Another work by Le Quesne for which the only big images on the (ahem) web are a bit fuzzy, due to their being taken from engravings. The colours are supplied by a smaller online reproduction, from the same source that allowed me to recolour this.

 

I'm pretty sure the translated title "Cobwebs" is inaccurate, though not as inaccurate as another translation I found which read "The Toilette Disarrayed".

Spanish collector's card (mini-card), Series 2, card 21 of 21. Scene from The Crusades (Cecil B. DeMille, Paramount Pictures 1935). Caption: The Triumph of Faith and Love. The Crusades is a 1935 American historical adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and originally released by Paramount Pictures. It stars Loretta Young as Berengaria of Navarre and Henry Wilcoxon as Richard I Lionheart of England. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Victor Milner) as well as for Best Foreign Film at the Venice Film Festival in 1935

 

Plot: The film takes many of its elements and main characters from the Third Crusade, which was prompted by the Saracen capture of Jerusalem and the crusader states in the Holy Land in A.D. 1187. The character of King Richard the Lionheart (Hery Wilcoxon) is a man of action but little thought. A hermit from Jerusalem (C. Aubrey Smith) arrives in Europe and starts gathering support for a Crusade. The hermit convinces a number of European rulers to travel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Holy City into Christian hands. Richard enlists in order to avoid an arranged betrothal to the King of France's sister, Princess Alice of France (Katherine DeMille), but is followed by the Countess on the Crusade. A plot is laid against Richard's life by his brother Prince John (Ramsay Hill) and Conrad, Marquis of Montferrat (Joseph Schildkraut). En route to the war, Richard meets Berengaria, Princess of Navarre (Loretta Young). In order to get food for his men, Richard reluctantly marries her in exchange for her father's cattle and grain. Berengaria is forced to accompany Richard to the Holy Land.

 

During the Crusaders' attempts to get past the walls of Acre, the allies assemble in conference, but in disarray. Richard receives word that his brother John has seized the throne of England. Richard's ally, Philip II of France, is enraged at Richard's rejection of his sister Alice, but Richard defies Philip and the other troubled allies by proclaiming Berengaria Queen of England. The Christian leaders meet in parley with the Muslim Sultan and leader Saladin (Ian Keith). Saladin is struck by Berengaria's beauty and bravery in supporting her husband. However, he rejects any truce with the Crusaders, and declares that the arrogant Richard will "never pass the gates of Jerusalem."

 

Berengaria is fearful that her presence in camp is causing disloyalty among Richard's allies, in particular the powerful French King Philip (C. Henry Gordon), and may harm their holy quest. Seeking death, she enters no man's land between the lines, only to be wounded and captured by the forces of Saladin. The hermit, the Christian "holy man" who had preached the Crusade, also is captured. Saladin escapes the siege, and after finding Berengaria wounded, brings her to Jerusalem to care for her, with admiration and growing affection. Not knowing this Richard and the Crusaders storm Acre to save the Queen of England.

 

The internal plot against Richard's life is hatched by Conrad and disloyal soldiers. Conrad reveals his plot to Saladin, expecting to be rewarded. Appalled by Conrad's treachery, Saladin orders Conrad to be immediately executed. Berengaria offers herself to Saladin if he will intervene and save Richard's life. Saladin sends a few of his soldiers to warn Richard who is searching the battle field at night for the body of a friend. Conrad's men attack Richard but are defeated by Saladin's soldiers who take the English King to Saladin. Richard and Saladin agree to a truce and the gates of Jerusalem are opened to all Christians with the exception of Richard, in keeping with Saladin's earlier promise. After losing his kingship, his wife and the opportunity to see the Holy City, Richard prays for the first time, asking God for him to be reunited with his wife. Richard encounters Berengaria on her way to the Holy City. He admits his mistakes and Berengaria tells him that Saladin has freed her along with the other Christian captives. Berengaria proceeds alone toward Jerusalem to visit the Holy City and promises to return to him.

 

Lorraine K. Stock writes in Hollywood in the Holy Land, in her chapter "Now Starring in the Third Crusade" that Crusading films have been used by European and American countries to spread a political or cultural agenda. One way with which this is done is through the main Crusading "heroes" such as Richard the Lionheart and main antagonist Saladin. Many films have used the relationship between Richard I and Saladin. In this particular film the relationship between Richard I and Saladin is connected not only by the conflict of the Crusade but "an improbable, if entertaining, erotic triangle" with Berengaria of Navarre. Stock notes that this relationship and the events which occur can be seen as a reaction to events after the First World War and especially America's isolationism. For example, Richard the Lionheart at first does not want to get married, so he goes on Crusade despite showing signs of not being religious. Berengaria can also be seen as a "medieval League of Nations" when negotiations between Saladin and Richard I occur at the end of the movie.

 

A main concern for such films is the way Muslims and Crusaders are portrayed. Throughout the film Stock notes that there are a negative portrayals of Saladin and the Muslims. For instance Stock notes that the Crusaders are all dressed in mail armor with the cross upon their chests, while Saladin and the Saracens are dressed mainly in "flowing robes of luxury fabrics" and "silken sashes". The Saracens are shown as oriental but also "exotically feminized" according to Stock. Another scene has the Saracens shoot a Crusader messenger, who demands surrender of the city, with one of them wearing a helmet with devil horns upon it. There are other moments in which the Europeans mention devilry or call Muslims infidels. Stock says DeMille established "the stereotypes of Richard and Saladin that subsequent films would repeat…".

 

However, Saladin is also depicted as an honorable man. In "Islam, Muslims and Arabs in the Popular Hollywood Cinema", Anton K. Kozlovic writes "The Crusades was not as enthusiastically received in the West as DeMille would have liked, probably because it showed the good and noble side of the Muslims and contrasted it with the darker deeds of Christianity". Saladin in the film refuses to help assassinate Richard I and in fact sends out help to prevent Richard from being killed by the treacherous other Europeans. Kozlovic also notes that when Saladin offers peace to the "foes of Islam", Richard responds by drawing his sword "and saying 'We are going to slaughter you!'". Kozlovic sees DeMille's film as a challenge to the stereotypical norm and negative picture painted of Muslims in Crusader films specifically.

