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About Creations Unlimited

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We guarantee the authenticity of all our items, stand by our work ethic 150% and will respond to all orders within 24 hours.

About Us
Hello, I am Shoshanna Rene', I am a designer, a creator, a researcher, writer and a communicator who has been in the Arts and Crafts field locally on the Monterey Peninsula, for the past 20 years.

Very excited to now be able to open my workshop and gallery to the very special online community of Ruby Plaza.

Previously, as managing partner of Incredible Arts, a combined museum/art gallery, on Monterey's Cannery Row between 1984 and 1990, I had the pleasure of researching and writing articles on the Arts and Crafts fields in my local area. Having helped create this business from the start, which I have now acquired from my retiring partner we are now enjoying a metamorphosis into a new life as Affordable Historicals, A Special Collection of Limited Fine Art Reproductions of Engravings from the 1800s, specially selected from our original collection.

Our original collection of Harper's Weekly, Harper's Bazaar and Frank Leslie's Illustrated are the original antique issues that are over a hundred years old that were part of our family's estate.
However, we do not sell originals at this time.

Offered only by Affordable Historicals, this beautiful collection of historic art prints are from wood engravings of the 1800's. Each scene required hundreds of hours for the hand-engraver to complete.

There is very little rare, Affordable Historical art available with which we can decorate our homes, classrooms, or offices...or give as lifelong, cherished gifts to friends and family. Our prints fill those needs.

Our Affordable Historical Series offers a unique opportunity to be 'Looking Through the Windows of the Past' and part of the amazing drama of our human experience with its courage and endurance, its dignity and pride. This collection of art is a bridge across time, and is significant not only for adults, but for the whole family.

Each scene carries the original date of publication and caption. As the borders are part of the prints, mats are not needed unless desired. This black and white art blends beautifully with any decor and is timeless in its appeal. Black and white also retains the authenticity of the hand engraver's work during the 1800's. Also, whenever possible, we include a copy of the article from the original Harper's Weekly, or Frank Leslie's Illustrated issue for which the scene was created to tell the story of the event.

We know you will enjoy such beautiful, interesting, historic works of art, of such high quality, and our offerings for such a reasonable price and at the same time derive so much pleasure from them, as they are not only decorative, they are conversational and historical.

Each print comes gently rolled with protective paper and tissue wrapping tucked into a mailing tube appropriate for its size. Some prints also come with the story as it appeared in the original publication for which the illustration was created. As for AFH#23, The America's Cup Race - 1893 has the prose 'Race For The Cup, One of the Lays of Modern Yachting' written by Dunne Browne and published for Harper's in 1871.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ART FORM

What you will see in our shop are very special, rare, black and white art that lets you step back through time, into a bygone era, with all its drama, history, intrigue, adventure, romance, charm and grace.

Decorating homes, offices, classrooms, business and other areas with these beautiful scenes today, has been made possible by the expertise and talent of a few artists, engravers and newspaper publishers of the 1800s. The following story is in tribute to them:

Harper's Weekly; "A Journal of Civilization" published its first issue in New York in January, 1857. Originally, as a literary publication, but with the coming of the American Civil War, Harper's Weekly became the leading ILLUSTRATED news periodical in the Union...depicting worldwide events and leading pictorial interest to short stories, Harper's Bazaar; "A Repository of Fashion, Pleasure, and Instruction" was another publication of Harper & Brothers.

Although the camera had already been invented, technology was not capable of printing from negatives until 1887. When a publisher needed to illustrate a news story, he relied on the skills and craftsmanship of an artist and a hand-engraver. Every news-reporter was also an accomplished sketch-artist. Along with Thomas Nast, Frederic Remington, Winslow Homer, Frenzeny, Tavernier, many other began their career by doing illustrations for Harper's Weekly.

After the artist drew the scene on a white-coated wood block, the engraver carved the same block by cutting away the part not drawn and leaving the original drawing.

Sometimes the engravers would enhance and add to the artists' works and often would hide their own names within the pictures. See if you can find engraver's name in scene #46 "Going to the Derby in Shanghai."

Often hidden within our prints, the engraver's signature gave him some added measure of accomplishment. As skilled and as essential as they were, the hand-engravers were not considered to be artists and were often called 'copy-cats' and received wages of 8 to 10 cents per hour. After the time-consuming process of engraving, the wood block was inked and pressed onto paper.

Another method in use was intaglio (incised carving) done on steel, copper, zinc, pewter, or stone. Ink, rolled onto the intaglio, would sink into the grooves. The surface was wiped clean, and the raised parts of the wood engraving became the black areas of the picture, and the grooves in the wood became the white portion of the scene. In transferring an intaglio engraving to wood, the raised parts of the wood engraving became the black areas of the picture, and the grooves in the wood became the white portions of the scene.

Although the originals of these early newspapers are over 100 years old, they have lasted remarkably well because of the high rag content. Our collection was one of the few saved with care and now able to provide us a link with our past and to enhance our surroundings today. Several other collectors may have similar original prints available, though for quite high costs.

With the modern technology of off-set lithography, our collection of originals from the artists and hand engravings of the 1800s, have been faithfully reprinted in the finest of details as they appeared more than 100 years ago. Excellently reproduced on 100 pound Karma Natural high quality stock, each picture captures the spirit and charm of our nations's heritage, as well as some engravings portray events of the era in other countries.

We are happy to provide the fine art reproductions of our originals at an affordable price for you to appreciate and enjoy decorating and gift-giving with a Difference and Delight, Decorate with Elegance in Black and White!

Sincerely,

Shoshanna Rene'
Affordable Historicals
by Creations Unlimited