Free Vintage Nature Poem for Kids: The Birds' Farewell

A vintage nature poem titled "The Birds' Farewell" written in 1888 by O. Herford about birds flying south for winter and saying goodbye to a young girl whose garden they've been in all summer.

You can download this illustrated poem as a free high-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG (without a watermark) for collage art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects here.


Public domain poem is from my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if you use or share this work.

Vintage Art Appreciation: Summer Meadow, Pobojka by Stanislav Yulianovich Zhukovsky

Summer Meadow, Pobojka, 1938
by Stanislav Yulianovich Zhukovsky (1873 – 1944)
Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
― Henry James

Spring flew swiftly by, and summer came; and if the village had been beautiful at first, it was now in the full glow and luxuriance of its richness. The great trees, which had looked shrunken and bare in the earlier months, had now burst into strong life and health; and stretching forth their green arms over the thirsty ground, converted open and naked spots into choice nooks, where was a deep and pleasant shade from which to look upon the wide prospect, steeped in sunshine, which lay stretched out beyond. The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green; and shed her richest perfumes abroad. It was the prime and vigour of the year; all things were glad and flourishing.
― Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

Free Vintage Garden Clipart for Altered Art, Graphic Design, Papercrafts or Scrapbooking: Conversations in the Garden 1 & 2

In the best conversations, you don't even remember what you talked about, only how it felt.
It felt like we were in some place your body can't visit,
some place with no ceiling and no walls and no floor and no instruments.
― John Green, Turtles All the Way Down
Two vintage illustrations from 1891 showing scenes from the garden.The first illustration shows three Victorian ladies chatting in the garden. Two of the ladies are sitting on garden benches while the third lady (who is wearing a veiled hat) has her hand on the shoulder of the seated lady on the left. In the background is some shrubbery and a sundial.

The second illustration shows two ladies sitting on a garden bench while a third lady stands behind them. The seated lady at the back of the bench is holding an umbrella, the lady seated in front is gazing straight ahead with a posy of flowers on her lap. The caped lady holding a purse in her hands is deep in conversation with the seated lady holding the umbrella.

You can download these free high-res 8" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEGs without a watermark for altered art, graphic design, papercrafts or scrapbooking projects here and here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if you use or share this work.

Vintage Art Appreciation: A Rooftop with Flowers by Joaquín Sorolla

A Rooftop with Flowers, 1906
by Joaquín Sorolla (1863 – 1923)

Every time I imagine a garden in an architectural setting,
it turns into a magical place.
I think of gardens I have seen,
that I believe I have seen, that I long to see,
surrounded by simple walls, columns, arcades or the facades of buildings -
sheltered places of great intimacy where I want to stay for a long time.
― Peter Zumthor

Perhaps love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm.
It exists to give you comfort, it is there to keep you warm,
and in those times of trouble when you are most alone,
the memory of love will bring you home.
― John Denver

HIDEAWAY
Preserve that
secret, homey spot
in your heart,
as sanctuary
where dreams may be softly tended,
and revived.
― Tara Estacaan

Free Illustrated Template for Graphic Design, Poetry Writing or Scrapbooking: Victorian Walled Garden with Fuchsia, Primroses and Morning Glories

It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well
in the hardest hours of grief.
But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window,
or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed,
or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses.
― Colette
A gorgeously illustrated floral border from a Victorian magazine published on April 21, 1883. The drawing shows a profusion of blooming flowers (fuchsias, primroses, morning glories) around an opening in an ancient brick wall, like those found in traditional English gardens.

Download and print for announcements, invitations, journaling, poetry writing, scrapbooking or other design and literary projects with a vintage garden theme.You can find the high-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark here.


All pre-made templates by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if you use or share this work.

