the past is new, again

Arriving at bookstores this month! The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book - written by Arthur G. Sharp, historic illustrations by Steven Wynn

2011-09-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

TR's sons and photographer bury family dog in the sand, 1904

I had a lot of fun illustrating The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book for Adams Media, a division of F+W Media. The book is a great overview of the life, politics, and exploits of the United States 26th President, written by Arthur G. Sharp.

In addition to historic photos and illustrations I researched and found on my own, I worked with the Library of Congress and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library at Harvard to source images for the book. Out of a collection of over 70 great images, about 25 were included in the final edition that went to print.

Those that were selected are important, iconic images from the life of the President. Some of my favorites, however, are from the lesser known, private moments of the Roosevelt family, away from the White House. These did not make into the book, but I'll share a few with you now. As for those that are in the book? Guess you'll just have to pick up a copy, available at Amazon.com, many local bookstores, or download to Kindle for only $9.99!

TR as a teen, 1875 TR's son with pet badger, 1905 TR's one-legged pet rooster

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Assyrians moving the human-headed bull, Koyunjik

Carrying champagne grapes

Ever feel like just another cog in the wheel? Nose to the grindstone, slaving away at thankless tasks? This post is dedicated to you!

On this Labor Day weekend, it's worth remembering that really, we don't have it so bad. In fact, it wasn't until 1940 that the two-day weekend began nationwide. During the French Revolution, workers only received one day out of ten as a day of rest. And that doesn't even touch the plight of History's slaves, bonded laborers and indentured servants.

Vigneron, 16th Century

So enjoy an extra day of rest and relaxation this Labor Day, and celebrate your hard work. And remember the words of Oscar Wilde: "The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one."

Welcome to "The Past Is New, Again"

2011-08-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

OME people claim to love history, and I'm one of them. But very few have turned this passion into an archaeological mission to preserve history in pictures - I have. To be successful, I've had to summon my inner Indiana Jones, and bookworm, and artist, as I plunder bookstores, prospect libraries, haggle with antiques dealers, and even sift through dust-laden, forgotten collections at estate sales - all with the goal of finding those rare gems that tell our stories through pictures.

Before there was the Internet, and before modern print presses, and before photography and other means of easy reproduction, how did societies record and share images that depicted their lives? "A picture is worth a thousand words" was as true to our ancestors as it is today. And they were very inventive, our ancestors. Etchings, engravings, and woodcuts, often colored by hand, enabled illustrations to be copied into books and other printings. These were the dominant means of image reproduction for a thousand years, up until the late 19th century.

How soon we forget. And that is precisely my concern - the books from our history are fading, decaying, and disappearing. There are projects to preserve the text in old books, but little being done to preserve their illustrations. This is because text is just data - once recorded, the content is preserved, and the "look" of it doesn't really matter. But to preserve the illustrations requires time and skill and a "snapshot" simply isn't adequate, and unfortunately skillful preservation is not easily mass-produced.

So I do what I can, and enjoy my discoveries along the way. They can get kind of lost in my iStockphoto collection, so my goal here is to single out one at a time to share the history it tells, how I found it, and how it's being used again today. There are some real jewels in my collection, and they do bring the past into the present, making them feel new once again. Enjoy!