As I’ve shared here before, Paul Di Filippo has for years been sending me envelopes decorated with collages culled from old magazines, newspapers, and comic books. Here’s yet another example of his envelope art, which sends a Lady in Red searching for me through a casino.

If only I could manage to look that debonair in reality!

But thanks to the Spring 2008 issue of The Paris Review, the secret of Paul Di Filippo’s inspiration has been revealed at last!

It turns out that Paul was preceded in this hobby by none other than Louis Armstrong. The fabled musician traveled with a steamer trunk filled with approximately 500 seven-inch reel-to-reel tapes, and he created collages like this one to decorate the front and back of each tape box.

Look familiar?

Admit it, Paul—you’ve been found out!