Monday, March 4, 2013

Snow Homunculi

Folk art crafted by unknown local inhabitants 
            
           These snow mounds fashioned into the shapes of humans were discovered late Saturday night. This carries on an age old tradition going back to paleolithic times or earlier (probably). Bob Eckstein wrote a book entitled History Of Snowmen, his research uncovered the earliest recorded evidence of snowmen to 1380. This article by the Smithsonian covers the strange period of history of the early twentieth century when the snowman was commonly used to advertise alcohol. 

To find out where these strange effigies are located please continue reading










Snowmen of Chevanston



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have a snow family on our block: the couple plus their cat. The guy who built them colored part of the snow. Then it warmed up and there is less shape to the figures each day. It's still a nice bit of whimsey.

Philip McGregor Rogers said...

How about a picture Helen?
Maybe the new snow will give the snowmen more shape.

Anonymous said...

They're in pretty sad shape now Jeff, and fresh snow on them isn't going to help. The cat is now down to a relatively-shapeless kitten, and the man has lost at least part of an arm.

Unknown said...

I love winter. No Sunday market!

Anonymous said...

Jeff, the couple that built the snow family knocked it down on Tuesday, but a giant white bunny has now appeared on our block. I don't have a camera. If you want to check it out, hurry before it melts--east side of 7700 block of Ashland, just north of the alley.