Old Bright the Postman

I fell in love with this picture, along with its companion, The Goosewoman, which is today's extra photo. They are both in the collage exhibition at the Modern Two Gallery in Edinburgh, entitled "Cut and Paste | 400 Years of Collage". It's a fascinating collection of pictures based on a fairly loose definition of "collage” and was more demanding than I'd expected - don't go with the idea that you're going to see decorative pictures of felt with lace and embroidery!

Both of these pictures are made of paper and fabric and date from around 1830. They are by George Smart (1774-1846) who was a tailor working in the village of Frant, near Tunbridge Wells. He made felt pictures from off-cuts of material and sold them in his shop. A local guide-book reported that "He has many visitors to inspect this singular collection who seldom leave his house without becoming purchasers."