St Seiriol's Priory Dovecote inside, this massive structure was built to house pigeons and doves. Built around 1600 by influential Welsh politician Sir Richard Bulkeley, the dovecote’s huge domed roof provided room for up to 1,000 nests and was an important source of meat and eggs. Inside the vaulted dome is a stone pillar some 12ft/37m high, which would have supported a revolving ladder used to reach the nests lining the walls, this photo showing the insides shows how many there were, what a sight, sound and smell it must have been.

Art of seeing // Black & White Photography

Faisal Mosque (Urdu: فیصل مسجد‎) is a mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad, the mosque features a contemporary design consisting of eight sides of concrete shell and is inspired by a Bedouin tent. The mosque is a major tourist attraction, and is referred as a contemporary and influential feature of Islamic architecture.

Martin Luther King Jr. (Atlanta, Georgia, 15 January 1929 – Memphis, Tennessee, 4 April 1968) was a Baptist minister, intellectual, and one of the most influential leaders in modern history. He became the moral and strategic heart of the American Civil Rights Movement, transforming the fight against racism and segregation into a universal struggle for human dignity. He was not simply a “speaker”: he was an organizer, a strategist of nonviolent resistance, and a global symbol of justice.

King was born into a deeply rooted Black Christian community. His birth name was Michael King Jr., later changed to Martin Luther King Jr. He studied at Morehouse College, then at Crozer Theological Seminary, and earned a PhD in Systematic Theology from Boston University. His education and faith shaped a rare combination: spiritual authority, intellectual depth, and political clarity.

He married Coretta Scott King, who would become a powerful activist in her own right and carry his legacy forward. Together they had four children: Yolanda, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott, and Bernice. King’s family life was inseparable from his mission: his wife and children lived under constant threat, surveillance, and hatred, because his struggle disturbed the foundations of a racist system.

King rose to national prominence during the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956), triggered by Rosa Parks’ arrest. The boycott was not only a protest: it was a disciplined political campaign that proved collective dignity could defeat legalized humiliation. King’s leadership helped turn nonviolent resistance into a mass force—organized, strategic, and morally unbreakable.

In 1957 he became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), helping coordinate civil rights campaigns across the South. He led and supported major actions in Birmingham, Selma, and other cities, facing arrests, beatings, threats, and violent repression. He was jailed multiple times; his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” became a landmark of modern political ethics, defending civil disobedience against unjust laws and condemning the dangerous comfort of neutrality.

On 28 August 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King delivered the speech that became one of the most famous in human history: “I Have a Dream.” It was not a poetic moment alone—it was a political declaration that made equality a global moral demand. In the following years, the Civil Rights Movement achieved historic legal victories, including the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965), milestones that changed the United States forever.

In 1964 King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading nonviolent resistance to racial injustice. The prize recognized not only his words, but the discipline and courage of a movement that faced hatred with moral strength and political strategy.

In his final years, King expanded his struggle beyond segregation. He spoke openly against poverty, economic exploitation, and the Vietnam War—positions that made him even more threatening to power. He launched what would become the Poor People’s Campaign, insisting that civil rights without economic justice were incomplete.

In 1968 King traveled to Memphis to support the strike of Black sanitation workers—men demanding dignity, fair treatment, and the right to live as human beings. On 4 April 1968, King was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when he was shot and killed. He died at the age of 39. James Earl Ray was convicted of the assassination. King’s death sparked grief, rage, and uprisings across the United States, because his murder was widely felt as the execution of hope itself.

Martin Luther King Jr. was killed because he was effective. He exposed injustice with clarity, and he organized people to defeat it without becoming what they fought against. He proved that nonviolence is not weakness: it is discipline, courage, and political power. His life remains a permanent accusation against racism, indifference, and every system built on humiliation.

The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, ahead of the BMC Mini, Citroën DS, and Volkswagen Type 1. Ford's Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of America's age of modernization.

Earlstoun dam is an important component of the highly influential Galloway Hydroelectric Power Scheme, providing daily storage capacity and flow regulation for Earlstoun power station. The dam combines both gravity and arch sections, with the gravity section providing the necessary abutment for the arched section to the centre. The dam has a fixed spillway for automatic regulation of the level of water and further roller gates to the gravity section. There is also a regulation valve to the arched section. The water is fed out into an aqueduct which takes it to the penstocks above Earlstoun power station. The Galloway scheme was a significant technological achievement and the first example of run of the river technology to be successfully utilised on a large scale in Scotland.

 

The architectural design of Earlstoun Dam is of a distinctively modern style, with the clean sweeping lines of the wave-wall and the synthesis of features such as corbel brackets to the control tower characterising the modern, dynamic attitude with which hydroelectricity was viewed in this period.

 

The development of the Galloway Hydroelectric Scheme predates the 1943 Hydroelectric (Scotland) Act which formalised the development of Hydroelectricity in Scotland and led to the founding of the North of Scotland Hydroelectric Board. Those developments which predated the 1943 act were developed by individual companies as a response to particular market and topographic conditions. The completion of a number of schemes without a national strategic policy framework is groundbreaking as is the consistency of high quality aesthetic and engineering design across all of the schemes.

 

The Galloway scheme was influential on the future development of hydropower in Scotland. After initial opposition to the parliamentary act granting powers for the completion of the scheme it was approved with a number of safeguards on the landscape and amenity of the area. This necessitated the high quality design of both power stations and dams which characterises the Galloway scheme. This condition also proved influential during the drafting of the Hydroelectric (Scotland) Act of 1943 where the visual impact of future schemes was a primary concern.

 

Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners was a pioneering engineering company, responsible for a number of high profile works in Scotland, including the Kincardine Bridge. The company was founded by Alexander Gibb in 1921 and quickly became the UK's largest firm of consulting engineers with numerous international clients. Gibb was personally involved in the design and construction of the Galloway scheme, and the pioneering nature of the Galloway development is due, in large part, to his abilities as an engineer. Merz and McLellan were pioneering British electrical engineers and developed a high profile practice, working on a number of power stations across Britain, including Dunstan B, as well as completing hydroelectric work in Italy in the 1980s.

Castle Crag is a hill in the North Western Fells of the English Lake District. It is the smallest hill included in Alfred Wainwright's influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet (300 m).

 

Wainwright accorded Castle Crag the status of a separate fell because it "is so magnificently independent, so ruggedly individual, so aggressively unashamed of its lack of inches, that less than justice would be done by relegating it to a paragraph in the High Spy chapter." Subsequent guidebooks have not always agreed: Castle Crag is one of only two Wainwrights not included in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells.

 

The fell has an impressive appearance, a rugged height apparently blocking the valley of Borrowdale, which is squeezed between Castle Crag and Grange Fell, its neighbour on the other side. This narrow gorge known as the 'Jaws of Borrowdale', and is prominent in views from Keswick and Derwentwater.

 

High Spy, the parent fell, forms part of the north-south ridge between Borrowdale and the Newlands Valley. The rough spur of Low Scawdel (1,709 ft) runs out due east from the summit, breaking steeply over Goat Crag and then falling to Broadslack Gill. This small tributary of the River Derwent separates High Spy from Castle Crag.

 

The wooded height of Castle Crag rises between Broadslack Gill and the Derwent, the two streams meeting to the north beneath the outlying knoll of Low Hows. It has steep faces on all sides except the south, where a low ridge runs out and then swings west around the head of Broadslack Gill. A narrow col here provides the topographic link to High Spy.

 

The Derwentwater fault runs along the valley of Broadslack Gill, the higher ground to the north west being mainly composed of the Birker Fell Formation. These are plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas and subordinate sills. By contrast Castle Crag shows outcropping of the Eagle Crag Member, a mixture of siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate and tuff with frequent andesite sills.

 

The slopes of Castle Crag are extensively quarried with pits and levels on the northern and south eastern flanks. The summit has also been extensively worked. The High Hows Quarry later achieved fame as the home of Millican Dalton, the eccentric and self-styled "Professor of Adventure". The caves here formed his summer home from the 1920s until shortly before his death in 1947.

 

The summit area is believed to have been an ancient hill fort, although the western section has been sliced away by quarrying. It can only be gained by means of a sloping crack to the south. The very highest point is a rock outcrop about eight feet high and twelve feet across. Atop this is a well constructed circular cairn of slate. A memorial to Borrowdale men killed in World War I is affixed to the outcrop.

 

There is a fine view down the valley, Skiddaw seen to good effect across the lake. Southwards Great Gable and the Scafells ring the head of the Derwent catchment, while near at hand- enhanced by the steepness of the slope- is a view of the woods and crags of mid Borrowdale.

 

Castle Crag may be ascended easily from the villages of Grange in Borrowdale or Rosthwaite, and can be combined with the lovely riverside walk along the River Derwent.[1] The Allerdale Ramble long distance walking route runs along the valley of Broadslack Gill, whilst the Cumbria Way crosses the eastern slopes of Castle Crag.

  

"Capitol Bokeh"... I dont want to sit here and tell you i discovered a whole new world. But i have recently fell in love with DC's night life (and i dont mean the parties and clubs), I mean the wonderful array of colors and lights that DC's most famous and influential buildings provide.. Yes we all have seen the monuments during the wonderfull, warm, spring and summer days that just seem endless, but just moments after that shining sun goes down a whole new world and perspective of the monuments lights up!.. I would reccomend to anyone to spend some time at night and walk around through the monuments, it is a sight that you will not see anywhere else!

 

Dont forget to follow my journey at twitter.com/DL_Productions

Frans Hals (Antwerpen, 1580 - Haarlem, August 26, 1666) Catharina Hooft with her wet nanny (1619-20) - oil on canvas 91.8 x 68.3 cm - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

 

Pittore olandese quasi contemporaneo di Rembrandt operò nei Paesi Bassi durante il cosiddetto periodo d'oro della loro pittura. Da molti considerato secondo solo a Rembrandt stesso in fatto di innovazioni stilistiche, formali e compositive, Frans Hals fu uno dei pittori più prolifici del periodo olandese ed è autore di alcuni tra i più noti ritratti del barocco, divenendo un punto chiave nella storia della fisiognomica.

 

Il ritratto di una bambina, dipinto da Frans Hals intorno al 1620, è una grande rarità nella pittura olandese del XVII secolo, poiché qui il bambino è presentato con la sua balia. Inoltre, l'immagine è l'unico ritratto di un bambino di Frans Hals che conosciamo ancora oggi.

Mostra la figlia unica Catharina Hooft, nata ad Amsterdam nel 1618.Poco dopo, i suoi genitori si trasferirono ad Haarlem, dove suo padre, l'avvocato Pieter Hooft, aveva comprato una casa e dove probabilmente fu realizzato anche il ritratto di Berlino. Suo zio era il famoso poeta, storico e drammaturgo olandese Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. All'età di soli 17 anni, Catharina sposò nel 1635 il ricchissimo, di 19 anni più anziano di lei, Cornelis de Graeff, uno dei reggenti più influenti e molteplici sindaci di Amsterdam, nonché statista e diplomatico olandese e della Repubblica degli Stati Uniti d'Olanda.

Le balie, i cui compiti consistevano esclusivamente nell'allattamento al seno e nella cura del bambino, avevano solitamente una posizione di primo piano tra i domestici. Solo un piccolo numero di famiglie dell'alta borghesia poteva permettersi il lusso di averne una, che diventava così una sorta di status symbol. In riconoscimento del loro stretto legame con il bambino, le balie godevano di un salario e di un apprezzamento considerevolmente più alti rispetto agli altri domestici.

 

The portrait of a little girl, painted by Frans Hals around 1620, is a great rarity in 17th century Dutch painting, as here the child is presented with her wet nurse. Moreover, the image is the only portrait of a child by Frans Hals that we know of to this day.

It shows the only daughter Catharina Hooft, who was born in Amsterdam in 1618.Soon after, her parents moved to Haarlem, where her father, the lawyer Pieter Hooft, had bought a house and where the Berlin portrait was probably made as well. His uncle was the famous Dutch poet, historian and playwright Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. At the age of only 17, Catharina married in 1635 the very wealthy, 19 years her senior, Cornelis de Graeff, one of the most influential regents and multiple mayors of Amsterdam, as well as a Dutch statesman and diplomat and the Republic of the United States of Holland.

Nannies, whose duties consisted solely of breastfeeding and child care, usually held a prominent position among the servants. Only a small number of upper middle class families could afford the luxury of having one, which thus became a sort of status symbol. In recognition of their close bond with the child, nannies enjoyed considerably higher wages and appreciation than other servants.

Confucius (551–479 BCE) is seen as the pre-eminent Chinese sage, and the most influential person in China’s great history. He is the embodiment of all that has come to be associated with the religion that grew up around his teachings. The development of Confucianism is seen to have occurred during a period known to scholars as “The Axial Age”. This was a time of significant moral and spiritual development for humanity. The term was first coined by Swiss philosopher and psychiatrist Karl Jaspers (1883-1969). In a nutshell Jaspers summed up “The Axial Age” starting with the Chinese masters:

 

“Confucius and Lao-Tse were living in China, all the schools of Chinese philosophy came into being, including those of Mo Ti, Chuang Tse, Lieh Tzu and a host of others; India produced the Upanishads and Buddha and, like China, ran the whole gamut of philosophical possibilities down to materialism, scepticism and nihilism; in Iran, Zarathustra taught a challenging view of the world as a struggle between good and evil; in Palestine the prophets made their appearance from Elijah by way of Isaiah and Jeremiah to Deutero-Isaiah; Greece witnessed the appearance of Homer, of the philosophers—Parmenides, Heraclitus and Plato,—of the tragedians, of Thucydides and Archimedes. Everything implied by these names developed during these few centuries almost simultaneously in China, India and the West."

— Karl Jaspers, "Origin and Goal of History", (p.2)

 

Confucius had no idea that his ideas would become so influential in Chinese history. He failed to convince the politicians of his own day to see the virtue in his teachings about respect and harmony. Moreover, he had to endure a life of considerable hardship, even poverty. But through it all he gained to himself some loyal followers who after his death collected his principal sayings and developed the rudiments of a philosophy that some consider almost a religion. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism

 

There is a very readable biography on Confucius by Meher McArthur published in 2010. And here is a nice little summary by Alain De Botton and his School of Life: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUhGRh4vdb8

 

There is a long documentary by Dan Snow including major interviews with scholars on “The Story of The Real Confucius”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaFDr11g4Rg

 

* We don't know what the real Confucius looked like, so this porcelain figure of a wise man from China can stand in for the sage.

  

7. Visit London Series

  

I was walking along Victoria Embankment behind these two girls who were tottering along wearing enormous heels and wedges. Each step looked agony. I watched them turn into the entrance to Somerset House and saw there were a few steps they had to maneuver. Camera ready in case they toppled I was impressed with the way they descended downwards. Then, as I looked up, I smiled as I saw the large poster on the wall. I snapped just the one photo. Then I saw the irony of what I'd captured.

 

The poster is advertising Guy Bourdin's:Image Maker exhibition currently showing at Somerset House.

 

www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/guy-bourdin

 

Guy Bourdin, a protege of Man Ray, is said to be the most influential and radical fashion photographer of all time. In 1979 Bourdin became famous for an advertising campaign featuring a 22 image series, for Charles Jourdan shoes. For the series he is said to have bought a cadillac and a few maniquins legs. Then he drove round the UK photographing the legs, from the knees downwards, in the Charles Jourdan shoes.

 

It later turned out that London Fashion Week was on at Somerset House and the girls in the killer heels were catwalk models on their way into the show. No wonder they managed the steps so well!

