1853 Byerly's New American Spelling Book with Watercolor Bird and Animal Engravings winged seal part of what really makes

part of what really makes it is the visceral effect of layered and overlapping forms and colors

and the De Stilj chair given its own page

and I believe quite old--it has the feeling of French tapestries to me

found in Kansas City

and Paul Kruger (President of the South African Republic-or Transvaal

1853 Byerly's New American Spelling Book with Watercolor Bird and Animal Engravings winged seal part of what really makesAnother week, another 19th century school speller, because I can simply not resist a good one, and especially not one with a watercolor bird on an end page! This one, Byerly's New American Spelling Book, was published by M. Polock, Philadelphia, in 1853. I purchased it from a wonderful dealer in PA, who shares my love of naive fraktur style watercolors, and indeed this tri color bird looks very Pennsylvania to me. With wonderful engravings too,