Alberto Santos-Dumont (July 20, 1873 – July 23, 1932) was an important early pioneer of aviation. Although he was born, grew up, and died in Brazil, his contributions to aviation were made while he was living in France.

Santos-Dumont designed, built, and flew the first practical dirigible balloons (i.e. airships). In doing so he became the first person to demonstrate that routine, controlled flight was possible. This "conquest of the air", in particular winning the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize on October 19, 1901 on a flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower, made him one of the most famous persons in the world during the early 1900s.

In addition to his pioneering work in airships, Santos-Dumont made the first public flight of an airplane in Europe, in Paris in October of 1906. That aircraft, designated 14 Bis or Oiseau de proie (French for "bird of prey"), is considered to be the first to take off, fly, and land without the use of catapults, high winds, launch rails, or other external assistance. Thus, most Brazilians consider him to be the "Father of Aviation" as well as the inventor of the airplane.

Much controversy persists around the many competing claims of early aviators.

Childhood in Brazil

Santos-Dumont was born in Cabengu, a village in the Brazilian town of Palmira (Today the place is Santos Dumont in the state of Minas Gerais.) He grew up as the youngest of eleven children on a coffee plantation owned by his family in the state of São Paulo. His French-born father was an engineer, and made extensive use of the latest labor-saving inventions on his vast property. So successful were these innovations that Santos-Dumont's father gathered a large fortune and became known as the "Coffee King of Brazil."

Santos-Dumont was fascinated by machinery, and while still a young child he learned to drive the steam tractors and locomotive used on his family's plantation. He was also a fan of Jules Verne and had read all his books before his tenth birthday. He wrote in his autobiography that the dream of flying came to him while contemplating the magnificent skies of Brazil in the long, sunny afternoons at the plantation.

According to the custom of wealthy families of the time, after receiving basic instruction at home with private instructors (including his parents), young Alberto was sent out alone to larger cities to do his secondary studies. He studied for a while in "Colégio Culto à Ciência", in Campinas.

Move to France

In 1891, Alberto's father had an accident while inspecting some machinery. He fell from his horse and became a paraplegic. He decided then to sell the plantation and move to Europe with his wife and his youngest son. At seventeen, Santos-Dumont left the prestigious Escola de Minas in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, for the city Paris in France. The first thing he did there was to buy an automobile. Later, he pursued studies in physics, chemistry, mechanics, and electricity, with the help of a private tutor.

Balloons and dirigibles

Santos-Dumont described himself as the first "sportsman of the air." He started flying by hiring an experienced balloon pilot and took his first balloon rides as a passenger. He quickly moved on to piloting balloons himself, and shortly thereafter to designing his own balloons. In 1898, Santos-Dumont flew his first balloon design, the Brésil.

After numerous balloon flights, he turned to the design of steerable balloons or dirigible type balloons that could be propelled through the air rather than drifting along with the breeze. Between 1898 and 1905 he built and flew 11 dirigibles. With air traffic control restrictions still decades in the future, he would glide along Paris boulevards at rooftop level in one of his airships, commonly landing in front of a fashionable outdoor cafe for lunch. On one occasion he even flew an airship early one morning to his own apartment at No. 9, Rue Washington, just off Avenue des Champs-Élysées not far from the Arc de Triomphe.

The zenith of his lighter-than-air career came when he won the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize. The challenge called for flying from the Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in less than thirty minutes. The winner of the prize would need to maintain an average ground speed of at least 22 km/hour (14 mph) to cover the round trip distance of 11 km (6.8 miles) in the allotted time.

After several attempts and trials, Santos-Dumont succeeded on October 19, 1901 using his dirigible Number 6. Immediately after the flight, a controversy broke out around a last minute rule change regarding the precise timing of the flight. There was much public outcry and comment in the press. Finally, after several days of vacilating by the committee of officials, Santos-Dumont was awarded the prize as well as the prize money of 100,000 francs. In a charitable gesture, he donated half of the prize money to the poor of Paris. The other half was given to his workmen as a bonus.

Santos-Dumont's aviation feats made him a celebrity in Europe and throughout the world. He won several more prizes and became a friend to millionaires, aviation pioneers, and royalty. In 1901 he was considered by many to be the most famous person in the world. In 1904, he went to the United States and was invited to the White House to meet US President Theodore Roosevelt. The public eagerly followed his daring exploits. Parisians affectionately dubbed him le petit Santos. The fashionable folk of the day mimicked various aspects of his style of dress from his high collared shirts to singed Panama hat. He was, and remains to this day, a prominent folk hero in his native Brazil.

Heavier than air

Although Santos-Dumont continued to work on dirigibles, his primary interest soon turned to heavier-than-air-craft. By 1905 he had finished his first airplane design, and also a helicopter. He finally achieved his dream of flying on an airplane in October 23 of 1906, when, piloting the 14 Bis before a large crowd of witnesses, he flew a distance of 60 metres (197 ft) at a height of 2-3 m. This well-documented event was the first flight verified by the Aero-Club De France of a powered heavier-than-air machine in Europe, and the first public demonstration in the world of an aircraft taking off from an ordinary airstrip with a non-detachable landing gear and on its own power (self-propelled) in calm weather, proving to the spectators that a machine "heavier than air" could take off from the ground by its own means. With this accomplishment, he won the Archdeacon Prize founded by the Frenchman Ernest Archdeacon in July of 1906, to be awarded to the first aviator to fly more than 25 meters. On November 12 of the same year, Santos-Dumont succeeded in setting the first world record in aviation by flying 220 meters in less than 22 seconds. Both of these events occurred before the Wright Brothers had made any flights to which the public was invited, although the Wright Brothers had made and photographed circular flights of more than half an hour with witnesses at a field next to a public roadway one year earlier near Dayton, Ohio.

The 14bis on its historic first flight.Santos-Dumont made numerous contributions to the field of aircraft control. The most noteworthy one was the use of effective ailerons at the outer wings. Although ailerons had been used in sailplanes before, Dumont pioneered their application for aircraft. He also pushed for and exploited substantial improvements in engine power-to-weight ratio, and other refinements in aircraft construction techniques.

Santos-Dumont's final design was the Demoiselle monoplane. This aircraft was employed as Dumont's personal transportation and he willingly let others make use of his design. The fuselage consisted of a specially reinforced bamboo boom, and the pilot sat beneath between the main wheels of a tricycle landing gear. The Demoiselle was controlled in flight partially by a tail unit that functioned both elevator and rudder and by wing warping.

The high-wing Demoiselle aircraft had a wingspan of 5.10 m and an overall length of 8 m. Its weight was little more than 110 kg with Santos-Dumont at the controls. The pilot was seated below the fuselage-wing junction, just behind the wheels, and commanded the tail surfaces using a steering wheel. The cables of sustentation of the wing were made of piano ropes. Initially, Santos-Dumont employed a liquid-cooled Dutheil & Chalmers engine with 20 hp. Later, the inventor repositioned the engine to a lower location, placing it in front of the pilot. Santos-Dumont also replaced the former 20-hp engine by a 24-hp Antoniette and carried out some wing reinforcements. This version received the designation No. 20. Due to structural problems and continuing lack of power Santos-Dumont introduced additional modifications in Demoiselle’s design: a triangular and shortened fuselage made of bamboo; the engine was moved back to its original position, in front of the wing; and increased wingspan. Santos-Dumont tested opposed-cylinder (he patented a solution for cooling this kind of engine) and cooled-water engines, with power settings ranging from 20 to 40 hp, in the two variants. An interesting feature of the water-cooled variant was the liquid-coolant pipeline which followed the wing lower side lofting to improve aerodynamics.

The Demoiselle airplane could be constructed in only fifteen days. Possessing outstanding performance, easily covering 200 m of ground during the initial flights and flying at speeds of more than 100 km/h, the Demoiselle was the last aircraft built by Santos-Dumont. He used to perform flights with the airplane in Paris and some small trips to nearby places. Flights were continued at various times through 1909, including the first cross-country flight with steps of about 8 km, from St. Cyr to Buc on September 13, returning the following day, and another on the 17th, of 18 km in 16 min. The Demoiselle that was fitted with two-cylinder engine became rather popular. The French WWI-ace Roland Garros flew it at the Belmont Park, New York, in 1910. The June 1910 edition of the Popular Mechanics magazine published drawings of the Demoiselle and affirmed that Santos-Dumont's plane was better than any other that had been built to that date, for those who wish to reach results with the least possible expense and with a minimum of experimenting. American companies sold drawings and parts of Demoiselle for several years thereafter. Santos-Dumont was so enthusiastic about aviation that he released the drawings of Demoiselle for free, thinking that aviation would be the mainstream of a new prosperous era for mankind. Clément Bayard, an automotive maker, constructed several units of Demoiselles, which was sold for 50,000 Francs.

The design of Demoiselle clearly influenced that of the Blériot XI airplane, which was used for the British Channel crossing in 1909.

Controversy vis-a-vis Wright brothers

The claim to the first flying machine is still the arena for disputes about definitions, facts, and merits. These polemics are often fueled by strong nationalistic or cultural feelings.

In some countries, particularly Brazil, Santos-Dumont is considered to be the inventor of the airplane, because of the official and of public character of the 14-bis flight as well as some technical points. This has been traditionally the official position of the Brazilian government, especially since the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship. Vargas instituted a department within his government for "Information and Propaganda." This department created schoolbooks praising all things Brazilian; when the Vargas dictatorship ended in 1945, the department-influenced schoolbooks endured.

The strongest technical criticism of the Wrights' early aircraft is that, while it is clear that these aircraft could sustain controlled flight, they always used some sort of assistance to become airborne. The assistance ranged in form from requiring a stiff headwind, the use of launch rails, and/or the use of external thrust (a catapult) to obtain the necessary airspeed for launch. As such, none of the Wrights' early craft took off under their own power in calm wind from an ordinary ground surface as was achieved by the flights of the 14-bis.

In some other countries, particularly the United States, the honor of first effective heavier-than-air flight is most frequently assigned to the Wright brothers for their flight of 39 meters (120 feet) in 12 seconds on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. Nonetheless, even in these nations there remains a high regard for Santos-Dumont's accomplishments, and a recognition of the 14-bis flight as an important event in early aviation.

Supporters of the Wrights' claim point out that the use of ground rails in particular was necessitated by the Wrights' choice of airfields -- the sand at Kitty Hawk and the rough pasture at Huffman prairie -- rather than the relatively smooth and firm parkland available to Santos-Dumont and was not a reflection of any aerodyamic weakness in their design. Accordingly, the catapult used at Huffman Prairie allowed the use of a relatively short ground rail thus avoiding the time-consuming drudgery of positioning hundreds of feet of rail needed for launches without a catapult.

Supporters of the Wright Flyer claim also point out that 1) although a stiff head wind was required, the aircraft moved under its own power, unassisted by gravity; 2) the Wrights were the first to develop effective aircraft control, which made practical flight possible, even in breezy or windy conditions which are common, as well as in calm conditions. They introduced far superior control mechanisms well before all other winged aircraft, including Santos-Dumont's 14-bis; 3) the Wright Brothers accurately described several principles of flight (including aerodynamics and propeller design) that previous pioneers had either described inaccurately or not at all; 4) the flight has been reproduced experimentally using a painstakingly recreated replica of the original aircraft.

It is this last point, the construction of replicas of the original Wright Flyer, that increased the controversy in recent years. Some of these replicas were modified using modern aerodynamic knowledge to improve their flight characteristics. However, at least one successful replica was built without being so modified. The Wright Experience, through painstaking research of original documents, photographs, and artifacts from the original Flyer (conducted much like an archaeological expedition), is believed to have accurately and precisely recreate it. This project had the stated purpose of building an exact replica of the original aircraft, whether or not it would actually fly. As it turned out, the aircraft did indeed make several successful flights.

Much of the controversy with regard to Santos-Dumont vs. the Wrights arose from the difference in their approaches to publicity. Santos-Dumont made his flights in public, often accompanied by a great deal of fanfare. In contrast, the Wright Brothers were very concerned about protecting their intellectual property and made their early flights in remote locations and without many international aviation officials present. The defense of their flight was also complicated by the jealousies of other American aviation enthusiasts and disputes over patents. In November 1905, the Aero Club of France learned of the Wrights' alleged flight of 24 miles. They sent a correspondent to investigate the Wrights' accounts. In January 1906, members in the Aero Club of France's meeting were stunned by the reports of the Wrights' flights. Archdeacon sent a taunting letter to the Wrights, demanding that they come to France and prove themselves, but the Wrights did not respond. Thus, the aviation world (of which Paris was the center at the time) witnessed the products of Santos-Dumont's work first hand. As a result, many members, French and other Europeans, dismissed the Wrights as frauds (like many others at the time) and assigned Santos-Dumont the accolade of the "first to fly."