 

Check out the rest of my London Series: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_marina/sets/72157650742633018

Literary Art. Tribute to influential modern Chinese writer Eileen Chang. Hong Kong journeys (2015). Seen in Repulse Bay

"Florian Klenk, an influential Austrian newspaper editor, tells TIME the Chancellor’s pact with Austria’s far right has already opened the gates to barbarians. “Kurz likes to call himself a bridge builder. But a bridge to what?” he asks over a plate of schnitzel in a Viennese café. “Do we need a bridge to neofascists? I’m not so sure.”" time.com/5466497/sebastian-kurz/

 

The incarnation of lack of principle: the high school graduate and Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz

Lala Lajpat Rai (28/01/1865, Dhudike, Punjab, British India – 17/11/1928, Lahore, Punjab, British India) was one of the most influential figures of early 20th-century Indian nationalism, widely known as “Punjab Kesari” (The Lion of Punjab) and as a member of the Lal–Bal–Pal trio, together with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal, which represented the more militant wing of the Indian independence movement. He was born into a well-off Punjabi family. His father, Munshi Radha Krishna, was a teacher of Urdu and Persian, and his mother was Gulab Devi. In his personal life he was known for discipline, austerity and an intense sense of civic duty, dedicating his entire existence to the cause of India’s freedom. He received his early education in the Punjab and later studied law at the Government College in Lahore, where he came into contact with patriotic and reformist ideas and was influenced by the Arya Samaj movement, which promoted social reform, education and national regeneration. Although trained as a lawyer, Lajpat Rai soon shifted from legal practice to public and political life, convinced that independence required not only opposition to British rule but also the construction of strong social and educational institutions. He became active in the Indian National Congress and emerged as a prominent leader in the Punjab. During the internal split between moderates and radicals within the Congress, he aligned himself with the more uncompromising faction, rejecting purely gradualist approaches and supporting mass agitation, economic self-reliance (Swadeshi), and the boycott of British goods. His growing influence made him a target of colonial repression, and in 1907 he was deported without trial to Mandalay, Burma, a clear sign that the British authorities considered him a dangerous mobilizer of popular resistance. Alongside political activism, Lajpat Rai was a prolific writer and journalist. Through books, essays and articles he attacked colonial narratives and exposed the structural damage caused by British rule. One of his most famous works, Unhappy India (1928), openly challenged imperial propaganda and defended India’s right to self-determination. In 1921 he founded the Servants of the People Society in Lahore, an organization dedicated to training disciplined social workers and political activists who would serve the nation, reflecting his belief that freedom required educated and ethically committed citizens. In 1928 the British government appointed the Simon Commission, composed entirely of British members and excluding any Indian representation. Lajpat Rai led a massive protest against the Commission in Lahore. During the demonstration, police carried out a brutal lathi charge (baton attack), and he was severely beaten. Although he continued to speak publicly after the assault, his health rapidly deteriorated. He died on 17 November 1928 from complications caused by the injuries. His death was the direct result of colonial police violence and became a powerful symbol of sacrifice in the Indian struggle for independence. Lala Lajpat Rai was killed because he embodied organized, mass-based resistance: an intellectual, educator and leader capable of turning dissent into collective action, something the British Empire deeply feared.

I publish these portraits to keep their names alive.

They were killed for truth, justice and human dignity.

This series is an act of remembrance and resistance: to educate, to refuse indifference, and to remind the world what hatred and injustice really do.

Because hatred and injustice must not have the last word.

Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, Sicily, Italy

 

Piazza Armerina is a charming town known for its Norman Palio, an annual summer pageant of medieval events, but the major attraction is its ancient Roman villa. Located a few kilometers outside town, the villa is one of the largest Roman dwellings of its kind to have survived antiquity, and probably belonged to a wealthy patrician. Depicting scenes from daily life, such as hunting, the mosaics are as remarkable for their sociological value as for their artistry. One of these, showing women clad in two-piece swimsuits exercising with barbells, could well describe a scene typical of the twentieth century.

The "Villa del Casale" was built between 330 and 360 AD. The identity of its owner remains a subject of debate. However, three individuals are usually mentioned: Proculus Populonius, governor of Sicily from 314 to 337; Caeionus Rufus Volusianus, also called Lampadius, an influential and wealthy man; and Sabucinius Pinianus, probably of Roman birth.

There are 3500 square meters of mosaics on the villa's floors, and some surviving wall paintings. Many of the structure's walls are still standing. The style of the mosaics is said to be influenced by the North African motifs of the Romans. Some smaller finds from the site are housed in the Piazza Armerina archeological museum.

The art itself is impressive, but the visitor is also struck by the size of the villa, whose architectural style differs markedly from that of urban dwellings such as those of Pompei. The villa's buildings are arranged in sections, with an impressive entrance and numerous rooms of various dimensions, some quite large. There are also the remains of water pipes, visible near the entrance. Beneath the villa the remains of a village have been found. These have been dated to 100-200 AD.

 

For video, please visit youtu.be/HQ0CxcmD_8I

From a little while back, I got in the Evening Standards 1000 Most Influential Londoners. Weird, huh...

Completed: 1984

Architect: Piet Blom

 

A popular tourist attraction and bizarre architectural experiment, the Kubuswoningen, is located in the Oude Haven, the most historic section of Rotterdam’s port. Following the destruction of the Oude Haven during the Second World War, architect Piet Blom was asked to redevelop the area with architecture of character, presenting him the opportunity to apply his earlier cube housing exploration in Helmond to a more urban context. Known for his desire to challenge conventions, Blom did not want the Kubuswoningen to resemble typical housing; he strived to dissolve the attitude that “a building has to be recognizable as a house for it to qualify as housing.” During a time when the rebuilding of Rotterdam was pivotal, the Kubuswoningen served as an influential precedent for progressive and innovative architectural development.

Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.

 

Today we have not strayed far from Cavendish Mews and are still in Mayfair, but are far enough away in her mind that Lettice has chosen to take a taxi, hailed for her by her maid Edith from the nearby square, to Bond Street where the premises of the Portland Gallery stand. She is sharing the taxi with her friend Minnie Palmerston, a banker’s wife whom she met at the Embassy Club, which is also on Bond Street. Minnie decided to attempt to redecorate her own dining room with disastrous results, so she has enlisted the assistance of Lettice, who has already established a colour palette and has ordered wall hangings and fabric for new dining chairs, to repair the damage she has done. As the taxi pulls up to the kerb, Lettice and Minnie both peer through the window at the impressive three storey Victorian building with Portland stone facings, which is where the gallery takes its name from. The ground floor part of the façade has been modernised in more recent times, and now sports magnificent plate glass windows through which passers by may look at the beautiful objets d’art artfully presented in them. Currently one window is full of brilliantly painted pottery which reminds Lettice of her Aunt Eglantine’s works, whilst the other has a single modernist statue of white marble set up against a rich black velvet curtain, bathed in light from a spotlight, giving it a very dramatic look.

 

“That’ll be four and six, mum.” the taxi driver says through the glass divider between the driver’s compartment and the passenger carriage as he leans back in his seat. Stretching his arm across the seat he tips his cap in deference to the well dressed ladies swathed in fox furs and stylish hats in the black leather back seat.

 

After paying the taxi fare for them both, Minnie encourages Lettice to alight from the taxi first. As they spill from its door, they are both mid laugh over an amusing story about a mutual acquaintance that Minnie shared with Lettice.

 

Minnie remarks excitedly as the taxi chugs away belching out fumes, “And thinking of gossip, I read in the newspapers that your friend Elizabeth* is going to be the Princess of Wales**.”

 

“You’re such a gossip, Minnie darling.” Lettice chides her friend mildly as she guides them both across the busy footpath and towards the door. “You’d be the last person I’d share Elizabeth’s confidences with.”

 

“So she has…”

 

“If she had shared any with me!” Lettice quickly extinguishes Minnie’s burrowing for gossip with a definite statement in serious and well modulated tones. “As it is, I haven’t seen her since she went to spend Christmas at St Paul’s, Walden Bury. Now come along. We are here to pick objets d’art for your dining room, not prattle about idle gossip.”

 

“You’re such a spoil sport!” Minnie sulks.

 

“I’m not when it comes to interior design.” Lettice assures her. “Now let’s find something to go with those wonderful paintings of your husband’s.”

 

Lettice ushers Minnie through the full length plate glass doors on which the Portland Galleries’ name is written in elegant gilt font along with the words ‘by appointment only’ printed underneath in the same hand. As the door closes behind them, shutting out the sound of noisy automobiles and chugging busses and the clatter of footsteps on the pavement and the chatter of shoppers, the air about them changes. In the crisp and cool silence of the gallery the ladies’ heels click across the black and white marble floor.

 

“Now, I’ve ordered wall hangings from Jeffrey and Company*** to deck out the dining room. It’s metallic and red dioxide in colour,” Lettice enthuses, suddenly aware of how her well modulated tones bounce off the hard surfaces and objects on display in the gallery. “It’s so striking, I know you’re just going to love it.”

 

“Hhhmmm,” Minnie muses in a non-committal fashion as her eye flits around the red painted gallery hung with paintings and populated with tables, cabinets and pillars upon which stand different sculptures and other artistic pieces.

 

“The wallpaper, Minnie,” Lettice sighs in exasperation, misunderstanding Minnie. “I’ve ordered it. Goodness, I do wish you’d concentrate for more than five minutes for a change.”

 

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that, Lettice darling.”

 

“About what?”

 

“About the wall hangings Lettice darling.” Minnie purrs. “I’m wondering whether we shouldn’t reconsider how the dining room is to be furbished.”

 

“Reconsider, Minnie?” Lettice looks with shocked and wide eyes at her friend. “What on earth do you mean, reconsider?”

 

“Well, I was just wondering whether it mightn’t be better to have gold wallpaper instead.”

 

“Gold wallpaper?”

 

“You know darling, to represent the golden sands of Egypt.” Minnie says with a dramatic air, raising her right hand to her forehead, her eyes drifting upwards in the affected stance of a silent film star. “Everyone I know is going positively wild over anything Egyptian after the discovery of that boy king’s tomb****. Simply mad for it, darling! All of Charles’ frightfully boring banking friends can talk of nothing else, and nor can their wives.” She giggles. “They’ve finally got something interesting to talk about.”

 

“But we’re here today, Minnie darling, to pick ornaments to decorate the room with. The papers are already ordered at great expense.” Lettice looks with concern at her friend. “You can’t go and change your mind now.”

 

“Of course I can, Lettice darling!” Minnie scoffs with a wave of her maroon coloured leather glove clad hand. “Charles is footing the bill. He’ll pay for whatever you ask, carte blanche.” She cocks one of her well manicured eyebrows over her glittering eye. “He’s convinced that anything you choose will be a patch on anything I’ve done thus far, which in reality probably isn’t too far from the truth.”

 

“Exactly!” Lettice retorts. “And I’ve chosen red dioxide as the colour for the dining room, not gold.”

 

“But gold would be so fashionable, Lettice darling!” Minnie insists. “So now!”

 

“And it might just as quickly be yesterday, tomorrow.” Lettice retorts, irritated at little by the fickle nature of her friend. “I’m trying to help you come up with a dining room that won’t need redecorating for a while.”

 

“But I…”

 

Lettice silences Minnie by holding up her navy glove clad hands in protestation. “I promise that it will be modern and fashionable, and yet timeless too.” She plays her trump card knowingly. “Don’t you trust me, Minnie darling?” She gazes at her friend with dewy eyes. “After all, you did ask me to redecorate the room for you. Don’t you trust my judgement any more?”

 

“Oh… oh no!” Minnie stutters in reply. “No! Of course I do. Your taste is excellent. Of course, you’re right.”

 

“Then metallic red dioxide wallpaper it will be.” Lettice says with a satisfied sigh.

 

“Well, I’ll settle for some rather exotic looking Egyptian statues then,” Minnie says. “Like that one you have on your mantle.”

 

“My ‘Theban Dancer’***** do you mean?”

 

“Yes, yes! She’s the one!” Minnie enthuses. “Or that daringly modern one you have on your dining room sideboard.”

 

“Well, they both came from the Portland Gallery, so I’m sure we can find some beautiful examples to suit you here.” Lettice assures her as she entwines her arm with her friend. “Come on, let’s see what there is.”

 

“Ah! Miss Chetwynd!” a mature frock coated man greets Lettice with a broad smile. Taking her hand, he kisses it affectionately, yet with respect. “How do you do.”

 

“Mr. Chilvers!” Lettice greets the smartly dressed man with a warm smile and the familiarity of the regular client that she is. “How do you do.”

 

“And to what do we owe this great pleasure of your visit today, Miss Chetwynd?” Mr. Chilvers asks obsequiously, releasing Lettice’s fingers and clasping his hands together in front of him.

 

Born Grand Duke Pytor Chikvilazde in the Russian seaside resort town of Odessa, the patrician gallery owner with the beautifully manicured and curled handlebar moustache fled Russia after the Revolution, escaping aboard the battleship HMS Marlborough****** from Yalta in 1919 along with the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and other members of the former, deposed Russian Imperial Family. Arriving a in London later that year after going via Constantinople and Genoa, the Russian emigree was far more fortunate than others around him on the London docks, possessing valuable jewels smuggled out of Russia in the lining of his coat. Changing his name to the more palatable Peter Chilvers, he sold most of the jewels he had, shunned his Russian heritage, honed his English accent and manners, to reinvent himself as the very British owner of an art gallery in Bond Street, thus enabling him to continue what he enjoyed most about being Grand Duke Pytor Chikvilazde and enjoy a thriving arts scene. As one of his more high profile customers, Mr. Chilvers happily fawns over Lettice, delighted that she chooses to patronise his very exclusive gallery for pieces to decorate the interiors of her clients’ homes with.

 

“Mr. Chilvers, this is my friend Minnie Palmerston. I’m redecorating her St John’s Wood dining room. Minnie, this is Mr Chilvers. He owns and runs the Portland Gallery.”

 

“Charmed, I’m sure.” Mr. Chilvers raises Minnie’s hand to his lips and kisses it, all the while admiring the beautiful redhead with striking green eyes, swathed in maroon and draped in red fox furs.

 

“Minnie’s taken rather a shine to my ‘Theban Dancer’ and my ‘Modern Woman’, Mr. Chilvers,” Lettice explains. “Perhaps you can show us something of a similar vein?”

 

“It would be my pleasure, Miss Chetwynd, Miss Palmerston,” Mr. Chilvers croons. “Right this way. I think I might have just the thing.”

 

“He’s the gallery owner,” Lettice whispers to her friend behind her hand. “He always thinks he has something.” She pauses. “Although to be fair, this is an amazing gallery and he often does.”

 

Minnie looks at Lettice with a hopeful smile.

 

Indicating for them to follow him with an open palm gesture, Mr. Chilvers leads the ladies through the gallery.

 

The rich red walls are hung with all kinds of modern paintings, many not dissimilar to those that grace the walls of Minnie and Charles’ dining room. Lettice’s own drawing room paintings come from the gallery. Dour street scenes and vibrant abstract still lives hang alongside dynamic portraits. Most of the furnishings are black japanned wood and made in a very stark, yet stylish way, so as not to distract from the artworks that sit upon their surfaces. Hand painted pottery in bright colours and ornate spun glass pieces sit upon tables and buffets and inside mirrored cabinets whilst statues stand proudly on pillars and stands. The air is rich with the fragrance of ornate floral arrangements strategically set about the gallery as colourful foils to compliment various artworks. Everywhere there is colour and interest.

 

“What kind of display are you looking for, ladies?” Mr. Chilvers asks as Lettice and Minnie follow in his sweetly spiced eau de cologne wake.

 

Minnie looks alarmingly at Lettice, who quickly answers for them both, “I have two rather tall pillars that will stand either side of an existing new tile fireplace. I also have a simple black japanned sideboard.”

 

“Is there a mantle on the fireplace?” the gallery owner asks as they walk.

 

“A small central recess only, Mr. Chilvers.” Lettice says knowledgably, much to Minnie’s surprise, for even as the owner of the fireplace she has never so much as considered whether it has a mantle or not.

 

“And the specifics of the room?” Mr. Chilvers asks, running his index finger along the edge of a display table as he does, rubbing his clean thumb and forefinger together and releasing a satisfied sigh as he does.

