Color Potpourri-Exquisite fine art photographs for spectacular wall hangings.
Read More
Fork and Spoon
The earliest known fork that was made in England is dated 1632, and is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The most common use for a fork at that time was to hold meat while it was carved or for the serving of sweets.
In the Middle Ages, round stale bread with the center carved out was used as a plate, called a trencher. Food was scooped out of the trencher by hand while knives and spoons were used to pick up what the hand couldn’t. Everyone carried his own knife and only the wealthiest provided knives or spoons for their guests. Even inns expected travelers provide their own tableware.
When the fork (as a substitute for hands) was first introduced to England, many of the Church of England clergymen were opposed to the use of forks, believing it ungodly.
By 1926, the number of different fork types in a set of silverware became so overwhelming that the then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover and the Sterling Silverware Manufacturers limited the number of separate pieces in any silverware pattern to 55.ForkandSpoonAlabamaGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comHuntsvilleMuseumPhotography by Gary RickettsspoonsFoodCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall Art
The Boquería Market in Barcelona, Spain is the oldest market in the city. In 1217 a group of merchants set up outside the city as way to avoid paying entry taxes on goods. La Boqueria, which locals call it, now sits well within the city with an entrance from La Rambla.Within the 2,583 square meters there are 300 stores selling all manner of fish, fruit, meats, vegetables, and extraordinary sweets.
BarcelonaMorningEuropeGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comPhotography by Gary RickettsSpainSmugmugFruitCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall ArtMarket
Leaf Graveyard
Come fall, green leaves of summer become vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red. Leaves begin to change when trees “turn off photosynthesis”, letting the always present chemicals of carotenoids, flavonoids and anthocyanins become visible. Photosynthesis creates a bright green chemical (chlorophyll) into sugar. However without sufficient sunlight on short winter days trees lack the energy to power the process. Trees survive winter using moisture and sugar stored in the tree trunk for nutrients.
LeafGraveyardAutumnCentral ParkFallGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comLeavesManhattanNew YorkNew York CityPhotography by Gary RickettsSmugmugCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall ArtTreeWater
Arrow Shell
Ever looked at the unique pattern and wide array of color in a seashell? The patterns and colors serve a purpose. Marine biologists believe mollusks, who create the shell as a mobile home, use the patterns and colors as a blueprint when creating the shell. Yet, no-one knows what kind of pigment creates the colors.
ArrowShellGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comOtherPhotography by Gary RickettsReflectionSmugmugStill LifeCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall ArtFine Art
Ladies Behind Bars
For fifty years the women's boutique on the Upper West Side of Manhattan , Off Broadway, offered unique designs and fashion accessories. Celebrities of film, stage, television, and opera were frequent customers of Off Broadway. The boutique had its own design studio, which produced each garment in its exclusive collection. In August of 2015 with the death of owner, Lynn Dell Cohen, Off Broadway Boutique took its final bow.
LadiesBehindBarsBuildingGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comManhattanmannequinNew YorkNew York CityPhotography by Gary RickettsSmugmugWindowCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall Art
Pair of Pears
There are ten varieties of pears in the USA. Each pear has its own distinctive color and flavor. Pears are one of the fruits that do not ripen well if left on the tree. Pears are harvested when mature but still unripe. As the pear rippers after harvest, the Bartlett pear for example changes color from green to yellow. Other varieties do not change color as they ripen. To check to see if the pear is ripe, gently press a thumb near the stem. If it gives way to gentle pressure the pear is ripe, juicy and ready to eat. If the pear is soft around the middle, it is overripe.
PairPearsGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comPhotography by Gary RickettsStill LifePearFruitSmugmugCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall ArtFine ArtFan
Ever look closely at the the bottles of liquor displayed at a bar? Generally, the order of liquor type is rum, vodka, gin, brandy, whiskey, scotch, bourbon and tequila. However, a bar with a number of regular customers may arrange the bottles is a different order to speed up service. Usually a “speed rack” i
What'llGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comPhotography by Gary RickettsPragueSmugmugFoodCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall Art
What It Used To Be
On May 8, 1886 at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia Dr. John Pemberton sold the first glass of Coca-Cola for 5¢. In 1899, the president of Coca-Cola was badgered by two lawyers to let them sell the drink in bottles. From that first 5¢ glass in 1886 until 1959 a 6.5 ounce glass or bottle of Coca-Cola sold for that same 5¢. One problem in raising the price were the thousands of signs touting the 5¢ drink. The other issue was the Coca-Cola vending machines only took nickels. In 1953, the president of Coca-Cola asked President Eisenhower for help in getting the treasury to issue a 7.5 cent coin.
WhatUsedGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comHoustonPhotography by Gary RickettsSmugmugFoodCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall ArtAntiqueStreet PhotographySign
Men on Beam 3840
The early 20th century was a period of intense skyscraper construction in New York City. The men who worked hundreds of feet in the air causally walked about on narrow steel beams and would often take a seat on one of the beams to eat lunch. A famous photograph of iron workers in 1932 taking a lunch break while building Rockefeller Center inspired this sculpture.
The life-size work, titled "Lunchtime on a Skyscraper—A Tribute to American Heroes” was created by Sergio Furnari. With the sculpture mounted on the top of a pickup truck, Sergio often displays it in SOHO (South of Houston Street). Sergio also sells miniatures of the piece to passersby.MenBeamNew YorkStatueManhattanNew York CityNYnycFine Art Photographyinterior designgrickettsgricketts.comhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comPhotography by Gary RickettsUniqueWall ArtSculptureMonumentSmugmug
See Through Building?
A complicated illusion is created when looking through the glass door at a statue beyond the window. The pristine glass door becomes a mirror reflecting the street activity and building behind the viewer. The longer one looks, the more disoriented the scene appears.
SeeThroughBuildingCityGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comPhotography by Gary RickettsPraguehttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comFine Art PhotographyEuropeUniqueWall Artinterior designarchitecture
Liberty Belle Cockpit-On June 12, 2021, Liberty Belle experienced an in-flight fire resulting in an emergency landing in a field outside Aurora, Illinois. Although nearly destroyed, the Liberty Belle Foundation, Inc. is rebuilding the Liberty Belle in Douglas, Georgia. Visit the Foundation web site and help restore an icon of of our nation’s history.
Nicknamed "Flying Fortress" because of extensive defensive firepower, the B-17 was used in every theater of operations during WWII. However, it was primarily used by the 8th Air Force to mount massive bombing raids against Nazi targets in Europe. Those raids were launched from airfields in England.
The “Mighty Eighth”, as the 8th Air Force is known, conducted daylight strategic bombing raids from May 1942 to July 1945, which came at a high price: over 47,000 causalities, including more than 26,000 dead. Of the brave men who flew those missions 17 earned the Medal of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and 442,000 Air Medals.LibertyBelleCockpitGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comPhotography by Gary RickettsCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall ArtWorld War 2WWIIAirplaneB17bomberFine Art
Obvious
Public eating establishments date as far back as 512 BC, being mentioned in a record from that time period. Only one dish was served: a plate of cereal, onions, and wild fowl. The thermopolium, predecessor of the modern restaurant, served ready-to-eat food and beverages to ancient Greeks and Romans, simlar to modern day fast food restaurants. The earliest use of the word “restaurant” was in 1765 or 1766 when Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau opened an elegantly decorated eating establishment with what is thought to be the first to offer a menu with a variety of entrees and appitizers.
ObviousEuropeGary Rickettsgrickettsgricketts.comMontserratPhotography by Gary RickettsShadowSignSmugmugSpainWallCapturing History Through PhotographyFine Art Photographyinterior designhttpsphotographybygaryricketts.comUniqueWall Art