In any case, early reports of the Wrights' activities and the disclosure of key design features in their 1904 European patent filings certainly helped many airplane developers in succeeding years, including Santos-Dumont. Moreover, Santos-Dumont's success was aided by improvements in engine power/weight ratio and other advances in materials and construction techniques that had taken place in previous years.

There were many machines that got up into the air in a limited fashion and many variations of heavier-than-air titles to which varying amounts of credit have been awarded by various groups. For example, in the former USSR Aleksandr Fyodorovich Mozhaiski is sometimes credited as a "Father of Aviation", for his powered heavier-than-air machine going airborne (generally recognized as the second such flight in that category) in 1884. The disputes about the proper definition of "powered heavier than air flight" still go on. For example, with regard to gliders fitted with small engines that are used non-continuously; these debates do not extend to methods of take off systems. The issue of assisted takeoff can be an issue with early flights, however, since any help given is more significant for how long they were airborne for short flights.

Just as some seek to broaden the accomplishments of the 14-bis flights, there are others who seek to narrow them, although this is less common. One criticism is that the low altitude at which the 14-bis flew permitted the lift to be augmented by ground effect. The often low flights of many aviation pioneers, including some of the Wrights initial flights, fall prey to a complex debate over classifications of machines that are aided by this phenomenon.

Also, there have been some questions of the Aero-Club De France's conflict of interest concerning their involvement with Santos-Dumont's claim. The questions largely arise from their incomplete knowledge of the Wrights and their involvement with Santos-Dumont.

Santos-Dumont and the wristwatch

The wristwatch had already been invented by Patek Philippe, decades earlier, but Santos-Dumont played an important role popularizing its use by men in the early 1900s. Before him they were generally worn only by women, as men favored pocket watches. As a result, Brazilians consider Santos-Dumont the inventor of the wristwatch for men.

The story goes that in 1904, while celebrating his winning of the Deutsch Prize at Maxim's Restaurant, Santos-Dumont complained to his friend Louis Cartier about the difficulty of checking his pocket watch to time his performance during flight. Santos-Dumont then asked Cartier to come up with an alternative that would allow him to keep both hands on the controls. Cartier went to work on the problem and the result was a watch with a leather band and a small buckle, to be worn on the wrist.

Santos-Dumont never took off again without his personal Cartier wristwatch, and he used it to check his personal record for a 220 m (722 ft) flight, achieved in twenty-one seconds, on November 12, 1906. The Santos-Dumont watch was officially displayed on October 20, 1979 at the Paris Air Museum next to the 1908 Demoiselle, the last aircraft that he built.

Cartier today has a collection of wristwatches honouring Santos-Dumont called Santos de Cartier.

Later years

Santos-Dumont continued to build and fly airplanes. His final flight as a pilot was made in Demoiselle on January 4, 1910. The flight ended in an accident, but the cause was never completely clear. There were few observers and no reporters on the scene.

Santos-Dumont fell seriously ill a few months later. He experienced double vision and vertigo that made it impossible for him to drive, much less fly. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He abruptly dismissed his staff and closed his workshop. His illness soon led to a deepening depression.

In 1911, Santos-Dumont moved from Paris to the French seaside village of Bénerville where he took up astronomy as a hobby. Some of the local folk, who knew little of his great fame and exploits in Paris just a few years earlier, mistook his German-made telescope and unusual accent as signs (almost certainly false) that he was a German spy who was tracking French naval activity. These suspicions eventually led to Santos-Dumont having his rooms searched by the French military police. Upset by ignominy of the charge, as well as depressed from his illness, he burned all of his papers, plans, and notes. Thus, there is little direct information available about his designs today.

In 1928 (some sources report, 1916) he left France to go back to his country of birth, never to return to Europe. His return to Brazil was marred by tragedy. A dozen members of the Brazilian scientific community boarded a seaplane with the intention of paying a flying welcome to the returning aviator on Cap Arcona. Instead, the seaplane crashed with the loss of all on board. The loss deepened Santos-Dumont's growing despondency.

In Brazil, Santos-Dumont bought a small lot on the side of a hill in the city of Petrópolis, in the mountains near Rio de Janeiro, and built a small house there filled with imaginative mechanical gadgetry.

Controversy regarding private life

Some controversy exists over Santos-Dumont's private life, in particular his sexual orientation. Although he was an active member of the Paris social scene, there are no reports, public or private, of his having been romatically involved with anyone. This has led some to speculate that Santos-Dumont was a homosexual. However, historians have noted that any affair, with either a man or a woman, would have been impossible to keep a secret given Santos-Dumont's notoriety in his time. This lack of any evidence of romantic entanglements have led some to speculate that he was asexual.

Historians have noted that both Wright brothers, around whom much controversy still exists vis-a-vis Santos-Dumont, also had personal lives apparently devoid of any overt sexual activity. However, no comparable suggestions of possible homosexuality have been made about them.

Santos-Dumond did seem to have a particular affection for a married Cuban/American woman named Aída de Acosta. He allowed her to fly his No. 9 airship (Thus she likely became the first woman to pilot a powered aircraft.) and he kept a picture of her on his desk until his death.

Death and beyond

Alberto Santos-Dumont — seriously ill, and said to be depressed over his multiple sclerosis and the use of aircraft in warfare — is believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself in the city of Guarujá in São Paulo, on July 23, 1932. He was buried in the Cemitério São João Batista in Rio de Janeiro. There are many monuments to his work and his house in Petropolis, Brazil is now a museum. He never married nor had any known children.

Cultural influences

Santos-Dumont is a small lunar impact crater that lies in the northern end of the Montes Apenninus range at the eastern edge of the Mare Imbrium

The aviator gives his name to the city of Santos Dumont, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In this municipality is located the Cabangu farm, where he was born. The Faculdades Santos Dumont is a group of private higher learning colleges in the same city.

The city of Dumont, in the state of São Paulo, near Ribeirão Preto is so named because it is located where it used to be one the largest coffee farms in the world, between 1870 and 1890. The farm was owned by Alberto Santos-Dumont's father, a wealthy engineer of French descent. It was sold in 1896 to a British company, the Dumont Coffee Company.

The airport for domestic flights of Rio de Janeiro is also named after him (Santos Dumont Regional Airport)

The Rodovia Santos Dumont is a highway in the state of São Paulo.

The Brazilian Air Force (Command of Aeronautics) concedes to important personalities in the world of aviation the Santos Dumont Medal of Merit. The state government of Minas Gerais has a similar medal.

Réseau Santos-Dumont is the name of a cooperative university network between France and Brazil, instituted by the French and Brazilian Ministries of Education in 1994, with 26 universities in each country.

The American Office of Naval Research of San Diego, California has named one of its research airships as the 600B Santos Dumont.

The Historic and Cultural Institute of Aeronautics of Brazil has instituted the Santos Dumont Annual Prize of Journalism to the best reports in the media about aeronautics.

Santos-Dumont serves as the inspiration and namesake for a small Coffee and Ice Cream Shop in Milford, New Hampshire.

Lycée Polyvalente Santos-Dumont is a lyceum in Saint-Cloud, France;

Tens of thousands of streets, avenues, plazas, schools, monuments, etc., are dedicated to the national hero in Brazil.

A contribution from Dave Burgess, who scanned this from his father's 1935 Echoes Yearbook. Dave sent this scan along with these comments:

"...The view of the school is nice but the just built football stands on the east side of the field is better, as is the dirt race track and the grandstands for the fair grounds.

Some of the livestock buildings were still standing, being used by the Board of Education (I think), when room was made for the new Harding.

The upper left section shows the empty fields that in a few years would become an extension of Laird Ave and the yet to be built Sunset circle section of town,"

Contributions to ornithology for 1848-1853

Edinburgh :W.H. Lizars,1848-1853.

biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51978859

Page 2 of 4

My contribution to Nobrow 7: Brave New World, which you can buy here.

Contribution to Thursday Monochrome.

Have a great day!

Here is my contribution to the eighth and final round of RogueOlympics 2025 on the topic of "Klasse" (“class”).

I took the theme in the sense of “great result / great performance” and also wanted to address the Olympic Games in line with our Rogue Olympics.

The movie “Cool Runnings” came to my mind. It's a comedy that tells the story of the first Jamaican bobsleigh team and their participation in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Although the film invents much of the story and embellishes it with narrative and comedy, it is based on a true story. Ridiculed by many winter sports nations, the Jamaicans nevertheless managed to qualify for the Olympic bobsleigh competitions.

Although the Jamaican bobsleigh team only played a minor role in the rankings, they did achieve a respectable success.

After all, Jamaica took part in all the Winter Olympics from 1988 to 2002 and improved steadily. After a few years without participation, Jamaican winter athletes took part in the Olympics again from 2014.

I just love the courage and enthusiasm of the Jamaican bobsleigh team, as well as the funny movie from 1993 - in German that is "klasse".

I'm ending my participation in the Rogue Olympics 2025 with this picture of the "Finish". Like every year, I had a lot of fun, even if time was sometimes tight and some other things had to take a back seat.

I hope you like my contribution. Have fun and see you next year on this stage!

Here are my contributions to the 20x20 Urban Art Project to be held in Tehran, Iran.

To learn more or to become involved here's the synopsis and link to the flickr group"

www.flickr.com/groups/1224646@N20/

Lets Make ART .Not WAr

Installation of 20x20 cms Art in Tehran Urban Area/ An Illegal Action for peace !!!!

Dead line 10th Novemeber 2009

Event dates : 1st Dec2009

you can send in your Works by Airlmail or

Send us your digital File by email ,we are also able to print them on stickers or photo papers by a color laser print.

Hand contribution by Guitou.

Contribution Contest HDR par Anthony GELOT

my little contribution to the sail 2015 ;)

bought in GOES NL at V & D for 15 €

*

Een zeilboot was te duur ;)

Hoe erg !!!

Contribution #1 for The 5003 Sketchbook Project

Framed by a perfect blue sky and a symmetrical arc of neoclassical stone, the Military Women’s Memorial stands as a solemn tribute to the more than three million women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C., this photo captures the serene yet powerful facade of the nation’s only major national memorial honoring women’s contributions to the military across all branches and eras.

Designed by architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, the structure—officially called the Women In Military Service For America Memorial—was completed in 1997 and integrates seamlessly into the historic landscape. It was built into the existing Hemicycle, an imposing semicircular retaining wall originally intended as part of a ceremonial gateway but left unused since the 1930s. In this view, the monumental granite arch commands attention at the center, framed by clean lines, open walkways, and elegant balustrades.

The memorial is more than architectural splendor; it functions as a museum, archive, and gathering place. Inside, visitors can explore exhibitions, personal stories, and artifacts that illuminate the complex and often underrepresented history of women in uniform—from Revolutionary War heroes disguised as men to contemporary combat commanders. At the heart of the interior is a computerized Register, cataloging the service records of women who have worn the nation’s uniform, preserving their legacies for future generations.

This photograph, taken in daylight under ideal conditions, emphasizes the clarity of the structure’s lines and the harmony between human design and natural surroundings. Leafless trees on the horizon echo the memorial's stark dignity, while the circular plaza in the foreground invites contemplation.

Located just across Memorial Avenue from the iconic Arlington Cemetery Welcome Center, the memorial is an essential stop for any visitor wishing to understand the full scope of American military service. It’s a space for quiet reflection, formal ceremonies, and education—especially on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and during events celebrating Women’s History Month.

The Military Women’s Memorial stands as a crucial corrective to the historical erasure of women’s service. It tells a broader American story—of duty, perseverance, and change—etched in stone and carried forward through storytelling. This image captures the physical and symbolic gateway to that narrative, as timeless and resilient as the women it honors.

Contribution to www.flickr.com/groups/happyshooting/pool/tags/hsschnitt

Smithsonian contributions to knowledge

Washington :Smithsonian Institution,1848-1916.

biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9049188

My contribution to valentines and sweethearts. This was made using vector (yes, my first vector and possibly last, took me an hour to figure out how to use the paintbrush tool) and photoshop brushes. Created completely from scratch-as always. Sorry, I can't remember where I found the brushes, but thanks ;)

I give permission to anyone that wants to use it in their projects, but you have to give credit under cc attribution rights. I'd love to see what is created with it, just leave a comment below with a link (or pic). I tend to linger in details too much so this is a large file with alot of intricate little flourishes.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes a memorial contribution at the Gisozi Memorial Center - commemorating the 1994 Rwandan genocide - as he stops by during a visit to the Rwandan capital of Kigali on October 14, 2016, to attend a conference focused on amending the Montreal ozone layer protection protocol. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Smithsonian contributions to knowledge

Washington :Smithsonian Institution,1848-1916.

biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9049380

A contribution for the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase

Despite the fact that Flickr uses CC 2.0 I want to use CC BY-SA 4.0 according to the terms of the Free Culture Showcase.