 

“It’s my dining room.” Minnie begins. “I tried to do the redecoration myself but…”

 

Lettice quickly places a forbidding arm across Minnie’s chest, silencing her. Minnie glances at her friend whose eyes widen as she shakes her head to indicate that the gallery owner doesn’t need to know about Minnie’s decorative disasters.

 

“The room,” Lettice says smoothly over the top of her friend. “Is in an early Victorian townhouse, so it has high ceilings and is tall rather than wide. I have metallic red dioxide papers embossed with leaves and flowers on order from Jeffrey and Company. Mr. and Mrs. Palmerston are devotees of modern art, Mr. Chilvers, so the paper, whilst striking, is really there to support their paintings already chosen for the room.”

 

“Always the arbiter of smart and select taste, Miss Chetwynd.” Mr. Chilvers replies with a smile as he glances back at the two ladies and tweaks his moustache. “So, something tall, perhaps, with some gilding?”

 

“Quite so, Mr. Chilvers.” Lettice agrees.

 

“And nothing too ornate, of course.” he adds.

 

“Indeed no, Mr. Chilvers.” Lettice concurs.

 

“You are very fortunate in your choice of interior designer, Mrs. Palmerston.” He turns back and keeps walking. “Too many women with too much time on their hands take it upon themselves to redecorate rooms, creating a disastrous and gauche pale imitation of what they have seen elsewhere, which simply doesn’t suit their homes.”

 

Minnie’s eyes grow wide as she glances at Lettice in alarm. Lettice silently raises he finger to her lips to indicate that she hasn’t said anything about Minnie’s attempt to redecorate her dining room herself, which makes Minnie sigh with relief.

 

“Rather like creating a Maida Vale dining room in St John’s Wood, would you say, Mr. Chilvers?” Minnie asks a little nervously.

 

“Quite so, Mrs. Palmerston. Well said.” he agrees as his pace slows. “I do so dislike bored ladies like that. I have no time for artless women who dabble in art, and I won’t have them in my gallery.”

 

“Oh!” Minnie bluffs with false joviality. “Oh, my husband and I quite agree with you. There is nothing worse than a poorly decorated room, Mr. Chilvers, full of tasteless tatt.” She is so grateful that the imposing gallery owner has his back to her so that he cannot see the colour of her face betraying the truth of Minnie’s experience.

 

“Indeed, Mrs. Palmerston,” he agrees. “But that is something you won’t have to suffer under the skilled artistic eye and adept hands of Miss Chetwynd. She has found the profession that suits and showcases her skills admirably.”

 

“Yes,” Minnie says, blushing deeper and smiling coyly. “I’ve seen the work she has done to the home of friends of ours.”

 

“Ah,” Mr. Chilvers purrs as they reach a corner of the gallery. He stops in front of a beautiful, and unusually, round flame wood cabinet on a large pedestal. “I think, ladies, you might find something to your liking in here.” He opens up the doors and turns to the two ladies. “A selection of modern sculpture and some of my finest Venetian glass*******. There are also some rather fetching sculptures to either side.” he adds with a wave of his elegant hand. “Well, I’ll leave you to discuss your choices with your client, Miss Chetwynd. I do hope, Mrs. Palmerston, that you will find something to please you.”

 

The two ladies watch him sweep away before turning to the cabinet.

 

“Thank you for not telling Mr. Chilvers about my… you know.” Minnie starts gesticulating wildly.

 

“You nearly gave the game up yourself, Minnie.” Lettice chides her friend kindly in a conspiratorial whisper. “Mr. Chilvers is a frightful snob. It’s almost like he comes from the highest echelons of some European aristocracy, and yet even with Leslie’s help I’ve been unable to trace him prior to opening this gallery in 1920. He’s quite the mystery! And,” she adds. “He doesn’t let just anyone shop here, even by appointment.”

 

“Which would explain why Charles and I have never been here.” Minnie replies.

 

“Indeed. Well, I think Mr. Chilvers would refuse Charles automatically on face value. Being a banker, I think he would consider him far too gauche and newly minted for his establishment.”

 

“Oh.” Minnie casts her eyes downwards.

 

“Don’t do that, Minnie darling!” Lettice puts a comforting arm around her friend. “You are a good person, and so is Charles.” She rubs Minnie’s arm. “Don’t worry about Mr. Chilvers snobbery. I can already tell that he likes you. I knew he would admire you for your striking fiery red tresses and stunning green eyes. He finds you intriguing.”

 

“He does?”

 

“Yes. He didn’t even acknowledge poor Margot on the one occasion I brought her here.”

 

“But she’s richer and better connected than I am.”

 

“Sshhh!” Lettice shushes her friend with a finger to her lips. “He obviously doesn’t think so.”

 

“It’s a funny way to run a business, I must say.” Minnie says as she picks up a beautiful glass comport of aqua blue and toys with it in her hands, feeling the cool material between her fingers.

 

“Mr. Chilvers seems to rise above all that, which is why I think he is from a very aristocratic European family. Italian perhaps?” She picks up a tall Venetian glass vase with amber decoration around its base, holding it up as if it serves as proof as to Mr. Chilver’s lineage.

 

“With a name like Chilvers, he can hardly be Italian, Lettice darling!” Minnie replaces the comport on the shelf.

 

“Oh, you can be so dense sometimes, Minnie darling!” Lettice giggles. “You don’t imagine that Chilvers is his real name, do you?”

 

“Well…” Minnie gulps.

 

“Of course it’s not! If he’s an Italian prince, or count, he probably has a real family name of Chiavaroli or Chiodini.” Lettice giggles girlishly as the syllables roll around like a foreign language in her mouth. “Anyway, going back to what I was saying before, if through being connected with me, you receive a foray into the joys of exclusive shopping here, I know you will find many a fine piece to ornament your home with. Once Mr. Chilvers knows you have taste.”

 

“He hasn’t seen the disaster I made of my dining room.” Minnie blurts out, interrupting her friend.

 

“And he doesn’t have to know about it.” Lettice soothes quietly. “Just keep mum.”

 

“Yes!” Minnie sighs. “Me and my big mouth. One day you won’t be around, and I’ll get myself into real trouble.”

 

“Well, luckily I was here, Minnie darling.” Lettice says with a smile. “Anyway, once Mr. Chilvers knows you, he’ll forgive you if you bring Charles: especially if Charles brings an open chequebook.”

 

“Do you think he might be Russian?” Minnie asks quietly, looking discreetly over her shoulder to Mr. Chilvers as he sits at his black japanned desk in the middle of the gallery, scribbling notes into a ledger.

 

“Who?” Lettice asks, wide eyed as she removes the copy of the ‘Theban Dancer’ from the middle shelf of the cabinet and considers whether it will fit onto the recess of Minnie’s dining room fireplace.

 

“Mr. Chilvers, of course, Lettice darling! Now who’s being dense?”

 

“Good heavens no!” Lettice scoffs. “He’s English is far too good and his manners too impeccable to be a Russian emigree. Have you ever met any? They can be quite horrible and so terribly haughty, even if they are now all as poor as church mice.” She too looks over to Mr. Chilvers, who either doesn’t know he is being scrutinised, or is far too polite to acknowledge it. “No, he’s Italian, I’m sure of it.” She sighs as she admires his dark hair, pale skin, and sharp cheekbones. “Now, this isn’t helping us pick any pieces for your dining room, Minnie darling. I was thinking that the ‘Theban Dancer’ you like might just fit on the small recess on your fireplace. Do you really like her enough to want her? Is she exotic enough for your current tastes?”

 

The two women begin to look earnestly at the objects around them to select pieces for Minnie’s dining room, and all the while, Mr. Chilvers writes in his ledger, the nib of his fountain pen scratching across the surface of the page, his ears ever alert to every whisper of conversation in his gallery, but his eyes remaining downcast out of deference for Lettice, one of his favourite customers.

 

*Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, as she was known at the beginning of 1923 when this story is set, went on to become Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from 1936 to 1952 as the wife of King George VI. Whilst still Duke of York, Prince Albert initially proposed to Elizabeth in 1921, but she turned him down, being "afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to". He proposed again in 1922 after Elizabeth was part of his sister, Mary the Princess Royal’s, wedding party, but she refused him again. On Saturday, January 13th, 1923, Prince Albert went for a walk with Elizabeth at the Bowes-Lyon home at St Paul’s, Walden Bury and proposed for a third and final time. This time she said yes. The wedding took place on April 26, 1923 at Westminster Abbey.

 

**In early January 1923 a newspaper ran a gossip item that Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was soon to be engaged to Prince Albert the Duke of York’s elder brother, the Prince of Wales – a story that reportedly annoyed her. Rumour has it that part of Elizabeth’s hesitance to marry Albert was due to her being in love with David – the loftier “catch” – however, these stories are highly unlikely and probably have more to do with trying to explain her later hatred for Wallis Simpson. More likely, she knew that the story meant more pressure for her to make up her mind about Albert and she knew the rumour would wound him

 

***Jeffrey and Company was an English producer of fine wallpapers that operated between 1836 and the mid 1930s. Based at 64 Essex Road in London, the firm worked with a variety of designers who were active in the aesthetic and arts and crafts movements, such as E.W. Godwin, William Morris, and Walter Crane. Jeffrey and Company’s success is often credited to Metford Warner, who became the company’s chief proprietor in 1871. Under his direction the firm became one of the most lucrative and influential wallpaper manufacturers in Europe. The company clarified that wallpaper should not be reserved for use solely in mansions, but should be available for rooms in the homes of the emerging upper-middle class.

 

****On the 4th of November 1922, English archaeologist Howard Carter and his men discovered the entrance to the boy king, Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, sparking a worldwide interest in all things Egyptian. The craze he started became known as Tutmania, and it inspired everything from the architecture of public building and private houses alike to interior design and fashion. Famously at the time, socialite Dolores Denis Denison applied one of the earliest examples of getting the media of the day to pay attention to her because of her dress by arriving at the prestigious private view of the King Tut Exhibition in London, dressed as an Egyptian mummy complete in a golden sarcophagus and had to be carried inside by her driver and a hired man. Although it started before the discovery of the tomb, the Art Deco movement was greatly influenced by Egyptian style. Many of the iconic decorative symbols we associate with the movement today came about because of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

 

*****The exquisite sculpture “Theban Dancer” was cast by the esteemed Belgian-French sculptor Claire Jeanne Roberte Colinet, and is one of the most recognised figures representing the exoticism and frenetic energy and movement of the 1920s. Cast in the 1920s, the “Theban Dancer” is gilt and enamelled bronze, usually sitting upon a marble plinth.

 

******In 1919, King George V sent the HMS Marlborough to rescue his Aunt the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna after the urging of his mother Queen Dowager Alexandra. On the 5th of April 1919, the HMS Marlborough arrived in Sevastopol before proceeding to Yalta the following day. The ship took Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and other members of the former, deposed Russian Imperial Family including Grand Duke Nicholas and Prince Felix Yusupov aboard in Yalta on the evening of the 7th. The Empress refused to leave unless the British also evacuated wounded and sick soldiers, along with any civilians that also wanted to escape the advancing Bolsheviks. The Russian entourage aboard Marlborough numbered some 80 people, including forty four members of the Royal Family and nobility, with a number of governesses, nurses, maids and manservants, plus several hundred cases of luggage

 

*******Venetian glass is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techniques, as well as gilding, enamel, or engraving. Production has been concentrated on the Venetian island of Murano since the Thirteenth Century. Today Murano is known for its art glass, but it has a long history of innovations in glassmaking in addition to its artistic fame - and was Europe's major centre for luxury glass from the High Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance. During the Fifteenth Century, Murano glassmakers created cristallo—which was almost transparent and considered the finest glass in the world. Murano glassmakers also developed a white-coloured glass (milk glass called lattimo) that looked like porcelain. They later became Europe's finest makers of mirrors.

 

Whilst this up-market London gallery interior complete with artisan pieces may appear real to you, it is in fact made up completely with pieces from my 1:12 miniatures collection, including pieces I have had since I was a teenager.

 

Fun things to look for in this tableau include:

 

On the top shelf of the round Art Deco display cabinet are a selection of 1:12 artisan glass pieces. Each one is made from real blown glass and is decorated with spun glass patterning in a different colour. They all come from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.

 

On the middle shelf is a miniature artisan hand painted Art Deco statue on a “marble” plinth. Made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality of the detail in their pieces, it is a 1:12 copy of the “Theban Dancer” sculpture created by Claire-Jeanne-Roberte Colinet in 1925. She is flanked by two hand coloured spun glass comports. These I have had since I was a teenager. I acquired them from a high street shop that specialised in dolls and doll house miniatures.

 

The New Woman Art Deco statue on the bottom shelf of the cabinet is a hand painted 1:12 artisan pewter miniature also from Warwick Miniatures Ireland. She is named “Christianne”, and she also comes in a more risqué form as a nude.

 

The very striking round mirror backed mahogany Art Deco cabinet is made by high end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq. It comes from their Swanson range. The two pedestals either side of it were also made by Bespaq.

 

The two statues on the pedestals are 1:12 artisan miniatures also from Warwick Miniatures Ireland, however they have been had painted by me.

 

The black console table and the table in the foreground were made by Town Hall Miniatures.

 

The two porcelain vases on the console table have been hand painted and came from an online miniatures specialist on E-Bay. The glass comport is a 1:12 artisan glass piece made from real blown glass and is hand tinted. It comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.

 

The paintings on the wall come from Amber’s Miniatures in the United States.

 

The vase of flowers in the foreground is beautifully made by hand by the Doll House Emporium.

 

The Clarice Cliff style Art Deco tea set and tray on the table in the foreground have been hand painted and came from an online miniatures specialist on E-Bay.

Decided to go the pepper route. Should have seen the look on the lady's face who was arranging the peppers when I told her I needed an ugly one...the uglier the better. :oP

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©Christine A. Evans 12.4.17

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I really appreciate your comments and faves. I'm not a hoarder of contacts, but enjoy real-life, honest people. You are much more likely to get my comments and faves in return if you fit the latter description. Just sayin. :oD

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If you like b/w photography and/or poetry check out my page at:

expressionsbychristine.blogspot.com/</a

 

Cockburn Street is a picturesque street in Edinburgh's Old Town, created as a serpentine link from the Royal Mile to Waverley Station in 1856. It is named after the Scottish lawyer, judge and literary figure Henry, Lord Cockburn who was influential in urging his fellow citizens to remain vigilant in ensuring that early-Victorian expansion, e.g. improvements such as Cockburn Street, did not irrevocably damage or obliterate the built heritage and environment.

 

The street contains a series of small specialist shops.

Sculptures attributed to Enrico Merengo, on the exterior of Church Santa Maria del Giglio in Venice on Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo.

 

The Barbaro family was a patrician family of Venice. They were wealthy and influential and owned large estates in the Veneto above Treviso.  Various members were noted as church leaders, diplomats, patrons of the arts, military commanders, philosophers, scholars, and scientists

Castle Crag is a hill in the North Western Fells of the English Lake District. It is the smallest hill included in Alfred Wainwright's influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet (300 m).

 

Wainwright accorded Castle Crag the status of a separate fell because it "is so magnificently independent, so ruggedly individual, so aggressively unashamed of its lack of inches, that less than justice would be done by relegating it to a paragraph in the High Spy chapter."[1] Subsequent guidebooks have not always agreed: Castle Crag is one of only two Wainwrights not included in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells.

 

The fell has an impressive appearance, a rugged height apparently blocking the valley of Borrowdale, which is squeezed between Castle Crag and Grange Fell, its neighbour on the other side. This narrow gorge known as the 'Jaws of Borrowdale', and is prominent in views from Keswick and Derwentwater.

 

High Spy, the parent fell, forms part of the north-south ridge between Borrowdale and the Newlands Valley. The rough spur of Low Scawdel (1,709 ft) runs out due east from the summit, breaking steeply over Goat Crag and then falling to Broadslack Gill. This small tributary of the River Derwent separates High Spy from Castle Crag.

 

The wooded height of Castle Crag rises between Broadslack Gill and the Derwent, the two streams meeting to the north beneath the outlying knoll of Low Hows. It has steep faces on all sides except the south, where a low ridge runs out and then swings west around the head of Broadslack Gill. A narrow col here provides the topographic link to High Spy.

