Vintage woodcut drawing from a 1778 book of riddles. Could you have answered this one?
Which swiftly mount on high
On sturdy pinions,
Yet I never fly;
And tho’ my body often moves around,
Upon the self-same spot
I’m always found;
And, like a nurse who chews the infants meat,
I chew for man before that he can eat.
Safely in the public domain, this vintage windmill drawing from 1778 is most likely from a woodcut and made much like we use rubber stamps. I evened out the white background for you but otherwise left this drawing as I found it. The drawing itself seems a little odd. The windmill looks as if it is teetering on top of a brick wall or foundation. The stairs leading to the front door look a bit more like a slide than a ladder or staircase. The blades are on the back of the building so we only see a part of three of them. But, if you like windmills and need an early drawing of one, this one just might fit the bill.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
