Friday bonus post: I cannot resist a souvenir print. The posting does not include a label, but I presume it was created as a tourist souvenir from Vienna with all the details of St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Ferris Wheel lovingly rendered. It is small (W26) and you can bid on it here: (http://cgi.ebay.com/SCENIC-VIENNA-Vintage-50s-Novelty-Print-FULL-SKIRT-26-W_W0QQitemZ160028339888QQihZ006QQcategoryZ48892QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) (And yes, I too am wondering if that is a humanoid dressform used to display the skirt, or a simlacrum stolen from a wax museum.)

It has long been my fantasy to attend the Kaiserball in Vienna on New Year's Eve. They still take waltzing very seriously there. Obviously this skirt would be totally inappropriate for a black tie event. And even the Chimney Sweep's ball is a black tie affair in Vienna. I imagine that it is meant to be worn while eating a Sachertorte and fantasing about Vienna. Or even waltzing around by yourself in your room listening to "The Blue Danube", or perhaps, "Der Feldermaus". Or riding the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island.

Is the novelty print, at heart, a fantasy of an impossible vacation?