and into the magic darkness that existed all day there. I grew to love the sound of the flick and whir of the protector, knowing as I sat in my red leather seat in the balcony that I was about to be transported to anywhere in the world or to any point in time. Dad and Mum still love going there on the odd occasion to see a comedy. The pictures became even more important to me as a teenager after I left home and went into service for nasty old Widow Hounslow. She never gave me anything to be happy about in that cold house of hers as I skivvied for her in my first job, day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, so the escape to a world of romance filled with glamorous people where there was no hard work and no dirty dishes or floors to scrub became a precious light in my life.”
“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” Frank chuckles.
“You know Frank, because I thought everyone went to the pictures, I’ve never actually asked you whether you enjoy going to them. Perhaps with your grandparents taking you to the gallery, you might not like it. Do you Frank?”
“Oh yes I do, Edith,” Frank assures his sweetheart. “I’m happy if you are happy, but even before I met you, I used to go to the pictures. Whilst I might not be as enamoured with the glamour and romance of moving picture stars like Wanetta Ward like you are, I do like historical dramas and adaptations of some of the books I’ve read.”
“Does that mean you didn’t enjoy ‘A Woman of Paris’******?” Edith asks with concern.
Frank turns away from his sweetheart and rests his arms on the glass topped counter, and gazes through it at the cakes on display below. “Oh, yes I did, Edith.” he mutters in a low voice in reply.
Edith hooks her black umbrella over the raised edge of the cabinet and deposits her green handbag on its surface and sidles up alongside Frank. “It doesn’t sound like you did, Frank.” she refutes him quietly.
“No, I really did, Edith.” he replies a little sadly. “Edna Purviance******* is so beautiful. I can well understand your attraction to the glamour of the moving pictures and their stars.”
“But something tells me that you didn’t like the film.” Edith presses, nudging Frank gently. “What was it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, Edith.” Frank brushes her question off breezily as he turns his head slight away from her so she cannot see it.
“Well, it must be something. I chose the film, so I shall feel awful if you didn’t want to see it.” Edith tries to catch his eye by ducking her head, but fails. “You should have said something, Frank.”
A silence envelops them momentarily, at odds to all the gay noise and chatter of the Corner House around them. At length Frank turns back to Edith, and she can see by the glaze and glint of unshed tears in his kind, but saddened eyes, that this is why he turned away. “I didn’t mind seeing ‘A Woman in Paris’, Edith. Honestly, I didn’t.” He holds up his hands. “Like you are with me, I’m happy to go anywhere or do anything with you.”
“Then what is it, Frank?” Edith says with a concerned look on her face. “Please, you must trust me enough to tell me.”
Frank reaches out his left hand and wraps it loving around her smaller right hand as it sits on the surface of the counter, next to her handbag. “Of course I trust you Edith. I’ve never trusted a girl before, the way I trust you.” He releases her hand and runs his left index finger down her cheek and along her jaw lovingly. “You’re so good and kind. Goodness knows what you see in me, but whatever it is, Edith, I’m so glad you do.”
“What’s gotten into you, Frank?” she replies in consternation. “What was it about the film that has upset you so much and given you such doubts?”
The awkward silence falls between the two of them again as Edith waits for Frank to formulate a reply. His eyes flit between the shiny brass cash register, the potted aspidistra standing in a white jardinière on a tall plant stand, the Art Deco wallpaper and Lyons posters on the walls and the cakes atop the counter. He looks anywhere except into his sweetheart’s anxious face.
“It was the relationship between Jean’s mother and Marie in the film, Edith.” he says at length.
“What of it, Frank?”
“It reminded me of the relationship between your mum and me, Edith.”
“What?” Edith queries, not understanding.
“Well,” Frank elucidates. “Jean’s mum didn’t like Marie and refused to accept her.”
“I keep telling you, Frank,” Edith reassures her beau, looking him earnestly in the face. “Mum doesn’t dislike you. She just struggles with some of your more,” She nudges him again, giving him a consoling, and cheeky smile. “Progressive ideas. Anyway, Jean’s mum and Marie made up at the end of the film and went off to set up an orphanage in the countryside.”
“Are you suggesting that your mum and I might do the same?” Frank laughs a little sadly, trying to make light of the moment.
“That’s better, Frank.” Edith encourages, seeing him smile.
Frank looks back down again at all the cakes on display in the glass fronted cabinet. Cakes covered in thick white layers of royal icing like tablecloths jostle for space with gaily decorated special occasion cakes covered in gooey glazed fruit and biscuit crumbs. Ornate garlands of icing sugar flowers and beautifully arranged slices of strawberries indicate neatly where the cakes should be sliced, so that everyone gets the same portion when served to the table. Frank even notices a pink blancmange rabbit sitting on a plate with a blue and white edge.
“I love coming here because there are so many decadent cakes here.” Frank admits, changing the subject delicately, but definitely. “It reminds me of when my Gran was younger. She used to bake the most wonderful cakes and pies.”
