Sunday Safari - The Tallest Ones

Today is my birthday and I dedicate this safari to my mother Mariella, a strong, smart, beautiful and kind woman who has always been there for me and my family. In the small town where we both grew up she was known for her beauty (a bit of a problem for my self-esteem) and her height. 1.76 m is an average stature today, but in 1950s Italy she literally stuck out from the crowd, and was often asked: "how is the weather up there?" Thinking of this I gathered some pretty giraffes, animals that are particularly dear to me, and that like her have very strong motherly instincts.

Nomi and the lovely animals by Louis Slobodkin, 1960

Mother and child by Leia Bell

L'histoire de girafe, written by Ronald Hermsen and illustrated by Guido Pigni

Giraffe swing by David Barneda at Drawing Dreams card gallery

On Giraffe Pond by Michael Sowa

Snacking happy family by Meg Hunt

Giraffe from the tile series Our animal friends by Xenia Taler

Arabia of Finland giraffes designed by Taisto Kaasinen in 1965, from hi+lomodern

I know a giraffe: a tall tale by David Omar White, 1965, thanks to Rad Library

Illustration from Whatever by William Bee, thanks to The Apple and the Egg

children's book illustration from borisbo's flickr photostream

(worth a visit because he's also a very interesting graphic designer)

Two giraffe paintings by Naoto Kitamura

Giraffe by the ever playful Toshiyuki Fukuda

Blue giraffe by Sebastiano Ranchetti

Giraffa from Animani by Mario Mariotti, 1980

Sunday Safari - What makes bunnies melancholy?

too much thinkin' by Kathleen Lolley

Bunnies, one of my favorite creatures in the soft and cute category,

are unfortunately inclined to suffer from depressive tendencies.

Just think of the famous Book of Bunny Suicides, or David Lynch's alienated Rabbits family.

To further prove the point, here you can meet some of the quiet and pensive creatures

I have encountered lately in my random journeys down the rabbit hole...

Penny farthing by Art and Ghosts

Slattern by Lou Beach

illustration by Toshiyuki Fukuda

illustration by Daniel Chang

Crochet bunny by Shauna Richardson

A Newspaper dress by Stasys Eidrigevicius, thanks to A Journey Round My Skull

Michael Sowa, illustration from Esterhazy: the Rabbit Prince

Octavia and rabbity friend by Cathy Cullis,

discovered thanks to Kickcan and Conkers

Pepel chair by Chiho Makino

Lapin by Marianne Ratier

Book cover by John Alcorn for the Italian edition of Watership Down, 1974

March Hare by Madeleine Floyd, thanks to Art Finds

Pink Elephants on Parade

Cover illustration by Toshiyuki Fukuda

One of the few reasons I did like going to the Circus as a kid,

at the end I got to ride the baby elephant...

CYRK elephant poster by Jan Mlodozeniech, 1966

CYRK elephant poster by Hubert Hilscher, 1964

Circus elephant by Roger Hilton, 1973

Elephant by Naoto Kitamura

Elephant with long trunk by Mieczyslaw Wasilewski, 1974

Skinny elephant with butterfly ears by Andrzej Pagowski, 1979

Carlsberg Elephant Beer by Kjed Nielsen, 1960

La Collina degli Elefanti book cover by Sabrina Lupacchini, 2007

Baby elephant by Sebastiano Ranchetti

Illustration from La Petite Famille by John Alcorn, 1964

thanks to art.crazed's fantastic flickr stream

The Elephant Book cover by Ed Powers, 1963

thanks to Eric Sturdevant's awesome flickr collection of vintage children's books

Red Elephant by Edward Gorey

Calico Elly by Ward Jenkins

Sunday Safari – In the Peaceable Kingdom

Lion and fish illustration by Irina Troitskaya

Illustration by Toshiyuki Fukuda

Stuffed lions from Takiyaje, aka Lubov Nalogina

Illustration by Tatsushi Hara, thanks to Stickers and Stuff

Movie poster by Jaroslav Zelenka, 1955, from Terry Posters

Afrika lion by Lisa Larson at Gustavsberg studio, 1968,

from hi+lomodern (sorry - I just saw it's already sold!)

Spacer Iwa, book cover by Miroslaw Tokarczyk, 1973

thanks to tralaloskop's precious archives, and to Kickcan and Conkers for the tip

The Happy Lion by Roger Duvoisin used to be one of my daughters' favorite books

Illustration from Brian Wildsmith's ABC, 1962,

from hunkamunka's Vintage Children's Books set on flickr

Leones by Violeta Lópiz

Anonimous Czech movie poster, 1970, from Terry Posters

Poster from the Save series by Kazumasa Nagai, 2001

and finally, from Un lion à Paris by Beatrice Alemagna, the illustration that inspired this post,

together with the beautiful article about this and other meek lions in Le figure dei libri.