a beautiful gift arrived in my mailbox this week.
it traveled all the way from aylesbury uk, over a wide ocean, sailed across north america, and came at last to rest on my california front porch.
sometime in the last 50-100 years someone faithfully stitched this cold press watercolor paper in between the homemade fabric covers. there are no dates, but i arrived at that time frame based on a few things. the clothes of the few characters, the horse-drawn cart, the quality and condition of the binding, paint, and paper.
i could probably take apart the covers and have a look underneath the fabric for more clues, but i won’t.
the locations are written on each page – most are scenes from austria & italy. mountains, valleys, villages, lakes.
sensitively rendered in a soft palette of pastel colors.
every night i’ve been laying in bed and studying the pages. time traveling through the pages. pure enchantment.
i wish i knew more about fabric. it might help me in pinpointing a possible date of when the book was made.
who painted them? when? did the painter make the sketchbook? were they alone? mysteries never to be solved.
the paint is delicate. a combination, it seems to me, of watercolor & gouache.
a good reader of DFLA tipped me off about this etsy find. i can’t think you enough karen for your keen eye. you were right in thinking i’d be interested in purchasing it.
happy friday. it’s a rainy night in california. our reservoirs are filling with water. our gardens are swallowing every raindrop. and i am headed to bed with my new old sketchbook, to look through the pages and imagine someone’s long ago painting voyage across europe. it is a gift to myself that will be treasured for a long time to come. sleep tight.
How did I miss this? Incredible – I’m smitten! What a beautiful saga – I hope you can collect more of her works, it would be heartwarming to know they can continue their journey together with you.
You ever get the fabric on this book dated??! I have a friend that is into antique and vintage textiles and as a quilt appraiser she had to learn that kind of thing so she could date quilts.
Oh nice find….thanks for sharing it!!
Other work on the etsy site belongs to a Harriet Hunter. Could this be the artist. The etsy owner seems t o have many watercolor paintings and says her ms. Hunter had sketchbooks. I cant tell if the style is the same. Wonderful sketchbook!
genie you’re a genius! i think it’s the same artist. dear harriet hunter and her lovely sketchbook. a priceless treasure.
What a wonderful book. The cover pattern looks similar to a pattern of flower on a Swedish Pie cabinet I own. The date listed inside is 1809. The note is in Swedish so I don’t know what it says. Good luck. Enjoy
Mary Ann you might get in contact with Kaari Meng from the French General in Los Angeles about the fabric………she is so into old fabrics, plus she is close to you in southern California!
that is pure bliss!
Lovely! Out of curiosity, I googled ‘vintage French floral fabric’ and found lots of fabrics with a similar feel, though not this exact one. It will be fun to research the possibilities.
I’m so happy this treasure has landed in the proper hands. Isn’t it nice to know that in a fast paced, ever changing world that some things stay the same? The desire to create.
What a great find and gone to a perfect new owner. keep us posted on any info you find!
What a beautiful sketchbook Mary Ann. I can’t think of a better home for it than Moss Cottage where it will be well loved, cherished and appreciated. I think it must have been meant for you to have. I can almost imagine the artist, painting and wondering who in another lifetime might see the pages and wonder about them or maybe thinking no one would ever see them…oh it’s a delightful thing to wonder and ponder about. I’m happy it’s found refuge in your hands.
It was meant to be yours ! Wouldn’t it be fun to follow in the footsteps of the artist’s travels and try to find where each scene was painted, then you paint it again in your own handmade sketchbook?
Such a history you hold in your hands!! You could have such fun writing a tale that follows the artist on their travels. It could not have a better home. You were meant to have it!
I am so very glad that this journal landed in your life. It’s found its home.
What a fabulous treasure! Please keep us posted on anything you learn about fabric and painter.
Lucky you!!!
This book could not have found a better home! It’s beautiful!
Lovely.
What a beautiful find! Just a thought, quilter’s are very interested in fabric dating. I wonder if Kari Meng at French General could help you or get you with an expert. She is a big collector of antique fabrics, has her own fabric line AND she located in your part of the country! Best you Mary Ann!
Wow, what an exquisite treasure. How lucky to have such a good friend to lead you to it.
Holy. Cow! That is even more exquisite than I thought Mary Ann! What a treasure to have. I am soooo pleased that you own it! I hope you are able to solve some of the mysteries behind it.
thanks for directing me to it karen, i couldn’t be more happy with it. worth every bit of the 45$ price
Wow… that’s amazing… congrats! I used to live in Aylesbury!!
Hi MAM,
What a treasure!
Purple/mauve dye was not in commercial use before about 1860.. and it looks like there is some mauve colour there. Definitely looks like English fabric but perhaps French. I have seen similar fabric in both colour and design in a number of antique English quilts dated from 1860 to 1890. There have been many similar reproduction fabric produced over the years. There was ‘Jane Austin’ reproduction (from a UK manufacturer) range that came out back in the late 1990’s that I think had similar fabrics. There maybe a few quilters out there that might further be able to help pin down the era of this fabric design.
wow super interesting! i was hoping for exactly this kind of info. THANKS deb 🙂
What a great score! So happy this sketchbook found its way to you, you who will appreciate the treasure it is.
oh, that is a treasure…
Gorgeous book! Might I inquire as to which Etsy vendor sold you this delightful treasure?
certainly! her name is jo and this is the link to her shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/nancyplage