Free Vintage Clipart for Collage, Scrapbooking or Papercrafts: Fresh Air, 1864

When I was a child everything had its value. A lot of things; flowers, friends even a small puppy, they all had a part in my life’s value. Hard times to me meant high feed or hay prices, or too little rain for the gardens. Everything was so natural it gave me a real feeling of belonging to the earth. To have the freedom to run, jump and shout at the top of our lungs made all of us appreciate private spaces.
― Patricia Obrien, Since I Can Remember: Holding My Past in My Heart Forever

A breeze whisked across the garden, and the leaves shimmered in the sunlight as they fluttered. She inhaled the heavy scent of green, growing things--- she could smell a hint of honey within the breeze, and she didn't know which flowers it came from. Prickly bushes with pale flowers filled one corner, and shoots with balls of purple flowers towered over another. She breathed in again and thought the nobles in Alyssium would have paid fistfuls of money to smell as light and lovely as the air on Caltrey. Just breathing it in made her feel like she was waking up after a night of perfect, deep sleep. She'd never felt quite so aware of the taste and feel of the air, or of the sounds of the birds and the gentle rustle of leaves. It made her feel like she could tackle any challenge--- if only she knew exactly how.
― Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop

Antique illustration from 1864 of Victorian children enjoying fresh air as they work in the garden. High-res 6.5" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


For personal use only. Not for resale. All digitized work by The Real Victorian is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Please cite RealVictorian.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Printable Vintage Art: The White Peonies by Théo van Rysselberghe

The White Peonies, c1914
by Théo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926)

It has been said, “time heals all wounds.” I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.
― Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

I think that little by little I'll be able to solve my problems and survive.
― Frida Kahlo

Sources:
[1] Original image from Wikimedia.
[2] The Real Victorian's digitally enhanced version of the painting (seen above), downloadable as a 8.5" x 10" @ 300 ppi JPEG.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain paintings are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Printable Vintage Postcard: Looking Out to Sea, Atlantic City, NJ

Looking Out to Sea, Atlantic City, NJ, late 19th century
by Detroit Publishing Company (1898–1897)

Little islands are all large prisons; one cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow.
― Sir Richard Francis Burton

I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.
― Bram Stoker, Dracula

Sources:
[1] Original image from the New York Public Library.
[2] The Real Victorian's digitally enhanced version of the postcard (seen above), downloadable as a 12" x 7.5" @ 300 ppi JPEG.


Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain postcards are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.