 

(Source: English Wikipedia)

 

British actor Henry Wilcoxon (1905-1984) was best known as a leading man in Cleopatra (1934) and many others of Cecil B. DeMille's films. He also served as DeMille's associate producer on his later films.

 

Loretta Young, born Gretchen Young (1913-2000) was an American actress, whose film career peaked between the late 1920s and the early 1950s. She acted in over 100 films.

Character Creation

 

Elektra Natchios is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She was initially created as a supporting character for the superhero Matt Murdock / Daredevil, to whom Elektra has functioned as a villainous adversary, love interest, and later, a heroic ally.

 

Created by Frank Miller, the character first appeared in Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981).

 

Her violent nature and mercenary lifestyle has served as a divisive point of conflict between her and Daredevil, which, in 2020, culminated in her becoming the second Daredevil.

 

The character is a highly trained assassin of Greek descent who wields a pair of sai as her trademark weapons. Elektra is one of Frank Miller's best-known creations, and has appeared in numerous modern storylines even though Marvel had promised not to revive the character without Miller's permission.

 

She is the title character of three ongoing series: The first, written by Peter Milligan and Larry Hama and drawn by Mike Deodato Jr., from 1996 to 1997; the second, primarily written by Greg Rucka, from 2001 to 2003; and the third, written by Haden Blackman, from 2014 to 2015. She has also appeared as a supporting character of Wolverine and in other series and mini-series.

 

Jennifer Garner portrayed Elektra in the films Daredevil (2003), Elektra (2005), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Élodie Yung portrayed the character in the MCU television series Daredevil (2016) and The Defenders (2017).

 

Publication history

 

Elektra was created by Frank Miller, who based the character's appearance on Lisa Lyon, a female bodybuilder. Miller and Janson also sometimes modeled her appearance on the actress Bo Derek. Miller has said that he designed the character around Electra, a character in Greek tragedy, and the Electra complex theorized by Carl Jung. Comics scholar Paul Young has identified the first appearances of the character as paying homage to Sand Seref, a femme fatale character in Will Eisner's series, The Spirit. Miller has frequently cited Eisner as an inspiration. Some critics have also compared the character to Catwoman, who has a similar ambivalent relationship with Batman, although Elektra is portrayed as much more dangerous and violent.

 

Origin

 

To simply be a mutant didn't quite make you as different as it once would have. What made someone different was the type of mutant that they were. Specifically, their power level that would show their potential or ability as a mutant.

 

The Rasputin children, Mikhail, Piotr, and Illyana, were all mutants. Each of them would have gifts that would/could affect many, even on a global level. Their futures would see them all go very different ways; their genetics ensured whichever way they chose to go, huge repercussions could be expected.

 

These three mutant siblings would be no exception. From Mikhail's ability to manipulate matter on the subatomic level and his dimensional teleporting powers to Illyana's immensely powerful magical might and teleporting powers and even Piotr, who seemingly appears much weaker in comparison, but is prophesied to be the sole individual responsible for the destruction of an entire planet, Breakworld, and all of its inhabitants.

 

On the outward appearance it may seem that it must be purely coincidental that Illyana and her two older brothers, Mikhail and Piotr (Colossus), would all have massively powerful mutant powers and all be born to one family.

 

But, not all is as it seems. These three siblings were born to a family that had been manipulated to ensure these outcomes. A bloodline refined to create power. Not only just Illyana, Mikhail and Piotr would have these substantial gifts, but all children born within the Rasputin bloodline would. Each would have the same genetics, share the same bloodline and lineage, each with the possibility to wield powerful mutant gifts.

 

This was not a coincidence at all. This is all due to the manipulation, on a grand scale, by one of the foremost masters in genetics by the name of Nathaniel Essex, better known as Mr. Sinister.

 

Character Evolution

 

Elektra was born of Frank Miller's fondness and appreciation of Japanese culture and archetypes. Elektra being and becoming a kunoichi welding a stock standard kunoichi weapon in the sai. Her original attitude and motivations at the time, helping to inspire a new generation and style of female characters. Naturally the character is also part homage to the mythological Elektra of Greek mythology, Miller's character initially defined as having father issues.

 

The character herself has gone through numerous different variations, but apart from her original role as an assassin and villain, she has been portrayed as either a hero or an anti-hero. This has made it that her past and several defining aspects of the character have changed in her depiction over time. Some of her background is portrayed as much darker. For instance, in Elektra: Assassin it is revealed that she is raped by her father when she was 5 years old. Alternately in Elektra: Root of Evil, Elektra’s mother is assassinated by proxy of her son for her indiscretions and infidelity.

 

In this version Hugo’s parentage is called into question however this is not necessarily seen as canonical. Previously her mother had been shown as killed in Cyprus while trying to top a Turkish Cypriot from undertaking a terrorist action. Elektra's physical appearance as drawn by Miller was loosely inspired by Lisa Lyon. Although Elektra has never held down a continuous long standing ongoing series, her popularity and iconic nature lends itself well for frequent cameos, guest spots and supporting roles in many of Marvels top character books, big event arcs, and team books.

 

Elektra's longest running series would come in 2001 with the second ongoing volume of Elektra, lasting 35 issues. After a long absence from series and mini series, Zeb Wells and Clayton Henry would revitalize the character with her Dark Reign tie in miniseries Dark Reign: Elektra which was moderately successful but well received by critics and fans. Elektra would also serve as a pivotal role in Marvels major event Secret Invasion, which would officially kick off with the discovery that Elektra had been replaced by a Skrull in Brian Michael Bendis New Avengers title. There have been minor controversies surrounding Elektra ever since her first iconic fictional death, her editor at the time reluctant to allow her writer and creator (Miller) to kill the character, due to her sudden and unexpected popularity.

 

Ralph Macchio would even promise Miller that he would have creative control over her use and non use by Marvel, however eventually with time, higher ups at Marvel would decide to resurrect the character of their own accord, leading many to believe she should have been kept dead. An issue of Elektra's 2001 volume would also create minor controversy due to panels in which Elektra is nude causing the issue to be recalled and a new copy of the issue printed with new art.

