Comments on: The Liner

The Liner

_sirmissalot_ — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 10:52:38 -0800

The Liner. "The entire graduating class of Hamline University, 1925, in drawings of varying quality made semi-nightly in about one hour each." (Appears to be by our very own interrobang.)

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:00:55 -0800

Who's John C. Ralston then? Interesting... Is this theHamline?

By: Tuwa

Tuwa — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:02:43 -0800

Very nice.

By: StopMakingSense

StopMakingSense — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:09:54 -0800

[this is exceptionally cool]

By: rocketman

rocketman — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:15:01 -0800

I've been following this for a while. It's been a great project to watch. Supposedly, we're going to get a chance to look at the junior class as soon as he gets his computer fixed.

By: Shane

Shane — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:15:07 -0800

Excellent! I'd been wondering when this would show up. Fun game: Look through the pics and the brief descriptions of majors and activities and decide whom you might have dated, had you lived then and went to Hamline. (Ruth Lundeen looks fun to me.) Note also all the 1920s bobbed hairdoos. A magnificent obsession and also plenty of drawing practice for John/Interrobang. By the way, here is the entire collection on a cubicle wall at John's job.

By: greasy_skillet

greasy_skillet — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:17:33 -0800

This is about the coolest thing ever. I can't wait for him to continue with the junior class. (P.S. I'm in love with Helen Berdan.)

By: Shane

Shane — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:18:47 -0800

Oh, I forgot, here's a fun step-by-step. I love step-by-steps.

By: Peter H

Peter H — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:20:35 -0800

That doesn't look like any of them! (/jokes)

By: docpops

docpops — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:21:57 -0800

If these were displayed in sequence, row by row, on a large linen canvas, I could see gallery material.

By: rocketman

rocketman — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:27:19 -0800

docpops: Kinda like this?

By: borkingchikapa

borkingchikapa — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:31:38 -0800

Whoa, the names are awesome. Florence Windemuth enchants me, but oh, Lilydaisy Wenzel, I'm sure you're the girl I've been longing for!

By: docpops

docpops — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:32:35 -0800

zackly. but needs to be in a big empty loft with chardonnay on silver trays and bits of cheese conveyed by bored grad students.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:44:39 -0800

Shane...Ruth Lundeen appears to have some chest hair peeking out above her blouse. You may want to revisit your decision.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:46:15 -0800

That is a fine idiosyncratic project and some lovely art.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:53:16 -0800

The step-by-step was really nice. (I think I've got it figgered now).

By: Mid

Mid — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:58:50 -0800

I would buy some of these. Seriously.

By: taz

taz — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 11:59:31 -0800

Yay, interrobang! Great project! That Erhart Zemke seems to have a devil-may-care insouciance, what? I think he and Thyra Wirtenberger, with her Mona Lisa smile, would have made a cute couple. (Though, obviously, Edith Kaemmer was the hotsy-totsy of the graduating class.)

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:03:53 -0800

Jean M. Snyder went on to a fame as Velma on Scooby Doo, while Olga Selke became the world's first sex change patient, now known as Stephen King.

By: rocketman

rocketman — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:04:37 -0800

My two favorites are Everitt Reed and Ardella Springsted

By: melissa may

melissa may — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:56:12 -0800

You should see what this looks in person -- they're all hanging in a grid by his desk. The first time I saw them whatever we were talking about just went completely away, and I just stared. They are so finely done, and so beautiful up close. (*hops, skips, and runs to tell John about the existence of this thread*)

By: xmutex

xmutex — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 12:56:38 -0800

This is why I love the internets. Awesome project.

By: schoolgirl report

schoolgirl report — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:00:22 -0800

I'm with Mid, I'd buy some as well. Brilliant stuff.

By: idest

idest — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:13:59 -0800

I'd like a poster of all of them together.

By: stray

stray — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:36:32 -0800

what idest said.

By: blacklite

blacklite — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 13:58:22 -0800

The names are awesome. I am envious. good link.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 14:23:40 -0800

I hope that Melissa, or someone else, can get John to pass a comment here. It would be a shame if he didn't get the chance to add to this thread. The names really do speak to the ethnic preponderance of Germans and Scandinavians (and a few Irish) in prewar Minnesota, and the limited range of regional schools. I'm curious, John: has any relative contacted you after finding the name via Google? I'm also curious whether any of the individuals went on to be notable in any way, e.g. a Twin Cities capitalist or salon hostess.

