(Updated)
I’m disappointed the scan of this doesn’t really show you what it is: an ink-and-grease-stained hankerchief, ripped into the shape of a rough square. This is based off a postcard from the statute of Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama, and the wording on the side reflects the history of the statute: the world’s largest cast iron statute, commissioned in 1904 for the World’s Fair in St. Louis, sculpted by Giuseppe Moretti.
Growing up there wasn’t much to Vulcan Park, but now it has been wonderfully renovated and is absolutely soaked in art deco and honoring the mining and industrial history of Birmingham. It is also an ideal make-out spot, as you can see out over the whole city.
I’ve got two more squares of the ink-stained hankerchief (I used one as a test piece to see how the brush would react with the somewhat-coarse cotton). It was great being able to fold up something I’d drawn and put it in my pocket—I tossed it on the table last night at the Edison-Walthall to show Jaxxie, Jaysus, and the Diplomat. I’m going to keep looking for different materials that can take the stamp-pad ink of the block letters.
Update: I rescanned the image (sober), so it’s straighter and a bit more detailed. To show the texture of the fabric, here’s two close-ups:
V. cool! I saw ol’ Vulcan for the first time in April—that’s a beautiful park. I’m digging the mixing up of media that you’re exploring, too.
I heart Vulcan. Did you know that even though he was commissioned for the 1904 World’s Fair (my favorite World’s Fair!), Alabama was the only state that didn’t fund their submission with state funds? Vulcan was created with private monies. Go Vulcan! Rah, rah!
My favorite thing about the Vulcan is the constant full moon that it provides the city of Homewood.
When they renovated Vulcan park and restored Vulcan to the top of the mountain, they also turned him a little to the right. Now he’s mooning Valley Ave instead of Downtown Homewood.
ps. my great grandfather actually saw Vulcan at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. As did my father’s godmother Mayme. I’ve always held a fascination for the Fair, cutting classes in college many times to visit the History Museum in St. Louis’s Forest Park and just Forest Park in general. There are still several buildings and structures left from the Fair, the Art Museum, the Jewel Box, the Muny. In turn, when I moved here to Birmingham, I was happy to find a bit of that history here.