“Harlem summer day” – photographer Leonard Freed captures the meaning of life

Vintage Soviet propaganda, advertising, and art posters from 1917-1991

Gorgeous 1776 map of Brooklyn and Wallabout Bay.

Mathematics Impressions – gorgeous vintage abstract illustrations by Soviet mathematician Anatolii Fomenko at the intersection of science, art, and whimsy. 

London, reflected in puddles – beautiful work by photographer Gavin Hammond

I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail – 17th-century British “trick” poetry meets Indian folk art in this magnificent die-cut masterpiece, two years in the making.

“Hydrogen is an odorless colorless gas which, given enough time, turns into people.” 

Designer Schuhle Lewis says:

A good poster for: Physicists and Scientists

A bad poster for: Creationists

Based on a quote by Edward R Harrison, found here.

(↬ It’s Okay To Be Smart)

Maurice Sendak’s unreleased drawings

If you’re lucky. And how to get lucky.

Just when you think you’ve seen more than a lifetime’s share of Titanic ephemera, this striking Titanic infographics from 1912, part of a special issue of The Graphic, published on April 27, 1912.

Harry Clarke's hauntingly beautiful 1919 Illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination

With advance apologies for linking to The Daily Mail… but these newly released never-before-seen photos of New York City from 100 years ago are an absolute treat.

Brilliantly simple yet illuminating lunar calendar for 2012 by Michæl Paukner, master of exquisite esoteric visualizations. Grab it here.

(↬ It’s Okay To Be Smart)

Saul Bass title sequence for Walk on the Wild Side (1962). In Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design, Steven Spielberg recalls the profound impression the sequence made on him:

I attempted to mimic Mr. Bass, using an 8mm camera and my dog on a leash walking along the narrow retaining wall outside my home in Scottsdale, Arizona. In trying to make my own movie…I made a foul error. I used a dog because we didn’t have a cat.  And as everyone knows, dogs are somewhat less sure-footed than felines. 

My cocker spaniel, Thunder, kept falling off the wall just as he got to the writer credit, did a tremendous pratfall on the producer credit, his legs went out from under him, and I got out of the titles business for good.

Also see 25 iconic Saul Bass title sequences in 100 seconds.

(↬ Old Hollywood)

12 years ago today, the world lost Edward Gorey – remember him with his superb, irreverent black-and-white vintage illustrations.