It is very rare that one man can make two major unrelated contributions to western society. Louis Pasture invented both the small pox vaccination and the process of milk pasteurization.
Another such man is Cassius Coolidge. Cassius's first creation was an imagine that is thoroughly entwined in America's culture and landscape. You have seen this imagine time and time again and likely never stopped and though, "Gee, I wonder who painted that."
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| Property of Cassius Coolidge |
Dogs playing poker. A landmark in kitschy home decor.
For most men, such an iconic contribution would be enough, but not for Cassius Coolidge. He created another masterpiece, one that you have probably seen at about any vacation spot across the country.
Coolidge invented the "Comic Foreground". Paintings you could stick your head through form comic effect. The effect is simple and classic, but it does not come without its own dangers.
I am always a sucker for these cut outs. Here is my collection of photographs of cut outs from around the country.
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| White Squirrel Festival. Bervard, NC |
There are two types of people in this world. Those who will put there head in the hole and those who will not. My daughter will always put her head in the hole.
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| Cypress Gardens, SC |
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| Tiger, GA |
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| Key West, FL |
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| Busch Bean Museum. Dandrige, TN |
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| Mothman Festival. Point Pleasant, OH |
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| Atlanta, GA |
On the rare occasion I can bribe my son into participating.
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| Weeki Wachee, FL |
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Or my mom....
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| Babyland General. Cleveland, GA |
Or my wife....
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| Hell, MI |
Most the time, I have to resort to taking pictures of the empty foregrounds. Which I actually find have a really cool vibe to them.
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| Helen, GA |
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| Macon, GA |
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| Maggie Valley, NC |
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| The Old Jail. St. Augustine, FL |
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| Maggie Valley, NC |
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| Helen, GA |
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| Gatlinburg, TN |
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| Nasheville, TN |
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| Seale, AL |
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| Plains, GA |
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| Tiger, GA |
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| Mountain Mall. Gatlinburg, TN |
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| Quaker Steak and Lube Charleston, WV |
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| Shell Factory. Ft. Meyers, FL |
Here may be the grandest photo opportunity of them all at Santa's Land in Cherokee, NC. Look at all those holes, just ignore the fact that none of them make any sense.
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| Santa's Land. Cherokee, NC |
Let's all take a moment to thank Cassius Coolidge for his contribution to our family vacations.
The Carpetbagger
Please feel free to e-mail me at
jacobthecarpetbagger@gmail.com
and check out my
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