In Spain.

Sent in by Nelson.

December 1935. “Waterfront in New Orleans. French market sidewalk scene.” Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the FSA.

Thanks to Jon, who found this on Shorpy.

MY HUSBAND BROKE MY AMPERSAND TODAY

Are you familiar with the ‘green acrylic, decorative accessory ampersand’ sold by Pottery Barn? Well, I loved it when I saw it and bought one for $29.00. I am a graphic designer and found its shape very inspiring. I love typography and I could not resist this attractive element. Since my purchase a couple of months ago, I have enjoyed it on the edge of my desk, until today…

My husband handed me the telephone, and as he pulled away, he dragged his hand across the top of the green ampersand – sliding it across my desk and initiating a free-fall to the floor. Sitting behind my desk, I could hear my beloved green ampersand shatter on impact.

I was crushed! Like really crushed. I know accidents happen, and I tried not to be a baby, but I loved that ampersand! In my mind, the split second that it happened, I immediately knew that it was ‘gone.’ I would not be spending another $29.00 to replace it… it was a luxury item to me and not a necessity.

I thought I could Superglue the pieces back together and place it up high on my book shelf so I could still enjoy it… up high, the damage would not be as noticeable. Then I realized, that was not going to work, as the ampersand would have had to have been placed ‘backwards’ (so the cracks did not show), and having a backwards ampersand would be far too disturbing for me.

So, I decided to go on-line and see if I could buy a new green ampersand from Pottery Barn for $29.00 (plus delivery). I like it that much! I also can’t guilt my husband into buying it for me for Christmas… that’s just mean. (He felt really bad about knocking it over, by the way.) Since I have now come to grips with buying a new one, I am ironically unable to locate one on the Pottery Barn Website. By Googling “green ampersand” I discovered “The Ampersand” Website and Blog on which I am now venting. I thought this might be a way for me to tell my story to people who might actually care… because you care about ampersands… especially ones that are in trouble.

Thanks for listening. If you know where I can purchase a new green ampersand from Pottery Barn, please let me know : )

Thank you,
Lisa (& her husband)

Thanks Lisa. Sorry about the broken ampersand. I hope you can find a replacement. I recommend the huge cast iron one from House Industries.

Brushes & Brooms.

Submitted by Tim from Chipstead, England.

Craig Conley writes:

Which came first: Ampersand Stream, or Lake, or Mountain? Here’s an intriguing explanation from The Gentleman’s Magazine, 1892:

Ampersand is a mountain. It is a lake. It is a stream. The mountain stands in the heart of the Adirondack country, just near enough to the thoroughfare of travel for thousands of people to see it every year, and just far enough away from the beaten track to be unvisited, except by a very few of the wise ones who love to digress. Behind the mountain is the lake, which no lazy man has ever seen. Out of the lake flows the stream, winding down a long, untrodden forest valley, until at length it joins the Stony Creek waters, and empties into the Raquette River. Which of the three Ampersands has the prior claim to the name I cannot tell.

Philosophically speaking, the mountain ought to be regarded as the father of the family, because it was undoubtedly there before the others existed. And the lake was probably the next on the ground, because the stream is its child. But man is not strictly correct in his nomenclature; and I conjecture that the little river, the last-born of the three, was the first to be called Ampersand, and then gave its name to its parent and grandparent. It is such a crooked stream, so bent and curved and twisted upon itself, so fond of turning around unexpected corners, and sweeping away in great circles from its direct course, that its first explorers christened it after the eccentric supernumerary of the alphabet which appears in the old spelling book as &.

From the oneletterwords blog. Thanks. Just wondering, but did that illustration accompany the original article?

By Rachel-B