 

In the modern era the character continues to be a successful asset to Marvel, appearing rather frequently and consistently for a character without an ongoing series, many artists and writers keen to take on the iconic character "I've actually never gotten the chance to draw Elektra before! She's another one of those characters that I was obsessed with back in the day. She's pretty challenging to draw, actually, because I'm determined not to make her just some hot chick. That's not what she's about. She's a chiseled, muscular killing machine whose entire body is a weapon, expressionless and cold" expressed by Joe Madureira. for example.

 

Major Story Arcs

 

Back to Matt and Death

 

While chasing a bounty, Elektra is discovered by Matt Murdock in his guise as Daredevil. Matt immediately recognizes her voice, which brings many memories rushing back to him. Elektra is captured during this mission, but is rescued by Daredevil, whom she helps using a fight tactic that they used the day her father died. After this Elektra becomes curious about Matt, and visits his home. She later helps Daredevil fight the Hand, after he loses his radar sense.

 

Elektra later starts to work for the Kingpin. She undertakes numerous missions for the criminal mastermind, including an attempt to kill Foggy Nelson when she drives the cab he is in. When Elektra realizes it is Foggy Nelson, Matt's old friend, she moves the car and let's an astonished Foggy go. She soon met up with Matt after this, and his alter-ego Daredevil. Although the two have an instant connection again, Daredevil is angered of how she turned out to be.

 

Not only Matt is angered, also the Kingpin, for letting Foggy Nelson go. He hires a new assassin named Bullseye whom wishes to be Kingpin’s main assassin. His first task, kill Elektra. It does not take long before the two met. Although the fight is generally pretty close, Bullseye eventually gets one of Elektra's sais-daggers and stabs her in the chest. Elektra then managed to escape her assassin and crawl to Matt’s house, managing to reach him alive, only before dying in his arms.

 

Ressurection and Return

 

Elektra however is resurrected by the Hand after she died. Matt, as Daredevil, tried to stop the ritual, and thought that he had succeeded. It is however revealed that the resurrection was successful and Elektra left New York City to train on top of a snowy mountain.

 

She would not be seen for years until circumstances brought her back to New York City and back to an astonished Matt Murdock. Elektra had however drastically changed. She was more ruthless and colder then before. She soon became a hired assassin and mercenary and fought for the highest bidder. Sometimes however she fought among the side of the heroes.

 

This brought her into contact with heroes like Spider-man and Daredevil once more. After this period, she and her mentor Stick came to help Wolverine through a period when he has reverted to a more feral state. It was soon revealed that she was resurrected with a split portion of her good and evil side. She confronts her evil side and defeats it and then the two are reunited, the good version now in control though an aspect of evil remains. Daredevil still refused to stay in any real contact with her.

 

VS The Hand and Kirigi

 

Elektra investigates a murder after she witnesses an innocent shot with a crossbow, and seeing the shadow of the murderer she gives chase across the rooftops of Paris. Recognizing the assailant as a ninja would only add to the intrigue. Although the ninja would be fast and agile, moving with superhuman agility and grace, Elektra would catch up to them and identify them as a Hand ninja. She would follow the ninja to an apartment where it would met with another member of the Hand.

 

Overhearing their conversation she would learn that the next target for the hand ninja assassin Genin would be America lawyer Matt Murdock. Elektra would be conflicted, first concern of Matt but also at their current strained relationship. Despite her reservations to risk her life keeping him safe Elektra would board a flight to New York. Matt Murdock would be going about his typical business as both a lawyer and his super hero alter ego Daredevil, but returning to his apartment in his civilian disguise he would be ambushed by Hand ninja.

 

Managing to defend himself and kill the attackers, at the end of the fight he would realize that he had aid during the fight and that other ninjas had been killed but not by his hand. He would have the mystery of who had put out a death contract on him as well as being unaware that it was Elektra who had been watching over and aiding him. The Hand would attempt another assassination hit on Matt Murdock, staking out and stalking his lawyers office and planning to plant an explosive that would kill both Murdock and his friend and associate Foggy Nelson.

 

With both Matt and Foggy distracted inside the office they were vulnerable and as the Hand set to capitalize on the moment they would be attacked by Elektra. She had been stalking and tracking their movements dedicated to protecting Daredevil and she would kill all the Hand ninja present, however during the midst of the clash the bomb they had been planning to use would fall near the window of the lawyers office exploding and incurring injuries to Daredevil.

 

Elektra and Gladiator Team Up

 

The Hand's next target would be Melvin Potter also known as the Gladiator. Daredevil after an explosion outside his lawyers office would still be recuperating in hospital and the explosion would had wrought injury to him including robbing him of his radar senses. Despite that Daredevil would struggle to his feet to find Melvin Potter who he had been informed of via radio was being transported by van from one jail facility to another.

 

Elektra would be on route to save Potter, as she would land on the van and and stop it, breaking out Potter. Melvin who had struggled with his identity and alias in recent times was confused about what was going on, not even certain who Elektra was, but Elektra would be very direct handing the large man his Gladiator outfit and weapons insisting he get changed as efficiently as possible.

 

Potter would be hesitant after working so long at trying to keep the Gladiator persona at bay, but Elektra's encouragement would have him change. The timing would be fortunate as both warriors were soon to be attacked by the Hand. Dozens and dozens of Hand Ninja would surround and attack the two, such large waves Elektra would explain to Gladiator she wouldn't be able to defeat them all by herself, however she would realize that Gladiator was resisting and not really engaging offensively and she would chide him into action. Daredevil without his radar ability but still aided by hearing would finally make his arrival to help Gladiator but unaware that Elektra was there.

 

During the fight Daredevil would be in danger at times, lacking his radar, but Elektra would step in and aid him killing potential threats to him and Gladiator. At the climax of the fight she would disappear with Daredevil attending to Gladiator, Potter revealing Elektra's presence to Murdock who would only just realize that fact.

