CONTROVERSY: Is collecting electronic images curating or tossing?

Paul, from http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/ sent us an e mail: “Whichever way I look at it, you’re a tosser, not a curator.”

We aren’t entirely sure what the term “tosser” denotes. Nevertheless, having had closed-door, hush-hush,  editorial conference with senior staff discussing the merit to this critique, here is Vintage Printable’s position statement on being called a “tosser, not a curator”:

We’ve been called worse by better people than you, Paul!

In our other blog we were dissed by the New York Times.

Not that Paul isn’t as worthy to dis’ us as the Gray Lady.  Maybe we should be honored to be dis’d by Paul. But, being excluded by the establishment is sort of our specialty and, given our unbounded enthusiasm and apparently adjudged bounded ability, ruling class dissin’ merely encourages us to improve.

Our goal at Vintage Printable is to bring public domain to the public .  We take images in academic libraries,  stick ordinary, searchable key words on the images (like: “pink” or “cat” or “bad ideas “) and get them out where search engines can pick them up so everyone can enjoy them.

Plus, frankly, we think too much in our day job and looking at pretty pictures is something we can do while waiting for the conference call to start.

I mean, from time to time we post actual words.

Like,  how to get a marriage anulled for (ahem) weakness  in France in 1756, including what looked like first ad for a matrimonial lawyer. That was kind of interesting in a pre-revolutionary Jerry Springer-ish sort of way.

We could  put up editorial exposition, such as:

Buffon, widely regarded as the authority on natural history in the pre-Darwin world,  propounded principles of white European superiority through his writing and illustration.   His vastly popular naturalist illustration combined with well-known and widely held belief in the quasi-moral derogation of North America added to the importance of US independence and unity of the colonies, and  evoked the Jeffersonian response in the Federalist Papers volume 11, to wit (via Constitution.org, emphasis added):

. . . The world may politically, as well as geographically, be divided into four parts, each having a distinct set of interests. Unhappily for the other three, Europe, by her arms and by her negotiations, by force and by fraud, has, in different degrees, extended her dominion over them all. Africa, Asia, and America, have successively felt her domination. The superiority she has long maintained has tempted her to plume herself as the Mistress of the World, and to consider the rest of mankind as created for her benefit. Men admired as profound philosophers have, in direct terms, attributed to her inhabitants a physical superiority, and have gravely asserted that all animals, and with them the human species, degenerate in America — that even dogs cease to bark after having breathed awhile in our atmosphere. Facts have too long supported these arrogant pretensions of the Europeans. It belongs to us to vindicate the honor of the human race, and to teach that assuming brother, moderation. Union will enable us to do it. Disunion will will add another victim to his triumphs. Let Americans disdain to be the instruments of European greatness! Let the thirteen States, bound together in a strict and indissoluble Union, concur in erecting one great American system, superior to the control of all transatlantic force or influence, and able to dictate the terms of the connection between the old and the new world!. . .

Buffon’s theory of  white European male supremacy over  North America was  alluded to by Jefferson in his reference to Buffon’s view that dogs, once imported to America’s inferior atmosphere, can no longer bark.  One could make a credible case that  Buffon’s  illustrated natural history provided fuel for the emotional, sociological and philosophical fire of European supremacy later leading to the world wars dominating the 2oth century.

. . . But, who cares?

Vintage Printable users, we hope you use the images to create one of a kind items — and maybe bring yourself some income producing activity.  In this economy, good for you.

We hope you use the images to print something nice for your Ikea frame if you are out of work but still want art on the wall.

We hope you use the images in your graphic design to come in on time and under budget and wow the client with your creative ability.

“Tosser” or “curator” we enjoy the images and hope you do, too.

We would encourage everyone also to check out http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/ for real curatorial expertise.

And, Paul, (this is the website in your e mail,)  response?  Explanation?

We are also a publisher of  short e books via Scribed in PDF form, free for the download as always.  You may want to subscribe as there will be several upcoming volumes.   Perhaps we are not really a publisher, but more of a “PDF tosser.”

Be that as it may, we are quite excited about an upcoming volume:

“Force Majeure, Material Adverse Conditions, Acts of God, Natural Disasters: A Pictorial Work.”

(Likely a several volume reference work. We would consider this volume to be “Peerless” unless we’re mistaken, for those who have been through L1 contract law).01.14.10: Canceled with due respect to those in Haiti.

Other volumes upcoming:

“British Optical Equipment, Selected Images”

“Starfish and other Echinoderms”

“Algae Japonicae”