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| Linen cocktail napkins, in original gift box. |
If you are looking for gifts that will make things a little brighter, more liveable, more usable and more sympathetic to human beings, then look for the name of Designer Tammis Keefe.
- Dallas Morning News, December 15, 1957
The holiday season, full of festive food and drink, in is full swing as we approach New Year's Eve. Throughout the land, revelers are performing a two-handed juggling routine - balancing plates of tidbits in one hand while manuvering a cup of punch or a cocktail in the other. Napkins are involved, for wiping a stray bit of onion dip, or to place beneath the mug of mulled wine, saving the party giver's nice furniture from tell-tale waterspot rings.
The career of Tammis Keefe (1913-1960) paralled the resurgence of post-war cocktail party culture, when Prohibition and rationing were distant memories. Thanks to my patient DH, examples of Keefe's artistry can be seen on my website,
http://www.tammiskeefe.com/collections.html She did many sets of cocktail napkins, and her designs often have an element of humor, putting everyone in a party mood.
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| "Out to lunch" cocktail napkin set. |
The set in the image above tells a sad tale - start in the upper left corner, and move clockwise to follow the narrative. Other napkin sets celebrate the manufacture of hospitality, especially the sharing of food and drink.
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| Mixed drinks. |
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| Canapes. |
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| Don't overdo it, lest you see elephants! |
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| Party music, Persian-style. |
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| Antique images repurposed for 1950's living. |
We'll skip the "one for the road" and use a designated driver or taxi-cab for a safe start to 2013.
Thanks to everyone for reading my blog this year and best wishes for the New Year!
