Description
“At the time I believe I had very little thought of anything but to exert myself to the fullest.”
— Grace Darling
This oversized postcard is a reproduction (offset printed, NOT letterpress) of “Save Our Ship,” part of the ongoing Dead Feminists poster series. This piece is a collaboration between Chandler O’Leary of Anagram Press and Jessica Spring of Springtide Press, created as a reminder that we must weather the storm ahead.
The large letterpress poster is now sold out (because it was created in a limited edition, we won’t be reprinting the original poster), but this postcard faithfully reproduces the hand-lettered typography and hand-drawn illustrations of the original.
For millions of people around the U.S., particularly women, minorities and members of marginalized populations, the months since the 2016 election have felt like a descent into darkness. Every day we learn of fresh horrors in the news, from a rise in hate crimes, to an ever-growing list of punishing legislation, to the latest presidential tweet. Yet it is darkness that lets light shine the brightest, so we are adding our candle to the glow. Save Our Ship features a quote by lighthouse keeper Grace Darling, along with the names and lighthouses of nineteen other women who kept the beacons lit.
Colophon reads:
Grace Horsley Darling (1815 – 1842) was one of many women around the English-speaking world who have held the lonely and dangerous job of lighthouse keeper. Tending the lights was often a family business, and if a male keeper died, his female relatives were expected to keep the beacons lit — often without pay, benefits or even official sanction. Many of these women tended the lights for decades, guiding countless ships and sailors to safety.
While Grace never held the official title of keeper, she frequently assisted her father in maintaining Longstone Lighthouse, located in the remote Farne Islands, Northumberland, England. On September 5, 1838, the 450-ton steamer ship _Forfarshire_ ran aground near the lighthouse, killing 35 people. Braving rough seas and strong winds, Grace and her father rowed nearly a mile to rescue five shipwreck survivors clinging to the rocks. Her heroism earned her international fame, aristocratic patrons, a medal for bravery from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and a monetary reward from Queen Victoria. Her story inspired poems, plays and paintings — and her likeness even graced the packaging of Lifebuoy Soap. She died of tuberculosis at 26, exhausted by her uneasy role as heroine and celebrity.
Illustrated by Chandler O’Leary and printed by Jessica Spring, in solidarity with women who keep the lights burning in the darkest times.
Postcard size: 5 x 8 inches
PLEASE NOTE: this oversized postcard requires extra postage. It mails at the regular letter rate (currently 49 cents) within the U.S.
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.
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This original artwork is copyright Chandler O’Leary and Jessica Spring 2017. Copyright is not transferable with the sale of this piece. The buyer is not entitled to reproduction rights.
WA state residents are subject to sales tax.
This postcard will ship flat in a protective mailer, via the United States Postal Service.