 

The Derwentwater fault runs along the valley of Broadslack Gill, the higher ground to the north west being mainly composed of the Birker Fell Formation. These are plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas and subordinate sills. By contrast Castle Crag shows outcropping of the Eagle Crag Member, a mixture of siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate and tuff with frequent andesite sills.[3]

 

The slopes of Castle Crag are extensively quarried with pits and levels on the northern and south eastern flanks. The summit has also been extensively worked. The High Hows Quarry later achieved fame as the home of Millican Dalton, the eccentric and self-styled "Professor of Adventure". The caves here formed his summer home from the 1920s until shortly before his death in 1947.

 

The summit area is believed to have been an ancient hill fort,[1] although the western section has been sliced away by quarrying. It can only be gained by means of a sloping crack to the south. The very highest point is a rock outcrop about eight feet high and twelve feet across. Atop this is a well constructed circular cairn of slate. A memorial to Borrowdale men killed in World War I is affixed to the outcrop.

 

There is a fine view down the valley, Skiddaw seen to good effect across the lake. Southwards Great Gable and the Scafells ring the head of the Derwent catchment, while near at hand- enhanced by the steepness of the slope- is a view of the woods and crags of mid Borrowdale.

 

Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. Not commercially successful in his career, he struggled with severe depression and poverty, which eventually led to his suicide at age thirty-seven.

Born into an upper-middle class family, Van Gogh drew as a child and was serious, quiet, and thoughtful. As a young man, he worked as an art dealer, often traveling, but became depressed after he was transferred to London. He turned to religion and spent time as a Protestant missionary in predominantly Roman Catholic southern Belgium. He drifted in ill health and solitude before taking up painting in 1881, having moved back home with his parents. His younger brother Theo supported him financially; the two kept a long correspondence by letter. His early works, mostly still lifes and depictions of peasant labourers, contain few signs of the vivid colour that distinguished his later work. In 1886, he moved to Paris, where he met members of the avant-garde, including Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, who were reacting against the Impressionist sensibility. As his work developed he created a new approach to still lifes and local landscapes. His paintings grew brighter as he developed a style that became fully realised during his stay in Arles in the South of France in 1888. During this period he broadened his subject matter to include series of olive trees, wheat fields and sunflowers.

Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions and though he worried about his mental stability, he often neglected his physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily. His friendship with Gauguin ended after a confrontation with a razor when, in a rage, he severed part of his own left ear. He spent time in psychiatric hospitals, including a period at Saint-Rémy. After he discharged himself and moved to the Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris, he came under the care of the homeopathic doctor Paul Gachet. His depression persisted, and on 27 July 1890, Van Gogh is believed to have shot himself in the chest with a revolver, dying from his injuries two days later.

Van Gogh was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime, and he was considered a madman and a failure. As he became famous only after his suicide, he came to be seen as a misunderstood genius in the public imagination. His reputation grew in the early 20th century as elements of his style came to be incorporated by the Fauves and German Expressionists. He attained widespread critical and commercial success over the ensuing decades, and is remembered as an important but tragic painter whose troubled personality typifies the romantic ideal of the tortured artist. Today, Van Gogh's works are among the world's most expensive paintings to have ever sold, and his legacy is honoured by a museum in his name, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which holds the world's largest collection of his paintings and drawings.

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Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands. Its status as the Dutch capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands, although Amsterdam is not the seat of the Dutch government which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 802,938 within city limits, 1,560,414 in the urban region and 2,332,839 in the greater metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. It comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million.

 

Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin: a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

 

As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands.] Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked 2nd best city to live by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living by Mercer. The city was previously ranked 3rd in innovation by 2thinknow in the Innovation Cities Index 2009.

 

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center. Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 3.66 million international visitors annually.

 

The earliest recorded use of the name "Amsterdam" is from a certificate dated 27 October 1275, when the inhabitants, who had built a bridge with a dam across the Amstel, were exempted from paying a bridge toll by Count Floris V. The certificate describes the inhabitants as homines manentes apud Amestelledamme (people living near Amestelledamme). By 1327, the name had developed into Aemsterdam

 

Amsterdam's founding is relatively recent compared with much older Dutch cities such as Nijmegen, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In October 2008, historical geographer Chris de Bont suggested that the land around Amsterdam was being reclaimed as early as the late 10th century. This does not necessarily mean that there was already a settlement then since reclamation of land may not have been for farming—it may have been for peat, used as fuel.

 

Amsterdam was granted city rights in either 1300 or 1306. From the 14th century on, Amsterdam flourished, largely because of trade with the Hanseatic League. In 1345, an alleged Eucharistic miracle in the Kalverstraat rendered the city an important place of pilgrimage until the adoption of the Protestant faith. The Stille Omgang—a silent procession in civil attire—is today a remnant of the rich pilgrimage history

 

In the 16th century, the Dutch rebelled against Philip II of Spain and his successors. The main reasons for the uprising were the imposition of new taxes, the tenth penny, and the religious persecution of Protestants by the Spanish Inquisition. The revolt escalated into the Eighty Years' War, which ultimately led to Dutch independence. Strongly pushed by Dutch Revolt leader William the Silent, the Dutch Republic became known for its relative religious tolerance. Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Huguenots from France, prosperous merchants and printers from Flanders, and economic and religious refugees from the Spanish-controlled parts of the Low Countries found safety in Amsterdam. The influx of Flemish printers and the city's intellectual tolerance made Amsterdam a centre for the European free press

 

The 17th century is considered Amsterdam's Golden Age, during which it became the wealthiest city in the world. Ships sailed from Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea, North America, and Africa, as well as present-day Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Brazil, forming the basis of a worldwide trading network. Amsterdam's merchants had the largest share in both the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company. These companies acquired overseas possessions that later became Dutch colonies. Amsterdam was Europe's most important point for the shipment of goods and was the leading Financial Centre of the world. In 1602, the Amsterdam office of the Dutch East India Company became the world's first stock exchange by trading in its own shares.

 

Amsterdam lost over 10% of its population to plague in 1623–1625, and again in 1635–1636, 1655, and 1664. Nevertheless, the population of Amsterdam rose in the 17th century (largely through immigration) from 50,000 to 200,000

 

Amsterdam's prosperity declined during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The wars of the Dutch Republic with England and France took their toll on Amsterdam. During the Napoleonic Wars, Amsterdam's significance reached its lowest point, with Holland being absorbed into the French Empire. However, the later establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815 marked a turning point.

 

The end of the 19th century is sometimes called Amsterdam's second Golden Age. New museums, a train station, and the Concertgebouw were built; in this same time, the Industrial Revolution reached the city. The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal was dug to give Amsterdam a direct connection to the Rhine, and the North Sea Canal was dug to give the port a shorter connection to the North Sea. Both projects dramatically improved commerce with the rest of Europe and the world. In 1906, Joseph Conrad gave a brief description of Amsterdam as seen from the seaside, in The Mirror of the Sea.

 

Shortly before the First World War, the city began expanding, and new suburbs were built. Even though the Netherlands remained neutral in this war, Amsterdam suffered a food shortage, and heating fuel became scarce. The shortages sparked riots in which several people were killed. These riots are known as the Aardappeloproer (Potato rebellion). People started looting stores and warehouses in order to get supplies, mainly food.

 

Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 and took control of the country. Some Amsterdam citizens sheltered Jews, thereby exposing themselves and their families to the high risk of being imprisoned or sent to concentration camps. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were deported to Nazi concentration camps of which some 60.000 lived in Amsterdam. Perhaps the most famous deportee was the young Jewish girl Anne Frank, who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. At the end of the Second World War, communication with the rest of the country broke down, and food and fuel became scarce. Many citizens traveled to the countryside to forage. Dogs, cats, raw sugar beets, and Tulip bulbs—cooked to a pulp—were consumed to stay alive. Most of the trees in Amsterdam were cut down for fuel, and all the wood was taken from the apartments of deported Jews.

 

The (reconstructed) bookcase that covered the entrance to the "Secret Annex" where Anne Frank hid from Germans occupying Amsterdam during World War II.

Many new suburbs, such as Osdorp, Slotervaart, Slotermeer, and Geuzenveld, were built in the years after the Second World War These suburbs contained many public parks and wide, open spaces, and the new buildings provided improved housing conditions with larger and brighter rooms, gardens, and balconies. Because of the war and other incidents of the 20th century, almost the entire city centre had fallen into disrepair. As society was changing, politicians and other influential figures made plans to redesign large parts of it. There was an increasing demand for office buildings and new roads as the automobile became available to most common people. A metro started operating in 1977 between the new suburb of Bijlmer and the centre of Amsterdam. Further plans were to build a new highway above the metro to connect the Central Station and city centre with other parts of the city.

 

The incorporated large-scale demolitions began in Amsterdam's formerly Jewish neighbourhood. Smaller streets, such as the Jodenbreestraat, were widened and saw almost all of their houses demolished. During the destruction's peak, the Nieuwmarktrellen (Nieuwmarkt riots) broke out, where people expressed their fury about the demolition caused by the restructuring of the city.

 

As a result, the demolition was stopped, and the highway was never built, with only the metro being finished. Only a few streets remained widened. The new city hall was built on the almost completely demolished Waterlooplein. Meanwhile, large private organisations, such as Stadsherstel Amsterdam, were founded with the aim of restoring the entire city centre. Although the success of this struggle is visible today, efforts for further restoration are still ongoing The entire city centre has reattained its former splendor and, as a whole, is now a protected area. Many of its buildings have become monuments, and in July 2010 the Grachtengordel (Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List

 

Art Deco is an influential visual arts design style that first appeared in France after World War I and began flourishing internationally in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s before its popularity waned after World War II. A style related to Art Deco is Streamline Moderne (or Streamline) which emerged during the mid-1930s. Streamline was influenced by modern aerodynamic principles developed for aviation and ballistics to reduce air friction at high velocities. Designers applied these principles to cars, trains, ships, and even objects not intended to move, such as refrigerators, gas pumps, and buildings. The 1937 Ford in this photo has been influenced by Art Deco design which I find very pleasing to the eye. Photographed at Ron Ford's Hot Rod Show held annually at his Ford dealership near White Rock BC Canada. All proceeds from his show go to the Peace Arch Hospital – Cardiac Rehabilitation unit.

 

The Mini is a small economy car made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s. Its space-saving front-wheel drive layout – allowing 80 per cent of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage – influenced a generation of car makers. The vehicle is in some ways considered the British equivalent of its German contemporary the Volkswagen Beetle, which enjoyed similar popularity in North America. In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T. Article from wikipedia. I shot this Along Macapagal avenue using a Ricoh GRD4.

location : Mt.Hiei ,

 

比叡山　黒谷

 

The UNESCO World Heritage Site -Mount Hieizan Enryakuji -Temple (比叡山延暦寺) To-do, Sai-to Area　

  

Enryaku-ji (延暦寺 Enryaku-ji) is a Tendai monastery( 天台宗)

located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was founded during the early Heian period. The temple complex was established by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism to Japan from China. Enryaku-ji is the headquarters of the Tendai sect and one of the most significant monasteries in Japanese history. As such, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)". The founders of Jōdo-shū, Sōtō Zen, and Nichiren Buddhism all spent time at the monastery. -Wikipedia

 

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Located in Kyoto's eastern mountain range on Mount Hieizan (比叡山), Enryakuji (延暦寺) is one of the most important monasteries in Japanese history and the headquarters of the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism. Many influential monks studied at Enryakuji, including the founders of a number of later sects, such as the Pure Land (Jodo), Zen and Nichiren sects.

 

Enryakuji was founded in 788 by Saicho, the monk who introduced Tendai Buddhism from China into Japan. At its peak, Enryakuji had as many as 3000 subtemples and a powerful army of warrior monks who often engaged in power struggles with other monasteries and political leaders.

 

On his way to remove all potential rivals and unite the country, Oda Nobunaga attacked and destroyed most of Enryakuji's buildings and killed most of its inhabitants in 1571. Therefore, most of today's temple buildings date back to the early Edo Period, when Enryakuji was rebuilt.

 

Enryakuji's attractions are concentrated in three areas: Todo (east area), Saito (west area) and Yokawa. The main area is the Todo area, where the monastry was originally founded and where most of the main buildings are located, including the Main Hall (Kompon Chudo).

 

A pleasant walking trail through the forest connects the Todo with the Saito area, whose main building is the Shaka Hall, the oldest building on the mountain. Not far away stands the Ninai Hall, two halls connected to each other by a central corridor. A monk named Benkei, known for his legendary strength, is said to once have carried the hall on his shoulders.

  

Enryakuji is located on Mount Hieizan, which lies on the border of Kyoto Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture.

- japan-guide.com

    

An influential member of the New York School, Susan Weil combines unexpected materials - including collage, blueprint and paint on recycled canvas, acrylic and wood - to create dimensional works exploring the passage of time and movement. She often fractures the picture plane, deconstructing and reconstructing images.

 

Susan Weil came of age as an artist in the postwar period, studying under Josef Albers at Black Mountain College alongside Willem and Elaine de Koonig, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. But unlike her contemporaries, Weil has never been afraid to pursue figuration and reference reality, drawing inspiration from nature, literature, photographs and her personal history, embracing serious and playful elements in her work.

Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (Persian: ابوالقاسم فردوسی توسی‎; c. 940–1020), or just Ferdowsi (فردوسی)[1] was a Persian poet[2][3] and the author of Shahnameh ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the national epic of Greater Iran. Ferdowsi is celebrated as the most influential figure in Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.[4]

  

Contents

Name

Except for his kunya (ابوالقاسم – Abu'l-Qāsim) and his laqab (فِردَوسی – Ferdowsī, meaning 'paradisic'), nothing is known with any certainty about his full name. From an early period on, he has been referred to by different additional names and titles, the most common one being حکیم / Ḥakīm ("philosopher").[5] Based on this, his full name is given in Persian sources as حکیم ابوالقاسم فردوسی توسی / Ḥakīm Abu'l-Qāsim Firdowsī Țusī. Due to the non-standardized transliteration from Persian into English, different spellings of his name are used in English works, including Firdawsi, Firdusi, Firdosi, Firdausi, etc. The Encyclopaedia of Islam uses the spelling Firdawsī, based on the standardized transliteration method of the German Oriental Society.[1] The Encyclopædia Iranica, which uses a modified version of the same method (with a stronger emphasis on Persian intonations), gives the spelling Ferdowsī.[5] In both cases, the -ow and -aw are to be pronounced as a diphthong ([aʊ̯]), reflecting the original Arabic and the early New Persian pronunciation of the name. The modern Tajik transliteration of his name in Cyrillic script is Ҳаким Абулқосим Фирдавсӣ Тӯсӣ.

