Monday, May 29, 2006

Cake- IF



Cake- "Stanley thought this would be a 'cake job' up until the point he realized he forgot the dog bones!!"

This is not complete...the recent holiday had me building tents, filling pools and grilling so I haven't had the time to work on the I-Fri Challenge!
I really wanted to do an architectural piece about the "Wedding Cake House" in Kennebunk, ME. It is one of the most photographed Gothic Revival buildings in the United States.
More....
Yet, it is not technically Gothic at all.
At first glance, the house may look Gothic. It is lavished with carved buttresses, spires and lacy spandrels. However, these details are merely frosting, applied to the facade of a refined brick home in the Federal style. Paired chimneys flank a low, hipped roof. Five windows form an orderly row along the second story. At the center (behind the buttress) is a traditional Palladian window.

The austere brick house was originally built in 1826 by a local shipbuilder. In 1852, after a fire, he got creative and fancied up the house with Gothic frills. He added a carriage house and barn to match. So it happened that in a single home two very different philosophies merged:

Orderly, classical ideals -- Appealing to the intellect
Fanciful, romantic ideals -- Appealing to the emotions
By the late 1800s, the fanciful, and perhaps overly exuberant, details of Gothic Revival architecture had waned in popularity. Lacy spires and elaborate buttresses were reserved for churches and large public buildings. On private homes, Medieval ideas blended with other types of ornamentation. Trendy new Victorian styles emerged and graceful Queen Anne architecture won the day.

But couldn't find a decent photo that captured the wonder of the house's true architectural beauty.

Check it out:
http://rogershepherd.com/WIW/solution11b/cake.html

The romantic legend arose some fifty years later when an enterprising Kennebunk businessman published a postcard of the house and entitled it "Wedding Cake House." It came to be said that the carving had been done during long lonely hours aboard ship by a recently married sea captain who had had to leave his bride before he even had time to eat his wedding cake. The legend's romance, while inspired by the desire to make money, provides a "sensible" explanation for the likes of such an eccentric architectural artifact. However, the home-improvement scheme of George Bourne, with its aspirations, displaced energy, persistence, toil, and reward is the stuff of legend, too.

12 comments:

Vern Mercado said...

i like your style.

Doodlestreet said...

Hahahha...LOVE the little guy on the rope!

carla said...

I think this is a great cartoon! Soon he;s going to need a cake with a file inside...

BTW, That's quite a house!

Lee said...

cute cartoon ellen..very 60's-ish...love it, hope you had fun doing all that work this weekend

Jaimie said...

funny cartoon! clever interpretation of the theme.
Please re-post when it's finished!

Amy Zaleski said...

Funny stuff! I love your pen drawings, and this is so nicely done. I love the pictures on the wall!

steve said...

Great way to interpret the theme here! reminds me of the Wallace and Gromit with the penguin thief for some reason.

CRISTOSOVA said...

I like the character of Stanley! He looks like he is getting into trouble all the time. It was interesting to read about the Wedding Cake House. People who have so much passion for their houses are admirable - and that he designed and carved the Gothic himself, wow.

Maria Eugenia said...

Very good and very funny!

trowbridge chronicles said...

Very funny drawing, Ellen. I DO plan on returning to IF with Mrs. T as often as possible. I just wish I didn't have so many irons in the fire. See you again soon on IF.

Cez said...

Very funny illo...love it
Thanks coming on my blog...

Joy Eliz said...

Oh I love it!!! Great take on cake...oh, that rhymes! ha-ha!

About Me

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Delaware, United States
I'm a professional artist, a wife, a step-mother, grand-mother, friend, Ms. Fix-it, older sister and a daughter. A regular "person in progress!" Oh yah, and I draw alot! Copyright 2010-2012.

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