on a bracelet

I found this on a student's bracelet. She was very happy to lend me it so I could continue with my work. She also thought learning about the symbol was cool. Unfortunately she is taking Spanish. Oh well.



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on a shirt

It may seem like I am just randomly asking guys if I can take pictures of their chests, er I mean, shirts, and I am. On clothing is where you can find plenty of FDLs. I told this guy I saw in a shop about my hobby and he agreed to let me photograph his chest, er I mean shirt.


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on a ring

A friend of mine and local waitress had this ring on one day. I was instantly jealous. I told her about my project and she let me photograph it. Unfortunately a few weeks later she lost the ring in a natural outdoor spa. Glad I snapped a picture!


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on a shield

A few years back a friend of mine invited me to the a beer-fest at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair grounds. I found this shield with a fleur-de-lis on it... in Québec colours!




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on a book

When I was working at school earlier this year, I noticed one of the covers of a book that a student was reading. When they went to lunch I snapped a photo of the cover. It is decorated with Fleur de Lis.



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on a hat

I found this on the floor after it had been whipped across the room, not at me. I gasped because of the fleur-de-lis. The student to whom it belonged is rurally but intensely proud of his Italian heritage. When he found out it was the national symbol of France, he poo-pooed it asking if there were an Italian equivalent. I said that the symbol is shared among many nations, and that it is likely to be on any number of coat-of-arms, seals, stamps etc.. for the regions of Italy. He seemed more comfortable with that.


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shirt

France has left its mark on more than our nation's architecture, design... cartography, place names, government, history, nation symbols, language etc... I could go on and on... France has alos left its mark in our fashion.

The fleur-de-lis is très chichi on this guys button up shirt.



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Waynesboro, PA

On my yearly trip to go see Jody down in south eastern PA, I have to pass through a little town called Waynesboro.. I have made this trip for a number of years now, but I guess this was the first time I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of this roof-top decor on the Waynesboro Historical Society. Voilà, la fleur-de-lis.

Click on the picture to the right to see a larger verions of this cool, 3-D fleur-de-lis.

The Waynesboro Historical Society is headquartered in the historic Oller House, 138 W. Main St., Waynesboro. This house was built in 1892 and is very much a part of the rich history in Waynesboro.

The society offers a wealth of information for research through its library and archives including a computer database and microfilm library.

The society works for the preservation of landmarks and structures in the Waynesboro area.

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Stained glass

Over the Summer I had taken several pictures for this on-going project, Finding France. It was about the last day or so of my Upward Bound when the tutor mentor came to have the students give me evaluations. As I was sitting outside class waiting for the process to be over, I noticed some lovely stained glass that I had not noticed before.

This particular building, Founders Hall, had undergone major renovations from when I was originally a student there, and I don't think I had noticed it before. But, I did that day and took a picture. I think the glass may have been "a keeper" from the renovations and it was reincorporated into the new architecture. It's at the top of the main stair-well when you enter the building from the front.

Distinctly in the middle of the piece is a fleur-de-lis.



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On a lamp

When I originally thought of this project, I intended for it to only be about fleur-de-lis, but I expanded it into other areas like language, people, places etc... because initially I was having trouble finding them.

I've come to realize that there in fact are fleur-de-lis everywhere. I found this exterior lamp on the outside of Hart Chapel at Clarion University. It is covered in fleur-de-lis. I guess it goes to show it never hurts stop smelling the roses and look up for the fleur-de-lis. Maybe I'll find it in the cloud shapes someday! Wouldn't that be freaky!?


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Tattoo

A man came into the shop where I work the other week. Although I couldn't help him with his questions much, he was very friendly. He had an awesome tattoo. I told him about this on-going project of mine, and I asked him if he wouldn't mind if I took a picture of his tat. He gladly agreed saying that he had actually stole the tat from Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The tat is of a tribal Fleur-de-lis and is located on the right arm of a guy named John from Brockway, Pennsylvania.


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Fleur-de-lis

My first of what I hope to be many entries is of a steeple on a church at my home-away-from-home. I rediscovered it the other day on my way to work and thought this would be a perfect picture to start this project on.

The Fleur-de-lis (Lily Flower), while prominent in many cultures long before it became a symbol of France, I believe in the modern era, its proliferation and symbolism around the world is credited mainly to French culture and exploration. This picture was taken in Clarion, Pennsylvania at the First United Methodist Church.


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