I was reading the blog of artist Danny Gregory (www.dannygregory.com) and he mentioned this:
"I am drawing from one of my favorite sources, the 1955 yearbook of Spalding Institute of Peoria, Illinois, full of hundreds of well groomed Catholic faces. I have a shelf full of yearbooks, picked up a for a dollar or two at flea markets, and they give me a great range of faces to study, all similarly composed, sharp and clear, covering the 1930s through the 1970s."
It reminded me of how inspirational all kinds of materials from the past can be, for writers, artists, businesspeople--really, anybody. Most things we consider new are really just variations of what's already been done.
One great source of all kinds of material from the past is the New Yorker, and now you can buy a set of DVDs that contain every page of the New Yorker ever printed--all the ads, cartoons, articles, etc., for $63 at Amazon.com or (£42 from selected vendors via Amazon.co.uk). A bargain (and a danger, as well--many hour can just whiz by while you're browsing).
