Feb. 8 FREEBIE:) Art Deco LOVERS!

This week's free download is a tribute to the Art Deco decades of the 1920s and '30s. I am by no means a historian, but simply from what I see in the design, style and fashion of postcards, it is obvious that World War I changed our planet drastically. One can tell that humans were touched deep down at a psyche level for so much change to occur so rapidly within a span of less than 20 years.
The Roaring '20s Flapper epitomizes this new found lust for life, a life of freedom. But it isn't just a licentious "Let us eat, drink and be merry" attitude. I think for the average person, it really is a wake-up call to appreciate authenticity. Those centuries of 'stuffy' Victorian and Edwardian protocol with all those societal and class restrictions are replaced with a more free-spirited, relaxed "real" person. For women, that means shorter hair and no corsets! Colors in postcards after WWI are not only brighter, there's a lot of bold mixing, too. You might need your sunglasses for viewing these!
Collages are a cacophony of color!
And along with the color, there is homage paid to geometric design! And if it isn't multiple colors, then the style swings to the other extreme: monochromatic. But even then, those black & white photos and sepia-toned pictures give way to a rainbow of colors: blue, pink, yellow, turquoise and purple, too!
All these vibrant colors got you jazzed up about Art Deco?
Another style very characteristic of the Art Deco decades is a real photo set against a black background with a gold design overlay. And once again, that design often has dominate geometric shapes. Side note: See that hint of shiny silver/gray, almost like the glare of camera's flash bouncing back at ya, along the inside edges of these two cards? It is simply a reaction of the photo chemicals with the paper and it's called silvering. It's something that often happens after several decades -- to photos and to humans.
In case you haven't guessed, I love the Art Deco style. It's not as popular as Edwardian and Victorian, but it has its distinctive charm. This little sweetie with her umbrella is one of about 30 Art Deco scans I have available in my Etsy shop.
http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5540667&search_query=art+deco
And I have beaucoup des batches at bon marche prices of original Art Deco postcards for sale in my Ruby Lane store. http://www.rubylane.com/ni/shops/frenchkissed/ilist?ss=art+deco&samedb=1&sb=1
I hope you've enjoyed this blogging blast from the past. Download your freebie and send it to your Valentine!
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