01/29/09: In the Archives
In an attempt to get my new website up and running, I had to do a lot of research at the New York Public Library’s picture collection. Most of you probably don’t know this even exists. It’s not located in the grand building with the lions (the building where my friend Sarah wears a lab coat and reconstructs beauitful old books)—alas the collection is housed in its dirty cousin building, the mid-Manhattan branch across the street. On the third floor of this building is a fantastic treasure trove of images that are filed in folders with titles like “Bathing, Supplies” and “Houses, Modern”. I love the picture library because it appears as if they stopped stocking the images around 1988. I guess the advent of digital media really turned this place into a relic but it doggedly persists with images frozen in a 30-year time capsule.
I’ve checked out a lot of pictures and scanned them. They serve no other purpose other than to remind me that images really can capture a moment in time. I thought for my first blog entry I’d share this one of a fabulous dinner party. I love that the men are in the background (no doubt discussing important “business” things and casually smoking) while the women are exclaiming over a lovely new oven in their evening’s finest. This hasn’t happened yet in my apartment, but it will. Just wait until I make the burger tiara and invite friends over to share. I’ll make sure everyone is wearing their Madmen-esque cocktail clothing. The burger tiara is only the beginning. This blog will not just show vintage imagery, but will show my pictures of the lovely recreations from the recipe bazaar. Keep checking back regularly to see what’s on the menu and how it went down.