 

Elektra Assassin

 

Elektra is situated in a mental institution in South America and her memories are in disarray, as she attempts to reassemble them into a more coherent order. Her living conditions are dreadful, crammed and unpleasant. She must face and experience her past in fragments, reliving events such as her assassination work, the death and murder of her mother, her martial arts training as a child, and under Stick, her wanting a pet cat as a child and abuse by her father, her first experiences with Daredevil, the death of her father.

 

Although it is during this experience of reconnecting and piecing together memories that Elektra becomes aware of the entity the Beast. The Jackal's son, neither man or woman, the Beast would be worshipped by the Hand, a mystical entity that preexisted man, this Beast creature would control humans by psychically manipulating them, empowering them, and possessing and controlling them after exposing them to a liquid substance that would be referred to as the Milk of the Beast.

 

Elektra would be put in solitary confinement after attacking an abusive warden of the asylum. More memories she begins to piece together, as she remembers what she had learned of the beast and how it was going to slowly morph with time into a more humanoid creature. Elektra would realize that this process may have been completed already, despite the fact the Beasts transformation to appear as man was supposed to have taken considerably longer. Replaying in her memories, realizing that the person who may have hired her for an assassination may have been the Beast Elektra looks for evidence.

 

She realizes the man that hired her was not the Beast, but the tell tale stench of the Beasts aura would be apparent in the milk of the man. The Beast has been manipulating her. In reality Elektra would be subjected to various unethical medical treatments, and torture. Elektra had been scheduled to be lobotomized, and although weak and tortured both by the institutions staff, the unsavory living conditions and the Beast she would break free of her bondage killing guards and medical staff attempting to perform the lobotomy. Following her escape the Valley of Peace Institution for the Criminally Insane would experience an inmate uprising.

 

Fall from Grace

 

Elektra's long and complicated past with John Garret would develop more, with Elektra having used her hypnotic powers to make Garret believe he was Ken Wind and the President. Whilst Garret was actually still dismantled in a stasis chamber in SHIELD storage building. Garret would continue believing he was living this illusion. Garret would however be found and broken out by Tekagi. The Hand desire the creation of a supremely powerful shadow warrior, using the essence of Elektra, and Garret and his special connection to Elektra may assist their goals. The Snakeroot clan, now with Garret's body, will use it to draw out an aspect of Elektra's dark essence residing within him. Tekagi explaining the ritual and its process to the other members, shadow warriors.

 

The Chaste in the mean time are concerned of many of their secrets and techniques being known by the Hand, and Stone would set out to prevent the Hand of learning anything because of Elektra's discrepancies. To complicate matters the cyborg Siege would be hired by Nick Fury to retrieve Garret's body. Tekagi and the Snaeroot would continue with their goal of creating a perfect shadow warrior using the dark essence of Elektra. They would succeed and their warrior would be named Erynys. Named after the Erinyes, the furies of Greek mythology, a reference to Elektra's roots.

 

Solo Series

 

Elektra remained working as a hired assassin witch brought her some wealth. Her experiences however left Elektra greatly depressed and she even showed sings of suicidal behavior when she did not get any assignments for some time. It was during this time that she was confronted by a wealthy man in a wheelchair namerd Jeremy Locke and his followers, among them Philip Carson, whom kidnapped her and brought her to a great mansion where they told her she had become a monster.

 

Heavily drugged, they showed her video images of all the harm she had done to people in her life, including to her own kidnappers. Eventually Elektra was released in the dessert where she would be hunted by other mercenaries whom would eventually kill her. Elektra, however heavily beaten, managed to defeat the mercenaries including Philip Carson and returned to the mansion. She confronted Jeremy Locke, but to both their surprise, did not kill him. She left him alone and told him to never come after her again.

 

She walked away feeling that Jeremy might not be as far off from the truth as she would like. This let Elektra to start a new chapter in her life. She donned a white costume instead of her well-known red costume and tried to become a better person. Although she succeeded in some of this, eventually Elektra returned to her old ways.

 

Elektra: The Hand

 

Elektra learns of the secret history of the mysterious ninja clan.

 

Enemy of the State

 

Elektra is hired by Nick Fury of SHIELD (and being paid $200,000 a day for her work) to assist them in a large scale operation after the Hand and Hydra form an alliance and begin targeting and killing superheroes. Meeting in Minneapolis, Fury breaks down the situation for his newest acquisition explaining that a resurrected mutant Gorgon is responsible and that even Wolverine has been captured. Gorgon also associated with the Dawn of the White Light.

 

They also find a crime scene thirteen civilians had been murdered in a church in ritualistic fashion, similar to many other scenes around the world. Always two priests, three nuns and eight followers. Elektra departs for South America after Fury gets word that Wolverine has been located there. He had been severely injured, burned and bloodied. SHIELD would have him treated on board a ship located in the Atlantic ocean.

 

Elektra would board the ship and hurry to met Wolverine, but before she could arrive to his room, the ships lights would go out and Wolverine would be reported as having killed his nurse as well as recovered and on the loose. Accompanied by security guard Elektra advises they all lie on the ground, but they do not follow through with the advice as Wolverine appears and quickly shreds through the men eviscerating several.

 

Elektra appears reserved however she is only being patience opting to pick her moment to attack wisely. Wolverine continues killing men, until Elektra spots an opening and swiftly attacks in one moment embedding her sai into Wolverines shoulders paralyzing him and bringing him to the ground amidst a pile of bodies. Elektra is aware that Wolverine is brainwashed by the hand so attempts to reach out to him but also cautions him that she won't hesitate to kill him.

 

Wolverine is Loose

 

Elektra appears to have Wolverine neutralized but the brainwashed mutant had planted explosives in the ship and they had just triggered by a timer. Wolverine would regain his freedom and go on the offensive slashing and shattering Elektra's trademark sai weapons at the top. Despite this Elektra's speed and skill would allow her to neutralize Wolverine a second time. Luckily for Wolverine the earlier explosion he set off had caused the ship to sink and a sudden rush of water had entered the lower rooms suddenly. Elektra would get knocked off her feet and swept away, and by the time she had tracked down Wolverine, he had locked her in the room. Wolverine would then escape on a shark as Elektra would escape the sinking ship by virtue of a radiation containment suit.

