Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Patience or Fortitude.

I’ve been doing some research at the New York Public Library for a professor. Tracking down centuries-old newspapers, letters by American Revolutionary War heroes and articles about occult-sounding medical treatments has me feeling a little like Indiana Jones. Or some intrepid woman anthropologist…It doesn’t hurt that the building is incredible, with its maze of rooms filled with masses and masses of cloth-bound books, its spiral staircases leading to narrow balconies and cat-walks, its huge reading rooms with coffered ceilings that make you feel impossibly tiny but somehow cozy. Also, the place is guarded by two lions.
I ate a quick lunch on the steps, and drew even quicker sketches. One of them's looking a little more like a collie than a lion...

5 comments:

Celyn said...

think the New York Lions have cousins in Montreal? http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3574993224_a8b625cdac.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/12335548@N00/3574993224&usg=__iG5tASlgFaI8jLkRhsopftI1h5Y=&h=340&w=500&sz=178&hl=en&start=40&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=g2CXDkMGpSzzVM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlions%2Bon%2Bmount%2Broyal,%2Bmontreal%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbo%3D1%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

Celine said...

haha! if you didn't say it, I wouldn't have noticed! one looks a little like a collie!
it must be amazing to work in that space! I always wanted to go up those balconies. Are we allowed?

Dani said...

Jenny Florence, your collie lions are perfectly loverly!

Jenny said...

Thanks, guys!! I'm glad you like them.

I'm back in the library RIGHT NOW. I'm trying to stick to my work, but it's hard not to go exploring. I just noticed a bunch of mysterious little doors...

Alexis Barattin said...

this lion is so delightful! i have never been to the library in new york but these lions make it seem like it must be a magical place.