I am working with lights, a friend’s instructions, flashes, oh my God there is so much to think about… :-) Here are four comb pictures from my collection. The first is a Chinese ivory export comb for the Victorian market, c. 1890. The second is a Chinese hair stick with a blonde shell bird on top. Last is a Japanese Meiji ivory set in perfect condition, which depicts flowers blowing in the wind. Enjoy!
A sea captain brought this home from China for his wife. She never wore it but told her daughter about it, and kept it in a cedar chest her whole life. Her daughter, now 71, was selling it because she was about to move in with her own daughter. I bought it for $178.50 You…
Many women practice their art secretly. Emily Dickinson had fewer than 12 poems published in her lifetime until her sister Lavinia discovered 1800 of them in a locked chest after she died. Jane Austen was first published anonymously. Collecting is also an art. To do it well, you must have an encyclopedic knowledge of the…
I am changing the text on this 18th-Century Edo comb about hemp because of an excellent, edifying comment by msctaiyang, a serious collector of Japanese hair combs. She said, “Regarding the hemp – it has been a medicinal herb in Chinese and Japanese medicine for centuries and to this day the treated seeds are used…
In an “Around the World in 80 Comb” exhibition, author Jen Cruse shares her collection with the Creative Museum. Her presentation enunciates the stunning diversity of comb design across the world and across time. My favorite is this Chinese ivory comb, which depicts Shou Xing, the Chinese God of Longevity. He is part of the…
It’s on sale on E-bay for $2500. In the Victorian Era, coral jewelry was said to promote good health. Seeing this and not being able to buy it promotes agony, so I’m not sure the Victorian theory has transposed well into the 21st Century. ;-) Branch coral on tortoiseshell, c. 1890. It’s a knockout.
The kanzashi’s original purpose was a charm against evil spirits. The tradition began as early as 1000 BC to 300 AD, in Japan’s Jomon Era. Decorating them with flowers invited deities. The art captured the Japanese cultural imagination in the Edo era (1603 – 1867), when criminal activity increased. This initiated laws that prohibited people…
Just beautiful! I’ll send you my combs to photograph – I do need help….
Srsly, send them on. I’ll be happy to help. But I am really really learning. The photographer for the Creative Museum is bringing comb photography to new levels. I am in awe.