Sunday, April 7, 2013

Scratching My Kitsch Itch: Yesterday's Flea Market Find, A Barkcloth-Backed Fuzzy Framed Tiger!?!

Here in the Washington, DC, area, you run into a lot of odd stuff with an international flavor.  Yesterday morning I hit my favorite local flea market, and among the few small things I picked up, this framed picture stands out.


This beauty was super cheap, but SWMBO for one thinks any price was too much to pay.  I guess this will have to live in the man cave/shop area.  You haven't gotten a tour of that space, and I may never show it, it's such a pile of tools, projects, and detritus.


This is in surprisingly good condition.  I went over the frame with a tiny bit of Feed 'N Wax and wiped it dry.  I'm guessing the picture dates to the 1950s or 60s, based on the era of the fabric.  The tiger is made of some kind of furry/fleecy material.  Has anyone else seen something like this?  Chinese perhaps?


The claws are painted on below the paws.


Here's a closeup of the fabric.



You can see this writing on the back and the back also shows that the fabric is stretched over a piece of wood for a solid backing.


Does anyone recognize the characters or have some idea of what it says?

4 comments:

  1. What an interesting find, congrats.
    I'm clueless about the Chinese characters.

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  2. Characters are a "chop," or signature of the artist, I believe.

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  3. It's Japanese, and not well-done, which makes me think a non-native Japanese speaker wrote it. It says Feb 1966, made by Keiko.

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  4. Sweet! I don't think I could've passed that one up--I have a weakness for vintage Asian stuff. The back reminds me of these vintage Japanese (50s-60s) painted tiles pictures I've been finding. Ever see any of those? Just gorgeous. I just found another larger one of a lotus plant yesterday. Check out my blog if you'd like to see my new 'Asian Atomic' bark cloth! (sing and dance)

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