A contribution to our knowledge of the varieties of the wall-lizard (Lacerta muralis) in Western Europe and North Africa

London,Zoological Society,1905

biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12847257

Contribution #6 for 'RoidWeek 2013 | Check out www.polawalk.com for more info about us!

Some background:

The VF-1 was developed by Stonewell/Bellcom/Shinnakasu for the U.N. Spacy by using alien Overtechnology obtained from the SDF-1 Macross alien spaceship. Its production was preceded by an aerodynamic proving version of its airframe, the VF-X. Unlike all later VF vehicles, the VF-X (sometimes referred to as VF-X1) was strictly a conventional/non-transformable jet aircraft, even though it incorporated many structural components and several key technologies that were vital for the transformable VF-1’s successful development that ran in parallel. Therefore, the VF-X was never intended as an air superiority fighter, but rather a flight-capable analogue test bed and proof of concept for the VF-1’s basic layout and major components. In this role, however, the VF-X made vital contributions to systems’ development that were later incorporated into the VF-1’s serial production and sped the program up considerably.

The fighter remained active in many second line units and continued to show its worthiness years later, e. g. through Milia Jenius who would use her old VF-1 fighter in defense of the colonization fleet - 35 years after the type's service introduction.

General characteristics:

Accommodation: One pilot in a Marty & Beck Mk-7 zero/zero ejection seat

Length 14.23 meters

Wingspan 14.78 meters (at 20° minimum sweep)

Height 3.84 meters

Empty weight: 13.25 metric tons

Standard T-O mass: 18.5 metric tons

Power Plant:

2x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2001 thermonuclear reaction turbine engines, output 650 MW each, rated at 11,500 kg in standard or in overboost (225.63 kN x 2)

4 x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry NBS-1 high-thrust vernier thrusters (1 x counter reverse vernier thruster nozzle mounted on the side of each leg nacelle/air intake, 1 x wing thruster roll control system on each wingtip);

Performance:

Top speed: Mach 2.71 at 10,000 m; Mach 3.87 at 30,000+ m

Thrust-to-weight ratio: empty 3.47; standard T-O 2.49; maximum T-O 1.24

Armament:

None installed, but the VF-X had 4x underwing hard points for a wide variety of ordnance, plus a ventral hardpoint for a Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod with 200 RPG, fired at 1,200 rds/min or other stores like test instruments

The model and its assembly:

Another submission to the “Prototypes” group build at whatifmodelers.com in July 2020. Being a VF-1 fan (and have built maybe twenty o these simple Arii kits), adding a VF-X was, more or less, a must – even more so because I had a suitable Valkyrie Fighter kit at hand for the conversion. As a side note, I have actually built something quite similar from a VF-1D many years ago: a fictional, non-transformable advanced trainer, without knowing about the VF-X at all.

Thanks to the “Macross - Perfect Memory” source book, the differences between the transformable VF-1 and its early testbed were easy to identify:

- Fixed legs with faired ducts from the intakes on (thighs)

- Ankle recesses disappeared

- Less and slightly different panel lines on the back and on the nose

- ventral head unit deleted and a respective fairing installed instead

- Levelled underside (shoulder fairings of the folded arms were cut down)

- Leg attachment points on the nose deleted

- No small, circular vernier thrusters all around the hull

- Some new/different venting grills (created mostly with 0.5mm black decal stripes)

Beyond the changes, the VF-1A was basically built OOB. Thankfully, the VF-X already features the later VF-1’s vectored thrust nozzles/feet, so that no changes had to be made in this respect. A pilot figure was added to the cockpit for the beauty pics, and after the flight scenes had been shot, the canopy remained open on a swing arm for static display. For the same reason, the model was built with the landing gear extended.

As a test aircraft, the underwing pylons and their AMM-1 ordnance were left away and the attachment points hidden with putty. I also omitted the ventral gun pod and left the aircraft clean. However, for the flight scene pictures, I implanted an adapter for a display holder made from wire.

In order to emphasize the test vehicle character of the VF-X, I gave the model a scratched spin recovery parachute installation between the fins, using a real world F-22 testbed as benchmark. It consists of styrene profiles, quite a delicate construction. For the same reason I gave the VF-X a long sensor boom on the nose, which changes the Valkyrie’s look, too. Finally, some small blade antennae were added to the nose and to the spine behind the cockpit.

Painting and markings:

To be honest, I have no idea if there was only a single VF-X prototype in the Macross universe, or more. Just one appears in the TV series in episode #33, and lack of suitable information and my personal lack of Japanese language proficiency prevents any deeper research. However, this would not keep me from inventing a personal interpretation of the canonical VF-X, especially because I do not really like the original livery from the TV series: an overall light grey with some simple black trim and “TEST” written on the (fixed) legs. Yamato did an 1:60 scale toy of the VF-X, but it was/is just a VF-1 with a ventral fairing; they added some shading to the basic grey – but this does not make the aircraft more attractive, IMHO.

When I looked at the original conceptual drawing of the VF-X in the “Macross - Perfect Memory” source book, however, I was immediately reminded of the F-15 prototypes from the Seventies (and this program used a total of twelve machines!). These featured originally a light grey (FS 36375?) overall base, to which bright dayglo orange markings on wings, fins and fuselage were soon added – in a very similar pattern to the VF-X. I think the VF-X livery was actually inspired by this, the time frame matches well with the production of the Macross TV series, too, and that’s what I adapted for my model.

In order to come close to the F-15 prototype livery, I gave “my” VF-X an overall basic coat of RAL 7047 “Telegrau 4”, one of German Telekom’s corporate colors and a very pale grey that can easily be mistaken for white when you do not have a contrast reference.

The cockpit received a medium grey finish, the ejection seat became black with brown cushions; the pilot figure is a 1:100 seated passenger from an architecture supplies, painted like an early VF-1 pilot in a white/blue suit. The jet nozzles/feet were painted with Revell 91 (Iron) and later treated with grinded graphite for a more metallic finish. The landing gear became classic white (I used Revell 301, which is a very pure tone, as contrast to the RAL 7047 on the hull), the air intake ducts and the internal sections of the VG wings were painted with dark grey (Revell 77).

For some diversity I took inspiration from the Yamato VF-X toy and added slightly darker (Humbrol 166, RAF Light Aircraft Grey) areas to the hull and the legs. Next, the panel lines were emphasized through a thinned black ink wash, but I did no panel post shading so that the VF-X would not look too dirty or worn.

Onto this basis I applied the orange dayglo markings. On the wings and fins, these were painted – they were applied with spray paint from a rattle can, involving lots of masking. The leading edges on wings and fins were created with grey decal sheet material, too. At this stage, some surface details and more fake panel lines were added with a soft pencil.

The orange cheatline under the cockpit is a personal addition; I found that some more orange had to be added to the nose for visual balance, and I eventually went for the simple, trimmed stripe (TL Modellbau material) instead of trying to apply decal sheet material around the jagged air intakes (F-15 prototype style). The black “TEST”, “VFX” and “U.N. Spacy” markings were designed at the computer and printed on clear inkjet decal paper. Even though the “real” VF-X does not feature the UNS “kite” insignia, I decided to add them to the model. These come from the OOB sheet, which also provided most (slightly yellowed) stencils.

Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).

A rather different VF-1 project (and it is – to my astonishment – #28 in my 1:100 VF-1 Fighter mode collection!!!), with more changes to the basic model kit than one might expect at first sight. VF-X and VF-1 differ considerably from each other, despite identical outlines! However, I like the outcome, and I think that going a different route from the canonical grey/black livery paid out, the bright orange markings really make this VF-X stand out, and it looks IMHO more like a testbed than the “real” aircraft from the TV series.

My contribution to the COLORS MAGAZINE 77 (SEA) projects on the sea,

BUNKER COASTAL DEFENSIVE "CABO SILLEIRO"

My contribution to Dario Fo,recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. Thank you Dario!

A contribution for the Ubuntu Free Culture Showcase

Despite the fact that Flickr uses CC 2.0 I want to use CC BY-SA 4.0 according to the terms of the Free Culture Showcase.

My contribution to the:

I LUG NY Modular Zoo Project

for Lyndhurst Castle Exhibition

April 21-22, 2012

Many of us who fly regularly have most probably seen a so-called winglet or wingtip device at the end of the wing of an airliner at least once. It is showing up more and more often on more and more types of aircraft, thus we felt it’s time to give an overview to our readers about these sometimes funny, sometimes cool and stylish looking aircraft parts.

History, Reason and Benefits

The initial theoretical concept goes back to times before even the Wright Brothers first took to the skies in 1905, but it was picked up and developed by Richard T. Whitcomb of NASA after the 1973 oil crisis – in order to reduce fuel consumption. The first tests were carried out in 1979/80 in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force. At almost the same time, but independent of any U.S. military organization, a private jet producer, LearJet exhibited a prototype in 1977: the LearJet 28 that featured the first winglets on a jet and a production aircraft. Flight tests made with and without winglets showed that the winglets increased range by about 6.5 percent and also improved directional stability for the LearJet- these two factors are the major reasons behind using this facility at any fixed wing aircraft ever since. A winglet is a (near) vertical extension of the wing tips. The upward angle of the winglet, its inward angle as well as its size and shape are critical for correct performance – this is why they can look quite different. Air rotating around the wing strikes the surface of the winglet that directs it in another direction – thus creating an extra force, basically converting otherwise wasted energy to thrust. This is a small contribution but can save a lot for an operator in an aircraft’s lifetime. Another potential benefit of winglets is that they reduce the strength of wingtip vortices, which trail behind the plane. When other aircraft pass through these vortices, the turbulent air can cause loss of control, possibly resulting in an accident.

Winglet Types

In general any wingtips that not end the wing simply horizontally are considered as some kind of a winglet. Even though in strictly technical terms Wingtip Fences are not real extensions of the wing, and Raked Wingtips do not have a vertical part, they are still widely considered as winglet variants.

WINGTIP FENCES are a special variant of winglets, that extend both upward and downward from the tip of the wing. Preferred by European plane-maker Airbus, it is featured on their full product range (except the A330/340 family and the future A350). The Airbus A300 was actually the first jet airliner to feature this kind of solution by default, but it was a very small version of the tool. Provided that most of the Airbus planes (including all A320 family jets) feature such wingtip fences, this may be the most seen and most produced winglet type. Even the new Airbus A380 double-decker features wingtip fences.

BLENDED WINGLETS (the real “Winglets”) are the most popular winglet type, leveraged by Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier but also by Russian Tupolev and Iljushin. Blended winglets were first introduced on the McDonnel Douglas MD-11 aircraft in 1990 with launch customer Finnair (it also features a smaller winglet at the bottom side of the wing). In contrast to Airbus who applies the wingtip fences by default on most of their aircraft (and the winglets on the A330/340 family), blended winglets are considered by Boeing for example as an optional extra feature on their products, except for the Boeing 747-400. For some of the older Boeing jets (737 and 757) such blended winglets have been offered as an aftermarket retrofit, these are the newer, tall designs and do not connect to the tip of the wing with a sharp angle, but with a curve instead. These winglets are popular among airlines that fly these aircraft on medium/long haul routes as most of the real fuel savings materialize while cruising. Longer flights mean longer cruising, thus larger fuel savings. And they also server as marketing surface for airline logos or web addresses usually.

Just recently the Boeing 767-300ER has received 3.4 m high (!) winglets produced by Aviation Partners Inc. with American Airlines as the launch-customer with Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines following with orders of 5 and 8 aircrafts respectively. 141 shipsets have been pre-sold already as the forecasted fuel savings range around 4%-6% for medium/long-range flights. Airbus earlier tested similar blended winglets designed by Winglet Technology for the A320 series, but determined that their benefits did not warrant further development and they stayed with the wingtip fences instead. Aviation Partners Boeing claims that winglets on 737s and 757s have saved a collective 1.2 billion gal. of fuel since they were introduced and 11.5 million tonnes of CO2 while reducing those types’ noise footprint by 6.5%. It has sold winglets to 140 airlines and 95% of all 737NGs are fitted with them. It is working on four winglet concepts for the 777 and hopes to finalize a design for that aircraft type by December, 2008.

G-TCCB - 40067F - Thomas Cook Airlines - Boeing 767-31K (28865)

Jonny, 4Higher, Pest5 completes a wall as his contribution to the "from the ground up" event held over a week in conjunction with the Canterbury Museum sponsored exhibition, "RISE".

