Chas. Frey 1898 Lancaster PA Drawing Book with Excellent Graphics antique steel mold lending the painting a bit

lending the painting a bit of extra aura and moodiness

I find the hand-painted black against cream "Compositio" lettering on the front of this antique tin just about as good as it gets

though I quite like the little bunny seeming to be looking in on a caged animal from the outside

I don't know that the artist--it is signed Elysik--was a great painter

where classmates included David Smith

Chas. Frey 1898 Lancaster PA Drawing Book with Excellent Graphics antique steel mold lending the painting a bitThis drawing instruction book was published in 1889 in Lancaster, PA by Charles H. Frey, a Lancaster PA boot and shoe merchant, and includes instructions for a mail in drawing contest at back. I love old drawing instruction books which are also useful in providing something of a source key to naive drawings that show up in other places and really love the graphicness of line drawings against black ground here. Plus a sweet inscription from Elizabeth