Salem Witch Souvenir

Lollapalooza: 'No concerns' about Eminem's hate

UPDATED WITH (NON-)COMMENT FROM THE PARK DISTRICT, 9:15 a.m. Thursday

Confronted by a coalition of domestic violence groups, rape victim advocates, and gay rights organizations, the promoters of the Pitchfork Music Festival belatedly invited those activists into this weekend’s festival in Union Park to present a counterpoint to the hate-filled lyrics of Odd Future, the most controversial booking in the fest’s six-year history.

More than five times as large and set in Chicago’s prestigious front yard of Grant Park, Lollapalooza has no plans to do anything similar to balance the anti-woman, anti-gay views frequently espoused by Eminem, one of the six key headliners in that event’s seventh year as a reinvented destination festival.

Though Eminem has been working hard in recent years to seem more cute and cuddly—and he now is safe enough to preside at the Grammys and provide the soundtrack for Detroit car commercials—he once was pop music’s reigning bad boy of shock, outrage, and venomous spew, before Odd Future and after Marilyn Manson, and part of a long line of acts that includes Alice Cooper, the Geto Boys, Slayer, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the Meatmen, and many, many others.

The man born Marshall Mathers is infamous for his particularly nimble flow of invective about gays and women, especially the mother who done him wrong and the ex-wife he is forever fantasizing murdering. He also is, no surprise, one of the few influences and musical heroes that the devoted button-pushers in Odd Future happily acknowledge and celebrate.

Between Friends and Rape Victim Advocates are two of several groups attending Pitchfork in an effort to raise awareness about violence against women and gays in counterpoint to Odd Future. Asked if those or similar groups will be represented on the Lollapalooza midway—which usually hosts a wide array of activists, from environmental and voter registration groups to the non-profit Parkways Foundation, which applies for all of the concert’s licenses—Lollapalooza spokeswoman Brittany Pearce responded via email.

 “We have not received any concerns from our ticketgoers regarding Eminem performing at Lollapalooza,” Pearce wrote. “We always address questions, concerns that come to our website accordingly.”

Since that didn’t answer the question, I repeated it in a second exchange. “We did not receive applications from any such groups,” Pearce wrote, echoing the excuse Pitchfork originally gave. “We do, however, support domestic violence shelters and human rights organizations through our charitable donations.

Salem Witch Souvenir Plate, ca. 1908 « Sexy Witch

This Salem souvenir plate is 197 mm (7 3/4 inches) wide. It is marked: “Designed and Imported By Daniel Low & Co. Salem, Mass. — Manfd. by Frank Beardmore & Co. Fenton England”; who was in business from 1903 to 1914. Thus, ca. 1908.

The deep blue witch design used here is stunning. I love the wispy clouds, the flowing hair and the diaphanous gown. What more could you want? You even get a very cute border of nine cats’ faces alternating with pairs of crossed broomsticks!

According to Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell, A Collector’s Guide to Salem Witchcraft & Souvenirs (1998), 42–43, there are three versions of this plate: one with a green glaze (152 mm or 6 inches wide), two with a blue flow glaze, one of which has gold trim applied thinly (both 197 mm). A fourth plate, also blue, but deeper, has a foliage border. The green plate was made by Rowland & Marsellus Co., Staffordshire, the rest by Beardmore & Co.

If you have another look at the full plate design you’ll see that the angle of the broom is rather steep, so steep that it is tempting to orient the plate with the moon at the top and the “Salem 1692″ banner at the bottom (as below). But the ground and the clouds make it clear that our witch’s torso should be upright, with her knees bent as if she were sitting on a chair (as I have in the first image at the top of this post).

This is one of the less common forms of witch on Salem souvenirs, most Salem witches are hags (which is pretty stupid given the ages of the accused), though there are some very pretty and beautifully executed Salem witches in Apkarian-Russell’s Collector’s Guide . She shows this design on only one other object, a small base-metal dish with a copper wash on it (65), but there is a lovely German bisque statuette (64), and hand-painted box for playing cards (65).

It took me a long time to get this plate. Competition for Salem souvenirs is pretty ferocious and, given how few items fit my criteria for inclusion, I lost interest in them soon after I started collecting. Nevertheless, I bought a copy of Apkarian-Russell’s Collector’s Guide just in case. But when I looked through it I realised that the only item I had any chance of getting, and actually wanted, was this plate. I assumed that I’d simply have no chance to get any of the other items that I liked the looks of, and I was right. But that is okay, because this plate is gorgeous.

The Salem witch trials

A companion to Emily Dickinson

Hidden History of Salem

Cassell's family magazine

Visitor's guide to Salem