Description
“Books are the mirrors of the soul.”
—Virginia Woolf
This oversized postcard is a reproduction (offset printed, NOT letterpress) of our Paper Chase broadside, created in honor of the tactile power of fresh ink and crisp pages. The large letterpress poster is now sold out, but this postcard faithfully reproduces the hand-lettered typography and hand-drawn illustrations of the original.
Here in Washington we’re known for the kind of chilly weather that demands a cozy sweater, a cup of tea and time spent curled up with a good book. The news of bankrupt corporate bookstores and dire warnings of an electronic apocalypse swirl around us as we read. Yet the world contained between a pair of unassuming cloth covers begs to differ—and we breathe a contented sigh at the simple truth that books are here to stay.
Paper Chase is teeming with the tools of Virginia Woolf’s trade. A type case helps sort the problem of minding one’s Ps and Qs, while an inked-up chase is locked and loaded and ready to print. Above that is a staple of any writer: a messy bookshelf overflowing with stacked volumes. Reflected in the mirror of Virginia’s work is the beauty—and sadness—that veils her prose. Ghostly silver ink floats like a lingering afterimage, and an ethereal garden blooms from spectral soil. Lilacs and lilies, thistles and honeysuckles take root—each plants a seed of meaning from the Victorian tome The Language of Flowers. Do a little digging and discover layers of rich symbolism that reveal the woman behind the words
You can find all available postcard designs in the postcards section of the shop.
Postcard size: 5 x 8 inches
PLEASE NOTE: these oversized postcards require extra postage for mailing.
PAPER FINISH: this postcard is made from paper with a smooth, eggshell finish. If you write on it, we recommend using either a ballpoint pen or some form of permanent, smear-proof ink.
Colophon reads:
Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941), born Adeline Virginia Stephen, grew up with a steady stream of notable authors visiting her London home. While Virginia and her sister Vanessa had unlimited access to their father’s extensive library, their brothers were sent to Cambridge. This inequality and other Victorian double standards figured prominently in Virginia’s writing. In 1915, she married Leonard Woolf and moved to Hogarth House. There they established the Hogarth Press, publishing the work of T.S. Eliot, E.M. Forster, Vita Sackville-West, the first translations of Sigmund Freud as well as Virginia’s own novels. As editor, typesetter and binder, Virginia had the freedom to control not just the content but the physicality of letterforms and space on a page, declaring herself “the only woman in England free to write what I like.” With Leonard as printer and Vanessa a frequent illustrator, the Hogarth Press published more than 500 books, many far too experimental to be considered by mainstream publishers.
Virginia’s life-long struggle with depression began with a breakdown at age 13 following her mother’s death, and ended after multiple attempts at suicide when she walked into a river with pocketfuls of stones.
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This original artwork is copyright Chandler O’Leary and Jessica Spring 2011. Copyright is not transferable with the sale of this postcard. The buyer is not entitled to reproduction rights.
WA state residents are subject to sales tax.
This card will ship flat in a protective mailer, via the United States Postal Service.
