Colorful Spider Drawing

I think he might be a bit too friendly-looking to be used as a Halloween image but this vintage and colorful spider drawing sure grabs your attention. Makes sense considering he was originally part of an advertising image for the Merrick Thread Company. It is undated but was probably used sometime between 1870 and 1898.

What a neat idea to use a colorful spider drawing and her web to advertise thread.

I read somewhere once that a spider’s silken threads are among the strongest substances on earth. I have never put it to the test myself. After all, when I have been caught in a web or trying to remove one, it is the anchor points that give way and then you end up with sticky web all over you. Kinda hard to tell how strong an individual strand of web is when you are busy trying to get untangles and hoping against hope that the resident spider is not among the tangle.

This is by far the friendliest insect image here on Free Vintage Art. She is green, yellow, red and hairy all over. She hails from the tropics, as evidenced by the tall palm trees in the background. She has a pair of big red mandibles for chewing up her prey, yet it looks as if this giant, hairy spider is actually smiling at us.