Matthew Reinhart's Blog, page 30

Word of the Day: Consanguineous

Consanguineous \kon-san(g)-GWIN-ee-us\ adjective

1. Of the same blood; related by birth; descended from the same parent or ancestor.

Origin: Consanguineous is from Latin consanguineus, from com-, con- "with, together" + sanguineus, from sanuis, sanguin-, "blood." The noun form is consanguinity, "relationship by blood, or close relation or connection".

Vintage Movable Review: Deering Mowers Movable

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Another simple wheel mechanism on display today comes from a fun advertisement for Deering brand mowers and binders. William Deering boasts of inventing "the most complete and perfect line of harvest machinery in the world." The six-inch square promotional shows a genteel competitor offering to sell a front-geared binder to a farmer who curtly replies "No Siree, The Deering All-Steel Binder is the best. You may skedaddle." Then with a flick of the wheel the salesman is booted in the keister before the family dog chases him off the property. Looks like Deering wasn't pulling any punches (or kicks) when it came to promoting his new machines. The card is credited to the color chromolithography firm of Sackett, Wilhelm & Bertzig of New York and I date the card to about 1888, based on other newspaper advertisements. Now, I too must skedaddle.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Obfuscate

Obfuscate \OB-fuh-skeyt, ob-FUHS-keyt\ verb

1. To confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2.  To make obscure or unclear
3.  To darken

Origin:  Late Latin obfuscātus (past participle of obfuscāre to darken), equivalent to Latin ob- + fusc (dark) + -ātus (-ate)

History Lesson: King Tutankhamen's coffin is found

On February 16th, 1923 archaeologist Howard Carter entered the sealed burial chamber of King Tutankhamen.  Carter and his team entered the interior chambers of the tomb on November 26, 1922 and found that the treasures and artifacts had remained untouched for more than 3,000 years!  But it wasn't until February 16th that he and Lord Carnarvon laid eyes on King Tutankhamen's coffin.

Word of the Day: Weal

Weal \WEEL\ noun
1.  Well-being, prosperity, or happiness.
2.  A raised mark on the surface of the body produced by a blow.
3.  (Obsolete) the state or body politic

Origin:
Weal shares the Old English root wela with welfare and a host of other English words.  The ultimate source in Proto-Indo-European is wel-, which is also the ancestor of words related to will.

 

Artist Watch: Rob Ryan

Rob Ryan does some really amazing paper cut artwork.  Some with a laser and others are hand cut.  His pieces are very inspiring since we work with paper, x-acto blades, and glue here in the studio.  Check out more of his incredible work here: http://www.misterrob.co.uk/

Word of the Day: Saccade

Saccade \sa-KAHD\ noun

1.  The movement of the eye when it makes a sudden change, as in reading.
2.  The act of checking a horse quickly with a single strong pull of the reins.

Origin:  Saccade originally refers to horsemanship and begins as the Middle French saquer "to pull violently."

What's Popped Up: Brooke's Broken Heart

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Happy Valentine's Day! One of my favorite fine artists that work with pop-ups is Colette Fu. She is known for her large scale pop-ups that deal with various themes like Chinese ethnic groups, food and consumerism and haunted locations. In fact, she currently has an exhibition of her recent series "Haunted Philly" at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia until March 18th.

Last year, Colette travelled to California to collaborate with Duck Studios to create a series of charming pop-up inspired commercials for the Children's Medical Center in Texas. On February 5th the International Animated Film Society held the 38th Annual Annie Awards for excellence in animation. It was announced that "Brooke's Broken Heart" won for best animated TV commercial. Enjoy this heartwarming video today.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Verisimilitude

Verisimilitude \ver-uh-suh-MIL-uh-tood\ noun

1. The appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true.
2. Something that has the appearance of being true of real.

Origin: Verisimilitude comes from Latin verisimilitudo, from verisimilis, from verus "true" + similis "like, resembling, similar." The adjective form is verisimilar.

Vintage Movable Review: Valentine Chalkboard Girl

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I am a sucker for Valentine's Day. The declarations of love, the flowers, the candy, the cards. There are many fine examples of pop-up and movable Valentine cards and love tokens. One of my favorite examples is a design I received a few years ago that was created at the turn of the century in Germany. A child stands facing a chalkboard and with the turn of the wheel they scrawl a message across the board. As the viewer continues to turn the wheel along the edge of the card the child erases the words and then starts again. A charmingly simple mechanism sharing a modest message – I love it.

~Kyle