Looking for that perfect for the:

1) history buff
2) art lover
3) academic
4) culture snob
5) eclectic

… in your life?

Look no further! We here at Musely have compiled a short list of Top Ten gift suggestions for this holiday season.
Yes, you’re welcome.

1. Jackie Kennedy inspired jewelry – The Smithsonian Institution shop offers around a dozen Jackie Kennedy inspired pieces, including jewelry, a cardigan, handbags and those iconic sunglasses. Personally, I’m a fan of the legendary three-strand pearls, the copy of the bangle that JFK gave to Jackie as an engagement gift, and the replica of the Cartier Tank watch that Jackie wore in mourning for JFK.

This reproduction of Jackie Kennedy's legendary faux-pearl necklace carries 158 handpainted, European glass pearls on hand-knotted silken cords. Photo Credit Smithsonian Institution

ps. Jackie O’s three-strand pearls were fake and were auctioned off in 2010 for $211,000. So, I mean, really, this replica isn’t too far off.

2. The Art Museum, book by Phaidon Publishing – I’ve blogged about this book before (so click here for an analysis) and I think this will make a perfect gift for that art lover in your life. Or history buff. Or world traveler. AND it’s on sale right now for $100. Now all you need is the strength to lift the 18 pounds book.

This revolutionary and unprecedented virtual art museum in a book, features 1,000 oversized pages of over 2,500 works of art. Photo Credit Barnes and Noble

3. WWII inspired military sweater – Because what better way to say, “I love you, dad” than this standard-issue WII-era military sweater? Stylish AND historic.

Part of standard-issue military wear during WWII. Photo Credit National Geographic

4. The Louvre: All The Paintings, by Erich Lessing and Vincent Pomarede – I guess this is a big deal: for the first time EVER, the Musee du Louvre endorsed a book ABOUT the Musee du Louvre. All 3,022 paintings in the permanent exhibit are presented in this full color book. So, if you’d rather not spend $100 on The Art Museum, you can buy this option for only $45.

All 3,022 paintings on display in the permanent painting collection of the Louvre are presented in full color in this striking, slipcased book. Photo Credit divinecaroline.com

5. Pantone iPhone 4 cases – Believe it or not, but Pantone has an ENTIRE online store just brimming with Pantone themed things. There is no better way to say, “Happy Holidays” to that art lover in your life than with a Pantone iPhone 4 case – 9 different colors to chose from. If you have $324, you can buy all 9. Or, just 1 for $36. Whichever.

The Case Scenario Pantone Universe IPhone 4 cases come in nine colors. Photo Credit Pantone.

6. President blocks – These are AMAZING. Wooden blocks with the faces of the US presidents, White House & presidential factoids AND the blocks make an American flag when all sorted in the right order. MAGICAL. Pure Magic. Now all I need is $89.95 and a baby who would appreciate this as much as I do.

Made in Michigan, the heirloom-quality blocks are beautifully illustrated and double as puzzle pieces to create an American flag. Photo Credit Red Envelope.

7. Herb & Dorothy DVD – I’ve blogged about this film before (click HERE to read the review), so you should already know about its amazingness. The perfect gift for the art lover and film buff in your life. Because you don’t have to be a Rockefeller to collect art.

Herb & Dorothy tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. Photo Credit National Gallery of Art.

8. Dorothea Lange print – Dorothea Lange’s image of “Destitute Pea Pickers in Calfornia” (commonly called “Migrant Mother”) has become iconic. Factoid: “32 year old woman, Florence Owens Thompson, a Native American from Oklahoma, had already lived in California for a decade when Lange photographed her. The immediate popularity of the images in the press did nothing to alleviate the financial distress that had spurred the family to seek seasonal agricultural work. Contrary to the despairing immobility the famous image seems to embody however, Thompson was an active participant in farm labor struggles in the 1930s, occasionally serving as an organizer.”
Inspirational? Or slightly depressing…? Either way, for between $28 and $46 you can get this print & piece of American history.

The photograph that has become known as "Migrant Mother" is one of a series of photographs that Dorothea Lange made in February or March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. Photo Credit Library of Congress.

9. Tiffany Stained Glass Magnets – Fancy magnets for the person on your list who loves fancy stuff. Because normal magnets aren’t good enough.

The domed magnets capture the beauty of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s (American, 1848–1933) innovative glasswork. Photo Credit The Met.

10. Leaf Book Marks – These leaf bookmarks/post-it notes are AWESOME! Perfect for the student or book worm on your list.

leaf-it bookmark post-it by appree, korea.

Inspired? Get shopping!

– Annie Erling Gofus