 

In the aftermath Elektra would inform SHIELD that their system mainframe had been hacked and that security had been compromised. Her suspicions would be confirmed, Wolverine and the Hand now have access White House security codes, Pentagon files, defense codes, among other highly sensitive information. Elektra would further explain that Wolverine had in fact set them up. Nick Fury would introduce Elektra at a meeting of important SHIELD personal. Elektra details them on the Hands modus operandi. Detailing the death and resurrection process as well as the objective of the Hand. SHIELD would put key authority figures as well as numerous superheroes on alert.

 

The Hand in New York

 

Elektra would return to hunting down the brainwashed Wolverine, more dangerous than ever and targeting superheroes to kill. Wolverine is tracked to the Baxter building, home of the Fantastic Four. The Hand and Hydra alliance's goals is to kill and resurrect ten new super villains within seven days. Elektra and Fury track Wolverines path of carnage around America. Wolverine and other resurrected brainwashed superheroes and Hand and Hydra soldiers rack up a deadly tally of victims.

 

Superhero Hornet is a victim. Elektra prepares to decapitate the Hornet at the initial confusion and bewilderment of Fury and SHIELD operatives, though she explains that unless she decapitates the Hornet he will be used by the Hand and Hydra, resurrected and used as a brainwashed puppet for their own goals.

 

Decapitation was the only solution to prevent that. Elektra next spends time in New York waiting for Wolverines next move, noting thats its been five weeks since Wolverine had been brainwashed. She leaves her high rise apartment to exercise across the top of the New York skyline, leaping from building to building.

 

She is well aware that she is being followed by Hand ninja however and she taunts their lack of discretion forcing them to reveal themselves. A quick fight ensues with the katana bearing Hand ninja attacking a unarmed half clothed Elektra in the snow. Despite being outnumbered and out powered Elektra makes short work out of them, defeating them all. She reports into Nick Fury to report that the Hand are aware of her betrayal.

 

The Fight for Wolverine

 

Elektra's tracking of Wolverine would lead her to stake out Matt Murdocks (Daredevil) residence. Wolverine and his Hand ninja would quietly sneak in to his apartment desiring to kill him and resurrect the blind lawyer to their cause. With Wolverine attempting a killing blow Elektra would use a sniper rifle from an adjacent rooftop to interrupt the feral mutant giving Daredevil a chance to fight back. In the process of trying to stop him, Elektra is seemingly killed again, but once again resurrected by the Hand again to act as an agent of theirs.

 

Elektra however was never really killed and helped Wolverine after he was freed from the influence of the Hand. The two fought alongside and started a crusade to destroy the Hand and Hydra once and for all. As the Kingpin stepped up his campaign against Daredevil by attempting to discredit him through a connection to Matt Murdock, Elektra comes back to help him. This was partially out of guilt as she had helped the Kingpin to collect the documents that he needed.

 

They meet with the Black Widow to retrieve the papers although Matt is shot. Elektra takes him to the Night Nurse, and although she leaves she soon returns with Hand ninjas who heal Matt. She is eventually corrupted by the hand and becomes their leader. She kidnaps Echo of the New Avengers but they come to her aid and Elektra is seemingly killed again, this time by Echo. At the end of this engagement though it is revealed that a Skrull has been posing as Elektra since the time with Wolverine when she was killed by him.

 

Skrull Impostors Actions

 

There would be predominantly two Skrull Impostors to wear the name and appearance of Elektra, Siri and Pagon. Elektra had been residing in Osaka Japan, meditating in a dojo, when she would be attacked by a Skrull impostor with her appearance except clad in black. This Skrull Elektra would throw knives at the real Elektra who would dodge the attacks and also catch one of the blades out of the air and throw back to its origin.

 

A fierce fight would ensue however the real Elektra would stand the victor. The false Elektra would state she had hoped to have beaten Elektra on fair teams, before her arms would transform to be akin to the Things and her head would light up in much the same way Ghost Rider's head would be aflame. She would shoot blue lasers much like Cyclops, but despite these additional powers the Skrull Elektra would still find herself outmaneuvered and out skilled by the real Elektra.

 

Elektra would impale the Skrull Elektra killing it, letting it drop to the floor the body reverting to its true Skrull alien form. Elektra would be weary of this alien corpse attempt to replace her and burn the body. Sensing more threats Elektra would head to the roof top. On top of the building, Elektra would find two Skrulls that were impersonating both Daredevil and Wolverine, sensing their deception she would be ready to attack, the Skrull mimicking Daredevil also possessing the powers of Cyclops and Nightcrawler, the Skrull impersonating Wolverine also possessing the abilities of Mr Fantastic. Elektra would still manage to evade optic blasts to get close and kick one Skrull as well as evade the other. She would then flip off the building leading both Skrulls to lose track of her.

 

One Skrull would teleport attempting to catch up with her yet this would play into Elektra's cunning manipulation as she would attack the left over Skrull, killing them with her sai. After killing the second Skrull Elektra would be hit by the optic blast of the returning teleporting Skrull. Hitting her with a second optic blast the Daredevil Skrull would teleport beside her, only to find Elektra playing possum and swiftly stabbing the Skrull then ripping its inwards upwards. A forth Skrull would attack Elektra after she had killed the third Skrull. This Skrull had been cloaked with the Invisible Woman's invisibility, and possessed the arms and strength of Colossus. Such a stealthy and powerful blow, the Skrull would follow up with another attack finally felling Elektra. The Skrull Pagon would shape shift taking Elektra's likeness. Meeting with Veranke to discuss her success and the future it would be Pagon who would go on to take leadership of the Hand.

 

The Murdock Papers

 

Elektra's Skrull impostor would continue to act as the real Elektra would have, maintaining familiar connections of both a friendly and rivalrous nature. Her former employer the Kingpin would make a play involving exposing Matt Murdock and giving the FBI who had been investigating the lawyer the hard evidence they would need to prove Murdock as the Daredevil and imprison him. Kingpin would achieve this by handing over years and years of accumulated evidence, parts of it acquired by Elektra herself when she had worked under Kingpin. Maintaining her cover as an ally to Daredevil, Elektra would return to New York to warn Daredevil of the coming storm.

