"The Devil", Panama Carnival, c.1910, Real Photo Postcard wooden flower Self-taught Ohio-based artist Lewis Smith

Self-taught Ohio-based artist Lewis Smith (1907-1988) is best known for his drawings of diners

and son of Major-General Sir Guy Campbell

and all of the bits of paper--and hair

A faint stamp on the sole of one indicates they were made in Italy--which also makes sense

like this elephant

"The Devil", Panama Carnival, c.1910, Real Photo Postcard wooden flower Self-taught Ohio-based artist Lewis SmithI purchased a small box lot of otherwise mostly uninteresting photo postcards this week just to have this one and how could I not?! This early 20th century Diablo stands in front of the Iglesia de la Merced (Chuch of the Mercy) in the historic Casco Viejo neighborhood in Panama City. The tradition of Diablo carnivals in Panama is a deep and complex one, with different incarnations of the devil specific to different regions. The roots are in the