Mitzi Friedmann
Bejewelled Birds (no. 545)
circa 1911
With the renewal of Spring comes the charm of nesting birds and winking new buds, as illustrated beautifully for this postcard. The two birds form a circular dialogue, each craning its neck to look at the other while standing in a wreath-like bed of fledgling petals. Clamped in their beaks are what seem to be purple blue-bells, both apparently so laden with scent that their shapes transform into drooping trumpets, each tooting its deep tune to accompany that of the birds. Compared with the many other cards of its kind, Friedmann’s remains simple and almost minimalist in composition, with a rather odd underbelly of negative space beneath the floating feathery duo. Most likely the bay in which to scribble a personal note, the blank space nonetheless adds to the illustration’s lightweight feel of fresh, sweet air and the allusion of timeless, revolving rebirth.