Vintage Art Appreciation: June by Fidelia Bridges

June, 1876
by Fidelia Bridges (1834 - 1923)

And since all this loveliness cannot be Heaven, I know in my heart it is June.
― Abba Woolson

June falls asleep upon her bier of flowers;
In vain are dewdrops sprinkled o'er her,
In vain would fond winds fan her back to life,
Her hours are numbered on the floral dial.
― Lucy Larcom

Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.
― Al Bernstein

So sweet, so sweet the roses in their blowing,
So sweet the daffodils, so fair to see;
So blithe and gay the hummingbird a-going
From flower to flower, a-hunting with the bee.
― Nora Perry, In June

Free Printable Flower Illustrations for Altered Art, Graphic Design or Scrapbooking: Victorian Baskets of Snowdrops and Forget-Me-Nots

sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love

(all the merry little birds are
flying in the floating in the
very spirits singing in
are winging in the blossoming)

lovers go and lovers come
awandering awondering
but any two are perfectly
alone there's nobody else alive

(such a sky and such a sun
i never knew and neither did you
and everybody never breathed
quite so many kinds of yes)

not a tree can count his leaves
each herself by opening
but shining who by thousands mean
only one amazing thing

(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)

sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love
― e. e. cummings

A pair of Victorian trade cards from circa 1890 with illustrations of spring flowers. The first shows a basket of winter-white snowdrops while the second image contains a basket of riotously blue forget-me-nots. Can be used for vintage-style greeting cards and gift tags or for decorating scrapbook pages and junk journals.

You can download the high-res 6.5" (w) x 4" (h) @ 300 ppi JPEGs without a watermark here (snowdrops) and here (forget-me-nots).


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if you use or share this work.

Free Printable Bird Illustration for Altered Art, Graphic Design or Scrapbooking: Spring Doves with Basket of Forget-Me-Nots

Love all, trust a few,
Do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy
Rather in power than use; and keep thy friend
Under thy own life's key: be check'd for silence,
But never tax'd for speech.
― William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well
A vintage postcard from 1908 that shows a pair of white doves flying aloft as they carry a basket of brilliantly blue forget-me-nots contained within a basket with pink ribbons tied in bows for handles.

This colourful bird illustration would be lovely as the cover of a greeting card to a friend or loved one (Mother's Day, Valentine's Day or birthday) but could also be used in a mixed media art project or to decorate a scrapbook.

To download the high-res 4" x 6" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark, please click here.


From my personal collection of ephemera. All digital scans by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if you use or share this work.

Free Vintage Nature Poem for Kids: Mother by M.M.D.

A poem simply entitled "Mother" by M.M.D. (I suspect it is Mary Mapes Dodge), published in October 1877. This is how it goes:
Early one summer morning,
I saw two children pass:
Their footsteps, slow yet lightsome,
Scarce bent the tender grass.

One, lately out of babyhood,
Looked up with eager eyes;
The other watched her wistfully,
Oppressed with smothered sighs.

"See, mother!" cried the little one,
"I gathered them for you?
The sweetest flowers and lilies,
And Mabel has some too."

"Hush, Nelly!" whispered Mabel,
"We have not reached it yet.
Wait till we get there, darling,
It isn't far, my pet."

"Get where?" asked Nelly. "Tell me."
"To the church-yard," Mabel said.
"No! no!" cried little Nelly,
And shook her sunny head.

Still Mabel whispered sadly,
"We must take them to the grave.
Come, darling?" and the childish voice
Tried to be clear and brave.

But Nelly still kept calling
Far up into the blue;
"See, mother, see, how pretty
We gathered them for you."

And when her sister pleaded,
She cried -- and would not go: --
"Angels don't live in church-yards,
My mother don't, I know."

Then Mabel bent and kissed her.
"So be it, dear," she said;
"We'll take them to the arbor
And lay them there instead."

"For mother loved it dearly,
It was the sweetest place!"
And the joy that came to Nelly
Shone up in Mabel's face.

I saw them turn, and follow
A path with blossoms bright,
Until the nodding branches
Concealed them from my sight;

But still like sweetest music
The words came ringing through;
"See, mother, see, how pretty
We gathered them for you."

Public domain poem is from my personal collection. All digitized poems by FieldandGarden.com are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please credit and link back to FieldandGarden.com as your source if you use or share this work.