224. Thrift Shop Art: VICTOR CABRERA PAINTINGS

GREEN AND BARE IT. Two small paintings of Victor Cabrera, ca. late 50s to early 1960s, found at a Quezon City junk shop.

In my recent forays to the junk shops of Cubao, I was rewarded with these two small paintings--one, a nude lady by the bank of the stream, and another, a more modest beauty, doing her laundry by the river, a little girl beckoning her, at the opposite pampang (river bank). The themes and even the colors were very vintage 50s. I quickly checked the artworks--and one was actually signed on the lower right hand corner. Since the paintings came together and they were stylistically similar, I concluded that these were painted by the same artist.

At first, I thought the painter was a certain "Fabroja", but a quick reference search yielded the name Victor T. Cabrera (b. 1915/ d. 1975) of Dongan, Paranaque. He was actually a student of Fine Arts at UP, but dropped out because of an early marriage. He eventually went back to painting in his 30s, and caught up with lost time by training with Vicente Manansala (they worked together as illustrators for Photo News in the 30s) and Antonio Dumlao, who enlisted him as one of his studio commercial illustrators.

A well-travelled artist, Victor went to Europe and the America, accepting portrait commissions from passengers while en route to his destination. He always finished the artworks even before reaching the port. His works--landscapes, portraits, historical paintings--were characterized by " a silky, finished quality", evident in these two creations.

He painted more earnestly upon his retirement in 1962--the period where these paintings were most likely completed. He had already scheduled his first one-man show at the Great Wall Gallery in 1975, but he died; his exhibit proceeded anyway. Art runs in Cabrera's family--his son-in-law is the noted cartoonist and illustrator, Ben Alcantara, who created the famous "Gorio and His Jeepney" comic strip fro Manila Times.

223. A PAIR OF CARVED IGOROT BUSTS

I found this mid-century pair of carved Igorot (people of Northern Luzon, in the Philippines)  busts on ebay, of all places. They were being offered by a collector who had an amazing ethnic and tribal collection from the world over. One look and I knew these pieces were the works of a master carver.

The details are simply incredible---the features are very lifelike, capturing realistically the facial features of the hardy Igorot. The hair strands are carved very finely, individually and the proportions are perfect.

These heavy, hardwood busts are also replete with such accessoriess as big earrings, which were part of an Igorot's traditional get-up. The earring were carved separately and installed in the drooping ears of the figures. The Igorota sports strings of beads looped into her hair, while his male counterpart wears a wrap-around headgear.

Carvings such as these were very popular in the 1930s, sold primarily as souvenir items from the mountain highlands. The peak of woodcarving skills was in the 1950s, the decade in which these handsome pair were carved. They must have come from a premier shop in Manila, as these were commercially stamped with "Made in the Philippines".

These 13" busts retain their dark, rich patina indicating their age. They must have been lovingly polished and cared for thru the years, displayed in an American home, a reminder of a far-away trip in the cool northern mountains of tropical Philippines.  As one who lived and studied in Baguio, I was drawn to these busts, not just for the artistry they convey but also for the nostalgia they evoke of my memorable years up the mountains.

222. FILIPINO COMIC CHARACTER MASKS

Recently, I got hold of a set of 8 cardboard masks given as premium items to subscribers and readers of  Filipino Komiks, a leading comics published in the mid 50s thru the 60s by Ace Publications founded in after the War. These masks depicted characters featured by the comic book in their illustrated stories. Many comic characters were inspired by specific American comics, such as Kulafu and Og (local Tarzan) and the above character--D.I. Trece was the Pinoy version of detective Dick Tracy. The masks still retain their original rubber bands that one had to sling over one's ears. The masks are superbly illustrated and in good condition--in fact, I am wearing this mask as I pound away this entry on my laptop. Today, the comic world is enriched by the drawings and creations of Pinoy 'komiks' artists like Nestor Redondo, Alex Nino, Tony de Zuniga, Francisco Coching, Mars Ravelo and Jim Fernandez. Their original artworks, previously ignored, are now worth quite a bounty based on recent sales and auctions.

221. BINATA'T DALAGA: Filipiniana Souvenir Dolls

I chanced upon this handsome couple on ebay--a Filipino/Filpina pair of dolls complete with detailed Filipiniana costumes. It's rare to find a matching pair sold together, in great condition as well. These kinds of dolls were very popular in the 30s, sold in emporiums and bazaars to Manila tourists as souvenirs. The head, hands and feet are made of fine clay, while the bodies are made of stuffed cloth.

