The image above is Ormond Gigli’s iconic photograph Girls in the Windows, which was shot in a condemned building the day before it was to be razed in 1960. According to Gigli, he had to work quickly to secure the proper permits and convince the demolition supervisor to allow him access. Granted, it probably helped that he used the supervisor’s wife as one of his models (third floor, third from left).
Via: Cube Me
Ernest Hemingway spent most of the 20s in Paris—eating, drinking and gathering with the community of American expats who called the city home. When he recalls the experience in his memoir A Moveable Feast, you get a sense that even after having left the picnic, it never quite left him:
If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.
Via: BKK Books
I was happy to stumble upon this collection of vintage picnic photos spanning nearly 100 years. From the turn of the century through the 50s, 60s and 70s, it’s fun to see how the fashions have changed—and look at that plaid basket!
Via: Style Sight
This is the picNYC Table, an experiment in urban farming that combines an aluminum frame with a tabletop of grass, soil and moisture-draining stones. Remember, it’s a living thing capable of growing flora, herbs and veggies—irresponsible gardeners need not apply.
Via: Architizer
This picnic table is like a beacon of light, drawing me towards champagne and chocolate cake.
Via: Island Menu
If you prefer your meals with a side of adventure, consider National Geographic’s list of the world’s best picnic spots. They range from Rome’s romantic Villa Borghese gardens to a perch overlooking majestic Machu Picchu in Peru, and all have one quality in common: breathtaking views.
Via: National Geographic
Start with some botanicals, anise and fennel; add herbs and wormwood; distill, then dilute. Hemingway preferred it topped with champagne. Van Gogh used it as the subject in many of his paintings. What is it about this elixir that so inspired artists? Absinthe is a curious mixture indeed.
Via: Lost Type
Here’s a creative way to repurpose old kitchen appliances—a desk lamp built from a mixing bowl.
Via: Matt Johnson Designs
Members of the Seattle Tubing Society holding one of their group mixers, circa 1953.
Via: Black & WTF
Who says trash isn’t art? Certainly not artist Terry Rosen. She has taken to creating collages out of the most mundane materials – gum wrappers, ticket stubs, receipts and more – to create satirical depictions of American consumption.
Via: Terry Rosen
