Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Collecting: This Little Light of Mine

I am not a blasphemer.  The strength and coarseness of my language are dictated by the strict rules we had in our house as children; name-calling was forbidden and we got in serious trouble for saying, "Shut up."  Seriously..."Shut up."  Bugs Bunny said, "Shut up" on a regular basis and he was a cartoon rabbit.  Any indication that something inappropriate might escape my lips is preempted by the thought of my mom's disappointed face - the notable exceptions being the times when I am alone in the car and surrounded by idiotic drivers (read every time I am behind the wheel).  What can I say, I am a total square.  The only reason for this preamble is a sincere hope that this post will not offend anyone - including my mom.

My mom really doesn't like it when there is any association between Jesus and the world of wacky tacky; unfortunately for her, there are times when the link is unbreakable.  Those times are almost always due to some well-intentioned Christian faithful who, filled with the spirit, creates a piece of art that has an even greater (perhaps subversive) impact than originally intended.  This might be the case with a little bit of religious ephemera I came across whilst performing an intense round of pre-Spring cleaning.

This die cut, trifold card was among the programs from the funeral of my great-uncle,
 who passed when I was but an infant.  Having no memories of him whatsoever, it is a
 wonder why I would have have these things beyond the fact that I really appreciate
 the printed wood grain and ornate strap hinges...and hoarding.  

When opened, the card treats the holder to a beatific portrait of Jesus, eyes closed in
"reverential silence," and a brief history of our understanding of Jesus' physical appearance.

"And Jesus was transfigured before them and His face did
 shine like the sun, and His raiment was white as the light."

The back of the card explains that the original painting used for the
interior portrait is hung inside the Little Chapel at Knott's Berry Farm.
Knott's Berry Farm!!!
Then we learn that "This picture glows in the dark and the eyes open."
As if the theme park association wasn't enough, this picture GLOWS IN THE DARK!!!

Proof!
Proof that glow-in-the-dark pictures are difficult to take.
One eye is definitely glowing brighter than the other -
almost giving the appearance of a sly little wink.

It might not be the Virgin of Guadalupe on a tortilla, but I like it.

In the end, this little bit of paper may have had absolutely nothing to do with my great-uncle's funeral.  As it turns out, the artist, Paul V. Klieben, painted multiple works for the Knott family and their park.  Giving "This Little Light of Mine" a whole new meaning, this card was handed out, starting in the early/mid 1940's, at the end of every service performed at Knott's Little Chapel.  Whether you are a believer or not, I hope it is possible to see the beautiful bizarreness of a glow-in-the-dark Jesus handed out at a chapel inside of a Western-themed amusement park.  The moral of this story is that if you have a little light, including a glow-in-the-dark card, you've just got to let it shine; I think even my mom could find the amusement in that.

"This Little Light of Mine" - Sam Cooke


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

25 comments:

  1. It's lovely, wacky! Reminds me of the little chapel in Clifton's Cafeteria where you are urged to find a "quiet place in the woods".
    BTW: I too was not allowed to say shut up or even fart for that matter! My boyfriend always worries whenever he hears me swear because it's so rare he knows something IS wrong!

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    1. I cannot wait until Clifton's reopens!!! The chapel is one of my favorite parts and I hope that they don't change that at all. I didn't realize how good we had it....we were definitely allowed to say fart. HAHAHAHA!!!

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  2. I find it both interesting and odd. I love the design of the card and the font. I think it's cool that it's glow in the dark, but the way the eyes go from closed to open kind of freak me out!


    PS: I now have the old hymn "This Little Light of Mine" stuck in my head! :D

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    1. It is pretty freaky, right? It's especially freaky when one eye glows brighter than the other. As long as you have the song stuck in your head, I hope you're singing at full volume! LET IT SHINE!!!

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  3. I'm a Pagan ... but I kinda want to put that picture on my wall! That is awesome in a really creepy kind of way!

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    1. That's exactly what I mean...glow-in-the-dark Jesus is perfect for people of all persuasions!!! Wouldn't it be awesome to wake up in the middle of the night and have those glowing eyes staring at you?

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  4. It's really good that you don't swear! My Mum also hates bad language, so I never let loose any tirades of profanity in her presence...but when she's not around, I have been known to swear like a trooper... ;)

    Also - Glow.In.The.Dark.Jesus?!?! This must be some sort of Wacky Tacky gold!

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    1. I am such a nerd. Honestly, I don't think I said a curse word out loud until I was in my twenties. The car is a no-holds-barred zone and a lot of inappropriate language is is hovering around the roof of the wacky wagon! This card is the very definition of wacky tacky - perfection!

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  5. That rules! I wonder if there was ever one of those amongst my great grandmother's stuff since she and my great grandfather used to frequent Knott's and actually knew the Knott family. Oh, I am so asking my mom the next time I see her. Thank you for sharing this!!

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    1. Oh boy, that is cool to have a connection to the Knott family! I hope that there are some Knott's Berry Farm treasures in your families archives!

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  6. I remain unoffended and proud of your ability to observe, find humor and write with such flair.

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  7. Oh dear. I'm not religious, but that is my favorite kind of wacky tacky! Religious art is incredible, I often wonder what psychedelic drugs the artists were on when they had these visions and turned them to art!

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    1. There is something so exquisitely extreme about a lot of religious art that it just begs to be included in a wacky tacky gallery! I'm glad that you like it too!

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  8. My goodness that is wild! Such a little treasure!

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    1. The best thing about doing a major purge is finding the things that you forgot you had. I love this gem!!!

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  9. ooooooh my gosh I love that! Even the picture inside that great little door is wonderful, but the glow in the dark, and the eyes OPENING! Perfection!

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    1. Isn't it great? I love the fact that the recipient is forced to review the material at least twice. It would be impossible to read it only once...who could resist testing its glow-in-the-dark powers? Tricky!

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  10. Hello Mr Tiny
    There's something quite tender and imaginative about it. The faithful are a weird and wonderful bunch. You may enjoy "Ship of Fools" "Gadgets for God" section. It's a bit irreverent but created by Christians so I'm sure your mum won't mind. Here's the link http://www.ship-of-fools.com/gadgets/index.html.
    I really enjoy you blog, such fun!

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    1. Thank you!!! And thanks for the link - great stuff!!! Stuff that is overly reverent or mildly irreverent is my favorite!

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    2. I think I may actually buy some Jesus and Mary deck shoes as a special Easter treat...and I do mean that most sincerely, they're quite spiffy.

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  11. I vaguely remember a "Ben Casey" about a summer camp for sick kids, and one boy who was having trouble dealing with his illness, would let loose with substitute curse words-- something like "Solomon Fritters, Solomon Bitters!"
    And his big sister told him using euphemisms was just as bad as using the curse words.
    (Anybody got The Complete Ben Casey? I saw this one a LONG time ago.)

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  12. This is either the exact premium we got in the early 60s for selling Holy Childhood Christmas Seals in Catholic school or something very close to it. I was talking about this just today on my podcast, Chicks With Problems and then decided to google and see if anyone else knew what I was talking about.I can't believe you have a picture of it here. If you have a pagan baby certificate of ownership, I'll really die! Thanks for posting!!

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  13. Mr Tiny, this is so sweet. I dis like you more and more. It is funny and strange and darling. Your fan on the Blue Ridge. I am so cheered! Thanks. Mrs. Howard.

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  14. Does anybody know where I could buy one. I am actually interested in buying several, but I really want one for my own wall.I am third on my own shopping list, so please say you can get at least three of them. Thanks

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