Nursery rhymes have been with us for several hundred years. There is a belief that the Druids used “eena, meena, mina, mo…you are it!” to choose human sacrifice.
In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries children lived the same culture, i.e.eating, sleeping and entertainment, as did adults. There was no rating system- no PG, G, or R in those days. In fact, except for lullabies and the A B Cs, the rhymes were not specifically written for children. For the most part they were created as political satires primarily in the reign of Elizabeth 1 (1558-1603).
“Love, politics, and religion are the three inexhaustible themes…”Katherine Elwes Thomas states in The Real Personages of Mother Goose. 1930.
Disclaimer: I don’t profess these stories to be the absolute truth. Some authorities say they are, others say they cannot be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. But whether there is an historical basis for the rhyme, or it is just a nonsense verse, the songs and games are foremost meant to bring joy and gaiety to the participant.
The goal of this project is to elicit the faintest smile from you the viewer.
Jewelry by Geri Cramer
Photos by Jackie Cytrynbaum
Geri and I have been members of the same book club for about 20 years. We meet once a month from September to June. Each meeting she wears a different creation. Each creation has its own personality. Exciting, quiet, colourful, monochrome, etc. She does not sell them; she will not exhibit them.
I was going through a very dry creative spell and needed a challenging project. For me this was a challenge because I had never been interested in tabletop or product photography. Geri agreed to allow me to record a few pieces from the multitude in her collection. I had a good time. Thank you Geri.