Jonny is a Graffiti artist who began his career in the streets of Christchurch where he was born. He moved to Auckland to continue to develop his art and co-found the company "Disruptiv" .

My contribution to "El Bricko". Pony Express under construction and bullock drawn wagon

I hope and wish to all the women their legitimate aspirations of equal opportunity, dignity and respect see soon a goal. In the world the feminine condition is still a lot (too much!) far from a joint relationship with we males. Courage! Intelligence and force of heart do not lack you... everywhere you operate you give a great demonstration.

In Flickr the feminine contribution of commitment, quality and artistic talents is remarkable not only in quantity but above all in quality.

-----------------------------

Spero ed auguro a tutte le donne che le loro legittime aspirazioni di pari opportunità, dignità e rispetto vedano presto un traguardo. Nel mondo la condizione femminile è ancora molto (troppo!) lontana da un rapporto paritetico con noi maschi. Coraggio! Intelligenza e forza d'animo non vi mancano... ovunque vi si lasci operare ne date ampiamente dimostrazione.

In Flickr l'apporto femminile di impegno, qualità e talenti artistici è notevole non solo in quantità ma soprattutto in qualità.

Contributions to the genetics of Drosophila melanogaster ....

Washington,Carnegie Institution of Washington,1919..

biodiversitylibrary.org/page/805345

My contribution to the Eurobricks collaborative - Tree of Worlds - for Brickworld Chicago 2018. Photo credit to Gideon (Jonas Wide).

Images and details of the collaborative on Eurobricks:

www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/162698-t...

Tyne Cyclist and Pedestrian Tunnel runs under the River Tyne between Howdon and Jarrow in Tyne & Wear, England. Opened in 1951, heralded as a contribution to the Festival of Britain, it was Britain's first purpose-built cycling tunnel. The original cost was £833,000 and the tunnel was used by 20,000 people a day. It consists of two tunnels running in parallel, one for pedestrian use with a 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) diameter, and a larger 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) diameter tunnel for pedal cyclists. Both tunnels are 270 m (884 ft) in length, and lie 12 m (40 ft) below the river bed, at their deepest point. The tunnels are over 60 years old and are Grade II listed buildings.

At each end, the tunnels are connected to surface buildings by two escalators and a lift. The Waygood-Otis escalators have 306 wooden steps each, and are the original models from 1951. At the time of construction, they were the highest single-rise escalators in the UK, with a vertical rise of 85 feet (26 m) and a length of 197 feet (60 m). In 1992, escalators with a higher vertical rise of 90 feet (27.4 m) and 200 feet (61 m) in length were constructed at Angel station on the London Underground. The Tyne Tunnel escalators remain the longest wooden escalators in the world.

20,000 people a month used the pedestrian tunnel in 2013.

Refurbishment

Two arched openings lead to two sloping tunnels, heading underneath the Tyne. The lower half of the walls are tiled green, the upper half with white and the floor a dark orange.

In a refitting phase the escalators and lift shafts were due to be upgraded by October 2010 to early 2011 at a cost of £500,000. A £6,000,000 refurbishment was due to take place in 2011, but multiple delays pushed the reopening date to summer 2019.

In 2012, contractor GB Building Solutions of Balliol Business Park, Newcastle, was appointed to carry out the £4.9 million refurbishment which included the replacement of two of the original four escalators with inclined lifts and the replacement of the tunnels' ageing mechanical and electrical systems. However, GB Building Solutions went into administration in 2015, delaying the project.

The two remaining escalators, which are original and of historical significance, will be opened up to public view and illuminated with feature lighting.

New lighting, CCTV, control and communications systems were installed, in addition to carrying out repairs to the tunnel structure itself and to the historic finishes within the tunnel such as the tiling and panelling. The concrete floor sections were also refurbished or replaced. During the closure, a free, timetabled shuttle bus for pedestrians and cyclists was in operation between 6am and 8pm, seven days a week, 364 days a year.

The tunnel reopened at midday on 7 August 2019, operating initially for 14 hours a day until installation of the new inclined lifts was completed when the service would have been 24 hours. By December 2019 monthly journeys were above 20,000 with around 25% of users being cyclists. People using the tunnels can link with cycle routes at either end, namely NCN 14 and 72. The 317 bus service for Wallsend or Whitley Bay from the north end or take a short walk to the Jarrow bus and Metro station from the south end. Mobility scooters can access the tunnels and dogs on leads are allowed.

As of spring 2024, neither of the inclined lifts has been completed, and the dismantled escalator channel at each end of the tunnel remains fenced off. Pedestrians can still use the other escalator, albeit that these are permanently stopped and so function only as long staircases. The vertical lift at each end remains in operation.

The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is 73 miles (118 km). It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.

The Tyne Rivers Trust measure the whole Tyne catchment as 2,936 km2 (1,134 square miles), containing 4,399 km (2,733 miles) of waterways.[3]

The North Tyne rises on the Scottish border, north of Kielder Water. It flows through Kielder Forest, and in and out of the border. It then passes through the village of Bellingham before reaching Hexham.

The South Tyne rises on Alston Moor, Cumbria and flows through the towns of Haltwhistle and Haydon Bridge, in a valley often called the Tyne Gap. Hadrian's Wall lies to the north of the Tyne Gap. Coincidentally, the source of the South Tyne is very close to those of the Tees and the Wear. The South Tyne Valley falls within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England and Wales.

Tyne

From the confluence of the North and South Tyne at Warden Rock just to the north west of Hexham, the river enters the county of Tyne and Wear between Clara Vale (in the Borough of Gateshead on the south bank) and Tyne Riverside Country Park (in Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank) and continues to divide Newcastle and Gateshead for 13 miles (21 km), in the course of which it flows under ten bridges. To the east of Gateshead and Newcastle, the Tyne divides Hebburn and Jarrow on the south bank from Walker and Wallsend on the north bank. The Tyne Tunnel runs under the river to link Jarrow and Wallsend. Finally the river flows between South Shields and Tynemouth into the North Sea.

Howdon is a largely residential area in the eastern part of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. It consists of High Howdon and the smaller settlement of East Howdon. Much of the High Howdon area was formerly called Willington prior to post-World War II urbanisation. The North Tyneside ward population at the 2011 Census was 11,129.

Howdon was an industrial settlement on the north bank of the River Tyne estuary, to the north of Howdon Pans (a Tyne water feature) and to the north-east of Willington Quay. In the mid-nineteenth century, it consisted of Old Howdon Pit situated on what is now the northern toll area of the Tyne Tunnel; and to the east, Howdon Bank Top, nowadays given the appellation East Howdon.

A separate area, High Howdon was built after the Second World War, as the consequence of a drive for improved, low-cost housing for working-class families. This housing was mainly in the public sector, being owned and maintained by the local council. It was built on what had been agricultural land to the north of the main railway line (from Newcastle to Tynemouth) that was to separate the new council housing from the earlier Howdon Pit, Pans and Hill Top sites locations, and from the older, industrial area of Willington Quay, where a great deal of housing had either been destroyed by wartime bombing, or by programmes of slum clearance.

Although most of the housing in High Howdon belonged to the local council, a number of privately owned and rented properties always existed in the centre of the area. Since right-to-buy legislation was introduced in the 1980s, many former council tenants have bought their homes, which has resulted in a large percentage of former council properties becoming privately owned.

Apart from the railway, High Howdon was separated from the industry of Willington Quay by Howdon Park, that featured tennis courts, bowling greens, a children's play area (including a paddling pool) and flower beds. This fell into disarray but was partly restored, due to pressure from the local community, during the 1990s.

Jarrow is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the River Tyne, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the east coast. The 2011 census area classed Hebburn and The Boldons as part of the town, it had a population of 43,431. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne Tunnel and 5 mi (8.0 km) east of Newcastle upon Tyne.

In the eighth century, St Paul's Monastery in Jarrow (now Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey) was the home of The Venerable Bede, who is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar and the father of English history. The town is part of the historic County Palatine of Durham. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.

Tyne and Wear is a ceremonial county in North East England. It borders Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south, and the largest settlement is the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The county is largely urbanised. It had a population of 1.14 million in 2021. After Newcastle (300,125) the largest settlements are the city of Sunderland (170,134), Gateshead (120,046), and South Shields (75,337). Nearly all of the county's settlements belong to either the Tyneside or Wearside conurbations, the latter of which also extends into County Durham. Tyne and Wear contains five metropolitan boroughs: Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside, and is covered by two combined authorities, North of Tyne and North East. The county was established in 1974 and was historically part of Northumberland and County Durham, with the River Tyne forming the border between the two.

The most notable geographic features of the county are the River Tyne and River Wear, after which it is named and along which its major settlements developed. The county is also notable for its coastline to the North Sea in the east, which is characterised by tall limestone cliffs and wide beaches.

contribution for the blood becomes water zine.

the topic was to retreat some sofia postcards

(not selected)

The South Asian contribution to the province’s and the country’s shared history will be on permanent display in the BC legislature after an announcement by Premier Christy Clark that an historically symbolic flag would be installed inside the Parliament Buildings.

The 1874 version of the Red Ensign flag is one of the first Canadian flags to display the emblem of British Columbia after the province joined Confederation in 1871.

Read more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2015PREM0079-001786

My contribution to a baby book published by Larks called sweet booties

Contribution to Nik Roopes 'Boast it notes' group. www.flickr.com/groups/boastitnotes

The final contribution to our celebration series anticipating our upcoming wedding in less than 2 days!

Some of our close friends from early Flickr years will remember our great love for sensual photography. We're not as active in this realm anymore, but still love to go back and enjoy these images. Thanks to all of you who have written words of support over the years!

Our 13+ years collection of "us" pictures is available here.

© All rights reserved

WISP e-zine No X - febr.march2009 -online magazin release .

on page 9 you find my contribution "blue heart" under Ice+Frost

wisp.focusphere.net/wisp/10/ice-and-frost

~ ENJOY reading the whole brandnew e-magazine !

click

wisp.focusphere.net:80/wisp/10

and scroll thru the pages, articles and fotos !

.

Another contribution, this time a gift of Qudsia Begum, is the imposing Jama Masjid (1837). It is situated in the heart of the old city, a beautiful work of art crowned by gold spikes atop minarets.

[Continued from description of previous image…]

Watson and the Shark depicts the dramatic rescue of fourteen-year-old Brook Watson from a shark that attacked him while he was swimming in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, in 1749. Copley painted the episode almost thirty years later and exhibited the picture at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1778 to much acclaim.4 Since then Watson and the Shark has been recognized as an important contribution to the development of English history painting. It has been described as an early Romantic image of a man pitted against the forces of nature. Recent writers have demonstrated that the artist followed contemporary English art theory in borrowing images from works by other artists. They have noted the theme of rescue from the sea, particularly as an allegory for Christian concepts of resurrection and salvation. And they have suggested that the painting contains hidden commentary on the politics of the era of the American Revolution and on the institution of slavery. These interpretations, which often ascribe to Copley a particularly American viewpoint, rightly credit the artist for his skill and invention but do not credit Brook Watson with a role in the making of the painting. Although no documentation exists in the form of an invoice, letter, or diary entry, it is very likely that Watson commissioned the work, and it is important to understand the subject from his viewpoint, a perspective that reiterates the theme of salvation.

Who was Watson? Born in Plymouth, England, in 1735, he was orphaned and sent to Boston, Massachusetts, to be cared for by a relative named Levens, who was a merchant with ships that traded in the West Indies.5 In 1749, one of Levens’ ships, with the fourteen-year-old Watson on the crew, docked in the harbor at Havana. While some of the sailors waited to take the captain ashore, Watson went swimming. A shark attacked, tearing off his right leg below the knee before he could be rescued by fellow sailors. According to an early biographer, the accident “obliged him to quit the profession of his choice, and he turned his mind to the acquiring of instruction, adapted to mercantile pursuits.”6 He returned to Boston and took a job on a schooner whose captain was a supplier of provisions to the British army at Fort Lawrence, Nova Scotia. Watson settled in Canada, learned to walk with a wooden leg, and became a merchant. In 1759 he moved to London, where he continued his mercantile career.

