Made a pit-stop yesterday, on my way home from the grind, at the Strand bookstore. Picked up many goodies as always. Among the haul was a little book which I thought was pretty nifty and wanted to share straight away. As you can see from the cover reproduced above It’s called Objects. It’s a thin volume, put out in 1969, featuring some of the statues, banks, and other objects created by illustrator Walter Einsel. A google search on Einsel revealed little except for the fact he passed away not too long ago, is survived by his illustrator wife Naiad, and that, evidently, I’ve posted his work here before. In any case see below for a sampling of Einsel’s groovy moving sculptures.
From the very brief front matter of the book, in Einsel’s own words:
All objects in this booklet, with exception of one, move. Some are the result of an attempt to combine the cold engineering of machinery with the warm body of man. Some were created out of a sincere desire to astound the viewer. Others were made simply as amusements. All of them were constructed in an effort to join art and onlooker in some form of mutual involvement. You must make the first move before any of them will lift a finger.
Man On Horse, polychrome wood, 16” high. Crank tail; horse bobs head back and forth; rider posts up and down in counter-rhythm.
Man And Bird, polychrome wood, 23” high. Eyes cross when left ear is turned; pull nose and tongue sticks out; turn right ear and hat pops open, bird jumps out and chirps.
click here to it see activated.
The Uninsured, copper, brass, aluminum, 16” high. This figure was created for the Prudential Life Insurance Company to represent the only type of man who does not need life insurance. he has no moving parts.
Save America, polychrome wood, 28” high. Deposit coin, pull knob. push plunger; Unvle Sam raises hat, opens mouth; printed on tongue: “Thank You.”
Barbara Frietchie, polychrome wood, 16” high. When arm is pulled down, head drops back, flag goes up, music box in bosom plays Stars and Stripes Forever. Text on apron reads: “Shoot- if you must this old grey head, but spare my country’s flag, she said.”
click here to it see activated.
The Saver, copper, brass, polychrome wood, 32” high. Ninety messages, beginning with Save The World, appear on tape in megaphone as flag is waved, hat revolves.
Ben Franklin, brass, polychrome wood, 25” high. ben Franklin. who operates his own press, was commissioned by Curtis publishing Corporation.
I think they are pretty beautiful. Just exactly of their time stylistically. But then I may be reacting to them because they kind of remind me of the metal piggy-bank my mother always had around… a rotund bald man with a black mustache sitting in a chair. When you put a coin in his hand he’s deposit it in his jacket pocket… might even have tipped his hat. I’d gladly offer up more of Einsel’s work, but as I said earlier, does not seem to be much on the old internet. Hope you enjoyed.
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Wonderful thanks. Steam-pop, folk-pop, folkmata?.....if you hadn’t said he died recently I would have picked them for 1890s. They are too pythonesque to ever be regarded as mere kitsch methinks. I want one!