IAN HAMILTON FINLAY

ARTIST’S POSTCARDS

XMAS ROSE. POEM PRINT NO. 14. 1970. CHRISTMAS CARD.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1970
11.7 x 16.4cm, 4pp. Christmas card with the image of a fishing boat by John Furnival along with the Port Letters (FR), the Fishing Nos (531), the net tonnage (53), horse power (42) and its name (Xmas Rose). A visual poem by Finlay - a companion work to the one published year earlier (Xmas Star). Both Xmas cards were also published as much larger prints by the Press. In this drawing the boat is facing left, the first card has the boat facing righ - perhaps the first going to fish, the second returning to port.
Finlay's interest in boat names and numbers is reflected in the beauty of Furnival's line drawing. The boat is a poem on water. VG+.

John Furnival

ZULU CHIEFTAIN. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
10.5 x 14.8cm, 2pp. Red and black silkscreen on cream card with a drawing (by A. Doyle Moore) of the named ship which is silhouetted in heavy black against the sky. The boat type is a zulu and the one pictured called "Chieftain". The reference is presumably to a black native chief hence a visual poem - something that more modern sensibilities would nowadays probably not be acceptable. VG+.

A. DOYLE Moore

A SEA STREET ANTHOLOGY. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
11.7 x 16.5cm, 2pp. B/w photo-image by Gloria Wilson of graffiti on a wooden wall where the majority of words are names of boats written by a crew member. - hence an 'anthology' of those who had visited the space. The location of the photograph is not known by us. VG+.

Gloria Wilson

HOMAGE TO DONALD MCGILL. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
14.6 x 9.5cm, 2pp. Blue and red on white - the front of the card has the text "William & Rose, with a pair of reefs down" above the blue rectangle bordered in red. Donald McGill was a baudy illustrator who made his fame from creating saucy sea-side postcards, the text on the front hints at that slight sexuality with the "pair of reefs down" hinting at the removal of clothing by William and his Rose- whereas in sailing, reefing is the means of reducing the area of a sail, usually by folding or rolling one edge of the canvas in on itself. A humorous allusion. VG+.

FLAGS. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
12 x 16.6cm, 2pp. Black on cream with a drawing of various sweets much as one would find on a key sheet in a chocolate box. Some of the sweets however has been given a nautical feel (the rum truffle having a barrel on it being a reminder of how seamen would be given daily grog) or renamed after a boat eg Apricot Jam Boat. Below the drawing is a quotation: "To the initiated they bring almost instant meaning. it is doubtful whether flags will ever become obsolete no matter what advances science may offer." - anyone who has ever had a favourite chocolate (mine is cheery brandy) will know instantly which in a box to snaffle.
The car gives acknowledgment to Simon Cutts who had done similar "Flag" images in the 60s (and which were published in books that also anthologised Finlay). One of 500 printed. VG+.

Simon Cutts

THE SIGN OF THE NUDGE. 1971. FIRST PRINTING.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
9 x 11cm, 2pp. Red and black on white card with the text "THE SIGN OF THE NUDGE" next to a symbol that could be the prow of a boat or an elbow of a human. A visual pun.
This card was printed twice - this smaller version is the first edition and has red writing on the reverse. The second printing has black text and is larger.

THE SIGN OF THE NUDGE. 1971. SECOND PRINTING.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
10.3 x 15cm, 2pp. Red and black on white card with the text "THE SIGN OF THE NUDGE" next to a symbol that could be the prow of a boat or an elbow of a human. A visual pun.
This card was printed twice - this slightly larger version is the second edition and has black writing on the reverse.

THE HARBOUR. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
16.8 x 12.5cm, 2pp. Duotone image of a toy boat on water above a traditional form poem by Finlay. The poem begins with the supposition that the boat is real but by the end the sail is being used as a hanky (toy sails traditionally were made from hankies) and the boat "anchors by the water-lily". Finlay had made wooden models especially boats for much of his adult life. Photograph by Dianne Tammes. VG+.
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Dianne Tammes

THE OLD NOBBY. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
16.8 x 12.5cm, 2pp. Duotone image of a toy boat on water above a traditional form poem by Finlay. The poem describes the fact that the boat is needing repair and is somewhat old - and ends with a Finlay trope - a patched sail. Finlay had made wooden models especially boats for much of his adult life. Photograph by Dianne Tammes. VG+.
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Dianne Tammes

SAILS/WAVES 1. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
10.5 x 14.8cm, 2pp. Light blue on white - a design for a wall ceramic drawn by Ron Costley. The concrete poem points to the similarities between the billowing sails and the sea's waves . Other than tiles Finlay also used this design in other works. VG+.

Ron Costley

SAILS/WAVES 2. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
10.5 x 14.8cm, 2pp. Blue on white - a design for a wall ceramic drawn by Ron Costley. The concrete poem points to the similarities between the billowing sails and the sea's waves - it is very similar to the previous Sail/Waves 1 card but the line drawing is not in negative and the drawing has minor redesigned elements. Other than tiles Finlay also used this design in other works. VG+.

Ron Costley

I SAW THREE SHIPS. 1971.

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1971
10.4 x 14.8cm, 2pp. Red and brown on white silkscreen card - the drawing by Ron Costley is of a tall mast ship with three large sails - two of which have vertical stripes.
The title refers to the Christmas carol with the opening verse "I saw three ships come sailing in/ On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day/I saw three ships come sailing in/On Christmas Day in the morning"
It is not quite clear Finlay's intent here but there are three distinct main masts to the ship. The song is much argued over - given Bethlehem's long distance from the sea then the three ships are presumably metaphors for perhaps the camels of the magi or some other trio, but by the same poeetic process the three ships can be metaphors for the ship's masts here although it is a bit strange having three ships become one. VG+.