The Suitcase Lady

Psychedelic

September 20, 2016, 10:38 pm

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In very small towns, the Post Office is the heart. Our Post Office is a particularly joyful place at the moment as our postmaster has become a father for the first time. I have not had the pleasure of meeting his young lady in person yet, but I have seen many pictures of her and can report that she is a beautiful baby. When it comes to aesthetics, I rank baby kittens above baby people, so you can conclude that this tiny girl is a knockout.

In addition to being a new father, our postmaster is a gifted artist who does incredibly detailed cut paper pictures reminiscent of the black and white silhouette art from the Victorian era. As I was mailing books last week and getting updated on the baby, he asked me if I had heard of the English artist Louis Wain. I had not, so he brought up one of Louis Wain’s many illustrations for Victorian era childrens’ books.

Mr. Wain is known for drawing cats doing human activities in all his early art. But sadly, insanity ran in his family, and he ended up in an insane asylum diagnosed with schizophrenia. Blessedly, he was allowed to have some cats and to continue to draw. The change in his art is astounding. One art critic described the later art as kaleidoscopic and mesmerizing.

Here are three examples of his art and a link to a fascinating short article about the man.

The government better not mess with my post office……it’s one of the best places in town.

 

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