“Oh, Mum loves baking cakes, pies and puddings too.” Edith pipes up happily. “She’s especially proud of her cherry cobbler which she serves hot in winter with hot custard, and cold in summer with clotted cream.”
“Being Scottish, Gran always loved making Dundee Cake********. She used to spend ages arranging scorched almonds in pretty patterns across the top.”
“That sounds very decadent, Frank.” Edith observes.
“Oh it was, Edith!” Frank agrees. “Mind you, I don’t think it would have taken half as long if she hadn’t been continually keeping my fingers out of the bowl of the decorating almonds and telling me that the cake ‘would be baked when it is done, and no sooner’.”
Edith chuckles as Frank impersonates his grandmother’s thick Scottish accent as he quotes her.
“Mum always made the prettiest cupcakes for Bert’s and my birthdays.” Edith points to the small glass display plate of cupcakes daintily sprinkled with colourful sugar balls and topped with marzipan flowers and rabbits sitting on the counter.
“I bet you they were just as lovely as those are, Edith.”
“Oh, better Frank,” she assures him. “Because they were made with love, and Mum is a very proud cook.”
“I did notice that when I came for Sunday roast lunch.”
Edith continues to look at the cakes on display on stands on the counter’s surface, some beneath glass cloches and others left in the open air, an idea forming in her mind, formulating as she gazes at the dollops of cream and glacé cherries atop a chocolate cake, oozing cream decadently from between its slices.
“That’s it Frank!” she gasps.
“What is, Edith?”
“That’s the solution to your woes about Mum, Frank.” She snatches up her bag and umbrella from the counter.
Frank doesn’t understand so he asks yet again, “What is, Edith?”
Edith rests her elbow on the glass topped counter as she looks Frank squarely in the face. “Who is your greatest advocate, Frank? Who always speaks well of you in front of others.”
“Well, you do, Edith.” He gesticulates towards her.
“Yes, I know that,” she admits. “But besides me, who else always says the nicest things about you?”
“Well Gran does.” Frank says without a moment’s hesitation.
“Exactly Frank!” Edith smiles. “You need someone other than me in your corner, telling Mum what a wonderful catch you are. And that someone is your Gran, Frank!” Her blue eyes glitter with hope and excitement. “See, now that you’ve met Mum and Dad, and I’ve met your Gran, it’s time that they met. I bet Mum and your Gran would bond over cake baking and cooking, and of course Mum would believe anything a wise Scottish woman who can bake a Dundee Cake would say.”
“And everything she would say would be about me!” Frank exclaims. “Edith! You’re a genius!”
Frank cannot help himself as he reaches out and grasps Edith around the waist, lifting her up and spinning her around in unbridled joy, causing her to squeal, and for the people waiting in line around them to chuckle and smile indulgently at the pair of young lovers before them.
“Oh, put me down Frank!” squeaks Edith. “Let’s not make a scene.”
Reluctantly he lowers his sweetheart to the ground and releases her from his clutches.
“Now, all we need to do is talk with Mum and Dad, and your Gran, and settle on a date.” Edith says with ethusiasm.
“We’ll talk about it over tea and cake, shall we, Edith?” Frank asks with an excited lilt in his voice.
“Ahem.” A female voice clearing her throat politely interrupts Edith and Frank’s conversation. Turning, they find that whilst they have been talking, they have reached the front of the queue of people waiting for a table, and before them stands a bright faced Nippie with a starched cap with a red ‘L’ embroidered in the centre atop a mop of carefully coiffed and pinned curls, dressed in a black alpaca dress with a double row of pearl buttons and lace apron. “A table for two, is it?”
*J. Lyons and Co. was a British restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1884 by Joseph Lyons and his brothers in law, Isidore and Montague Gluckstein. Lyons’ first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain of teashops, with the firm becoming a staple of the High Street in the United Kingdom. At its peak the chain numbered around two hundred cafes. The teashops provided for tea and coffee, with food choices consisting of hot dishes and sweets, cold dishes and sweets, and buns, cakes and rolls. Lyons' Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their Art Deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they possessed hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open twenty-four hours a day, and at their peak each branch employed around four hundred staff including their famous waitresses, commonly known as Nippies for the way they nipped in and out between the tables taking orders and serving meals. The tea houses featured window displays, and, in the post-war period, the Corner Houses were smarter and grander than the local tea shops. Between 1896 and 1965 Lyons owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.
**The name 'Nippies' was adopted for the Lyons waitresses after a competition to rename them from the old fashioned 'Gladys' moniker - rejected suggestions included ‘Sybil-at-your-service’, ‘Miss Nimble’, Miss Natty’ and 'Speedwell'. The waitresses each wore a starched cap with a red ‘L’ embroidered in the centre and a black alpaca dress with a double row of pearl buttons.
