i spy: dark florals, ladies of mystery, and glowing nighttime scenes

Spring is in full swing here, and the flowers are blooming . . . but I prefer my flowers against a dark background.  Just like I love a small glowing light illuminating a darkened room.  And mystery!

See more by following me on Pinterest and Tumblr.

clockwise, l-r:

*After Van Dongen, photo by Norman Parkinson of Adele Collins wearing an Otto Lucas toque.  Photo was inspired by the 1919 painting "The Corn Poppy" by Dutch artist Kees Van Dongen. | normanparkinson.com

*Polaroid, 2003, Berlin-Mitte, Germany, photo by Sibylle Bergemann | Ostkreuz

*1946 Mallinson Fabrics ad | My Vintage Vogue

*decorated farmhouses of Hälsingland, Sweden (swoon!) | Hälsingegårdar

*Großer Blumenstrauss in einem Holzgefäß (Big floral bouquet in a wooden vessel), by Jan Brueghel, ca 1606-1607 | Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

clockwise, l-r:

*Beim Sekt, photograph by YVA (Else Simon-Neuländer), 1936. | source

*Saint Christopher decorates an archway over a cobblestone street in Bavaria, Germany, March 1974.  Photograph by George F. Mobley, National Geographic | NatGeoFound

*Nächtliches Bankett (“Nocturnal Banquet”) by Wolfgang Heimbach, dated 1640. | Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

*Patricia Highsmith, author of the Ripley books, which I recently read and loved.  I need to read more Highsmith! | Vintage & Anchor Books Tumblr

*Setting for a Fairy Tale, box construction by Joseph Cornell, 1942. | Guggenheim

xo

K