Wednesday 6 February 2013

Alice's Wonderland and Bessie Pease Gutmann

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One of the best things about living in the sticks is the ever amazing charity shops. My local Oxfam book shop is especially kind to me and feeds my weakness for antique books and their illustrations. I have recently become the very proud owner of this rare and stunningly beautiful 1907 addition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Rare and collectable because of the charming Artwork by Bessie Pease Gutmann and of course it is starring a Brunette Alice!  
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I have picked out some of my favourite pages and there are a few more on my Flickr
Please feel free to share any of these images and if you do so please share considerately and always link back to me. Thank you! 

This post is also in honour of the fact that I have now started working a few days in the lovely Vintage shop What Alice Found, as seen in Grazia, The Daily Mail and ASOS. 

If any of you have been reading  my newly updated 'About' page you will see that I am also available for Freelance work, if you have a project/ job in mind please feel free to contact me for my full work history. 

What Alice Found is founder of 'Bournemouth Vintage' and is nestled in amongst my new favourite haunt  'The Bournemouth Vintage Quater' which is proving to me every day that UK Vintage really doesn't have to revolve around London!

Vintage shopping and 'Britains Palm Beach', what more could you want. :-)

Hope you are all enjoying your week. 
Kelly-Marie xx






18 comments:

  1. Oh my, what an utterly beautiful Alice book, and a brunette Alice! What a lucky find! The charities and booties down your neck of the woods are mighty fine...some wonderful treasures to be found! This has reminded me that I really must make a start on my very own Alice in Wonderland dolls...I once made a few for a window display I did a fair few years back at Blackout II..but so much has change since then. Fun to be had indeed. Well done on the job! tis nice to do the odd day here and there, I swear working from home has a habit of making me feel just a little bit in my own wonderland at times! x x

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    1. That is so amazing! I would have loved to have seen that window display, Blackout II is a stunner! You really must get on making your Alice dolls as I am dying to meet them! I know it is so lovely I feel like I have so much variety in my life at the moment, it's a good feeling. I'm not suprised! All your work must take so much concentration and patience, I would most definitly be going down the Rabbit hole ( excuse the pun) hehe ;-) xxx

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  2. I'm glad you're having a good time and congratulations on the new job!
    Those pictures are beautiful! I'm quite familiar with them as I've got a re-edition of the book which has most of the illustrations some years ago. Of course it doesn't compare to a 1907's one! Alice's always got me and it's one of the reasons why I dream about having the mushrooms from the big Biba's child section (which are now at Angie's house!) xxx

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    1. Oh Ana you do not know how much I would love those mushroom's too! Shall we steal them from Angie's house? She wouldn't mind. ;-) Thank you lovely, that's so nice that you have a copy too. I couldn't believe it when I found it, i'm sure it's worth a lot but I would never sell it. xxx

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    2. I wish we could! She has the whole set but then again, I think she has the whole shop!
      My copy is a new one at the time I've bought but good enough for me (as I never came across one like yours!). If I was your I wouldn't sell it either! Some things have more value for us than money! xxx

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  3. Oh my the book is absolutely beautiful what a find. I won a book on eBay that reminds me of you it's called The Mermaid Tavern - it hasn't got any pictures though, but it is lovely. Oh my I did not know there was such a quarter in Bournemouth! Must visit one day, so exciting on the new job, well done my lady. xxx

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  4. That book is an absolute work of art! All the books in my local charity shops are dog eared paperbacks :)

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  5. What a beautiful and inspiring post - as always! I love vintage Alice books and this really excites me as I'm not sure i've come across this one before. I adore the little playing cards.
    I have a couple of old copies - one with illustrations by an artist called Hume Henderson - also found in a charity shop. Alice is this particular edition sports a 20's bob and a pair of cute Mary Janes! x

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  6. So gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing it.

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  7. How can I express how much I love and adore this book! The image of the beautiful little girl in white, the last image posted, reminds me of you. Thank you, Kelly-Marie. I am happy you are loving your new area and residence.

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  8. Hello Kelly-Marie, first time I've commented but a long time admirer!
    I adore that book, I had not idea that there was ever a brunette Alice, she's absolutely beautiful. How wonderful to find such treasure in a local charity shop, it gives us all hope. x

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  9. Ah what a wonderful old copy of Alice, such evocative illustrations and it looks in great condition, what a find! I agree, the rural charity shops are full of gorgeous gems if one snoops around hard enough! So glad you're enjoying your new country life.

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  10. I love Alice, it's so light and dark. That rabbit ear house is just pure genius though.

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  11. Congratulations on your new job! And oh my, what a beautiful find indeed, Alice is my absolute favourite...

    Have a lovely week-end!

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  12. Wonderful to hear about you settling down to life in the New Forest. Thank you sharing these incredible illustrations, I never get tired of Alice and her adventures (no matter how many times she's used as inspiration in popular culture) - forever an utterly magical classic.

    Ruby xx

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  13. It's so strange to know that you are not in London anymore! But I got so excited when I read about the rare Alice's Adventures; I have serious case of book hoarding and good antique books just give me goosebumps. (A fact that many of my friends fail to understand.) The artwork is absolutely beautiful, and I have a soft spot for brunette Alice illustrations. Feels like a secret pre-Disney phase of the wonderful character. :) Have a great sunday! xxx

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  14. What a gorgeous find - I love the second-to-last picture the best, of the White Rabbit. If I'm ever in Bournemouth, I'll have to drop into What Alice Found. I would love to come back down there one day - I used to visit my Great Aunty in Poole now and again but she's not well enough to have me stay anymore, which is a great sadness... But hopefully I will still have another chance to visit one day! x

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  15. What an amazing find ... lucky you ... a book to keep forever.
    Congrats on the job. I haven't been to Bournemouth for years - I used to have a boyfriend who lived there and visited regularly but that really was a long time ago - he was lovely too!!! It's not far for us but we always head in the Bath/Bristol direction. Maybe we'll head down there in the summer ...
    M x

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