Scanning Around With Gene: Autumn, a Time for Contemplation

I love all seasonal changes, but there’s something about fall that makes me contemplative and perhaps even a bit melancholy. Many of the big events in my life happen in fall — the sort of things that get you thinking about life and how, sometimes, it can be fleeting.

But I also love the change of light that happens this time of year and the fall colors can’t be beat, even in northern California. The grape vines in wine country are particularly beautiful, and pumpkin patches are cropping up everywhere. It’s time to clean out the rain gutters and turn off the automatic sprinklers — old man winter is just around the corner. Today’s images are all from a small 1948 children’s book called Fall Is Here by Bertha Morris Parker, illustrated by Frederick E. Seyfarth. Click on any image for a larger version.




Technically, the season is called “autumn,” but I’ve always used the shortcut term “fall”. Historically, it’s one of the most important times of the year when crops are harvested and goods are put up for the winter.



I never knew much about fall growing up. Living in southern California means you pretty much have two seasons: summer and winter, which aren’t even that easy to tell apart. (Winter is when it rains a little.)



But once I moved to northern California, I began to appreciate the change of seasons much more. We’re relatively temperate but do see our share of seasonal changes.


Of course, fall is also football season, though that holds little interest for me. It’s also the time of Halloween, which I once enjoyed, but of late I’m a bit turned off by the over-commercialization of the day.



I like that the days are getting shorter and the shadows longer — it’s fun to get home from work when it’s dark and there’s a chill in the air. I like turning on the heat, lighting a fire in the fireplace, and breaking out the electric blanket for a little extra warmth.



We’ve already had the first storm of the season and it was a pretty good one. And tonight is a stunning full moon that looks twice the size of normal. The air smells fresh.



I tend to go to bed very early in the fall. I lay awake and think of all the falls gone by, of people I’ve known and loved and of the holidays that will soon be upon us. It’s a great time for reflection and focusing inward.



Because I grew up in a big city, I didn’t experience all the wonders of fall at a young age like the children in these illustrations. But I’m making up for lost time now.

Gene Gable has spent a lifetime in publishing, editing and the graphic arts and is currently a technology consultant and writer. He has spoken at events around the world and has written extensively on graphic design, intellectual-property rights, and publishing production in books and for magazines such as Print, U&lc, ID, Macworld, Graphic Exchange, AGI, and The Seybold Report. Gene's interest in graphic design history and letterpress printing resulted in his popular columns "Heavy Metal Madness" and "Scanning Around with Gene" here on CreativePro.com.
  • Anonymous says:

    Gene- it is so true, autumn makes me melancholy too. I also find the change of season is time to put all to rest. I hope you find a moment to carve a jack o’ lantern and indulge in a little candy corn or a carameled apple. Start a festive tradition, ignore the commercialism.

  • Anonymous says:

    Don’t you wonder if an historian of visual culture has studied this stuff in depth and can get beyond the “generic” look, to specific artists working for particular clients? My feeling is that an artist today would have a hard time successfully imitating this style.

    Loved the Grant Wood-ish field in the picture with the huge yellow moon; the bright red tree, though, is almost hallucinatory. Or is it just me?

    –another refugee for Southern California in the 50s/60s.

  • Anonymous says:

    Hi Gene, I’m just outside of Sacramento, and we’re getting some of the most beautiful fall colors!! Amazing how quickly it all changes…

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