 

Life

Family

Ferdowsi was born into a family of Iranian landowners (dehqans) in 940 in the village of Paj, near the city of Tus, in the Khorasan region of the Samanid Empire, which is located in the present-day Razavi Khorasan Province of northeastern Iran.[6] Little is known about Ferdowsi's early life. The poet had a wife, who was probably literate and came from the same dehqan class. He had a son, who died at the age of 37, and was mourned by the poet in an elegy which he inserted into the Shahnameh.[5]

 

Background

Ferdowsi belonged to the class of dehqans. These were landowning Iranian aristocrats who had flourished under the Sassanid dynasty (the last pre-Islamic dynasty to rule Iran) and whose power, though diminished, had survived into the Islamic era which followed the Islamic conquests of the 7th century. The dehqans were attached to the pre-Islamic literary heritage, as their status was associated with it (so much so that dehqan is sometimes used as a synonym for "Iranian" in the Shahnameh). Thus they saw it as their task to preserve the pre-Islamic cultural traditions, including tales of legendary kings.[5][6]

 

The Islamic conquests of the 7th century brought gradual linguistic and cultural changes to the Iranian Plateau. By the late 9th century, as the power of the caliphate had weakened, several local dynasties emerged in Greater Iran.[6] Ferdowsi grew up in Tus, a city under the control of one of these dynasties, the Samanids, who claimed descent from the Sassanid general Bahram Chobin[citation needed] (whose story Ferdowsi recounts in one of the later sections of the Shahnameh).[7] The Samanid bureaucracy used the New Persian language, which had been used to bring Islam to the Eastern regions of the Iranian world and supplanted local languages, and commissioned translations of Pahlavi texts into New Persian. Abu Mansur Muhammad, a dehqan and governor of Tus, had ordered his minister Abu Mansur Mamari to invite several local scholars to compile a prose Shahnameh ("Book of Kings"), which was completed in 1010.[8] Although it no longer survives, Ferdowsi used it as one of the sources of his epic. Samanid rulers were patrons of such important Persian poets as Rudaki and Daqiqi, and Ferdowsi followed in the footsteps of these writers.[9]

 

Details about Ferdowsi's education are lacking. Judging by the Shahnameh, there is no evidence he knew either Arabic or Pahlavi.[5]

 

Life as a poet

 

Ferdowsi and the three Ghaznavid court poets

It is possible that Ferdowsi wrote some early poems which have not survived. He began work on the Shahnameh around 977, intending it as a continuation of the work of his fellow poet Daqiqi, who had been assassinated by his slave. Like Daqiqi, Ferdowsi employed the prose Shahnameh of ʿAbd-al-Razzāq as a source. He received generous patronage from the Samanid prince Mansur and completed the first version of the Shahnameh in 994.[5] When the Turkic Ghaznavids overthrew the Samanids in the late 990s, Ferdowsi continued to work on the poem, rewriting sections to praise the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud. Mahmud's attitude to Ferdowsi and how well he rewarded the poet are matters which have long been subject to dispute and have formed the basis of legends about the poet and his patron (see below). The Turkic Mahmud may have been less interested in tales from Iranian history than the Samanids.[6] The later sections of the Shahnameh have passages which reveal Ferdowsi's fluctuating moods: in some he complains about old age, poverty, illness and the death of his son; in others, he appears happier. Ferdowsi finally completed his epic on 8 March 1010. Virtually nothing is known with any certainty about the last decade of his life.[5]

 

Tomb

 

Ferdowsi tomb

Main article: Tomb of Ferdowsi

Ferdowsi was buried in his own garden, burial in the cemetery of Tus having been forbidden by a local cleric. A Ghaznavid governor of Khorasan constructed a mausoleum over the grave and it became a revered site. The tomb, which had fallen into decay, was rebuilt between 1928 and 1934 by the Society for the National Heritage of Iran on the orders of Rezā Shāh, and has now become the equivalent of a national shrine.[10]

 

Legend

According to legend, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni offered Ferdowsi a gold piece for every couplet of the Shahnameh he wrote. The poet agreed to receive the money as a lump sum when he had completed the epic. He planned to use it to rebuild the dykes in his native Tus. After thirty years of work, Ferdowsi finished his masterpiece. The sultan prepared to give him 60,000 gold pieces, one for every couplet, as agreed. However, the courtier whom Mahmud had entrusted with the money despised Ferdowsi, regarding him as a heretic, and he replaced the gold coins with silver. Ferdowsi was in the bath house when he received the reward. Finding it was silver and not gold, he gave the money away to the bathkeeper, a refreshment seller, and the slave who had carried the coins. When the courtier told the sultan about Ferdowsi's behaviour, he was furious and threatened to execute him. Ferdowsi fled Khorasan, having first written a satire on Mahmud, and spent most of the remainder of his life in exile. Mahmud eventually learned the truth about the courtier's deception and had him either banished or executed. By this time, the aged Ferdowsi had returned to Tus. The sultan sent him a new gift of 60,000 gold pieces, but just as the caravan bearing the money entered the gates of Tus, a funeral procession exited the gates on the opposite side: the poet had died from a heart attack.[11]

 

Works

Main article: Shahnameh

 

Scenes from the Shahnameh carved into reliefs at Ferdowsi's mausoleum in Tus, Iran

Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is the most popular and influential national epic in Iran and other Persian-speaking nations. The Shahnameh is the only surviving work by Ferdowsi regarded as indisputably genuine. He may have written poems earlier in his life but they no longer exist. A narrative poem, Yūsof o Zolaykā (Joseph and Zuleika), was once attributed to him, but scholarly consensus now rejects the idea it is his.[5] There has also been speculation about the satire Ferdowsi allegedly wrote about Mahmud of Ghazni after the sultan failed to reward him sufficiently. Nezami Aruzi, Ferdowsi's early biographer, claimed that all but six lines had been destroyed by a well-wisher who had paid Ferdowsi a thousand dirhams for the poem. Introductions to some manuscripts of the Shahnameh include verses purporting to be the satire. Some scholars have viewed them as fabricated; others are more inclined to believe in their authenticity.[12]

 

Gallery

Der Hochaltar, nach einem Entwurf von Friedrich Sustris, stammt von Wendel Dietrich (1586–1589). Der Altar ist dreiteilig aufgebaut. Auf dem Altartisch erhebt sich der Tabernakel mit der Expositionsnische, darüber befindet sich das Altarbild des Heiligen Michael, über dem Hauptgesims liegt der Altarauszug, der Christus in der Strahlenglorie zeigt. Das Hochaltarbild St. Michael im Kampf mit dem Teufel stammt von Christoph Schwartz, 1587. Im Zentrum des Altarauszugs ist Christus als Salvator mundi umgeben von Engeln dargestellt. Der 1944 schwer beschädigte Hochaltar wurde wieder hergestellt.

 

The high altar, designed by Friedrich Sustris, was created by Wendel Dietrich (1586–1589). The altar is divided into three parts. The tabernacle with the exposition niche rises above the altar table, above which is the altarpiece of St. Michael, and above the main cornice is the altar extension, which shows Christ in a halo of light. The high altarpiece depicting St. Michael fighting the devil was created by Christoph Schwartz in 1587. In the centre of the altarpiece, Christ is depicted as Salvator mundi surrounded by angels. The high altar, which was severely damaged in 1944, has been restored.

 

Die Jesuitenkirche St. Michael in der Neuhauser Straße ist ein zwischen 1583 und 1597 errichteter römisch-katholischer Sakralbau, der nach dem Erzengel Michael benannt ist. Das Kirchengebäude ist am Übergang von Renaissance und Barock entstanden, es ist der „erste große Kirchenbau Süddeutschlands nach dem Abbruch der spätmittelalterlichen Tradition“ Viele Bauideen wurden von Il Gesù übernommen, der römischen Mutterkirche der Jesuiten. So wurde die Münchner Michaelskirche prägend für viele barocke Kirchen im deutschsprachigen Raum. St. Michael war auch das geistliche Zentrum der Gegenreformation in Bayern. Herzog Wilhelm V., genannt der Fromme, initiierte den Bau eines Jesuitenkollegs mit Kollegkirche. Gleichzeitig wollte Wilhelm V., der die Gegenreformation in Bayern entscheidend vorantrieb, mit dem Bau Zeugnis seiner geistigen Herkunft ablegen, die er bis zu den römischen Kaisern Konstantin und Justinian zurückführte. Am 18. April 1583 war bereits Grundsteinlegung. Das monumentale Tonnengewölbe, das bis heute zweitgrößte freitragende Tonnengewölbe der Welt wurde 1587/88 eingezogen. Das Tonnengewölbe hielt trotz pessimistischer Stimmen zur damaligen Zeit bis 1944 stand. 1590 stürzte der Turm ein und zerstörte den Chor; das Tonnengewölbe hielt dagegen. Die Bauarbeiten wurden zuerst eingestellt, dann wurde eine beträchtliche Verlängerung der Kirche nach Norden geplant. Erst 1593 wurden die Arbeiten an St. Michael wieder aufgenommen. Am 6. Juli 1597 wurde die Kirche eingeweiht. Wilhelm V. geriet durch seinen Baueifer (schließlich hat St. Michael in seinen Ausmaßen die Mutterkirche der Jesuiten, Il Gesù in Rom, deutlich übertroffen), an den Rand des Staatsbankrotts. Dennoch wurde St. Michael direktes Vorbild für über 100 Nachfolgebauten. Die Jesuiten betreuten Kirche und Kolleg St. Michael bis zum Verbot 1773. Im gleichen Jahr wurde St. Michael Hofkirche. Während der Säkularisation kamen das Kolleg und die Kirche St. Michael in königlichen Besitz. Sie sind bis heute Eigentum des Freistaates Bayern. Erst 1921 kehrten die Jesuiten nach St. Michael zurück. Während des Zweiten Weltkrieges, vor allem im November 1944 wurde St. Michael schwer beschädigt; das Tonnengewölbe stürzte ein. In den Jahren 1946 bis 1948 erfolgte der Wiederaufbau. Dabei wurde das Tonnengewölbe erneut gemauert. Der Innenraum ist eine Darstellung des Triumphs des Katholizismus als wahres Christentum während der Gegenreformation.

 

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(M%C3%BCnchen)

 

The Jesuit Church of St. Michael in Neuhauser Straße is a Roman Catholic church built between 1583 and 1597 and named after the Archangel Michael. The church building was constructed during the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period and is the ‘first large church building in southern Germany after the end of the late medieval tradition.’ Many of the architectural ideas were taken from Il Gesù, the Roman mother church of the Jesuits. As a result, Munich's St. Michael's Church became influential for many Baroque churches in German-speaking countries. St. Michael's was also the spiritual centre of the Counter-Reformation in Bavaria. Duke William V, known as the Pious, initiated the construction of a Jesuit college with a collegiate church. At the same time, William V, who was a key figure in promoting the Counter-Reformation in Bavaria, wanted the building to bear witness to his spiritual origins, which he traced back to the Roman emperors Constantine and Justinian. The foundation stone was laid on 18 April 1583. The monumental barrel vault, which is still the second largest self-supporting barrel vault in the world, was installed in 1587/88. Despite pessimistic voices at the time, the barrel vault remained intact until 1944. In 1590, the tower collapsed and destroyed the choir; the barrel vault, however, remained intact. Construction work was initially halted, then a considerable extension of the church to the north was planned. It was not until 1593 that work on St. Michael's was resumed. The church was consecrated on 6 July 1597. Wilhelm V's enthusiasm for building (after all, St. Michael's clearly surpassed the Jesuits' mother church, Il Gesù in Rome, in size) brought him to the brink of national bankruptcy. Nevertheless, St. Michael's became the direct model for over 100 subsequent buildings. The Jesuits looked after St. Michael's Church and College until they were banned in 1773. In the same year, St. Michael's became a court church. During secularisation, the college and the church of St. Michael became royal property. They are still owned by the Free State of Bavaria today. It was not until 1921 that the Jesuits returned to St. Michael's. During the Second World War, especially in November 1944, St. Michael's was severely damaged; the barrel vault collapsed. Reconstruction took place between 1946 and 1948. During this process, the barrel vault was rebuilt. The interior is a representation of the triumph of Catholicism as true Christianity during the Counter-Reformation.

 

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael_(M%C3%BCnchen)

  

Blog: alexiasinclair.com

Twitter: twitter.com/alexiasinclair

  

The king of France and Navarre, Louis’ reign represented the high point of the Bourbon dynasty and of French power in Europe. A major patron to the visual arts, he also encouraged the flourishing of classical French literature by protecting influential writers whilst his musicians thrived under his rule also.

 

Most memorably, Louis commissioned the construction of the magnificent palace of Versailles as one of his homes.

 

The artwork depicts Louis the Sun King in all his flamboyant glory inside Versailles. Frequently personifying the Greek God Apollo, Louis would often perform classical ballet in Apollo costume and the Sun King motif can be seen in anything and everything from Louis’ reign. The costuming in this work takes its inspiration from an original portrait of the young Louis in Apollo costume whilst the Fleur‐de‐les is the symbol of the House of Bourbon.

 

Read more at alexiasinclair.com/the-royal-dozen

 

Lighting: Key light: Softbox camera left ƒ16, Fill: Softbox camera right, ƒ11, triggered with pocketwizards.

Lucier Henri Calida was born into an already influential Oleander noble family, and soon saw the potential the Faith offered him for his political ambitions. He rose to power as a clergyman, but his organizational talents were soon discovered by the Royal Court. He was appointed Adviser to the King, and excelled in various tasks, foremost the introduction of a naval focus to Oleon, and the consequent buildup of La Royale prior to the Juniper War.

 

Today he is not only Chancelier d'Oleon – the highest administrative position in Oleon – he is also Supreme High Priest of the Clerics of Zeus, making him de facto leader of the Order of the Faith, which has blossomed under his regime. Under King Stéphan II he controlled the High Council and was First Adviser to the King, answering only to him. And as the King shared his beliefs, his authority was unchallenged. Some even say Stéphan II was a mere puppet, and that Calida was Oleon's true regent.

 

Now, with Philip I as King, his universal authority might be challenged for the first time. Nobody can tell how Calida is likely to react to this, since his agenda remains unclear to everyone. He is feared by many, and often described as a devious schemer who will do anything to tighten the Order's grasp on Oleon. Others see in him a savior and believe him to be the only guarantor for upholding the Empire's domestic order.

One thing is for sure, though, he is more likely to prepare for a war with Corrington than to read mass in a temple.

Clearwater was founded by Pete Seeger, legendary musician, singer, songwriter, folklorist, activist, environmentalist, and peace advocate, and one of the most influential people of the twentieth century. In 1966, in despair over the pollution of his beloved Hudson River, Seeger announced plans to “build a boat to save the river.” At the time, the Hudson was rank with raw sewage, toxic chemicals and oil pollution; fish had disappeared over many miles of its length. Seeger, along with many other concerned individuals, believed a majestic replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries would bring people to the river where they could experience its beauty and be moved to preserve it. Inspired by that vision, the organization began with the launch of the sloop Clearwater in 1969 —a majestic 106-foot long replica vessel.

 

The sloop Clearwater is recognized as America’s Environmental Flagship and is among the first vessels in the United States to conduct science-based environmental education aboard a sailing ship, creating the template for environmental education programs around the world. More than half a million people have experienced their first real look at the Hudson River estuary’s ecosystem aboard Clearwater. In 2004, the sloop Clearwater was named to the National Register of Historic Places for its groundbreaking role in the environmental movement.

 

Today, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. and the iconic sloop Clearwater are carrying forward Pete Seeger’s legacy by partnering with Hudson Valley schools and community leaders to raise the bar of environmental education and encouraging youth to become involved as active stewards of their environment and the Hudson River. Through the organization’s multiple environmental education programs, youth empowerment programs, environmental action campaigns, Green Cities initiatives, and unique approach to public outreach, the sloop Clearwater is recognized as a symbol of grassroots action through hands-on learning, music, and celebration.

Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Cheshire, England.[1] The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouse and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Park, formerly the home of the last Earl of Stamford and owned by the National Trust since 1976. Dunham Massey was historically in the county of Cheshire, but since 1974 has been part of Trafford Metropolitan Borough; the nearest town is Altrincham. As of the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 475.[2]

Dunham Massey has a long history, as reflected in its 45 listed buildings. It was a locally important area during the medieval period, and acted as the seat for the Massey barony. The Georgian hall, with the remains of a castle in its grounds, is a popular tourist attraction. There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Dunham Massey: Dunham Park, located south of Dunham Town, and Brookheys Covert.