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 14:39:42 -0800

I've been The Liner for a while and love it. He's a talented guy.

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 14:48:47 -0800

That should have been: I've been watching The Liner....

By: interrobang

interrobang — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:04:04 -0800

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. dhartung, one relative (the great nephew of Ingvald Talsness) has contacted me so far. I don't know what to do with the whole collection; it's funny this was posted today, because I just took some of the pins down that are holding the pictures onto the wall at work. I was about to take them down so that as soon as I get my computer fixed, I can start the junior class. Thanks, everyone!

By: RustyBrooks

RustyBrooks — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:09:11 -0800

The howto page is a really terrific example of how torturous the road to art is. Granted the scan is higher quality than the howto photos, but it really just is Not Right until the end, when all of a sudden it is. Actually the original line drawing is good but the intermediate stages would certainly make *me* question if I could pull it off. I'm not an artist but I do write music and there is a very similar process in between Great Idea and Great Result. The middle parts are all complete crap and furthermore to someone watching I bet they'd have no idea where I was heading.

By: xowie

xowie — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:13:16 -0800

Arguably this is a commercial promotion. Trods on the right of privacy, including intrusion upon seclusion, appropriation, and publication of private facts, should any of these people be living. Could also be actionable as false light, which may or may not be recognized in Minnesota, but it might be in the artist's state of residence or that of the ISP. Could be an interference with the right of publicity with the same caveats, in which case it doesn't matter if they're living or dead. Could be an abuse of the school's trademarks, trade dress or trade secrets, putting aside the likely mooted issue of copyright. It would piss me off immensely for my photograph or those of my relatives to turn up on some would-be artist's site without permission.

By: Luke Pski

Luke Pski — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:17:22 -0800

I'm sure he'd consider selling originals if you dropped him an email.

By: aine42

aine42 — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:50:38 -0800

Great project, John. Your art rocks. Can't wait to see the junior class! So what did the relative who contacted you think of the project?

By: graventy

graventy — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:52:35 -0800

Those are pretty sweet, interrobang.

By: interrobang

interrobang — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:55:55 -0800

The relative said that his family would love to have the drawing.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 16:45:01 -0800

i love these : >

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 17:13:40 -0800

So his speciality is smug?

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 17:31:28 -0800

Wow, xowie, did you go to Buzzkill School?

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 19:39:00 -0800

Great job, interrobang. I'm with Melissa on this one, they really are amazing to view in his cube.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 21:55:27 -0800

If you made this all into a small book with each of these portraits on its own page...well, I'd buy a few... :) Great stuff.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 09:51:45 -0800

LOL! Fine print legal mumbo-jumbo: Arguably this is a commercial promotion. Trods on the right of privacy, including intrusion upon seclusion, appropriation, and publication of private facts, should any of these people be living. Could also be actionable as false light, which may or may not be recognized in Minnesota, but it might be in the artist's state of residence or that of the ISP. Could be an interference with the right of publicity with the same caveats, in which case it doesn't matter if they're living or dead. Could be an abuse of the school's trademarks, trade dress or trade secrets, putting aside the likely mooted issue of copyright. It would piss me off immensely for my photograph or those of my relatives to turn up on some would-be artist's site without permission. posted by xowie at 3:13 PM PST on March 28 [!] So what did the relative who contacted you think of the project? posted by aine42 at 3:50 PM PST on March 28 [!] The relative said that his family would love to have the drawing. posted by interrobang at 3:55 PM PST on March 28 [!]

By: Mid

Mid — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 10:07:35 -0800

Arguably this is a commercial promotion. Trods on the right of privacy, including intrusion upon seclusion, appropriation, and publication of private facts, should any of these people be living. The pictures were published in a yearbook. Right of privacy, seclusion, false light, etc., etc. do not apply--plain and simple. Could be an abuse of the school's trademarks, trade dress or trade secrets, putting aside the likely mooted issue of copyright. Trade dress? Trade secrets? What are you smoking? These are published photographs of individuals. There is no conceivable trade secret here. Trade dress also has no application. The only real legal problems, I think, would arise if the pictures were sold for money. Then you run into misappropriation/copyright type issues--i.e., the school or the families might demand a piece of the loot.

By: rocketman

rocketman — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 12:32:39 -0800

But when's the cutoff date for public domain? The yearbook might be old enough to fall into the public domain, in which case, all's fair.

By: rocketman

rocketman — Tue, 29 Mar 2005 12:34:51 -0800

1923, never mind.