The difference 700 years makes?

Mystery solved! The ever resourceful* Brian Williams weighed in on my "Lilies of mystery" post (right) last week, saying "I recognize these as the front and back artwork from Cocteau Twins' 1982 EP Lullabies (The Arum lily appears on the back.)" He also found the source, The Liliput Pocket Omnibus (pub. date uncertain), along with several scans of its pages, including the spread above.

Above, on the left: STONE. The Famous Angel in Rheims Cathedral, built over 700 years ago; Above, on the right: FLESH AND BLOOD. Centuries later, a striking resemblance is seen in Mlle. Louisette  Bouniol, also of Rheims.

*I know this for a fact. He was my Cub Scout co-den leader back in the day!

The difference a day makes

On the left: A leaf we came across on the UNC campus in Greeley, Colorado on an overcast day with freezing rain. On the right: The same leaf the next day, after an overnight freeze and snowfall.

Presidential parties

In keeping with this week's presidential election, here are a couple of paintings by "visual storyteller" Andy Thomas — delightful stuff. Top: Callin' the Red. Democratic presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, President Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, President Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Andrew Jackson. Bottom:  A Grand Ol' Gang. Republican presidents George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Dwight Eisenhower, Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Abraham Lincoln.

See more of Andy's work here.