History

The Chester to York Roman road passes between the settlements of Dunham Massey and Bowdon and today forms the boundary between the two places. The name Dunham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon dun, meaning hill. The Massey element of the name is a result of its ownership by the Massey Barons. The manor of Dunham is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having belonged to the Saxon thegn Aelfward before the Norman Conquest and to Hamo de Masci after. De Masci was an influential baron, who also had control over the manors of Baguley, Bowdon, Hale, Partington, and Timperley. The addition of "Massey" to the name Dunham reflects the manor's importance within the barony; Dunham was the seat of the Masseys. The importance of Dunham is further emphasised by the presence of two of de Massey’s castles: Dunham Castle and Watch Hill Castle on the border with Bowdon; a third, Ullerwood Castle, was near Hale. The Masseys remained barons of Dunham and its environs until the 14th century, when the line became extinct.[3][4]

The Booth family inherited most of the Massey lands in 1409, with Dunham Massey remaining at the heart of the estate; at the time, only four villages were in the Trafford area. By the Elizabeth period, Dunham Massey Castle had been demolished. Probably during the medieval period, Dunham Massey Hall became the home of the manorial lord, and a centre of power in the area. The hall was rebuilt in 1616, leaving no remains of the old medieval hall. The mill at Dunham was first documented in 1353, although the mill's present structure dates to the 1860s. It lies on the River Bollin, opposite Little Bollington. The first record of Dunham's deer park was also in 1353. The settlement of Dunham Woodhouse dates from the 15th century. During the medieval period, the primary source of employment in Dunham Massey was agriculture, mainly arable.

The Warrington and Stockport Railway was constructed through Dunham during 1853/54. Dunham Massey railway station served the area between 1854 and its closure in 1962. Dunham grew as a result, the population increasing by 57.5% between 1851 and 1881. Otherwise, the industrial revolution had little effect on Dunham Massey, and it remained a predominantly agricultural area.

Dunham Massey Hall

  

Dunham Massey Hall.

The present hall was initially built in 1616 by Sir George Booth, who was amongst the creations of Baronets by James I in 1611, but was later remodelled by John Norris for George, Earl of Stamford and Warrington between 1732 and 1740; it was also altered by John Hope towards the end of the 18th century and by Joseph Compton Hall between 1905 and 1908. The hall itself, the stables, and the carriage house of Dunham Massey are all Grade I listed buildings, three of six such buildings in Trafford.[5]

The site is moated and lies immediately west of the village of Dunham, with the deer park lying to the south. The hall was donated to the National Trust by the last Earl of Stamford, in 1976. The hall was used as a military hospital during the First World War. Inside is a collection of Huguenot silver, the carving The Crucifixion by 17th century wood carver Grinling Gibbons, and a white marble bust of the Emperor Hadrian; the head is antique, but the neck and shoulders are 18th century, it was probably acquired by the 5th Earl of Stamford. The collection of paintings in the hall include Allegory with Venus, Mars, Cupid and Time by Guercino; The Cascade at Terni by Louis Ducros; and portraits by William Beechey, Francis Cotes, Michael Dahl, A. R. Mengs, Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, Enoch Seeman, and Zoffany. The 7th Earl of Stamford removed a selection of paintings to Enville Hall in the late 1850s, and it was not until the time of Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford that some were returned after sales in 1929 and 1931.[6] The deer park at Dunham Massey is the only medieval park in Trafford to survive to the present.[4] The hall and grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction, with over 115,000 visitors in 2007.

Governance

The civil parish parish of Dunham Massey was created in 1894, under the Local Government Act 1894, and has its own parish council. Dunham Massey became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in 1974 upon the borough's creation, but was previously in Bucklow Rural District. The village is part of the Bowdon electoral ward.[9][4] The councillors for the Bowdon ward are David Merrell, Paula Pearson, and Stephanie Poole, all members of the Conservative Party.[10] Dunham Massey is also a part of the Altrincham and Sale West constituency, and belongs to the North West England constituency of the European Parliament. Since the formation of the Altrincham and Sale West constituency in 1997, it has been represented in the House of Commons by the Conservative MP, Graham Brady. At the 2005 General Election, the Conservatives won with a majority of 7,159 and 46.4% of the vote. Labour won 30.3% of the vote, Liberal Democrats won 21.7%, and the United Kingdom Independence Party won 1.7%.

Geography

Dunham Massey lies to the east of Warburton, and to the west of Bowdon, with Altrincham approximately 2 miles (3 km) to the northeast. The landscape is generally flat, with some mossland. Dunham Park occupies 192.7 acres (780,000 m2) of the area. The Roman road running from Chester to York forms the boundary between Dunham and Bowdon. The River Bollin runs to the south, with the Bridgewater Canal running through the area. The local geology is lower keuper marl, with a ridge of sand and gravel running from Dunham to Warburton.

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, Dunham Massey had a total population of 475. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. The average household size was 2.36.[2] Of those aged 16–74 in Dunham Massey, 42.0% had no academic qualifications or one GCSE, similar to the figures for all of Trafford (40.8%) and in England (45.5%).[12][13] According to the census, 0.01% were unemployed and 19.24% were economically inactive.[12] 17.89% of the population were under the age of 16, and 9.89% were aged 75 and over; the mean age of the residents of Dunham Massey was 43.71. 75.79% of residents described their health as 'good'.

Site of Special Scientific Interest

Brookheys Covert

Brookheys Covert is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Dunham Park Estate (grid reference SJ742904). The site is a semi-natural wood consisting mainly of ash, birch, and rowan, with a wetland habitat and several marl pits, which have flooded to form ponds. The reserve spans 5.8 acres (23,000 m2) and is managed by the Dunham Massey Estates. Brookheys Covert provides a habitat for many animals, including foxes, rabbits, squirrels, and 57 species of bird.[15][16]

Dunham Park

 

Dunham Park covers an area of 192.7 acres (780,000 m2) and is part of the Dunham Park Estate, run by the National Trust (grid reference SJ740870). The park is mostly “pasture-woodland or park-woodland” and has been since the Middle Ages. Many of the oak trees, which make up the larger part of the woodland, date back to the 17th century. Dunham Park is the only place in the northwest of England with such a concentration of old trees, and one of only a few remaining in England, making it a site of national importance. The park supports a range of animals, including fallow deer and over 500 species of insect.

Grade II listed buildings

Dunham Massey has many grade II listed buildings; among the most striking is the 18th century sandstone obelisk at the end of the north vista from Dunham Massey Hall. Tradition has it that it marks the burial site of a race horse.[18]

There are many listed residences in Dunham Massey, most of them dating from the 18th or early 19th century, and many of them featuring Flemish bond brickwork and slate roofs. They include: Dunham Massey Lodge, on Dunham Road;[19] Willow Cottage;[20] numbers 1 and 2 Barns Lane;[21] number 1 Orchard View;[22] The Hollies, on Station Road;[23] numbers 1, 3 and 4 Woodhouse Lane;[24] Big Tree Cottages, on Woodhouse Lane.[25] Agden View, also on Woodhouse Lane, dates from 1725 and has both garden wall bond and Flemish bond brickwork.[26] Big Tree House, on Charcoal Road, dates from the mid-18th century and features English bond brickwork.[27] Yew Tree Cottage and Lime Tree Cottage are also on Charcoal Lane; both houses date to the 17th century and exhibit garden wall bond brickwork with slate roofs.[28] Ivy House, on Woodhouse Lane, was built in the early 18th century.[29] Kitchen Garden cottage was built in 1702.[30] Rose Cottage and Farm Cottage are late 18th or early 19th century.[31] The Meadows, on School Lane, was built in the 17th century and features garden wall bond brickwork and a thatched roof.[32]

The farm buildings of Home Farm, including its dovecote, were built in the early 19th century, and feature Flemish bond brickwork.[33][34] Sinderland House, also dating from the early 19th century, is another of Dunham Massey's listed farmhouses.[35] Manor Farmhouse, on Station Road, was built by George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington; the building dates from the mid-18th century and features both Flemish and garden wall bond brickwork.[36] The farmhouse on Station Road was built in 1752.[37] The barn on Woodhouse Lane dates from the early 18th century and features garden wall bond brickwork, a slate roof, and upper cruck frames.[38] Dog Farmhouse, also on Woodhouse Lane, was built in the early 19th century; however it may have been an adaptation of an earlier, possibly 18th century, farmhouse.[39]

Dunham School was built in 1759, with additions in 1860 and the 20th century. Above the door is an engraved panel reading “This School was Erected in 1759 For the Benefit of the Township of Dunham Massey. According to the Will of Thomas Walton Gent”. The school now serves as the parish hall.[40] The nearby Dunham School Bridge, over the Bridgewater Canal, was built in 1776 by John Gilbert,[41] who also built the aqueduct for the Bridgewater Canal over the River Bollin, which was opened in 1776.[42] The other listed bridge, Brick Kiln Lane Bridge, was also built in the 18th century.[43] Bollington watermill was constructed in the 1860s, and has an undershot waterwheel.[44]

There are a number of listed structures in the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall, including the 1720 wellhouse that supplied water to the hall until the 1860s,[45] and the early 18th century ornamental sundial in front of the hall, depicting a black slave clad in leaves, carrying the sundial above his head.[46] The stable buildings,[47] the slaughterhouse,[48] the deer house,[49] the orangery,[50] and an ashlar shelter to the west of the hall,[51] all date from the 17th or 18th century. Barn Cottages date from at least 1751. The cottages were originally a single barn, which was converted in the 19th century.[52] Other grade II listed structures in the grounds of the hall include: the lakeside wall (18th century);[53] two small piers south of the garden forecourt (18th century);[54] a pier north west of the garden forecourt (18th century);[55] the gateway opposite the kitchen (1750);[56] the piers at the south of forecourt garden topped with lions (18th century);[57][58] and an obelisk erected by George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington, in 1714 in memory of his mother.[59] Near the hall there is a Grade II* listed sawmill, probably built in 1616.[

 

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salalah

 

Salalah was the traditional capital of Dhofar, which reached the peak of prosperity in the 13th century thanks to the incense trade. Later it decayed, and in the 19th century it was absorbed by the Sultanate of Muscat. In 1932-1970 Salalah was the capital of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, under Said bin Taimur. After the latter's death, his son Qaboos decided to move the capital of Oman to Muscat.

 

The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat, the capital and largest city in Oman; Qaboos has bucked this trend, and has lived in Muscat since he ascended to the throne in 1970. He does, however, visit Salalah fairly regularly to meet with influential tribal and local leaders; his last visit was in 2010 and before that he visited in 2006.

 

In 2010, during the 40th anniversary of Sultan Qaboos' taking the throne, he decided to spend his time in Salalah. The 40th anniversary celebrations consisted of a massive parade. It lasted several hours and had an estimated 100,000 attendees.

  

No Photo shop or picture edditing was carried out for this image.

Almost every cow's favorite Beatle is George Harrison. Some of the younger heads might claim their favorite is actually Paul or John, because they know that everybody says "George." But as they grow older, they generally admit that yeah, there's always been something about George's manner that they instinctively liked.

 

"Imagine" is very popular in the post-Beatle canon, however. No possessions, no greed, no hunger, sharing the world, living life in peace...John Lennon practically wrote the best possible advertising jingle for the cow lifestyle.

 

And because cows live in this world of elevated thought, they aren't particularly concerned about what others think. Nonetheless, they can't help but be pleased that such an influential cultural figure considers their way of life to be aspirational.

 

Also, did you know that John and Yoko owned a small dairy farm in upstate New York? Cows will slip that piece of trivia into almost every conversation about the Beatles.

 

The Holsteins don't normally just flop out like this in the afternoon. They had a really big lunch. And the clouds just looked so pretty. Have you ever looked at clouds? Really looked at them?

One of the most influential Jews in Lafayette’s history was Maurice Heymann. Heymann was born in New Orleans in 1885. His father was a Polish Jew named Henry Heymann (born Leon Kopcwiski) and his mother was a French Jew named Caroline Rosenthal. Because of his mother’s French background, Heymann found a perfect fit in the Cajun capital. Though he only received a sixth grade education, Heymann learned to peddle wares from his father and even as a child worked as a butcher boy, selling meat on the old Ponchartrain Railroad. Within a few years, Heymann was embarking on his own capitalist ventures. Recognizing a potential market among the local Native American community, Heymann was able to peddle his wares successfully enough to purchase his first store in Lafayette in 1916. Heymann displayed a keen business acumen. To try to fool people into thinking that his small business owned two different delivery trucks, Heymann painted one side of his truck “Go-Getter #1” and the other side “Go-Getter #2.” With “Watch Us Grow” as his motto, Heymann’s business thrived. Before long, Heymann had established himself as one of the premier businessmen in town. Heymann’s success and philanthropy were unprecedented, and he was particularly generous toward the sick and the orphaned of Louisiana. In 1937 he opened a “food center” in his Lafayette department store, which became the city’s first supermarket. Today, the building houses Lafayette Science Museum.

This image above shows a First Day Cover (FDC) from 1948 featuring the autographs of Republican Senators Robert A. Taft and Arthur Vandenberg, two of the most influential political figures of that era.

 

Historical Context:

In the late 1940s, Taft and Vandenberg were the "Big Two" of the Republican party in the Senate.

 

Arthur Vandenberg was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a primary architect of a bipartisan foreign policy during the early Cold War. He famously believed that "politics stops at the water's edge" and worked with the Truman administration to pass critical legislation like the Marshall Plan and the creation of NATO.

 

Robert A. Taft was known as "Mr. Republican" and was the leader of the party's conservative wing. While Vandenberg led on foreign affairs, Taft dominated the domestic front, serving as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and exercising significant influence over economic and labor policies.

 

America’s First Airmail Coil Stamp US (#C37) - January 15, 1948 - The first US Airmail coil stamp was issued on January 15, 1948, in Washington, DC. Only a few more coil stamps would be issued over the next 30 years, but the DC-4 SkyMaster would appear on more than a dozen postal items. The DC-4 SkyMaster made its maiden flight on February 14, 1942. The aircraft quickly played a critical role in the Allied war effort and the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49. The SkyMaster was also widely used in commercial aviation and to deliver airmail.

 

Then on January 15, 1948, the Post Office issued its very first airmail coil stamp. The new stamp was only available in coils of 500, which cost $25. That was a large sum for the time, plus the stamps weren’t properly formatted for current vending machines. So most individuals didn’t use them, instead they were usually used by corporations and other groups. The 5¢ SkyMaster coil stamp was also issued in much lower numbers than the other SkyMaster stamps. While the previous SkyMaster stamps were issued in the hundreds of millions, only about 33 million coils were printed. In all, only about 2% of all the SkyMaster stamps issued were coils.

 

Signatures: The envelope is hand-signed in blue ink by both Senators, making it a unique piece of political and postal memorabilia from a pivotal year in American history.

 

A Philatelic Milestone: Scott (#C37)

At the top right are two 5-cent DC-4 Skymaster stamps. While the design was first used in 1946, these specific stamps represent Scott (#C37), America’s very first airmail coil stamp, issued on January 15, 1948, in Washington, D.C..

 

A Political Time Capsule: Taft and Vandenberg

 

The cover is made truly extraordinary by the original signatures of two of the most powerful men in the 80th Congress: Senator Robert A. Taft ("Mr. Republican") and Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg.

 

The Power Dynamic: As the typed cachet notes, they dominated the 1948 legislative session. Taft led on domestic policy, famously co-sponsoring the Taft-Hartley Act, while Vandenberg, a former isolationist, became the architect of bipartisan foreign policy.

 

Legislative Giants: Together, they navigated the early Cold War era, providing the crucial Republican support needed for the Marshall Plan and the Vandenberg Resolution, which paved the way for NATO.

 

LINK to video - The Legacy of Senator Arthur Vandenberg - www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3IxcdoqD6k

 

LINK to video - " THE GREATEST DRAMA " BIOGRAPHY OF OHIO SENATOR ROBERT TAFT 1947 TAFT-HARTLEY ACT - www.youtube.com/watch?v=k23ZO6w-Uf0

Theme Rules:

Let’s travel back to the future and revisit the outrageous, eccentric decade of the 1980s. From iconic to over-the-top, the ‘80s was one of the most influential decades in fashion, pop culture, and even politics. You can approach this theme from any perspective you can think of: No idea, shoulder pad or hairstyle is too big! Your doll could pay tribute to one of her favorite style or music icons of the '80s as seen on a teen magazine or music cassette cover. She could be a mallrat, shopping for a punk leather jacket and lace gloves. Is your doll getting physical by sporting leotards and leg warmers like video workout queen/actress Jane Fonda, or is he about to cut footloose a la Kevin Bacon at an '80s themed costume party? From your doll sitting in a room with Duran Duran and Princess Diana posters on the wall, to riding in a sleek, "talking" Pontiac Trans AM, let your imagination go as wild as the decade!

