Grasshopper on Melon, Exquisite 1917 Ink and Watercolor French Hand-painted Postcard 1817 tightly secured with a bolt

tightly secured with a bolt on the backside

and held together with brass clips

A pretty amazing little thing--one would think for holding very special pins

and could certainly be put to use once again

Grasshopper on Melon, Exquisite 1917 Ink and Watercolor French Hand-painted Postcard 1817 tightly secured with a boltI purchased this beauty of a handmade postcard from a seller in Holland, a bit skeptical that it was completely hand done, but indeed it is, ink and watercolor and very fine! What an gorgeous grasshopper, and what a luminous and evocative melon upon which it is munching! Emblematic of the late 19th early 20th c. obsession with all things Asian ("Japonisme" in France), the imagery here seems all about good luck and prosperity. The postcard, mailed by