***The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.
****The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first palais de danse to be built in Britain.
*****Located in the west London inner city district of Harlesden. The Coliseum opened in 1912 as the Picture Theatre. In 1915 it was renamed the Picture Coliseum. It was operated throughout its cinema life as an independent picture theatre. Seating was provided in stalls and balcony levels. The Coliseum closed in December 1975 for regular films and went over to screening adult porn films. It then screened kung-fu movies and even hosted a concert by punk rock group The Clash in March 1977. It finally closed for good as a picture theatre in the mid-1980’s and was boarded up and neglected for the next decade. It was renovated and converted into a pub operated by the J.D. Weatherspoon chain, opening in March 1993. Known as ‘The Coliseum’ it retains many features of its cinematic past. There is even cinema memorabilia on display. There is a huge painted mural of Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon in “The Cowboy and the Lady” where the screen used to be. Recently J.D. Weatherspoon relinquished the building and it is now operated as an independent bar renamed ‘The Misty Moon’. By 2017 it had been taken over by the Antic pub chain and renamed the ‘Harlesden Picture Palace’.
******’A Woman of Paris’ is a feature-length American silent film that debuted in 1923. The film, an atypical drama film for its creator, was written, directed, produced and later scored by Charlie Chaplin. The plot revolves around Marie St. Clair (Edna Purviance) and her beau, aspiring artist Jean Millet (Carl Miller) who plan to flee life in provincial France to get married. However when plans go awry, Marie goes to Paris alone where she becomes the mistress of a wealthy businessman, Pierre Revel (Adolphe Menjou). Reacquainting herself with Jean after a chance encounter in Paris a year later, Marie and Jean recommence their love affair. When Jean proposes to Marie, his mother tries to intervene and Marie returns to Pierre. Jean takes a gun to the restaurant where Marie and Pierre are dining, but ends up fatally shooting himself in the foyer after being evicted from the restaurant. Marie and Jean’s mother reconcile and return to the French countryside, where they open a home for orphans in a country cottage. At the end of the film, Marie rides down a road in a horse drawn cart and is passed by a chauffer driven automobile in which Pierre rides with friends. Pierre's companion asks him what had happened to Marie after the night at the restaurant. Pierre replies that he does not know. The automobile and the horse-drawn wagon pass each other, heading in opposite directions.
*******Edna Purviance (1895 – 1958) was an American actress of the silent film era. She was the leading lady in many of Charlie Chaplin's early films and in a span of eight years, she appeared in over thirty films with him and remained on his payroll even after she retired from acting, receiving a small monthly salary from Chaplin's film company until she got married, and the payments resumed after her husband's death. Her last credited appearance in a Chaplin film, ‘A Woman of Paris’, was also her first leading role. The film was not a success and effectively ended Purviance's career. She died of throat cancer in 1958.
********Dundee Cake is a traditional Scottish fruit cake that has gained worldwide fame since its first appearance over three hundred and fifty years ago. The Dundee Cake is one of Scotland's most famous cakes and, it is said, was liked by the Queen at tea-time. The story goes that Mary Queen of Scots didn’t like cherries, so a fruit cake was made and decorated with the distinctive almond decoration that has now become very familiar to those of us in the know. A more likely story is that the Dundee Cake recipe was created in the 1700s, later to be mass-produced by the Marmalade company Keiller’s Marmalade.
An afternoon tea made up with sweet cakes like this would be enough to please anyone, but I suspect that even if you ate everything you can see here in and on this display case, you would still come away hungry. This is because they, like everything in this scene are 1:12 size miniatures from my miniatures collection.
Fun things to look for in this tableau:
The sweet cupcakes on the glass cake stand have been made in England by hand from clay by former chef turned miniature artisan, Frances Knight. Her work is incredibly detailed and realistic, and she says that she draws her inspiration from her years as a chef and her imagination. The pink blancmange rabbit on the bottom shelf of the display cabinet in the front of the right-hand side of the case was made by Polly’s Pantry Miniatures in America. All the other cakes came from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop in the United Kingdom. The glass and metal cake stands and the glass cloche came from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The glass cake stands are hand blown artisan pieces. The shiny brass cash register also comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures.
The J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. tariff is a copy of a 1920s example that I made myself by reducing it in size and printing it.
Edith’s handbag handmade from soft leather is part of a larger collection of hats and bags that I bought from an American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel.
The black umbrella came from an online stockist of 1:12 miniatures on E-Bay.
The wood and glass display cabinet I obtained from a seller of 1:12 miniatures on E-Bay.
The storage shelves in the background behind the counter come from Babette’s Miniatures, who have been making miniature dolls’ furnishings since the late Eighteenth Century. The plates, milk jug, silver teapots, coffee pots and trays on it all come from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Miniatures.
The aspidistra in the white planter and the wooden plant stand itself also come from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House shop, as does the 1920s Lyons’ Tea sign you can see on the wall.
The Art Deco pattern on the wall behind the counter I created myself after looking at many photos of different Lyons Corner House interiors photos. Whilst not an exact match for what was there in real life, it is within the spirit of the detailing found in the different restaurants.