  

About this photo:

Rogue is wearing a graphic tee of The Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 #171 comic book cover which was published in 1983. This is when we see Rogue officially become a member of the X-MEN team. I know this isn't an overly outrageous '80s photo, but her hair does look a little big. xD

  

A-Z Doll Photography Challenge Group Description

 

Members can submit a photo for one, two, or all themes. At the end of the month, members will vote for their favorite photos.

 

Participation is based on your time and inspiration. While we hope everyone can create a photo for each month, it is not required. Come and go as you like!

 

Submit just one photo per theme. Last day to submit photos for D, E, and F is November 30th!

 

Not a member or missed last month? Not a problem--this group is fluid -- participate when you can. Don't hesitate to ask any questions!

 

Visit A-Z Doll Photography Challenge to join. Hope to see you there! :)

 

Castle Crag is a hill in the North Western Fells of the English Lake District. It is the smallest hill included in Alfred Wainwright's influential Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, the only Wainwright below 1,000 feet (300 m).

 

Wainwright accorded Castle Crag the status of a separate fell because it "is so magnificently independent, so ruggedly individual, so aggressively unashamed of its lack of inches, that less than justice would be done by relegating it to a paragraph in the High Spy chapter." Subsequent guidebooks have not always agreed: Castle Crag is one of only two Wainwrights not included in Bill Birkett's Complete Lakeland Fells.

 

The fell has an impressive appearance, a rugged height apparently blocking the valley of Borrowdale, which is squeezed between Castle Crag and Grange Fell, its neighbour on the other side. This narrow gorge known as the 'Jaws of Borrowdale', and is prominent in views from Keswick and Derwentwater.

 

High Spy, the parent fell, forms part of the north-south ridge between Borrowdale and the Newlands Valley. The rough spur of Low Scawdel (1,709 ft) runs out due east from the summit, breaking steeply over Goat Crag and then falling to Broadslack Gill. This small tributary of the River Derwent separates High Spy from Castle Crag.

 

The wooded height of Castle Crag rises between Broadslack Gill and the Derwent, the two streams meeting to the north beneath the outlying knoll of Low Hows. It has steep faces on all sides except the south, where a low ridge runs out and then swings west around the head of Broadslack Gill. A narrow col here provides the topographic link to High Spy.

 

The Derwentwater fault runs along the valley of Broadslack Gill, the higher ground to the north west being mainly composed of the Birker Fell Formation. These are plagioclase-phyric andesite lavas and subordinate sills. By contrast Castle Crag shows outcropping of the Eagle Crag Member, a mixture of siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate and tuff with frequent andesite sills.

 

The slopes of Castle Crag are extensively quarried with pits and levels on the northern and south eastern flanks. The summit has also been extensively worked. The High Hows Quarry later achieved fame as the home of Millican Dalton, the eccentric and self-styled "Professor of Adventure". The caves here formed his summer home from the 1920s until shortly before his death in 1947.

 

The summit area is believed to have been an ancient hill fort,[1] although the western section has been sliced away by quarrying. It can only be gained by means of a sloping crack to the south. The very highest point is a rock outcrop about eight feet high and twelve feet across. Atop this is a well constructed circular cairn of slate. A memorial to Borrowdale men killed in World War I is affixed to the outcrop.

 

There is a fine view down the valley, Skiddaw seen to good effect across the lake. Southwards Great Gable and the Scafells ring the head of the Derwent catchment, while near at hand- enhanced by the steepness of the slope- is a view of the woods and crags of mid Borrowdale.

 

Castle Crag may be ascended easily from the villages of Grange in Borrowdale or Rosthwaite, and can be combined with the lovely riverside walk along the River Derwent.

 

The Allerdale Ramble long distance walking route runs along the valley of Broadslack Gill, whilst the Cumbria Way crosses the eastern slopes of Castle Crag.

This story is a collaborative effort between me and a very good friend(and Muse) who wished to remain in the shadows.

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Lucidity’s “penny dreadful” Ruby

Part 1

 

First Part: Another’s Perspective

... stands in behind the trees, the park darkened, illuminated by only a sparse placement of light poles.

Watches the coming and going of fancy vehicles traversing the long winding driveway, discharging their passengers at the long stairway leading up into a fancy upper class home, a mansion on the hill.

A large party is in full participation mode, some type of political gathering for the city's more influential citizens.

She feels her lips curl in a small smile, as a fancy white limousine stops, and a group of fashionably dressed Ladies, laughing and talking gather together in a protective cluster.

There, in a beautiful couture red gown, a large red stone on a necklace, reflecting light so brightly, she could see it clearly from here.

Watches them unite arm in arm and flow up the stairs as if they were an unstoppable force.

Taking off her dark over coat, she folds it and tucks it into the notch of a nearby tree. Wearing her own fashionable gown, steps from the darkened wood, and crosses to the stairway, time to check out this party a little closer...

 

Second Part, Lucidity’s Perspective

 

Bored of the party that was being held downstairs, Lucidity had gone off exploring on her own, slipping past the red velvet ropes that served as a poor excuse to keep visitors from going upstairs.

Upstairs she began wondering from room to room.

Finding that one room were being remolded. Paint cans, sheets covering furniture and piles of thin reddish coloured rope were inside.

She paused a mere second, her hand fingering her necklace, as she reflected a bit over a movie she had seen recently..

One where a red gowned dame had been tied up by a scoundrel trying to keep her from putting the finger on him. He had left here there to make his escape. But he had not taken to opportunity to rob her, which Lucidity had found rather vexing, for the lady had been wearing some pretty jewellery that any thief worth his salt should have noticed?

So much for realism in movies she clucked to herself.

She went on with her adventure.

Passing several full length ornately gilded mirrors, lucidity admired how her red gown flowed, how the reflection of her expensive rubies flashed fire in the dimly lit room.

The majority of the rooms large, airy stone walled rooms had baloneys, which she explored.

Sneaking a smoke on one of the balconies she delighted in her discoveries. Wondering why guests were not allowed up here. I mean, what could happen she murmured to herself….

 

Third part : Another’s Perspective

Hiding behind a curtain in the dark hallway. The upper floors empty of staff, residents, and revelers.

The occasional soft sound of laughter and muffled pleasure coming from some of the rooms, that apparently guests have managed to stumble upon to enjoy a few moments away from the more boisterous wine happy crowd below.

Watching from above, searching for the flash of ruby colored, gown amongst the throng.

Turning her head at a slight sound, steps back further into the shadow.

There, before her, is the gown, it's lovely owner, and the sparkle of crimson fire suspended from a gold chain.

Watching the lady, walk down the hallway, glancing at rooms and the occasional piece of art, along her passage.

The Lady must be searching for her own momentary escape from the crowd, and her friends.

What might she be searching for.

Steps out from behind the curtain, and staying in the shadows, walking silently on the thick carpeted floors, follows the lady on her explorations.

Slips into a alcove in the hallway as the Lady suddenly looks about, then she herself steps into a room.

Waiting a few moments, stepping to the doorway, and looking in. Only to view the Lady stepping out onto a balcony. The breeze gently blowing her hair about her shoulders.

Eyebrows lift in surprise and a small muffled laugh escapes her throat as she watches the lady, in the flare of a lighter, as she lights a cigarette.

The smoke gently encircles her head, then drifts off with the night breeze.

She laughs softly to herself thinking, oh this lovely one, also has secrets, she is being naughty sneaking out to have her hidden smoke.

Thinks it might be a perfect moment, to introduce herself, then shaking her head steps back to the other side of the hallway, back into the deepest shadows, just to watch...

 

Fourth part : Lucidity’s Perspective

Lucidity had returned home to her cottage on the ocean, with its private beach.

Going upstairs she had put away her wrap and laid down her ruby sequined clutch purse.

She then headed out to the balcony overlooking the ocean. As she listened to the soothing sounds of the surf, Lucidity lit one of her long cigarettes and after taking a deep breath, let the smoke curl form her lips out over the beach.

Normally this would help calm her down before sleep.

But she had a nagging feeling she had been watched while attending the Minister’s black-tie fundraiser, a feeling that had followed her home, and was still lingering.

Lucidity turned and headed back inside.

She decided against a nightcap, and began to make preparations to retire for the night.

She kept open the balcony door, wishing to feel the cool breeze along her skin. But she could not shake that feeing of being watched. So turning out the bedrooms’ lights, she changed into a long brite chartreuse night gown using the lite from her lit candles as she changed in front of her mirror.

She admired her reflection in the mirror, delighted by the shadowy effects form the candles as the flames flight flickered along her figure. . She let her figures play along her figure, and her jewels.

“If someone was watching me, then I hope that person see’s something they like!” Lucidty reflected rather daringly before turning away.

The last thing she did was to remove her rubies, nestling the jewels inside her great grandmother’s antique jewellery casket.

  

Fourth part : Another’s Perspective

Smiles softly to herself, nestled in the soft green bushes hidden within the shadows of the balcony.

The lady in red had returned home, and she had arrived to the Lady's house first, and found a wonderful comfortable little vantage spot.

From here she could see onto the balcony and through the lattice wood doorway leading into the bedroom.

This beach front property was a universe away from her own apartment, overlooking the city lights.

Looking up at the sound of the doors opening she watched the Lady, step out into the night's cool breeze. Her body still shrouded with the shimmering form fitting gown and the ruby necklace still about her long smooth neck.

Her eyes crinkled with laughter lines, as the Lady again looked about, as if ensuring her empty home, was in fact empty. Then stepping to the balcony's edge lit and savored another of her long slim cigarettes.

Watching the smoke, slowly curl up into the night sky and drift out over the quietly undulating waves.

Hearing the Lady exhale softly and turn to go back inside. The Balcony doorway left open, to facilitate the movement of air, and the better to facilitate the movements of a visitor.

Watching the Lady step before a full length mirrored wardrobe, watched her disrobe, watched her slip into a sheer chartreuse colored night gown.

Watched the " change".

Watched as the lights were extinguished, and the flickering of lit candles danced upon the windows.

Watched as the Lady removed the ruby and gold chain setting it onto a delicate stand beside her bed.

Watched.... watched... then moved....

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Fifth Part : Lucidity’s awakening

Early the next morning as the sunrise begins to light up her room promising new adventures. Lucidity awakes, stretches, seeing the reflection in the mirror of her scarlet red satin gown placed over her vanity chair…

Lucidity looked up on the vanity,

With a startled heartfelt gasp, she spies the now open lid of her deep jewel casket, the one she had placed her rubies into the night before and then had closed the lid, and laying next to it a Pink rose, and curiously, a long ivory Cigarette holder?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sixth Part : Another’s Perspective

Another day, another sunrise, the sounds of conflicting traffic

rose to her from the streets below.

In conflict with the bright sunbeams struggling to pass the folded edges of her curtains,

the most bothersome tones of her little alarm clock announced the arrival of another day.

Stretching and tossing off her covers,

Groaning softly while rubbing away the remains of her tormented sleep.

 

Such dreams, so real, so vivid.

If she could only in real life go to such parties.

Be amongst the special people, the important people, the decision makers.

The ones, that truly seemed to enjoy life.

Her pleasures were always hidden away within in her dreams.

 

Opening the curtain wide, with a small gasp of pleasure

As the warmth of the sunlight came through

The large window. She always slept nude, in her small apartment,

where looking out her window she could only see

more buildings, who would see her. Why would they bother to look?

 

Taking a moment before grabbing some breakfast, and hurrying as per usual to get ready for work,

She closes her eyes to recall the lingering remnants of her dream.

Vague recollection of fancy cars, the winding long driveway leading to the Mansion on the hill, and the people.

All so fashionably dressed in their finery, laughing, drinking, and partying,

No cares, no worries. The menagerie of people, all blurred into a single yet wonderful image of human prosperity.

 

Smiling to heselfr, recalling the woman, the Lady, dressed in the most striking red gown.

So lovely, so enchanting, poised and sophisticated. Wearing the most marvelous jewelry,

Especially the Large Ruby necklace.

Her mouth slides fleetingly upwards in a small wicked curl of lips,

as she wonders briefly, what might interrupt and break through that

poise and sophistication.

 

She shivered and held closely the wonder of her dream. Knowing she would never

truly have the chance to be part of such a world.

Her therapist so long ago had mentioned big words like Dissociative Identity disorder.

Her inability to get a good night sleep, memory gaps, lost time,

and the feeling of always being watched.

As if someone was always just beside her, just out of view, her shadow ready to push her aside and take over her little world.

What silly and strange thoughts.

  

She would be happy with her menial job,

Her little place in the corner of this big wide beautiful world.

Living vicariously through the lens wielded by the director of her

night time dreams.

 

Laughs at her musings, turning on the coffee brewer,

then heading to take that much needed wake up shower.

Stops suddenly, stumbles as her legs suddenly feel weak

and her knees threaten to collapse.

Her hand going to her mouth, eyes widening in shock, suddenly struggling to

get air past clenched muscles in her throat.

 

There hanging from the door knob, leading into her shower:

A shiny gold chain and the largest most fire kissed red ruby she could imagine.

Yes she could imagine it; she must be, for it was the very necklace of her dream

 

To Be Continued

 

The Üsküdar Hanım Sultanlar Müzesi in Istanbul honors the influential Ottoman sultanas who shaped history through philanthropy, politics, and cultural patronage. Located in the historic Üsküdar district, the museum showcases personal items, documents, and artifacts that highlight the sultanas’ lasting impact on architecture and social services. A standout feature is the museum’s café library, offering visitors a peaceful retreat to enjoy Turkish coffee or tea while surrounded by books and manuscripts on Ottoman history. The café’s serene ambiance adds a modern, intimate layer to the museum, blending history and leisure, and providing a unique cultural experience.

Photo captured via Minolta MD Tele Rokkor-X 135mm F/2.8 Lens. Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands: California Coastal National Monument. Coast Range. North Coast. Mendocino County, Northern California. Early August 2017.

 

Exposure Time: 1/250 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/8 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 5600 K ** Film Emulation: [First Process] Underwater Dreams * [Second Process] Super16mm Film Powergrade ** Filter: Cooling Filter (82)

E - Elizabethan Era

  

From 1558-1603, the time associated with Queen Elizabeth I's reign of England. This also happened to be a time of great creativity and enlightenment for her country. For this theme, show us how your doll might have looked or lived during this influential time in history. Perhaps we see William Shakespeare penning one of his sonnets, Queen Elizabeth in rich jewels and robes fully in command of her country or a naval explorer reaching new lands to explore. Alternatively, you could also incorporate that era's fashion in a modern-day high fashion editorial. Put your thinking crowns on and create!

www.zabaleta-coaching.com/wp-content/uploads/El-ni%C3%B1o...

 

I tried photocopy ( without much success ) the famous image of 1954 , the child walking smiling proudly erect with his two bottle of milk, which has toured the world and for many, it belongs to the father of photojournalism . This is the famous French photographer Henri Cartier- Bresson .

Bresson was one of the most original and influential figures in the history of photography. His great ability to capture life at his work became synonymous with " the decisive moment " ( title of his first great book ) . " The photographer who squeezed reality."

During the 12th century, the building was known as the Abbey of Cumbe, and was the largest and most influential monastery in Warwickshire. In 1539 the abbey was suppressed as part of the dissolution of monasteries under Henry VIII. Since then numerous alterations and additions have been made over the centuries. However, parts of the abbey have been preserved and can still be seen in the present building.

 

After the dissolution, the abbey passed through numerous owners for the next forty years, during which time the church was pulled down to prevent its reuse as an abbey. In 1581 it came into the possession of Sir John Harington of Exton and he converted the abbey into one of the most substantial houses in the county. it passed through numerous owners for the next forty years, during which time the church was pulled down to prevent its reuse as an abbey. In 1581 it came into the possession of Sir John Harington of Exton and he converted the abbey into one of the most substantial houses in the county.