Watson and Copley met through relatives of the artist’s wife Susanna. Her uncle Joshua Winslow had employed Watson at Fort Lawrence in 1755, when Winslow was commissary to Robert Monckton’s troops.7 In the early 1770s her father Richard Clarke was head of one of the Massachusetts firms that received the tea shipped to Boston by the British East India Company. During the summer of 1773, Watson and her brother Jonathan Clarke in London coordinated plans to ship the tea.8 This was the tea that was dumped into the harbor during the Boston tea party that December, in protest of British taxes. Copley contacted Jonathan Clarke after his arrival in England in July 1774, writing his half-brother Henry Pelham on 11 July, Sunday Even’g I arrived at the New England Coffee House, and soon found Brother Clarke, who is very Well….July 15th. I have been to see my friend Mr. West…on Wednesday he introduced me and Brother Clarke to Sr. Josha. Renolds’s….I am sorry Brother Clarke and I are so distant from each other, but he is in the City and I at the Coart End of the Town, about two Miles….I am within a few Doors from Mr. West’s, but shall see Mr. Clarke every Day.9

Copley wrote his half-brother on 5 August that “you cannot Immagine how much it adds to my pleasure having Brother Clarke here; he is so used to the place that I am already allmost inneciated into all the manners and Customs of the City.”10 Perhaps the artist met Brook Watson during this two-month stay in London. He mentioned to Pelham on 17 August: “To Morrow I have an invitation to breakfast with Sr. Joshua Reynolds…, Dine with a Mr. Watson, etc., etc..”11

Copley’s and Watson’s paths could not have crossed again until 1776. Copley returned to London from Italy in October 1775, by which time Watson was in Canada, where his merchant activities hid his Loyalist political sympathies.12 He returned to England in early January 1776, accompanying American prisoner Ethan Allen, who wrote that he

was put under the power of an English Merchant from London, whose name was Brook Watson: a man of malicious and cruel disposition, and who was probably excited, in the exercise of his malevolence, by a junto of tories who sailed with him to England;…All the ship’s crew…behaved toward the prisoners with that spirit of bitterness, which is the peculiar characteristic of tories, when they have the friends of America in their power.13

Watson returned to Canada in the spring of 1776 with Jonathan Clarke.14 Further details of his activities in 1776-1777 are unknown.

Copley probably began Watson and the Shark sometime in 1777, completing it in time for the spring exhibition of 1778 at the Royal Academy. On 17 April 1778, while Watson and the Shark was on exhibition, the Morning Chronicle, and London Advertiser published a letter that fully described the shark attack of 1749. The description, which must have been Watson’s, explains the precise actions of the sailors, the bloody flesh of the boy’s leg, the harbor setting, and the activities of the figures on the ship in the left background. It is undoubtedly the story that Watson told Copley about the event. It clarifies the main theme of the painting: rescue and salvation.

Brook Watson, Esq., merchant, now resident in the city of London, being at the Havannah, when a youth, in a merchant ship, amusing himself one day by swimming about it, whilst it lay at anchor, and being at the distance of about two hundred yards from it, the men in the boat, who were waiting for the Captain to go on shore, were struck with horror on perceiving a shark making towards him as his devoted prey. The monster was already too near him for the youth to be timely apprized of his danger; and the sailors had the afflicting sight of seeing him seized and precipitated down the flood with his voracious assailant, before they could put off to attempt his deliverance. They however hastened towards the place where they had disappeared, in anxious expectation of seeing the body rise. In about two minutes they discovered the body rise at about a hundred yards distance, but ere they could reach him, he was a second time seized by the shark, and again sunk from their sight. The sailors now took the precaution to place a man in the bow of the boat, provided with a hook to strike the fish, should it appear within reach, and repeat its attempt at seizing the body. In less than two minutes they discovered the youth on the surface of the water, and the monster still in eager pursuit of him ; and at the very instant he was about to be seized the third time, the shark was struck with the boat hook, and driven from his prey. This is the moment the ingenious artist has selected for the distressing scene, and has given the affecting incident the most animated representation the powers of the pencil can bestow. Suffice it to say, in regard to the singular fate of Mr. Watson, the shark seized him both times by the right leg; in the first attack, all the flesh was stripped off the bone from the calf downwards; in the second, the foot was divided from the leg by the ancle. By the skill of the surgeon, and the aid of a good habit of body, after suffering an amputation of the limb a little below the knee, the youth who was thus wonderfully and literally saved from the jaws of death, received a perfect cure in about three months.

Although earlier writers have assumed that Copley painted Watson and the Shark on his own, it was more likely a commission, as Watson’s later ownership of the painting suggests. As patron, Watson would have chosen the theme of the painting, that of individual salvation achieved by triumph over adversity.15 The theme would have appealed to Copley at the beginning of a new career in England and is one that is central to numerous religious autobiographies and autobiographical journals written in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century England and America. Early models of this genre include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), which was the autobiography of John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), and the journal of Quaker leader George Fox (1694).l6 The recounting of a physical or emotional trial and a subsequent change of direction in life is central to these works, as it was to the equally influential fictional model of salvation, Daniel Defoe’s The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719). The practice of writing personal stories of salvation and religious conversion continued throughout the eighteenth century. Watson, after the trauma of the event, considered his life a triumph over adversity. Not only was he a successful merchant in Canada and London, but four years after Watson and the Shark was painted, he served as commissary general to Guy Carleton in New York, where he was assigned the task of finding transportation to Canada for Loyalists who flocked to the British army for protection. In politics he was allied with the merchants in the City of London, who in 1784 elected him to Parliament, where for the next decade he actively supported William Pitt, son of the first Earl of Chatham. Watson became a director of the Bank of England, was Lord Mayor of London in 1796-1797, and served as chairman of the Corporation of Lloyds of London from 1796 to 1806.17 He was made a baronet in 1803, the Year that Robert Dighton, Jr., depicted him in a satirical engraving that clearly shows his wooden leg.18 That year he bequeathed Watson and the Shark to Christ’s Hospital, London, the Royal Hospital established in 1553 for the care and education of orphans.19 In his will he stated that he hoped “the said worthy Governors…will allow it to be hung up in the Hall of their Hospital as holding out a most usefull Lesson to Youth.”20 The label that forms part of the frame alludes to the theme of the painting, that Watson’s life shows “that a high sense of integrity and rectitude with a firm reliance on an over ruling providence united to activity and exertion are the sources of public and private virtue and the road to honours and respect.”

In his pictorialization of this event Copley was influenced by Benjamin West, whose history painting The Death of General Wolfe (1770, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa) caused artists and patrons to rethink the depiction of contemporary events. Copley first saw this painting in the summer of 1774, writing his half-brother Henry Pelham in Boston on 15 July, “I have seen Mr. West’s Death of General Wolf, which is sufficient of itself to Immortalize the Author of it.”21 At the time that Copley was painting Watson and the Shark, West was probably at work on his painting The Battle of La Hogue [1959.8.1], which depicts a similar theme of rescue at sea, although on a grander scale.22 Copley’s debt to West particularly appears in the representation of the event in terms of the emotions of terror and awe, elements of response that Edmund Burke included in his definition of the sublime in his Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757). West had recently begun to depict subjects with this psychologically powerful aesthetic in mind, notably his Saul and the Witch of Endor of 1777 (Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford). Burke’s treatise “legitimized and popularized the evocation of terror and related responses as a goal of a work of art, and led a generation of artists to an obsession with awe, horror, and terror.”23

While planning the composition of Watson and the Shark, Copley borrowed motifs from works by West and other artists. For the setting of the harbor, which he had never seen, he relied on an engraved view, probably the recent engraving by Peter Canot of A View of the Entrance of the Harbour of the Havanna taken from within the Wrecks, based on a drawing by Elias Durnford and published by Thomas Jeffreys in London in 1764. (Copley’s pictorial or other sources for the shark, which resembles a tiger shark, a species found in Havana harbor, are unknown.)24 For the composition Copley turned to images of men in boats by late Renaissance and baroque painters Raphael and Peter Paul Rubens, especially their images The Miraculous Draft of the Fishes and Jonah and the Whale, both of which are appropriate sources for the theme of salvation.25 In Christian iconography the Old Testament narrative of Jonah was seen as a presage of the New Testament story of the resurrection of Christ, since both events involved the number three : Jonah was in the whale for three days, and Christ rose from the dead on the third day. Watson, according to his own narrative, was rescued as he came to the surface a third time. Rubens’ composition of Jonah and the Whale, which was engraved by Philippe Joseph Tassaert, was one of the lower panels of the altarpiece that he painted in 1618-1619 in the Church of Notre Dame for the Fishermen’s Guild of Mechelen (Malines), Belgium. The central image of the altarpiece is The Miraculous Draft of the Fishes. The scene is described in the New Testament: arriving at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus instructed four fishermen to let their nets out again after an unsuccessful night of fishing. After they pulled in large numbers of fish, Jesus called them to be his disciples as “fishers of men.” Copley owned an example of Schelte à Bolswert’s engraving of this subject, although it is not known when he acquired it. A more stately, less dramatic image of the same subject is Raphael’s Miraculous Draught of the Fishes (Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II), one of the Renaissance master’s large preparatory drawings, or cartoons, which Copley might have seen, since it was then owned by George III. Or, again, he may have relied on an engraving, such as that by Nicholas Dorigny. The figure in the bow of the boat is similar in pose to images of St. Michael overcoming the dragon, including those by Raphael (1518, Louvre, Paris) and more recently by Benjamin West, who painted the theme in 1776 (Trinity College, Cambridge, England) and 1777 (James Ricau).20 And the figure of Watson bears striking similarities to that of the child in Raphael’s Transfiguration (The Vatican, Pinacoteca), which Copley told his wife was “allowed to be the greatest picture in the world.” He also commented on the painting in letters to Henry Pelham from Italy, when he was working on his Ascension (1775, MFA).27 The use of these images underscores the interpretation that Watson and Copley saw the painting of Watson and the Shark as a modern tale of salvation.28

Four drawings for details of Watson and the Shark (The Detroit Institute of Arts) indicate that Copley reversed the composition as he designed the painting. Harpooner and Oarsman shows the man with the boat hook on the left. Head of Figure on the Far Left and Two Oarsmen depict individual sailors. Rescue Group (Eight Men) delineates the group in the boat and is squared for transfer, a process that involved drawing a grid of equidistant lines on the image to be copied, as a way to permit the artist to transfer the details into another work. Copley drew a similar grid on a preparatory drawing for The Ascension (MMA). A fifth drawing, Head of Brook Watson, appears from its pattern of outline and shading to be based on a sculpture. The planes of light and shadow are those of a smooth, hard surface. The drawing closely resembles the figure of the younger boy in the classical Greek statue of Laocoon and his sons. Copley admired the sculpture and acquired a cast of it in Rome in 1775, writing to his wife about his purchase of this and other casts, “I shall possess all I would recommend an artist to study; for it is not the number that he studies, but a thorough understanding of the best and the principles of art, which can alone make him great.”29

Recent examination of the painting with infrared reflectography reveals Copley’s underdrawing and thus his changes as he sought to personalize the emotional reactions of the rescuers. Although the underdrawing agrees in general with the finished work, some details differ, confirming that the Gallery’s painting was based directly on Copley’s study Rescue Group (Eight Men). Underneath the central older sailor is a younger man who is positioned about a half head higher in the composition. In the figure of the sailor who reaches from the boat on the far left, his right arm and elbow were initially higher in relationship to the oar. The scarf and coattails of the standing sailor on the far left were also repositioned. The scarf is now above his shoulder, and in both the drawing and the infrared image, the scarf blows across his upper arm, and his coattail flaps farther behind him. Some of the changes from the drawing to the painting show that Copley varied the appearances of the sailors, making one an older man and, in the example of the black sailor, changing the race of another. (The process of the latter change is not recorded in the underdrawing, however.)