 

Kingpin would first use reporter Ben Urich as an intermediary, and a news story is run with Kingpin smearing Murdock and Daredevil that would run in the Daily Bugle and every other major news paper. The Skrull Elektra would meet with Daredevil, with the blind lawyer initially not pleased to see her, and unaware of her replacement by Skrulls. Insisting he turn on the television the Skrull Elektra would expose Murdock to breaking news concerning Kingpin's deal with the FBI. The two would retreat to a New York rooftop, where the Skrull Elektra would reveal the extent of Kingpin's evidence mounted against Murdock and his superhero alias Daredevil. The two would be joined by the Black Widow who would be suspicious and antagonistic towards Elektra also unaware that it was a Skrull impostor.

 

Elektra would inform them which building housed the extremely sensitive information on Daredevil waiting for Murdock to decide how he wanted to deal with the problem considering the FBI were heading to the location to retrieve the papers also. Angela Del Toro the White Tiger of the time would interrupt as the three were about to head to the building. As a federal agent she was aware of the Murdock papers as well and had come to also warn Daredevil. Interrupted yet again Daredevil's extraordinary senses would allow him to negate an assassination attempt on by Bullseye on Elektra by plucking a card from the air just before it would slit her throat. Bullseye's failed attempt alerting the heroes to his presence. The Skrull Elektra and Bullseye clashing in midair and both falling to ground level whilst engaging each other in hand to hand combat.

 

Secret Invasion

 

She next takes part in Secret Invasion The Infiltration. This carries on with the previous action of the New Avengers and upon her death it is revealed the degree to which the Skrulls had infiltrated the superhero community. The specific Skrull known to replace Elektra and impersonate her is known as Siri. During Elektra's time imprisoned by the Skrulls she was tortured and subjected to various types of psychological and mental abuse designed to break her spirit and mind. Elektra stubbornly withholding information made her captors very curious and even more determined to break her will.

 

The Skrulls grow frustrated with what they perceive as Elektra's "mind tricks" and general mental resilience. They eventually resort to more brutal techniques to extract her secrets. It is eventually revealed they were so intrigued and vehement over Elektra's physiology and knowledge because of her resurrection, which they sought in order to replicate it. At the end of the story arc the real Elektra returns.

 

Dark Reign

 

Elektra having finally returned to Earth and released from the Skrulls imprisonment is in a delirious state and she is not sure what to do, as she wanders the wreckage of the battle between the Skrulls and Earths heroes in Central Park New York. She is still very confused, already injured and amidst several other Skrull captured prisoners. Although SHIELD agents come over to help and assist her she attacks them and further exacerbates her injuries further on them before retreating from the busy and crowded scene. Elektra seeks refuge behind a tree but is attacked by more SHIELD operatives, and despite injury she neutralizes two before succumbing to her wounds.

 

Iron Man comes to her aid to convince the SHIELD agents not to attack her so heavily after they have tracked her down, exclaiming that Elektra must be severely injured to have been captured so relatively easy. Elektra is put into a SHIELD recuperation facility (revealed to be a Helicarrier) to be treated and healed, and allow time for recovery. Elektra mets an anonymous with a kindly bedside manner who vows to look after her health.

 

Soon after the last battle against the Skrulls secret invasion, Norman Osborn's newfound fame and high ranking position with the United States government allows him to takes control of SHIELD and replaces it with HAMMER. Osborn orders a more strict and rigid imprisonment for Elektra who had otherwise been recuperating from injuries. All the medical staff are replaced by those of Osborn's choosing. Osborn essentially wishing to hold Elektra to find out what the Skrulls learned from testing on her.

 

Escape from the Helicarrier

 

Elektra's new medical attendees are less concerned with her health and more enthusiastic about extracting information for her, and they go about physically and mentally torturing her. It is also revealed the extent of Elektra's injuries even after three weeks of recuperation, the ninja dealing with two broken bones in her left leg, a ruptured ear, and eight broken ribs. Elektra's new doctors also discover she had been subjected to various alien toxins and poisons by the Skrulls. The mercenary known as Paladin manages to sneak into Elektra's area, Elektra still restrained by her hands and feet, still being subjected to experimental procedures designed to extract information. Paladin has a history with Elektra and is there to kill her for both professional and business reasons.

 

Paladin even reveals that the bounty on her head was 82 million dollars. Elektra is further taunted by Paladin, but she frees herself by spitting one of her loose teeth into his throat, choking him. She is also immediately attacked by a group of HAMMER agents but she beats them all even though she has no real weapons at her disposal. HAMMER agents flee from Elektra as she makes her way through the HAMMER Helicarrier. One particularly nervous HAMMER agent attempts to escape Elektra's wrath by jumping out of the actual Helicarrier with a jetpack attached to his back, yet a confident Elektra sans any flight aids free dives after the agent killing him and using his body to cushion her fall.

 

She seeks out Matt Murdock's office to look for medical supplies, but she is confronted by a nervous and frightened Foggy Nelson. At that point Elektra is again overwhelmed by her serious injuries, additional blood loss and falls unconscious. Elektra would find herself waken up in a new location after Foggy had taken her injured body to the Night Nurse. She and the Night Nurse are subsequently attacked.

 

The Twins and Dark Hawkeye

 

Elektra and the Night Nurse find the Night Nurses small medical center attacked and under fire. A redheaded one eyed woman bursts threw a window with twin Uzi weapons, as Elektra evades gunfire and saves Night Nurse from harm pushing the assassin back threw the window to take the fight to the alley way. Elektra realizes that she is actually being targeted by a pair of assassins (Nico and Carmine) with Nico, the female feeding Elektra cryptic messages and Carmine, the male snipe-ring at Elektra from a rooftop location providing cover for his sister. Outnumbered and outgunning Elektra still manages to hold her own, displaying incredible speed, reflexes and agility.

