This week’s Envelope Art…

I drew a shoe on this envelope with something rather different in mind. (I got the design for this shoe from a coloring page.) After I drew the shoe, I changed my original idea. 

I went to Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations and looked up the word “shoe” in the index. There were about a dozen quotes having to do with shoes. But I liked the very first one, by Publius Syrus. (Often spelled Publilius.)

By the way, do you own or have you ever browsed through Bartlett’s? This book “is an American reference work that is the longest-lived and most widely distributed collection of quotations. The book was first issued in 1855 and is currently in its eighteenth edition, published in 2012.” (Wikipedia, Bartlett’s). 

My husband gave me a copy of Bartlett’s for Valentine’s Day when we were dating. I think I may have hinted for it, having become rather fascinated with it at the time. It is fun to look through.

As for Publilius, he lived in last century B.C. Wikipedia reports that he was a Syrian who was brought as a slave to Italy, but by his wit and talent he won the favor of his master, who freed and educated him. Can’t say if that is fact or not, but it is interesting, for sure!