Copley also gave the figures a range of emotional responses to the event. The expressions he used appear to be based on the work of French academic painter Charles LeBrun, whose depictions of the human figure in narrative contexts were much admired by eighteenth-century painters. Examples of LeBrun’s representations of emotional expressions were available in English in translation from the Conférence de M. Le Brun sur l’expression générale et Particulière (Paris, 1698), including John Williams’ A Method to learn to Design the Passions (London, 1734).30 They were also reproduced as illustrations for drawing manuals. The introductory essay of The Compleat Drawing-Master: containing many curious specimens…neatly Engraved on Copper-Plates, after the Designs of the greatest masters, cites LeBrun: “The Eyebrow, according to Mr. Le Brun, is the principal seat of Expression, and where the Passions make themselves most known.” At the same time the writer pointed out that Roger de Piles was quoted as saying that “the head…contributes more to the Expression of the Passions, than all the other Parts of the Body put together. These separately can only share some few Passions, but the Head expresses them all.”31 While Copley’s sailors do not exactly duplicate the various passions as illustrated in book plates, some of the images are very close and help explain the artist’s intentions in the painting. One of the images in this manual—of a man with lowered brow, directed glance, and an open mouth, labeled “Attention”—closely resembles the face of the man with the boat hook at the prow of the boat. Another, of a man with knit eyebrows, his eyeballs set low in the sockets, and the corners of his mouth turned downward, labeled “Horrour”, is similar to the figure of the sailor on the far left. A profile of “Compassion” is somewhat like the face of the black sailor. “Terrour or Fright” might be the older sailor, and “Simple Bodily Pain” is, not surprisingly, very like Watson.32 These alterations and borrowings from other artists’ works occurred at a time when Copley was painting compositions that were more complex than the single-figure portraits of his New England years. The first of these had been The Ascension, painted when he was in Italy. On his return to London, he painted The Nativity (1776, M FA), The Copley Family (1776-1777, NGA), and Sir William Pepperrell and His Family (1778, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh). All of these have Christian themes, either as overt subject matter or by allusion, since the two family groups derive elements of their compositions from paintings of the Holy Family.33

Watson and the Shark was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1778 as “A boy attacked by a shark, and rescued by some seamen in a boat; founded on a fact which happened in the harbour of the Havannah.” It became known as “A Youth Rescued from a Shark,” the title of Valentine Green’s mezzotint, published on 31 May 1779.34 The legend of the engraving, in English (and repeated in French), reads:

This Representation is founded on the following Fact: a Youth bathing in the Harbour of the Havannah, was twice seized by a Shark, from which, (though with the Loss of the Flesh & Foot, torn from the Right Leg), He disentangled himself, & was, by the assistance of a Boat’s Crew, sav’d from the Jaws of the voracious Animal: for in the Moment it was attempting to seize its prey (a third Time), a Sailor with a Boat Hook drove it from its Pursuit.

The mezzotint was “Engraved from the Original Picture in the Possession of Brook Watson Esq. to whom this Plate is most respectfully Inscribed by his most Obliged & obedient Servt. V: Green.”

Contemporary reviews of the exhibition are helpful in understanding some aspects of the work. (The reviews are fully quoted in the appendix.)35 They make it clear that to viewers the varied poses and attitudes of the figures expressed reactions to the full horror of the event. One reviewer wrote that

the Drawing of the Figures is correct and firm; their various Actions, and every one of their Features, such as the Terror of the Situation requires, and they are expressed in so excellent and masterly a Manner, and the Whole is so well coloured, that we heartily congratulate our Countrymen on a Genius, who bids fair to rival the great Masters of the ancient Italian Schools….The Boatswain, an elderly Man, has catched one of [Watson’s] Arms in the Noose of a Rope, and he pulls it clear with Prudence and Caution. Two sailors, brave Fellows, Horror bristling their Hairs, and the Eagerness of a compassionate good Heart for the poor Sufferer in their Faces, lean overboard.36

Another, in the Public Advertiser, also called attention to the emotions of the men in the boat.

This is a very extraordinary Production….The Story is clearly told, and it scarce leaves any Thing for the Amateur to wish, or for the Critic to amend. The judicious Choice of the Characters, employed to rescue the Youth from the Jaws of Death’, the Eagerness and the Concern so strongly marked in every Countenance; such Propriety in the different Actions and Attitudes of each, all concur to render it a very uncommon Production of Art, and a most interesting Scene to every feeling Bosom.37

A brief comment in the General Evening Post for 28-30 April said that “the passion of terror is well expressed in the different characters.” The critic in the Morning Chronicle, and London Advertiser of 25 April commented, “The figures of the men in the boat, with the expression in each of their countenances, cannot be too much praised…. The Black’s face is a fine index of concern and horror. The same feelings are also very forcibly impressed on the looks of the sailors.” One reviewer summarized the reactions, saying that the painting “may fairly be estimated among the first performances of this exhibition. The softness of the colouring, the animation which is displayed in the countenances of the sailors, the efforts of the drowning boy, and the frightened appearance of the man assaulting the shark, constitute altogether a degree of excellence that reflect the highest honour on the composer.”38

Criticism centered on the depiction of the shark, boat, the setting, and the proportions of the composition. The reviewer in the Morning Chronicle, and London Advertiser of 25 April who praised the painting as “one of the most striking pictures in the Great Room” also said it was

one of those frequent proofs we meet with of great abilities joined to little judgment….The shark is neither like any thing “in Heaven above, or on Earth beneath, or in the Waters under the Earth.”…The sea should be of a foam with the lashing of the shark’s tail, and the boat, as almost every man leans on one side, in order to save the boy, ought to lie nearly gunnel to, whereas the waves are as placid as those of the Thames when there’s little or no wind, and the boat as steady as if it was in that sort of safe sea which is occasionally exhibited on the stage of Sadler’s-Wells.

The reviewer for the General Advertiser, and Morning Intelligencer for 27 April cited other inaccuracies in the action and setting, but concluded that “the piece is very fine. He has improved upon the horror of the shark, by leaving it unfinished, and we think he studied narrowly the human mind in this circumstance. No certain and known danger can so powerfully arouse us, as when uncertain and unlimited. He gives the mind an idea, and leaves it to conceive its extent.”

The criticisms and concerns of the reviewers prompted “A Young Painter” to write to the editor of the General Advertiser, and Morning Intelligencer (19 May).

I Should be glad to receive Information from any of your correspondents, if there was ever a compleat painter, at least in Britain. I was led into this thought from the different criticisms on the present Exhibition; the most severe of which is that on the boy attacked by a shark, on which I heard a gentleman hold forth in the room, for half an hour. The men, he said, were not rowing the boat the right way to approach the body; that the sailors were imperfect, in having their fingers open to make a grasp, and the old man in holding by a shirt that hung loose; that the boy was too large, being equal to the boatmen; that he was drawn as if dead, though they had lately examined him before their house, &c. &c. &c. An objection was started by another gentleman, that the boat had two men leaning over her side, without heeling half a streak. This is true. To obviate these objections in future, I would propose that a drawing of every historical piece should first be submitted to the public inspection, as many errors might strike an observer, which the painter may have entirely overlooked.39

The black man has recently received much attention for the role he plays in the rescue. Interpretations of the painting suggest that the seaman represents the artist’s attitude toward the issue of freedom, for slaves from their masters as well as for American colonists from the political control of England.40 Although these theories seem overly forced and complex, the man’s racial identity and prominent position are clearly purposeful to the painting’s subject. This is shown by Copley’s change in the figure from the preliminary drawing Rescue Group (Eight Men), in which this sailor was not black. Although blacks often appear in eighteenth-century English paintings, they are usually relegated to secondary roles, and very few images give them the prominence seen in Watson and the Shark. Reviewers disagreed about his role in the painting. One wrote that “the Black’s face is a fine index of concern and horror,”41 while another was more critical.

We must suppose, that at that instant of time, no horror in beholding the object would prevent seamen from acting to his rescue. It would not be unnatural to place a woman in the attitude of the black; but he, instead of being terrified, ought, in our opinion, to be busy. He has thrown a rope over to the boy. It is held, unsailorlike, between the second and third finger of his left hand and he makes no use of it.42

A third gave him a purpose while implying both cowardice and intelligence: “An idle Black, prompted by the connate Fear of his Country for that ravenous Fish, leans backward to keep the Gunnel of this Side of the Boat above Water.”43 The editor added a comment about this in the next issue.

Our correspondent has desired us…to rectify an Inadvertency which his Candour acknowledges to have been guilty of, in respect to the Boatswain and the Black, in Mr. Copley’s excellent historical Composition, the one being rather tenderly concerned for the two Sailors, who lean overboard, and vociferous to his Crew; and the idle Black holding the Rope loose, which the Boatswain seems to have flung over one of the Sufferer’s Arms.44

The reviews reveal the prejudices of the viewers and suggest that the role of the black was to present another of the various types of responses to the event.

Questions have been raised about the model for this figure. Was he a member of Copley’s household? At the time that Copley painted Watson and the Shark, approximately fifteen thousand blacks resided in England, brought there at a time when slavery was legal in the British empire. They lived on the fringes of society as servants, vendors, seamen, craftsmen, and entertainers.45 Copley painted a very sympathetic portrait of the same man (Figure 15). When it was sold in 1864 after the death of the artist’s son, it was described as “Head of a Favourite Negro. Very fine. Introduced in the picture of ‘The Boy saved from the Shark.’”40 There is no documentation that Copley had a black servant or slave.

Copley painted an exact replica of Watson and the Shark for himself (M FA),47 which closely follows the details of the first version but shows signs of being a copy in the tightening of the composition, with the figures in the boat being smaller relative to the boy and the shark, the bow of the boat foreshortened, and the shark sharper in outline. Also the painting has greater contrasts of light and dark. It was probably this version that Samuel Curwen saw in the artist’s exhibition room in 1780 when he visited on 19 December. “We departed for Mr. R. C[larke’s] home in Leister square. Found him at home, after some time invited into picture room, wherein were 2 Exhibition pictures, Brooke Watsons wonderful deliverance from a great shark who had twice seized him and possessed one leg which he had bit off, the other picture Copeley’s own family….”48 Valentine Green’s mezzotint seems closer in detail to the Boston version, suggesting that despite its legend, it was derived from Copley’s replica. Later Copley painted a smaller third version that is vertical in format (The Detroit Institute of Arts), inscribed “Painted by J. S. Copley R. A. London 1782.”49 The purpose of the small oil is unknown. The figures in the boat are the same size as the figures in the drawing Rescue Group (Eight Men). The vertical orientation of the small oil and of another painting of the same size that has been attributed to Copley but appears to be a copy (Bayou Bend Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) may be the result of a comment made by the reviewer in the St. James’s Chronicle; or, British Evening-Post for 25-28 April.

There is one Thing which in our Opinion lessens the Effect of the whole. The horizontal Line being taken too high, makes it somewhat heavy, and brings the Hulks of the Ships, and the Batteries of Fort Moro, almost in Contact with the upper Part of the Canvass: But we remember that a very fine Picture of Nicholas Poussin, in the Gallery of the Landgrave of Hesse, representing the Murther of Pompey in the Harbour of Alexandria, is subject to the same Reproach, and we are very apt to believe in both Pictures, it arose from Circumstances which it was not in the Power of either of the Artists to avoid; they would have done it very easily if they had been allowed to give their Canvass a greater height.

Watson and the Shark established Copley’s reputation in England. Already an associate of the Royal Academy of Arts, he was elected to full membership in February 1779. Three years later, in December 1782, he submitted The Tribute Money (Royal Academy of Arts, London) as his diploma piece and was formally recommended to George III by the governing council. (Perhaps the date on the small Detroit version of Watson and the Shark is a reference to this event.) The commission of Watson and the Shark also marked the beginning of a successful partnership between Copley and the merchants in the City of London that embittered some rivals. A writer in the Public Advertiser for 1 May 1783 alluded to this. “The late accidental Vogue of Copley has arisen much more from a lucky Selection of Subject, than from any ascendant Skill in the Manner of treating it.—The instances are, the Death of Chatham, the Shark, &c. &c.”50 Six years later an unidentified English rival commented, “Mr. West paints for the Court and Mr. Copley for the City. Thus the artists of America are fostered in England, and to complete the wonder, a third American, Mr. Brown of the humblest pretences, is chosen portrait painter to the Duke of York. So much for the Thirteen Stripes—so much for the Duke of York’s taste.”51

In 1805 Watson commissioned a second painting whose subject underscores his view of the rescue from the shark as a turning point in his life. Brook Watson and the Cattle Incident at Chignecto in April, 1755 (New Brunswick Museum, St. John) depicts an event that took place in Nova Scotia, Canada, when Watson proved his bravery despite his wooden leg. He swam across the Missiguash River to retrieve a herd of cattle that had crossed into the French enemy’s territory. He rescued sixty of the cattle needed by the British garrison at the fort as a source of food. A French officer who could have killed or imprisoned Watson took pity as the young man struggled in the mud of the river bank with his wooden leg and allowed him to return to the British fort by boat. The painting is based on a sketch taken of the site in 1755 and was commissioned from a “Mr. Callander,” probably Scottish landscape painter Adam Callander (active 1780-1811). Watson inscribed his account of the event on the reverse of the painting, and later attached these verses.52

Did not the Energetick mind have powers

To wing her flights beyond the present hours.

Her boundless sphere were narrowed to a span,

And life a thing not worthy of a man.

Snatch from his daring-ness the Glorious Prize,

And what remains to prompt him to be wise?

Bound his aspiring wishes by the grave,

And what shall prompt him to be good or brave?

