Poets & Etchers

The following was written for us by Stephen Fredericks:

Unprecedented and remarkably unique collaborations between American artists and progressive independent publishers during the last quarter of the 19th century—which featured original art work—were the forerunners of magazines like Egmont Ahren’s early 20th century Playboy. The first of these artist driven ventures to achieve widespread commercial success was Poets and Etchers.

The first edition of Poets and Etchers, copyrighted in 1881, was released in early 1882. The publication, which incorporated original etchings created by members of the New York Etching Club, was an instant success and almost immediately went into a second printing, followed by a third and possibly fourth edition. However, the genesis of this sensational project—organized by America’s first artists etchers lay in inspiration from many years earlier.

In 1866 a young American artist named Henry Farrer saw an exhibition in New York City of etchings by largely contemporary European artists. The show was produced by a Frenchman named Cadart under the auspices of the French Etching Club. The exhibition and a second mounted in 1868 were both presented in a gallery at 625 Broadway. Farrer was so inspired that he built his own etching press to begin printing his first etched plates.

Following the 1868 exhibition Cadart collaborated with publishing professionals Verlaine, Paul, and Lemerre in Paris and helped produce Sonnets Et Eaux-Fortes (Poems and Etchings) in 1869. Printed in an exceptionally deluxe edition of 350 copies this remarkable and popular project featured etchings by Corot, Daubigny, Manet, Gerome and Dore, among many others. 

Henry Farrer, Twilight—5" x 7"

No doubt Henry Farrer soon knew of this publication and, in my estimate, eventually had a chance to study one; for, about a decade after its release, Farrer succeeded in enlisting the participation of four other early members of the New York Etching Club in a similar project published by Osgood & Co., of Boston, Massachusetts, not-coincidentally titled Poets and Etchers.

One of Farrer’s collaborators in the publication was fellow artist-etcher James D. Smillie. Smillie, whose diaries have been preserved by The Archives of American Art, kept detailed records of many of his artistic endeavors. On November 3, 1880, Smillie noted that,“Farrer, Bellows & Colman called—much interested in etchings & proving paper.” Each of these artists and a fourth, Robert Swain Gifford, were the eventual artist-illustrators of Poets and Etchers. On November 13 Smillie recorded that "Farrer brought his four etchings for the Osgood book," and on November 29 he further noted: "then to 51 W. 10'S"—with Farrer’s 'Poets & Etcher's' Jap. P.fs for his autograph.” Henry Farrer must have had Smillie, who had his own etching press, proof the above-referenced plates.

James D. Smillie, Nocturn—8" x 6"

Between Henry Farrer and his colleagues James D. Smillie, A. F. Bellows, Samuel Colman, and R. Swain Gifford they produced twenty original etchings to accompany poetry by such distinguished poets as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. A later diary entry by Smillie suggested a high level of satisfaction with the success and quality of this exquisitely executed and seminal "artist’s book" project. This collaborative effort between publisher, artist and poet in the publication of Poets and Etchers marks the first such successful commercial event of this type—incorporating copies of original prints—in American history.

By today’s standards, some of the original prints in Poets and Etchers may appear a bit primitive to some, but in their day they were state-of-the-art artist etchings. Similarly, the subject material in a number of these Victorian era etchings, created to accompany period prose, may seem understandably remote, but they were all the rage 130 years ago. Had these artists not initiated this publication—and several similar projects that would soon follow—the shape of artist printmaking, fine art publishing for a mass market, and the greater art world at the turn of the 20th century would have been quite different. Today, intact copies of Poets and Etchers, while not commonly available, may be found on line at auction for as little as $60—a remarkably good buy and investment. 

A. F. Bellows, Telling the Bee—7 1/4" x 5 1/4"

Samuel Colman, The Belfry at Bruges—4 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Robert Swain Gifford, Palestine—5 7/8" x 3 3/4"

Chomping at the bit of CP Vol 2

Today is a proofing day, and I thought I'd share the bones of the process. Some of you may not realize how far ahead a quarterly publication has to be thinking. At Carrier Pigeon we add additional challenges to an already daunting task by featuring fully illustrated short works of fiction, which means giving the illustrators time to do their jobs. While the illustrators are toiling away at their drawing boards to come up with five to 10 complementary images for each assigned work, we're busily formatting and copy-editing, going back and forth with the authors to reach approved versions that are clean while maintaining the authors' voices.

Once the designer has laid out the magazine with the approved text and we're able to see a hard copy it's time to address issues of consistency across the magazine. This really can't happen on a screen. In addition to being lucky enough to have had illustrations commissioned for several issues, I act as the gatekeeper where these things are concerned. I hold the proof copy in my hands, scribble notes, twist my fists, go through rounds of changes with the issue designer, and then sleep in the knowledge that everyone's hard work will pay off and no one will have to bear the public embarrassment of having written "waist" instead of "waste." Even the tiniest issues with consistency among the punctuation of six pieces of fiction per issue by six writers—plus six artist statements and artwork descriptions—can have an effect on the reading experience, which is as important as the viewing experience. In order for the magazine's audience to be immersed, or even, hopefully, once in a while, transported, the whole thing has to be seamless, and the collaborators have to trust that each will do their parts.