The heads are painted realistically--the young man's head is molded and painted, while the young miss has a  black mohair wig curled in the flapper style that was all the rage in the 30s. Both are outfitted with glass eyes.


The dolls are outfitted in authentic Filipiniana outfits made from traditional fabrics. The Filipina doll is exceptional in detailing--she is in a baro't saya, complete with an inner wear called kimona. Over this is gauzy baro with butterfly sleeves with floral appliqués and a stiffened panuelo (piano shawl) held together by a faux gem alfiler (pin). The saya has a long train of the de cola variety. I am not sure if this doll is missing a tapiz, which would be of the same gauze material wrapped around the says. She wears  a pair of native corchos or slippers.


The handsome swain is dressed in a simple barong tagalog and a pair of coarse brown pants, with matching tan-colored shoes. I have seen male dolls of this sort made in the likeness of Jose Rizal, maybe a character doll, but this chap looks like your everyday Pinoy binata. Bought as a pair long ago by an American tourist smitten by our islands, these Filipiniana dolls survived 70+ years "living" abroad. Now they are coming back home, a destiny made possible by ebay!

220. PLASSIE: A 50s Ideal Crier Doll

I went to a used book shop cum thrift store in  Cubao and ended up buying not books and magazines, but this cute 1950s doll. I knew it's an old doll as the head was made of early hard plastic. A quick check on the net revealed that this doll--called Plassie--was actually a reissue of an earlier doll made by Ideal Novelty Corp., made in 1942. Like the old version, this doll has a stuffed cloth body, molded hair, sleep eyes with lashes and a closed mouth. It is marked on head: P-50 Ideal Made in U.S.A. The only difference is that, the limbs are of vinyl.


Plassie is a crier doll, which meant that it was made to emit a crying sound. The body still has the crier mechanism inside, but no longer works. It still remains a pretty doll (who can stand crying babies anyway?), a good example of fine dollmaking from America's leading maker of dolls, Ideal Novelty, which gave the world the Shirley Temple Doll and the first Teddy Bear!

219. J.K. STRAUS JIGSAW PUZZLE

Jigsaw puzzles are staples of childhood, meant not only to amuse and keep the child quiet but also train him in mind and manual dexterity. Jigsaw puzzles were often made of paper and cardboard, but old one were made from jigsaw-cut wood, like those made by Joseph K. Straus of Brooklyn, New York, which was active in jigsaw puzzle production from 1933-1974. The pieces were made from cheap wood that tended to chip and splinter.Joseph Straus set up his own puzzle business along with his wife, in Brooklyn, NY in 1933. The company became known for its basic no-frills puzzles sold at affordable prices.


Well, one of his puzzles reached the Philippines--and here it is, an interlocking puzzle made from about 100 pieces. Entitled "Home Sweet Home" (no. 233) , the completes scene shows an American family, relaxing in front of their fireplace, with the doting father playing with his kids. The puzzle came in a plain red boxes with no picture, which dates this to the 1930s (by the late '40s they were using plain blue, tan or mottled boxes with a small guide picture on the cover.)

"Home Sweet Home" is pretty much a standard puzzle but Straus would produce more complex lines such as sculptured puzzles cut in 2 layers; outline puzzles with much of the background cut away; round, triangle, and other shaped puzzles plus limited edition puzzles. They also sold puzzles under the F.A.O. Schwartz label. The firm closed in 1974 when the last family member retired. Straus puzzles are not very expensive even on ebay, ranging from $5-$20. This example falls within that range even if bought locally. It was a cinch to do--as I completed the puzzle in under 20 minutes. Yawn! So much for hours of amusement!

218. TOY WOODEN AIRPLANES

When I first saw these toy airplanes hanging in an antique dealer's shop, I thought they were the usual Japan made tin toys. But I was surprised to see that they were made of painted wood. The only metal parts were the propellers cut from tin. I think these were made in Pampanga, possibly around Angeles City, which had a thriving tourist business that targetted military personnel and their families back in the 60s thru the 80s. Maybe these were made for the tourist trade primarily, modelled after airplanes from the last World War and current aircrafts that flew from Clark,

I don't know the exact airplane models from where these were copied, but they certainly are vintage. They were made to hang as they came with hooks where one could loop strings There are still makers of model airplanes in the Clark area, but they are more sophisticated now--airbrushed painted with details such as sticker decals and carved wooden bases on which to display them. But these original wooden planes have a kind of a simple folk charm that's just as appealing and as endearing to the eye--moreso when they fly the wide blue yonder!