[signed] CAREY

Many early nineteenth century writers on British and American art praised the painting. John Neal wrote in 1824 that it showed Copley’s “decided and vigorous talent for historical composition.” Samuel Knapp (1829) listed it among his “celebrated works,” and it was singled out by Francis Lieber (1830) and Allan Cunningham (1832) in early biographies of the artist. American painter William Dunlap had been one of its earliest admirers, when, as an aspiring young painter from New York, he arrived in London in 1784 with his own copy of Watson and the Shark, made from the mezzotint, to demonstrate his skill. By 1834, however, when he published his history of American art, Dunlap had become critical of Copley’s English patrons. “Copley was, when removed to England, no longer an American painter in feeling; and his choice of subjects for historical composition, was decided by the circumstances of the time, or by employers.”53 Dunlap introduced what has become a concern of later writers, namely, Watson’s Tory allegiance and, especially, his opposition to the abolition of slavery (1789-1792). The historian described Watson as “an American adventurer from one of the New-England provinces,” who “is memorable as arrayed with our enemies in opposition to our independence, and with the enemies of God and man in opposition to the abolitionists of the slave-trade in the English house of commons.” He pointed out that Watson was a British spy on the eve of the Revolution and that when he was a member of Parliament, his “argument in support of the trade in human flesh was that it would injure the market for the refuse-fish of the English fisheries to abolish it—these refuse-fish being purchased by the West India planters for their slaves. To immortalize such a man was the pencil of Copley employed.”54 Since then, Watson’s politics have been the concern of many writers, including Samuel Isham, who wrote in 1905 that “in spite of his later elevation as Lord Mayor of London and Baronet of the United Kingdom, there are those whose sympathy is with the shark.”55

Watson and the Shark has represented a number of themes to twentieth-century historians, including that of Copley as a proto-romantic, depicting man’s struggle with natural forces, and that of Copley’s important contribution to the development of English history painting. Several writers in the 1930s and 1940s developed the idea that the painting presaged works by nineteenth-century French Romantic painters. Charles Cunningham wrote in 1938 that Copley’s painting “to some extent anticipates Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa by nearly fifty years. “56 James Thrall Soby and Dorothy Miller agreed. “In emotional pitch and journalistic appeal, Watson and the Shark foretells by forty-four years the epoch-making Raft of the Medusa…and leads to Winslow Homer’s Gulf Stream, painted more than a hundred years later.”57 Many later writers have expanded on these suggestions, while some recent historians have proposed political interpretations: that the painting represents Copley’s ambivalent attitudes toward the American war for independence, and that the painting has hidden and conflicted messages about the abolition of slavery. It is the idea of redemption and salvation, however, that seems to have been on Watson’s mind when he willed his version of the painting to Christ’s Hospital. This, as Hugh Honour recently wrote, is an indication “that he regarded it as a kind of Protestant ex-voto with wide implications—the record of a calamity narrowly escaped and of disabilities successfully overcome either through the working of Divine Providence or as a result of human courage and solidarity, with some intimation, it might even be suggested, of the brotherhood of man.”58 Copley’s success brought him to the attention of other City of London merchants, notably John Boydell, who played an important role in the making of Copley’s next narrative painting, The Death of the Earl of Chatham (Tate Gallery, London; see the Gallery’s oil sketch, 1747.15.1).

EGM

[Continued in description of next image…]

The courtyard at the Royal Academy of Arts in London provides the perfect setting for this fine bronze King Robbo sculpture by Team Robbo, which is their contribution to The King's Artists exhibition that is due to open at the RA at the end of this month. The piece has been supported by Prank Sky Media and is on loan from the company for the duration of the exhibition - they are likely to go down in the history books as one of the RA's great patrons, maintaining the long standing historical connection between the monarchy and the Royal Academy from its foundation in 1768 to the present day.

The technology that Team Robbo have used to create the text based metal forms simulates natural selection using a 'survival of the fittest' rule. The difference is that, instead of plants and animals competing, different versions of artistic software are battling for their place in the next generation. A Darwinian process is set up so that the better forms will have lots of copies (versions similar or identical) in the next generation and the less desirable shapes are eliminated. What makes some forms 'better' than others is determined by the artists or writers setting up the experiment (e.g., the ability to get out of mazes, drive a car without crashing, control a legged robot, etc). Over time the software gets better and better since mutations (random changes in the programs) and 'sex' (combining a portion of the code of one form with a portion of another) will occasionally produce a form that is a slight improvement over its parents. This slightly better software will thrive for a while until it too is replaced by the next slightly better software. Given enough generations, these small changes can add up to produce rats, monkeys, politicians and poets. Natural selection, plus a lot of time, produced all of the "endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful" on this planet, to quote Darwin. In a computer world, because generations can happen in microseconds, we don't need millions of Earth years to pass before interesting things begin to happen. Evolutionary computation has frequently come up with better designs than any artist.

With thanks to our photographers Herry Lawford and Stinging Eyes.

Dave, Prank Sky Media, Hackney, London

One of the most popular contribution to the quaint charm of one of the world's most "loved" cities cities *by natives and tourists alike) are the colorful clanging cable cars which lurch up and down the precipitous hills of the "City of the Golden Gate."

Smith News Co.

Plastichrome by Colourpicture

P40971

CAPA-014807

Contributions to ornithology for 1848-1853

Edinburgh :W.H. Lizars,1848-1853.

biodiversitylibrary.org/page/51978849

Remembrance Sunday

In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m.

The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.

The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.

Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.

From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

Each year, the programme of music at the National Ceremony remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:

Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne

Heart of Oak by William Boyce

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Men of Harlech

The Skye Boat Song

Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly

David of the White Rock

Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson

Flowers of the Forest

Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar

Dido's lament by Henry Purcell

O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris

Solemn Melody by Walford Davies

Last Post – a bugle call

Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch

O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft

Reveille – a bugle call

God Save The Queen

Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.

Cenotaph Ceremony and March Past - 10 November 2013 Order of March and Ticket Allocation

Column D [Lead Column]

Marker NumberDetachmentNo of marchers

1War Widows Association 126

2British Gurkha Welfare Society 78

3West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18

4Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18

5Bond Van Wapenbroeders 26

6Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain Trust Fund 40

7Canadian Veterans Association 10

9Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24

10Hong Kong Military Service Corps 18

11Foreign Legion Association 24

12Not Forgotten Association 54

13The Royal British Legion 348

14The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 6 New

15The Royal British Legion Scotland 26

16Ulster Defence Regiment72

18Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 42

19Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12

20ONET UK 10

21St Helena Government UK 24

22Commando Veterans Association 30

23South Atlantic Medal Association 196

24SSAFA Forces Help 66

25First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12

26Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48

27British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48

28British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48

29British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association24

30Royal Hospital Chelsea 30

31Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen30

32The Royal Star & Garter Homes20

33Combat Stress48

34Walking With The Wounded14

Total 1,590

Column E

1Merchant Navy Association 150

2Royal Naval Association 160

3Royal Marines Association 198

4Aircraft Handlers Association36

5Telegraphist Air Gunners Association12

6Aircrewmans Association30

7Cloud Observers Association10

8Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association36

9Fleet Air Arm Association30

10Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association24

11Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association24

12Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association18

13Fleet Air Arm Officers Association40

14Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association18

15Sea Harrier Association24

16Flower Class Corvette Association18

17LST & Landing Craft Association10

18HMS Andromeda Association18

19HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association22

20HMS Cumberland Association18

21HMS Ganges Association36

22HMS Glasgow Association30

23HMS St Vincent Association36

24HMS Tiger Association20

25Algerines Association25

26Ton Class Association30

27Type 42 Association35 New

28Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service35

29VAD RN Association18

30Association of WRENS90

31Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association10

32Royal Naval Communications Association30

33Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 6

34Royal Naval Benevolent Trust18

35Royal Navy School of Physical Training24

36Russian Convoy Club30

37Yangtze Incident Association24

38Special Boat Service Association 6

39Submariners Association30

40Association of Royal Yachtsmen24

41Broadsword Association36

Total 1,489

Column F

1British Korean Veterans Association 500

2National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association98

3Normandy Veterans Association 6

4National Service Veterans Alliance 150

5Italy Star Association48

6Monte Cassino Society20

7Gallantry Medallists League36

8National Pigeon War Service30

9National Gulf Veterans & Families Association30

10Fellowship of the Services 150

11Burma Star Association50

12Far East Prisoners of War 8

14Memorable Order of Tin Hats36

15Suez Veterans Association50

16Aden Veterans Association84

171st Army Association36

18Showmens' Guild of Great Britain30

19Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard18

20Popski's Private Army 4

21Pen and Sword Club18

22Black and White Club18 New

Total 1,420

Column A

2Royal Northumberland Fusiliers48

3The Duke of Lancaster's Regimental Association30

4Green Howards Association44

6Cheshire Regiment Association24

7Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment36

8Mercian Regiment Association30

9Rifles Regimental Association48

10The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association

30

11Royal Irish Regiment Association12

12Durham Light Infantry Association60

13King's Royal Rifle Corps Association60

14Light Infantry Association48 New

151LI Association36 New

16Royal Green Jackets Association 198

17Parachute Regimental Association 174

18The Royal Regiment of Scotland Association18 New

19Royal Scots Regimental Association40

20King's Own Scottish Borderers50

21Black Watch Association45

22Gordon Highlanders Association60

23Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 6

24The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)24 New

25Grenadier Guards Association48

26Coldstream Guards Association48

27Scots Guards Association40

28Guards Parachute Association36

294 Company Association (Parachute Regiment)24

30Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment72

32Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association30

33Royal Sussex Regimental Association12

34Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association12

Total 1,443

Column B

1Blind Veterans UK 198

2Royal Scots Dragoon Guards30

3Royal Dragoon Guards78

4Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish)12

5Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association96

6The 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers36 New

7Gurkha Brigade Association36

8JLR RAC Old Boys' Association30

943rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Association 6

10Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association48

11North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association78

12Association of Ammunition Technicians36

13Beachley Old Boys Association36

14Arborfield Old Boys Association18

15Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120

16656 Squadron Association72

17Home Guard Association12

183rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association60

19Royal Artillery Association18

20Royal Engineers Association30

21Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association65

22Airborne Engineers Association24

23Mill Hill (Postal & Courier Services) Veterans' Association30 New

24Royal Signals Association48

25Army Air Corps Association42

26Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps of Transport Association40

27RAOC Association18

28Army Catering Corps Association48

29Royal Pioneer Corps Association54

30Reconnaissance Corps18

31Royal Army Medical Corps Association36

32Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association48

33Royal Military Police Association 100

34The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 6

35Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association36

36Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps18

37Intelligence Corps Association30

38Royal Army Physical Training Corps24

39Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Association48

Total 1,783

Column C

1Royal Air Forces Association 125

2Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300

3Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association20

4 Federation of Royal Air Force Apprentice & Boy Entrant Associations 150

5Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association24

6Royal Air Force Police Association90

7Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association40

8Bomber Command Association20

9Royal Observer Corps Association80

10National Service (Royal Air Force) Association42

11RAFLING Association24

126 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association18

137 Squadron Association30

14RAF Habbaniya Association30

15Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association30

16Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club12

17Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association30

18Royal Air Force Butterworth & Penang Association 6

19Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association15

20Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association12

21Women's Auxiliary Air Force12

22Blenheim Society18

23Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association24

Total 1,152

Column M

1Transport For London48

2First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps)24

3Munitions Workers Association18

4Children of the Far East Prisoners of War60

5Evacuees Reunion Association48

6TOC H12

7Salvation Army36

8NAAFI12

10Civil Defence Association10

11British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team)12 New

12National Association of Retired Police Officers36

13Metropolitan Special Constabulary36

14London Ambulance Service NHS Trust36

15London Ambulance Service Retirement Association18

16St John Ambulance36

17St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6

18Firefighters Memorial Trust24

19Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association36

20Ulster Special Constabulary Association30

21Commonwealth War Graves Commission12

22Daniel's Trust36

23Civilians Representing Families85

24Royal Mail Group Ltd24

25Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals24

26The Blue Cross18

27PDSA24

28HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association24

29Old Cryptians' Club12

30Fighting G Club18

31Malayan Volunteers Group12

32Gallipoli Association18

33Ministry of Defence30

34RBL Non Ex-Service Members 123

35Union Jack Club12

36Western Front Association11

37Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign18

38Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes24

39National Association of Round Tables24

40Lions Club International24

41Rotary International24

4241 Club 6 New

43Equity12

44Romany & Traveller Society18

45Sea Cadet Corps30

46Combined Cadet Force30

47Army Cadet Force30

48Air Training Corps30

49Scout Association30

50Girlguiding London & South East England30

51Boys Brigade30

52Girls Brigade England & Wales30

53Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade30

54Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets18

55St John Ambulance Cadets18

56British Red Cross12 New

Total 1,489

Newindicates first time participation in 2013.

Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 10 November 2013 Summary of Contingent Composition

Column A1,443

Column B1,783

Column C1,152

Column D1,590

Column E1,489

Column F1,420

Sub-total8,877

Column M1,489

Total 10,366

News report on 10 November 2013

Remembrance Sunday 2013: The Queen leads nation in honouring fallen heroes

Her Majesty laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall as the UK fell silent at 11am in tribute to those who lost their lives in conflict

The Queen was joined by Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family as she led the nation in honouring members of the Armed Forces killed in conflict.

The monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to commemorate all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the decades since the First World War, bowing her head after paying her respects.

As Remembrance Sunday services took place around the UK to remember our war dead, the royals, politicians, military leaders, veterans and serving personnel laid wreaths of poppies at the monument.

Prince Harry was laying the wreath on behalf of his father Prince Charles, who is currently abroad on an official tour of India with the Duchess of Cornwall, and was marking the occasion there.

Kate Middleton, who dressed in a navy, military-style coat, watched from a balcony with Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.

Troops in Afghanistan were joined by the Duke of York, who laid a wreath during a service held at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond also flew to Afghanistan last night to join servicemen and women.

Millions across the UK fell silent in tribute to those lost in war, joining the crowds gathered in central London who stood in a moment of quiet contemplation as Big Ben struck 11am.

During the two-minute silence, only the distant sounds of traffic and the rustling of leaves could be heard, despite the fact that police said Whitehall was at capacity.

The beginning and end of the silence was marked with the firing of a round by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, using a 13-pounder First World War gun.

In cold but bright weather, the royals and dignitaries then laid their wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Prime Minister David Cameron was first after the royals to do so, followed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Former prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and London Mayor Boris Johnson also attended the ceremony.

The Duchess of Cambridge was accompanied on the Foreign Office balcony by the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Royal Navy in 1939, wore the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet for the ceremony. Prince Harry, who has undertaken two tours of duty in Afghanistan, wore the uniform of a Captain in the Household Cavalry. His brother William left operational service recently after more than seven years in the forces. He wore the uniform of Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant.

Following the wreath-laying, the Bishop of London the Right Reverend Richard Chartres conducted a short service in his role as Dean of HM Chapels Royal.

More than 10,000 veterans and civilians then marched past the Cenotaph to pay their respects to their departed comrades, led this year by members of the War Widows Association, wearing black coats and red scarves.

They were all warmly applauded as they paraded past, some veterans in wheelchairs and motorised scooters as they marked the loss of their comrades.

There was a large contingent of veterans from the Korean War, the armistice of which was 60 years ago.

The 70th anniversaries of the Battle of the Atlantic and the Dambusters' Raid were also marked this year.

Remembrance Sunday

In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m.

The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.

The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.

Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.

From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

Each year, the programme of music at the National Ceremony remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:

Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne

Heart of Oak by William Boyce

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Men of Harlech

The Skye Boat Song

Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly

David of the White Rock

Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson

Flowers of the Forest

Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar

Dido's lament by Henry Purcell

O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris

Solemn Melody by Walford Davies

Last Post – a bugle call

Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch

O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft

Reveille – a bugle call

God Save The Queen

Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.

Cenotaph Ceremony and March Past - 10 November 2013 Order of March and Ticket Allocation

Column D [Lead Column]

Marker NumberDetachmentNo of marchers

1War Widows Association 126

2British Gurkha Welfare Society 78

3West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18

4Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18

5Bond Van Wapenbroeders 26

6Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain Trust Fund 40

7Canadian Veterans Association 10

9Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24

10Hong Kong Military Service Corps 18

11Foreign Legion Association 24

12Not Forgotten Association 54

13The Royal British Legion 348

14The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 6 New

15The Royal British Legion Scotland 26

16Ulster Defence Regiment72

18Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 42

19Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12

20ONET UK 10

21St Helena Government UK 24

22Commando Veterans Association 30

23South Atlantic Medal Association 196

24SSAFA Forces Help 66

25First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12

26Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48

27British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48

28British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48

29British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association24

30Royal Hospital Chelsea 30

31Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen30

32The Royal Star & Garter Homes20

33Combat Stress48

34Walking With The Wounded14

Total 1,590

Column E

1Merchant Navy Association 150

2Royal Naval Association 160

3Royal Marines Association 198

4Aircraft Handlers Association36

5Telegraphist Air Gunners Association12

6Aircrewmans Association30

7Cloud Observers Association10

8Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association36

9Fleet Air Arm Association30

10Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association24

11Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association24

12Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association18

13Fleet Air Arm Officers Association40

14Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association18

15Sea Harrier Association24

16Flower Class Corvette Association18

17LST & Landing Craft Association10

18HMS Andromeda Association18

19HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association22

20HMS Cumberland Association18

21HMS Ganges Association36

22HMS Glasgow Association30

23HMS St Vincent Association36

24HMS Tiger Association20

25Algerines Association25

26Ton Class Association30

27Type 42 Association35 New

28Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service35

29VAD RN Association18

30Association of WRENS90

31Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association10

32Royal Naval Communications Association30

33Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 6

34Royal Naval Benevolent Trust18

35Royal Navy School of Physical Training24

36Russian Convoy Club30

37Yangtze Incident Association24

38Special Boat Service Association 6

39Submariners Association30

40Association of Royal Yachtsmen24

41Broadsword Association36

Total 1,489

Column F

1British Korean Veterans Association 500

2National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association98

3Normandy Veterans Association 6

4National Service Veterans Alliance 150

5Italy Star Association48

6Monte Cassino Society20

7Gallantry Medallists League36

8National Pigeon War Service30

9National Gulf Veterans & Families Association30

10Fellowship of the Services 150

11Burma Star Association50

12Far East Prisoners of War 8

14Memorable Order of Tin Hats36

15Suez Veterans Association50

16Aden Veterans Association84

171st Army Association36

18Showmens' Guild of Great Britain30

19Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard18

20Popski's Private Army 4

21Pen and Sword Club18

22Black and White Club18 New

Total 1,420

Column A

2Royal Northumberland Fusiliers48

3The Duke of Lancaster's Regimental Association30

4Green Howards Association44

6Cheshire Regiment Association24

7Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment36

8Mercian Regiment Association30

9Rifles Regimental Association48

10The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association

30

11Royal Irish Regiment Association12

12Durham Light Infantry Association60

13King's Royal Rifle Corps Association60

14Light Infantry Association48 New

151LI Association36 New

16Royal Green Jackets Association 198

17Parachute Regimental Association 174

18The Royal Regiment of Scotland Association18 New

19Royal Scots Regimental Association40

20King's Own Scottish Borderers50

21Black Watch Association45

22Gordon Highlanders Association60

23Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 6

24The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)24 New

25Grenadier Guards Association48

26Coldstream Guards Association48

27Scots Guards Association40

28Guards Parachute Association36

294 Company Association (Parachute Regiment)24

30Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment72

32Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association30

33Royal Sussex Regimental Association12

34Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association12

Total 1,443

Column B

1Blind Veterans UK 198

2Royal Scots Dragoon Guards30

3Royal Dragoon Guards78

4Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish)12

5Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association96

6The 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers36 New

7Gurkha Brigade Association36

8JLR RAC Old Boys' Association30

943rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Association 6

10Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association48

11North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association78

12Association of Ammunition Technicians36

13Beachley Old Boys Association36

14Arborfield Old Boys Association18

15Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120

16656 Squadron Association72

17Home Guard Association12

183rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association60

19Royal Artillery Association18

20Royal Engineers Association30

21Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association65

22Airborne Engineers Association24

23Mill Hill (Postal & Courier Services) Veterans' Association30 New

24Royal Signals Association48

25Army Air Corps Association42

26Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps of Transport Association40

27RAOC Association18

28Army Catering Corps Association48

29Royal Pioneer Corps Association54

30Reconnaissance Corps18

31Royal Army Medical Corps Association36

32Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association48

33Royal Military Police Association 100

34The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 6

35Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association36

36Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps18

37Intelligence Corps Association30

38Royal Army Physical Training Corps24

39Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Association48

Total 1,783

Column C

1Royal Air Forces Association 125

2Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300

3Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association20

4 Federation of Royal Air Force Apprentice & Boy Entrant Associations 150

5Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association24

6Royal Air Force Police Association90

7Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association40

8Bomber Command Association20

9Royal Observer Corps Association80

10National Service (Royal Air Force) Association42

11RAFLING Association24

126 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association18

137 Squadron Association30

14RAF Habbaniya Association30

15Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association30

16Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club12

17Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association30

18Royal Air Force Butterworth & Penang Association 6

19Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association15

20Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association12

21Women's Auxiliary Air Force12

22Blenheim Society18

23Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association24

Total 1,152

Column M

1Transport For London48

2First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps)24

3Munitions Workers Association18

4Children of the Far East Prisoners of War60

5Evacuees Reunion Association48

6TOC H12

7Salvation Army36

8NAAFI12

10Civil Defence Association10

11British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team)12 New

12National Association of Retired Police Officers36

13Metropolitan Special Constabulary36

14London Ambulance Service NHS Trust36

15London Ambulance Service Retirement Association18

16St John Ambulance36

17St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6

18Firefighters Memorial Trust24

19Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association36

20Ulster Special Constabulary Association30

21Commonwealth War Graves Commission12

22Daniel's Trust36

23Civilians Representing Families85

24Royal Mail Group Ltd24

25Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals24

26The Blue Cross18

27PDSA24

28HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association24

29Old Cryptians' Club12

30Fighting G Club18

31Malayan Volunteers Group12

32Gallipoli Association18

33Ministry of Defence30

34RBL Non Ex-Service Members 123

35Union Jack Club12

36Western Front Association11

37Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign18

38Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes24

39National Association of Round Tables24

40Lions Club International24

41Rotary International24

4241 Club 6 New

43Equity12

44Romany & Traveller Society18

45Sea Cadet Corps30

46Combined Cadet Force30

47Army Cadet Force30

48Air Training Corps30

49Scout Association30

50Girlguiding London & South East England30

51Boys Brigade30

52Girls Brigade England & Wales30

53Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade30

54Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets18

55St John Ambulance Cadets18

56British Red Cross12 New

Total 1,489

Newindicates first time participation in 2013.

Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 10 November 2013 Summary of Contingent Composition

Column A1,443

Column B1,783

Column C1,152

Column D1,590

Column E1,489

Column F1,420

Sub-total8,877

Column M1,489

Total 10,366

News report on 10 November 2013

Remembrance Sunday 2013: The Queen leads nation in honouring fallen heroes

Her Majesty laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall as the UK fell silent at 11am in tribute to those who lost their lives in conflict

The Queen was joined by Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family as she led the nation in honouring members of the Armed Forces killed in conflict.

The monarch laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall to commemorate all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the decades since the First World War, bowing her head after paying her respects.

As Remembrance Sunday services took place around the UK to remember our war dead, the royals, politicians, military leaders, veterans and serving personnel laid wreaths of poppies at the monument.

Prince Harry was laying the wreath on behalf of his father Prince Charles, who is currently abroad on an official tour of India with the Duchess of Cornwall, and was marking the occasion there.

Kate Middleton, who dressed in a navy, military-style coat, watched from a balcony with Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.

Troops in Afghanistan were joined by the Duke of York, who laid a wreath during a service held at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond also flew to Afghanistan last night to join servicemen and women.

Millions across the UK fell silent in tribute to those lost in war, joining the crowds gathered in central London who stood in a moment of quiet contemplation as Big Ben struck 11am.

During the two-minute silence, only the distant sounds of traffic and the rustling of leaves could be heard, despite the fact that police said Whitehall was at capacity.

The beginning and end of the silence was marked with the firing of a round by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, using a 13-pounder First World War gun.

In cold but bright weather, the royals and dignitaries then laid their wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Prime Minister David Cameron was first after the royals to do so, followed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Former prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and London Mayor Boris Johnson also attended the ceremony.

The Duchess of Cambridge was accompanied on the Foreign Office balcony by the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who joined the Royal Navy in 1939, wore the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet for the ceremony. Prince Harry, who has undertaken two tours of duty in Afghanistan, wore the uniform of a Captain in the Household Cavalry. His brother William left operational service recently after more than seven years in the forces. He wore the uniform of Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant.

Following the wreath-laying, the Bishop of London the Right Reverend Richard Chartres conducted a short service in his role as Dean of HM Chapels Royal.

More than 10,000 veterans and civilians then marched past the Cenotaph to pay their respects to their departed comrades, led this year by members of the War Widows Association, wearing black coats and red scarves.

They were all warmly applauded as they paraded past, some veterans in wheelchairs and motorised scooters as they marked the loss of their comrades.

There was a large contingent of veterans from the Korean War, the armistice of which was 60 years ago.

The 70th anniversaries of the Battle of the Atlantic and the Dambusters' Raid were also marked this year.