Enjoy this tiny sneak peek of our Spring 2012 issue—in process but with no mistakes highlighted, obviously—and don't forget to join us on February 23 for our Vol. 2 issue 1 release exhibition party at Grit N Glory boutique.

Reference notes to back up marks generously applied to the magazine body

Sloth by Matthew Blair, illustrated by Kristy Caldwell (me)

No proofing required. Thanks to the awesome guys at Cannonball Press.

AVANT GARDE Magazine

During the 20^th Century there were a number of publications that combined art, literature, and occasionally commentary contemporary to their times – but, it is hard to imagine one more influential or memorable than the short-lived AVANT GARDE lead by its notorious editor and activist Ralph Ginzburg.

AVANT GARDE was published from just late 1968 until the summer of 1971. Publication was ceased largely because Ginzburg went to prison for an obscenity conviction related to his EROS magazine. There were only fourteen issues of AVANT GARDE. The best remembered among them were those including texts by Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller and Peter Schjeldahl; and the issues incorporating John Lennon’s erotic lithographs, Picasso’s erotic gravures, and Bert Stern’s day-glo serigraphs of Marilyn Monroe.

Bert Stern’s then experimental prints of Monroe were based on his now iconic photographic study of her shot at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles in June 1962. Monroe was dead a couple of years later never having posed again for such an essay. Stern remained “preoccupied” with her though and created the stunning serigraphs authentically reproduced in AVANT GARDE some five years after Monroe’s death.

The twelve-page spread of Stern’s prints appeared in Issue 2, March 1969. The feature was entitled “The Marilyn Monroe Trip”, and brilliantly laid out on the magazine’s 11”x11” pages. Both the cover of the magazine and the serigraph reproductions were printed in a process known as ‘sheet fed gravure’ which was exceptionally well-suited for duplicating the multi-screen original serigraphs.

Announced in this issue was the magazine’s “NO MORE WAR” poster contest the results of which were published in Issue 5. Among the judges of the contest entries were photographers Richard Avedon and Edward Steichen, printmaker Leonard Baskin, sculpture Alexander Calder, and artists Milton Glaser, Robert Motherwell and Larry Rivers.

Also included in the March 1969 issue was the very cool fiction piece “The Visitor”, by Roald Dahl which first appeared in a condensed form in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Magazine in 1965. Dahl’s short story was illustrated with drawings by Etienne Delessert whose distinctive, sometimes edgy and always clever graphic art ranks among the best of his day.

Issues of AVANT GARDE, fortunately, are not particularly rare today and can be found in used book stores and on-line, often, in the $10-$20 range for copies in fairly good condition. A value, I believe, not to be overlooked at these prices for the remarkable quality and enjoyment this cultural arts oriented publication will bring over and over again.

--Stephen A. Fredericks

Let Carrier Pigeon be the fly on your digital wall.

Remember the first time you saw all ten editions of Carrier Pigeon issue no. 2's hand-silkscreened covers glistening in front of you? Remember the turmoil in your gut as you carefully chose a favorite, counting out your milk money in a cold sweat?

As a show of thanks to all of our friends, supporters and contributors, Carrier Pigeon would like to offer up a series of desktop wallpapers created from these covers. Each image has been carefully augmented to look terrific within the screen ratios and sizes available to our digitally-yoked generation of laptop swindlers. This means if you download two sizes of the same cover, there may be surprising and delightful differences. The images below are thumbnails of the 1024 x 768 version of each wallpaper.

The dimensions listed below are in pixels. Click the dimensions that best fit your computer screen to view/download the corresponding desktop wallpaper image.

Click the artists' names for life stories, past histories and current mugshots. And if you like what you see, consider picking up an issue of Carrier Pigeon from our website or any of the stores that carry us. Issue no. 3 will arrive in late Spring.

Bruce Waldman:
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Christopher Darling:
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Denise Kasof:
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Justin Sanz:
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Kristy Caldwell:
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Matt Barteluce:
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Ray Jones:
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Rie Hasegawa:
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Russ Spitkovsky:
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Stephen Fredericks:
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Bruce Waldman (back cover):

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What is the equation for an interactive experience that sends you flying?

This screen grab from wired.com.

I was reading this article about an iphone game whose sole draw is that once the character dies, he is dead forever. Not even just for the game, but for the life of the application. The argument in favor of this kind of experience is that contemporary video games have become too easy and that having more at stake will induce real-life emotion in the player and so be more rewarding.

