The Love of the week celebrates artistic alphabets with a L illustrated by Charles Joseph Hullmandel winning the vote for AnOthermag.com editor Laura Bradley
L is a lovely letter, forming the backbone of laughter, love, languid, lizards, lapis lazuli, lolling and LOLing. There are no prizes for guessing why it’s AnOthermag.com editor Laura Bradley’s pick of the alphabet, but this illustrated L’s victory in the Loves vote comes from the romantic seascape formation conjured by the pioneering 19th century lithographer Charles Joseph Hullmandel.
There are multiple alphabets in common use today, but the most common – used across Europe, the Americas, Australasia and the majority of Africa – is the Latin alphabet, where this “L” can be found. The English word alphabet came into Middle English from the Late Latin word alphabetum, which in turn originated in the Greek, formed from alpha and beta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and beta came from the first two letters of the Phoenician alphabet, and originally meant ‘ox’ and ‘house’ respectively. Hullmandel created lithographs of the full 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, forming the letters from many pastoral elements such as trees, waterfalls, hedges, churches, deer and bridges; but this L, forged from cliffs, seagulls, waves and sky, is one of the most beautiful and dramatic.
So, with L’s on the mind, here we ask Bradley to list all her favourite things that begin with the letter, most importantly what it is that makes her LOL.
Why did you Love this L?
I love alphabets, one of my favourites being the "Black ABCs" by the Society for Visual Education in Chicago, Illinois, 1970. And I collect Ls (it's the name thing). I don't go anywhere without my little L necklace.
Where would you put it if you owned it?
Above my bed. The illustration is so lovely, it reminds me of Ramsgate, my favourite seaside location.
What L would you dress up as for a Halloween party?
Linda Lovelace.
What's your favourite L word?
Love.
What's your favourite L food?
Lamb chops served with lashings of mint sauce.
Who's the best L named celebrity?
Liberace.
Lanvin, Luella, Loewe or Louis Vuitton?
Lanvin.
What makes you LOL?
Overuse of the word LOL. I do it a lot, in the right company.
What are you Looking forward to about 2014?
The re-opening of The Cat & Mutton on Broadway Market.
What was the last thing you bought?
A lollipop à la Lolita.