 

The two mysterious assassins use their weapons and firepower advantage to pin Elektra down to a spot, however when they require a moment to reload Elektra swiftly moves engaging Nico in hand to hand combat quickly beating her. In defeat Nico accuses Elektra of wrong doing and misdeeds. Nico appears to know Elektra quite well, Elektra with no knowledge or answers despite Nico's accusations. Elektra asserts Nico as spouting nonsense before rendering her unconscious. Elektra turns her attention to Carmine who is still using a sniper rifle some distance away on a roof top. Before Elektra can reach the one eyed sniper, Bullseye dressed in his "Hawkeye" garb as a part of Norman Osborns Dark Avengers theme has entered the scenario and already killed Carmine.

 

Elektra pauses ever so briefly after having scaled the tall building to get to Carmine, as she glances at the back of a third person wearing the suit of the Avenger Hawkeye, as she realizes that it is her long time enemy Bullseye. Elektra readies herself as Bullseye engages in a discussion with her. The arrogant Bullseye taunts and mocks Elektra before attempting to kill her by throwing a bullet at her free hand, which preempts a physical confrontation between the two.

 

Bullseye and Loose Ends

 

Still injured and having already fought against Nico and Carmine Elektra struggles against Bullseye who is still fresh and under orders from Norman Osborn himself to eliminate Elektra. Still Elektra can hold her ground and Bullseye appears to be enjoying his advantages. Nico interrupts the fight as she staggers towards her brother, now lifeless at the hands of Bullseye. Nice is grief stricken and attempts to wake her brother.

 

With a sadistic grin Bullseye launches an arrow at Nico with lethal intent, only Elektra's skillful intervention saving Nico. After plucking the arrow out of the air Elektra realizes that it had been laced with toxic poisons. Realizing her mistake too late she is knocked off of the side of the top of the building by Bullseye. Elektra would attempt to grab a ledge, but would fall to the ground where she would realize Bullseye was already waiting.

 

The arrogant marksman would prepare to kill Elektra, as she would sprint towards him ready to attack. Using her speed and agility she would vaunt over him removing one of his spare arrows, impaling it, stabbing it, embedding it into Bullseye. Bullseye is mortally injured and he stumbles away desperately searching for HAMMER agents who may be able to heal him and save him from his wounds. Elektra is not in much better of a physical state as Nico reluctantly tends to her.

 

Nico aware Elektra saved her life, still questions her aggressively over the phrase "the stars are safe in the sky" wanting to know what it means. Elektra once again explains the phrase means nothing to her and that she has no reason to lie. HAMMER agents descend on to the scene, firing at both woman with weapons, with the X-Man Wolverine making a timely intervention running through the HAMMER agents with his adamantium claws. It had turned out that the Night Nurse had called Wolverine informing him of the situation. Wolverine assists Elektra with finding a place to lay low.

 

The Stars are Safe

 

Two weeks later Elektra has is rejuvenated and has recovered from her various injuries and battle wounds. Now back on her feet her curiosity surrounding the two red headed assassins can be addressed. Elektra had been using a safe house courtesy of Wolverine, with the three clawed mutant occasionally visiting to check up on her and giving her information about Nico. Wolverine and Elektra would exchange information, both not quite certain when the last time they had actually met after the confusion of an Skrull Elektra impostor acting as Elektra for an extended period of time.

 

Elektra and Wolverine part on respectful terms. Elektra has intel that points to her would be assassins location at a SHIELD forensics site 434-B, the site of the crash of the SHIELD Blackhawk Helicarrier after an attack some years prior when the Hand attacked and brought down the aforementioned Helicarrier. It turns out that a group of former SHIELD agents had held a grudge against Elektra as she had been partially responsible for the death and injury of many of their teammates during the SHIELD Blackhawk Helicarrier incident. Nico arrives and reports to an Agent Brothers who is playing a double role as a HAMMER agent.

 

She reports the death of her brother Carmine as well as explaining Elektra's denial of the phrase "the stars are safe in the sky" leading Agent Brothers to express sympathy for Nicos loss. Agent Brothers turns his attention to hiring another assassin to eliminate Elektra and mentions hiring teleporting mercenary Solo. Nico leaves the room only to be confronted by Elektra herself, Nico alerts Agent Brothers but Elektra quickly disables both. An angry and emotional Agent Brothers starts venting at Elektra accusing her of being responsible for the death of 213 SHIELD agents.

 

Elektra calmly and directly explains the situation with the Skrull impostor. Norman Osborn appears in a two way video feed explaining he had been aware of this side project of Agent Brothers. Norman makes cryptic reference to Elektra's ability to repress memories influencing her to quietly search her mind for memories. Elektra realizes that she had been responsible for the deaths and the SHIELD Blackhawk Helicarrier crash. Nico and Agent Brothers realize this from her reaction as well, and draw to kill Elektra, however Elektra is faster and neutralizes both former SHIELD agents, somewhat reluctantly, but necessarily. She departs with a heavy conscience.

 

Code Red

 

Elektra is asked by (Thundra acting on behalf of) the Red Hulk to join his Code Red team. After the mutant X-Men member Domino witnesses the Red Hulk's transformation and becomes one of the few people (at the time) to know and identify who he really was, Red Hulk must go into risk assessment mode, his secret to valuable. Although the Red Hulk pursued Domino keen to silence her, Dominos mutant fortune powers helped her evade and escape. Red Hulk decides the best way to deal with this potential threat to revealing his true identity is to assemble a team to track down and hunt Domino.

 

Red Hulk collects a number of specialists who have certain skills, including Deadpool, Punisher, Crimson Dynamo and Thundra, with Elektra rounding out the team. Elektra appears to be the only person in his team that Red Hulk has respect for, that and he valued her combat abilities. Elektra appears at the groups first meeting last, exclaiming to the group that they do not need to worry about looking Domino as she has already located her. Elektra leads the Code Red team to where Domino is supposedly located - a bar in Hells Kitchen.