It's a compelling argument. The primary idea behind video gaming is catharsis, a purging of your troubles through a heightened emotional experience, like fear. Video games also provide sublimation by diverting pent-up emotions into an activity with no real repercussions (i.e. punching a robot in the face onscreen because you can't afford to raise your voice to your boss at work). 

On the other hand, one could argue that, especially in a time of such widespread economic uncertainty, the safety and "slap on the wrist" mentality of other video games provides exactly what people really want: a fantasy world in which no decision induces actual, stomach-curdling panic. At a time when a master's degree barely earns its recipient a place in line at the temping office, and mid-level expectations like yearly raises and vacation time—not to mention eventual retirement—are no sure thing for most of us, who needs contrived fear?

What do you think? Should entertainment involve your emotions or separate you from them?

History Lesson. Today's Subject? Playboy.

Louis Bouche: wood cut

As early as the 1880s American artist-driven publications merging fine art and literary content—most often poetry and etchings—began to appear, published by independent and established presses. Without exception these entrepreneurial ventures were defined by their original art content and popular writers. A successful market quickly developed which carried into the early 20^th century and continues to this day.

Playboy—A Portfolio of Art and Satire, first published in 1919, was one such product. The magazine, originally intended as a quarterly, was edited and published by Egmont Arens. He printed the magazine himself at The Flying Point Press, 39 West 8^th Street in New York City.

 

Vollaton woodcut La Paresse

Today, the remarkable “first Playboy” has all but been lost to time, save for the collectors of art and literature magazine publishing ephemera. Limited to only nine issues over the course of about four years, Playboy was a socially progressive and nearly radical publication in its day, known for including jabbing parody of the rich during the “roaring” 1920s. Associated with the magazine were artists of stature in their day and of renown today, including Georgia O’keefe, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, John Marin, Rockwell Kent, Hunt Diedrich and William Gropper. Among this group more than one was identified with sensitive political and social views of the day, and even homosexuality. Hunt Diedrich may best be best known, albeit anonymously to most New Yorkers today, for his public sculptures, which include the original art deco weather vanes atop the buildings in the Central Park Zoo and other public buildings.

Russian Woodcut: A Russian Workman

Issue no. 9 of the magazine, Arens’ last entry in the series, featured several original prints including a linocut by Louis Bouché, an engraving by Rockwell Kent, and an exceptional woodcut by an unidentified Russian artist: given the political climate of the day, it is likely the Russian artist was intentionally un-named. There were also contributions by activist publisher Hugo Gellert, artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Joseph Stella. By this time the magazine’s advisory board included Carl Zigrosser, who would become one of the most famous fine-art print dealers in New York City history.

Issue 9 Cover: Ilonka Karasz

I

A copy of Issue no. 9 of Playboy—A Portfolio of Art and Satire on the open market will fetch $1,500 or more today. Any opportunity to peruse a copy of any of its issues should be taken. Given the similarity between the earlier editions and those published by Hugh Hefner some thirty years later it is clear Hefner held Aren’s effort in high regard.

Other pieces referenced in this post:

Illustrated Georgia O'Keefe article by Paul Strand

Hunt Diedrich: muse and sketches

This blog post is brought to you by Stephen A. Fredericks, CP contributor and PR master!

Art and Technology. I'm torn. Kinda.

There is something I like about being in museums. The smell. The anonymity.

Most of all, I love being able to lose myself in certain paintings and artifacts. Sometimes, I get lost in the bubble on a thick-painted canvas or a certain thread sticking out of robe worn only by a 15th century nobelman. Nothing spiritual, more meditative.

Being able to clear your head has since, for me anyway, become more of an art that I didn't have time to master. It is very rare that I am not involuntarily multi-tasking or trying to keep up with my mind going every which way. So being in a museum, unable to watch TV, chat on my cell phone or concentrate other than what's in front of me was priceless but unfortunately an infrequent oppotrunity.

Image from MoMA.or

Bringing the iPad to the museum (although able to read every didactic with out having to stand on your tippy toes is great) would take away from only thinking about the materials and images in front of me. It seems awesome--being able to read even more about a piece of work or see what other people have to say about it (which, is nice because I like going to museums by myself but like to talk about things sometimes)--but I wouldn't be surprised if most people spent more time playing with the device and looking at the screen more than the 150 AD sculpture of a naked Italian dude in front of them.

OK, I'd probably turn the iPad off...after I Google what zodiac sign that animal represents.

Or maybe I wouldn't have ended up going at all and just spent the afternoon zooming in on a Monet on my couch with the dog.

Learn about MoMa iPad (and Android!) apps here:http://hyperallergic.com/22246/moma-catalog-ipad-app/ and here: http://www.moma.org/explore/mobile/abexnyapp (Deep Focus, the agency that pays my bills created this one).