 

John Harrington died in 1613 and after several changes of ownership, the Abbey was bought in 1622 by Lady Elizabeth Craven, widow of Sir William Craven, mayor of London who settled the property on her son. It remained in the Craven family for the next three hundred years.

 

Lieutenant General William Craven,1st Earl Craven

During the Craven ownership, the abbey was extensively developed, with various buildings added, such as the west wing in 1677. The first owner was the son of Lady Elizabeth Craven Lieutenant General William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven.

 

Lieutenant General William Craven (1608-1687) was a Royalist and at the age of 24 he enlisted to serve in the cause of restoring the King and Queen of Bohemia Frederick and Elizabeth (formerly Princess Elizabeth) to their throne in Germany. He spent most of his life in this cause and gained favour with her brother King Charles 1 and the subsequent Kings of England.

 

In 1662, Elizabeth died and left William Craven her collection of Stuart Family paintings which included pictures by such masters as Rubens, Van Dyck and Honthorst. These pictures remained at Combe Abbey until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1680-91 the house was rebuilt, incorporating much of the previous structure. This work was done to designs by William Winde, whose correspondence with Sir William Craven (later 2nd Baron) survives.

An influential member of the New York School, Susan Weil combines unexpected materials - including collage, blueprint and paint on recycled canvas, acrylic and wood - to create dimensional works exploring the passage of time and movement. She often fractures the picture plane, deconstructing and reconstructing images.

 

Susan Weil came of age as an artist in the postwar period, studying under Josef Albers at Black Mountain College alongside Willem and Elaine de Koonig, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. But unlike her contemporaries, Weil has never been afraid to pursue figuration and reference reality, drawing inspiration from nature, literature, photographs and her personal history, embracing serious and playful elements in her work.

Street art by Scott VanderVoort

 

42 Bond St

New York CIty, New York

February 21, 2018

 

All photos © Joshua Mellin per the guidelines listed under "Owner settings" to the right.

 

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Wickham Place is the London home of Lord and Lady Southgate, their children and staff. Located in fashionable Belgravia it is a fine Georgian terrace house.

 

Today we are below stairs in the kitchen, standing in front of Cook’s, great heavy dark wood dresser. It’s after eleven at night. Lord Southgate hosted a small dinner for some of the members from the House of Lords this evening: influential men whom he hopes to curry favour with in order to pass a private member’s bill regarding the city’s parks and gardens. Now that the dinner is done, the guests have left and the cleaning up done, Mrs. Bradley, known by most downstairs staff as Cook, can put her feet up and relax by the range. Cook has ordered her scullery maid Agnes to boil the kettle to make a pot of tea for her and warm some milk and make some coco for Agnes and the two housemaids Tilly and Sara. Suddenly her quiet reflection is broken by the shrill voice of Mrs. Blackheath the Housekeeper.

 

“Another candle! You were only given a candle last month! Do you think this house is made of money to furnish you with candles? I hope you girls aren’t reading those Penny Dreadfuls or anything else up there in your room!”

 

Cook opens her eyes gently and peers across to her dresser where Mrs. Blackheath, unkindly known as Mrs Blackheart by many of the lower staff, is placing candles into the servants’ candleholders that need replenishing. All the while she stares accusingly at her two charges Tilly and Sara, looking down her nose at them. Tonight, the Housekeeper is living up to her nasty nickname and Cook feels sorry for the two housemaids. Life in a big house like Wickham Place has little joy for maids, especially when you are under the care of such a penny-pinching woman as Mrs. Blackheath. Cook is glad that she is responsible for replenishing her own larder. When she must ask Mrs. Blackheath for items under her preserve, she is always questioned about her request, even when she asks for Sunlight Soap for washing or black lead for the range. Poor Tilly and Sara must share one candle between the two of them when they go up to their tiny bedroom up under the eaves of Wickham Place. Cook doubts that the young girls, bone tired after a day of hard graft, would have the energy to read a Penny Dreadful before going to sleep. However, Mrs. Blackheath keeps scrupulous records of stock in the house, down to every last candle end!

 

The Wickham Place kitchens are situated on the ground floor of Wickham Place, adjoining the Butler’s Pantry. It is dominated by big black leaded range, and next to it stands a heavy dark wood dresser that has been there for as long as anyone can remember. It has three shelves which are full of just a small selection of all the items used to prepare meals not only for Lord and Lady Southgate and their family, but for all the staff who run the London house. The dresser also has a pull out surface to put extra items on, such as the tea cups and Mrs. Blackheath’s box of candles.

 

This year the FFF+ Group have decided to have a weekly challenge called “Snap Happy”. A different theme chosen by a member of the group each week, and the image is to be posted on the Monday of the week.

 

This week the theme, “candle” was chosen by David, DaveSPN.

 

This tableaux is made up of part of my 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures collection. Some pieces come from my own childhood including the silver Victorian candlesticks and the 1:12 wax candle in the foreground, which I was given as part of my tenth birthday present and the two teapots which I bought from a specialist tea shop when I was in my mid teens. Other items I acquired as an adult through specialist online dealers and artists who specialise in 1:12 miniatures. There are also a few very special antique pieces on show here.

 

The shelves of the dresser are littered with a panoply of interesting everyday utensils and household brands that were used in the Edwardian era by houses large and small. Some have stood the test of time and are commonly recognised today, whereas others have not and are long forgotten.

 

The Victorian candlestick about to be filled for the maids is one of a pair which are artisan pieces of sterling silver made in England and are only 2 ½ centimetres in height and ½ a centimetre in width at the base. The brass candlesticks are the same height and are also artisan pieces made in England.

 

The box of Price’s Carriage Candles contains twelve artisan made wax candles like the one in front of the box and the two in the brass candles. The design of the box is Victorian. Price’s was established in 1830 and still exists today. They received the Royal Warrant to Queen Victoria after making Sherwood candles for her wedding. By 1900 they were the largest manufacturer of candles in the world, producing 130 differently named and specified sizes of candles. They supplied candles for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Phillip Mountbatten in 1947 and received the Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II after supplying candles for her coronation in 1953.

 

The two floral teapots I acquired from a specialist high street tea shop when I was a teenager. I have five of them and each one is a different shape and has a different design. I love them, and what I also love is that over time they have developed their own crazing in the glaze, which I think adds a nice touch of authenticity.

 

The Art Nouveau brass cup on the left-hand side of the dresser’s workbench and the silver Art Nouveau cup, plates and funnel on the first shelf are dolls’ house miniatures from Germany, made in the first decade of the Twentieth Century. They are beautiful works of art as stand alone items, and are remarkably heavy.

 

The Macfarlane Lang & Co. Imperial Assorted biscuit tin is a 1:12 specialist miniature. The tin design is Edwardian. Macfarlane Lang and Company began as Lang’s bakery in 1817, before becoming MacFarlane Lang in 1841. The first biscuit factory opened in 1886 and changed its name to MacFarlane Lang & Co. in the same year. The business then opened a factory in Fulham, London in 1903, and in 1904 became MacFarlane Lang & Co. Ltd. In 1948 it formed United Biscuits Ltd. along with McVitie and Price.

 

Next to the Macfarlane Lang & Co. Imperial Assorted biscuit tin is a Cornishware white and blue cannister. Cornishware is a striped kitchenware brand trademarked to and manufactured by T.G. Green & Co Ltd. Originally introduced in the 1920s and manufactured in Church Gresley, Derbyshire, it was a huge success for the company and in the succeeding 30 years it was exported around the world. The company ceased production in June 2007 when the factory closed under the ownership of parent company, The Tableshop Group. The range was revived in 2009 after T.G. Green was bought by a trio of British investors.

 

Next to the Cornishware cannister is a box of Queen’s Gravy Salt. Queen’s Gravy Salt is a British brand and this box is an Edwardian design. Gravy Salt is a simple product it is solid gravy browning and is used to add colour and flavour to soups stews and gravy - and has been used by generations of cooks and caterers.

 

The Elkay Dutch Cocoa for Agnes, Tilly and Sara was an American brand which originated in Chicago. The Elkay Company still exists today, but no longer produce cocoa, or any foodstuffs. The label of the cocoa jar features a steaming cup of hot cocoa and a purity testimonial. Drinking coco before bed was often a blissful reprieve at the end of the day from the daily grind for many housemaids, scullery maids and other downstairs staff alike if you read some of the histories of domestic service that have been recorded.

 

The three artisan 1:12 miniature preserve jars on the right-hand side of the dresser’s work bench contain seeds, herbs and preserved lemons. I have many others in my collection including preserved nuts, apples, sweets and even cannisters of 1:12 size biscuits!

 

The little white jug next to the teapot in the far right of the photo is mid Victorian and would once have been part of a doll’s tea service. It is Parian Ware. Parian Ware is a type of biscuit porcelain imitating marble. It was developed around 1845 by the Staffordshire pottery manufacturer Mintons, and named after Paros, the Greek island renowned for its fine-textured, white Parian marble, used since antiquity for sculpture.

 

On the first shelf of the dresser on the left-hand side you will see two jars of marmalade. Golden Shred orange marmalade and Silver Shred lime marmalade still exist today and are common household brands both in Britain and Australia. They are produced by Robertson’s. Robertson\'s Golden Shred recipe perfected since 1874 is a clear and tangy orange marmalade, which according to their modern day jars is “perfect for Paddington’s marmalade sandwiches”. Robertson\'s Silver Shred is a clear, tangy, lemon flavoured shredded marmalade. Robertson\'s marmalade dates back to 1874 when Mrs. Robertson started making marmalade in the family grocery shop in Paisley, Scotland.

 

Bird’s Custard is also a common household name, although they produced other desserts beyond custard, including the blancmange mix next to the jars of marmalade. I actually ate Bird’s blancmange regularly as a child, and I still occasionally make blancmange from scratch as a treat dessert every now and then. It is quite old fashioned, and most people today have never heard of it. It was usually a nursery food or an invalid’s food as it is soft and uses milk as its main ingredient. It is quite gelatinous and is not unlike junket so it is easy to swallow. Edwardians had a fascination with gelatinous foods, with most dinners having at least one course at luncheon or dinner containing something suspended in aspic (an early version of jelly) and a jelly dessert. Edwardians were all about show, and to show food suspended in aspic became quite an art form, especially in the big hotels and grand restaurants of England and Europe. Bird\'s Custard was first formulated and first cooked by Alfred Bird in 1837 at his chemist shop in Birmingham. He developed the recipe because his wife was allergic to eggs, the key ingredient used to thicken traditional custard. The Birds continued to serve real custard to dinner guests, until one evening when the egg-free custard was served instead, either by accident or design. The dessert was so well received by the other diners that Alfred Bird put the recipe into wider production. John Monkhouse (1862–1938) was a prosperous Methodist businessman who co-founded Monk and Glass, which made custard powder and jelly. Monk and Glass custard was made in Clerkenwell and sold in the home market, and exported to the Empire and to America. They acquired by its rival Bird\'s Custard in the early Twentieth Century.

 

The little hand-painted dish on the first shelf, the dishes on the first shelf and the cups on the dresser’s work space were all acquired from specialist 1:12 artisans. All are hand-made, and this is most noticeable in the fine painting of the bowl, and the irregularity of the plates’ edges. In Victorian and Edwardian times up to the Second World War when domestic staff were still common, the staff would never have eaten off the crockery of their betters. Household staff crockery was usually plain white and would be what we would call everyday ware. It was cheap, mass manufactured pottery and more serviceable, whereas the master and mistress ate off fine porcelain which was often beautifully decorated and gilt. Cook has a slightly better blue and white Willowware cup and saucer as she was an upper member of the staff along with the Butler and Housekeeper. Maids, footmen, scullery staff, gardeners and boot boys were lower staff and would have had ordinary staff crockery.

It is the Distinguished Company at the Bijou Planks!

 

Today we see Satchmo! Louis Daniel Armstrong was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor who was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz.

 

Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. Around 1922, he followed his mentor, Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in the Creole Jazz Band. In Chicago, he spent time with other popular jazz musicians, reconnecting with his friend Bix Beiderbecke and spending time with Hoagy Carmichael and Lil Hardin. He earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and relocated to New York in order to join Fletcher Henderson's band.

 

With his instantly recognizable rich, gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer and skillful improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song. He was also skilled at scat singing. Armstrong is renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice as well as his trumpet playing. By the end of Armstrong's career in the 1960s, his influence had spread to popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first popular African-American entertainers to "cross over" to wide popularity with white (and international) audiences and was able to access the upper echelons of American society.

 

Armstrong appeared in films such as High Society (1956) alongside Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra, and Hello, Dolly! (1969) starring Barbra Streisand. He received many accolades including three Grammy Award nominations and a win for his vocal performance of Hello, Dolly! in 1964. In 2017, he was posthumously inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

 

Armstrong played in brass bands and riverboats in New Orleans, first on an excursion boat in September 1918. He traveled with the band of Fate Marable, which toured on the steamboat Sidney with the Streckfus Steamers line up and down the Mississippi River. Marable was proud of his musical knowledge, and he insisted that Armstrong and other musicians in his band learn sight reading. Armstrong described his time with Marable as "going to the University", since it gave him a wider experience working with written arrangements. He did return to New Orleans periodically. In 1919, Oliver decided to go north and resigned his position in Kid Ory's band; Armstrong replaced him. He also became second trumpet for the Tuxedo Brass Band.

 

During the 1920s, Louis Armstrong brought a huge impact during the Harlem Renaissance within the Jazz world. The music he created was an incredible part of his life during the Harlem Renaissance. His impact touched many, including a well-known man during that time named Langston Hughes. The admiration he had for Armstrong and acknowledging him as one of the most recognized musicians during the era. Within Hughes writings, he created many books which held the central idea of jazz and recognition to Armstrong as one of the most important person to be part of the new found love of their culture. The sound of jazz, along with many other musicians such as Armstrong, helped shape Hughes as a writer. Just as the musicians, Hughes wrote his words with jazz.

 

Armstrong changed the jazz during the Harlem Renaissance. Being known as "the world's greatest trumpet player" during this time he continued his legacy and decided to continue a focus on his own vocal career. The popularity he gained brought together many black and white audiences to watch him perform.

 

The nicknames "Satchmo" and "Satch" are short for "Satchelmouth". The nickname has many possible origins. The most common tale that biographers tell is the story of Armstrong as a young boy in New Orleans dancing for pennies. He scooped the coins off the street and stuck them into his mouth to prevent bigger children from stealing them. Someone dubbed him "satchel mouth" for his mouth acting as a satchel. Another tale is that because of his large mouth, he was nicknamed "satchel mouth" which was shortened to "Satchmo".

 

Early on he was also known as "Dipper", short for "Dippermouth", a reference to the piece Dippermouth Blues. and something of a riff on his unusual embouchure.

 

The nickname "Pops" came from Armstrong's own tendency to forget people's names and simply call them "Pops" instead. The nickname was turned on Armstrong himself. It was used as the title of a 2010 biography of Armstrong by Terry Teachout.

 

After a competition at the Savoy, he was crowned and nicknamed "King Menelik," after the Emperor of Ethiopia, for slaying "ofay jazz demons."

 

Against his doctor's advice, Armstrong played a two-week engagement in March 1971 at the Waldorf-Astoria's Empire Room. At the end of it, he was hospitalized for a heart attack. He was released from the hospital in May, and quickly resumed practicing his trumpet playing. Still hoping to get back on the road, Armstrong died of a heart attack in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a month before his 70th birthday. He was residing in Corona, Queens, New York City, at the time of his death.

 

He was interred in Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City. His honorary pallbearers included Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Harry James, Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Earl Wilson, Alan King, Johnny Carson and David Frost. Peggy Lee sang The Lord's Prayer at the services while Al Hibbler sang "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" and Fred Robbins, a long-time friend, gave the eulogy.

 

Louis Armstrong, a distinguished individual!

__________________________

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.