Primary Colors: Red, Yellow and Blue

Illuminated letter P in the 1407AD Latin Bible, Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England Link

The Primary Colors are red, yellow and blue. Primary colors are the foundation of all colors, because the other colors are created when primary colors are mixed together. Primary colors in their pure form make a statement: they are bold, bright and straightforward. In home and fashion design they are often used alone and muted when used together, transformed into colors such as pink, burgundy, gold and light blue which are softer on the eyes and create a less jarring effect.

But primary colors in their true form can be very appealing in small doses and are commonly found  together in modern art, comics, toys, plastic furniture and sometimes even in nature.

The following are examples of primary colors used together from the late 19th century to the present day. Some are in pure form, some are more muted. They are used for different purposes and create different impressions based on their context. There is no unifying theme to these images, except that they contain all three primary colors. They are provided here for inspiration and reflection.

Poster by Jules Cheret (1896)

Poster by Jules Cheret (1896)

Poster by Leonetto Cappiello (1899)

DINNER MENUS NIPPON YUSEN KAISHA SS KOBE MARU 

(INCLUDES MAP OF STEAMER ROUTES)  (1900) (Courtesy of NY Public Library)

 Alphonse Mucha Illustrations from The New York Daily News (1904) (courtesy of  wikiart.org)

Valentine Early 1900s

Valentine Early 1900s

Postcard Early 1900s

Postcard Early 1900s

Valentine Circa 1910

Postcard 1910

Birthday Card Circa 1910

Strong's Book of Designs (1917)

Tableau 1 by Piet Mondrian (1921)

Comic Book 1950s (Courtesy of digitalcomicmuseum.com) Link

Flags of Spain and Argentina
(courtesy of pixabay.com)

Tricycle (courtesy of pixabay.com)

 Plastic Chairs (Courtesy of deathtothestockphoto.com) Link

 Child With Plastic Block Toys (Photo by Sergey Klimkin, courtesy of pixabay.com)

Fresh Fruit
(courtesy of pixabay.com)

Macao
(courtesy of pixabay.com)

Poppy and Wildflowers
(courtesy of pixabay.com)

Birthdays

Birthday Cake (Courtesy of splitshire.com)

Today I'm posting some vintage cards and historic birthday images .

Grandma's Birthday 1896

This photo is part of a series of staged photos of older people involved in everyday activities. This picture features an elderly woman knitting and elderly man looking at a photo album. Photo by Leo D. Weil.

Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Birthday Postcards circa 1900-1910

 

Birthday Party Chinatown, San Francisco 1912

Photograph shows Chinese children posed with a birthday cake, probably in San Francisco, California.
Photo by Mr. & Mrs. Wong Sun Yue Clemens, San Francisco, Calif. Wong Sun Yue and Ella May Clemens were married and opened a curio and tea shop in Chinatown, San Francisco. They published a series of postcards to promote their business. (Source: Flickr Commons project, 2013)

Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Uncle Sam's Birthday 1918

Uncle Sam's birthday July 4th 1776-1918 142 years young and going strong! This patriotic poster was created during WW1 by United Cigars, showing Uncle Sam running with a bayonet, amid bursting shells.

Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

   

 Laddie Boy's Birthday 1922

Laddie Boy was the beloved "First Dog" during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. He was presented with a special dog biscuit birthday cake for his birthday in 1922 "with three candles, each tipped with a tiny American Flag." The White House held birthday parties for Laddie Boy, and neighborhood dogs were invited to share the "birthday cake" in celebration.

Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
 

 

Behind the Scenes At the Circus 1926

 

 
Date Created/Published: 1926 May 11 This photo shows Miss Lillian Leitzel, star with Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey circus helping Dolly Jahn celebrate her birthday.
 

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Children's Birthday Cards Circa 1950s-1960s