 

Then Elektra and the rest of the group spot Domino, but they also realize that the rest of X-Force, Domino's current team was present as well. Code Red would enter and a tense period would ensue with a stand off of sorts between the two teams. Wolverine and Red Hulk would clash, with the rest of the teams following suit, Elektra herself opting instead to blend into the shadows.

 

Domino would engage in battle with Thundra and gain the upper hand. While all the other fighters were preoccupied Elektra would use that opportunity to gain a physical advantage over Domino, pinning her to a bar top. Elektra would question Domino, suspicious of the current circumstances and why Red Hulk had asked her to join his team. Surrounding chaos would create an explosion during which Elektra and Domino would disappear from the scene.

 

Red She Hulk

 

Elektra would led Domino away from battle well aware of the potential of Red Hulk killing Domino to silence her. Jumping across rooftops Elektra explains that distance is the best option right now. They need a way to prove the Code Red fight and X-Force was a set up. Domino is hesitant to tell Elektra Red Hulk's identity, but believes they should seek Silver Sable. Unfortunately they find themselves in new dang22 data-resize-url="" datards them.

 

The explosion is devastating but Elektra and Domino manage to evade its effect. Elektra tries to persuade Domino to run for safety as Elektra can hold off Red Hulk but Domino is unwilling to leave the assassin alone. As they soon become aware of though, it was not Red Hulk that had thrown a fire truck at them, but a new enemy, Red She Hulk who further announced her presence by tearing through a cement truck to get at the two fighters.

 

Red She Hulk would aggressively and violently throw large objects at Domino, Elektra taking the opportunity to leap to higher ground, by somersaulting on to some steel girders. Elektra would throw several shuriken at the Red She Hulk, Domino would use her guns to fire at her, but neither offense would harm the giant red woman. Red She Hulk attacks and attempts to strip Domino dangling her over a edge. Elektra would use Red She Hulks lapse in concentration to deliver a brutal kick and sai attack to her back, catch Domino and swing her to safety. Elektra's sai attack effectively neutralizing Red She Hulk via paralysis Elektra and Domino can escape. Red She Hulk would keep Elektra's sai and one of Domino's and use them to claim she had killed both.

 

Shadowland

 

The infamous organization of ninja thieves and assassins the Hand had asked their frequent enemy and superhero Daredevil as their leader. Daredevil was sure that he could control and pacify the organization and lead them into a new area where they woulds do good. What Matt Murdock would fail to realize is that he was slowly being possessed by the Hand’s demon lord and he would take control of Hell’s Kitchen. After his long time nemesis Bullseye destroys a city block in Hells Kitchen killing over 100 people Daredevil would take extreme action killing Bullseye for his crimes, also taking the law into his own hands as well.

 

This further signaling Matt Murdocks descent into the grip of the Hands demon lord. Erecting a giant fortress at the site of Bullseye destruction Daredevil would name this new fortress under his Hand's control Shadowland. Elektra is brought into the situation by Master Izo for whom she is working and attempting to save Matt. Master Izo would appeal to Elektra to not let Murdock become what she has became. Several Hand ninja would appear before Elektra and explain to her that Daredevil will not tolerate her presence in New York, and that she is required to leave. As they attempt to depart however Elektra would make her intent known, then she would proceed to kill them. She would fall during the battle after eliminating the ninja's, landing on to street level and witness by a televised live report Matt Murdock killing Bullseye. She would depart for the Shadowland itself.

 

She arrives and intervenes before Daredevil can bring Bullseye back to life. She acts as an information broker for numerous other street heroes (Luke Cage, Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, Wolverine and Ghost Rider.) Eventually a number of them confront Daredevil and although he is initially able to stop most of them, Iron Fist is able to stop him by his his chi abilities to heal him. Matt is able to shake off the influence of the demon partly as Elektra enters his mind and coaches him to fight back.

 

Heroes for Hire

 

Afterwards Elektra is asked to join the newest Heroes for Hire. She is hired by Misty Knight and acts as an assassin but of villains. Her first mission is to assassinate Bernard Waterman, a biochemist and drug trafficker that had been importing Atlantean drugs. Bernard Waterman also actually being an fake identity, belonging to Atlantean Kurod Ormaon. Bernard was a genius but greedy and paranoid. He had made a fortune of extracting an enzyme secreted by humans that could be used to get on a high for Atlanteans. He would sell this drug known as Hook to humans and atlanteans alike making a small fortune.

 

His drug however is incredibly dangerous killing many of its users. Misty would disable his penthouses security measures allowing Elektra to sneak in and make her kill, which she does with lethal efficiency despite the Atlantean's powerful physiology. During the Spider-Island crossover event she is shown fighting alongside other members of her team as the arachnid infection of New York City continues. This was planned by the Jackal in which genetically modified insects overrun New York City and give powers to minor criminals.

 

Powers and Abilities

 

Elektra is well known as an elite assassin, if not the top assassin on Earth, as well as widely considered one of the best hand to hand fighters and martial artists as well as having proficiency and expertise with numerous weapons especially those typically associated with an assassin and kunoichi, such as katana, ninja stars, shurikens and throwing blades. Elektra is especially fond of using sai weapons and they have become somewhat of a trademark for her.

 

The level of Elektra's abilities with a number of weapons and a proficiency in hand-to-hand combat which is matched by few and which allows her to even effectively engage those with superpowers. Her martial arts skills often take on a more mystical nature, with her being able to manipulate people’s minds and make them see illusions or alternately having an elevated healing factor (these abilities are not consistently displayed though.) She is also shown at times being able to control her own body functions, slowly down such things as breathing rate, heart rate or blood flow.

 

Her assassination abilities also extend to stealth and she has even been shown to be able to sneak up on Daredevil (which is nearly impossible with his advanced senses.) Her weapon of choice are paired sais though she has been proven adept with swords and modern firearms.

 

Elektra's level of fitness and physicality can be described as being akin to that of a professional Olympic athlete, especially her gymnastic abilities, agility, flexibility, stamina, balance, coordination, dexterity and reflexes. Elektra is trained and adept in several martial arts disciplines, including several obscure and ancient styles and disciplines as well as more traditional arts such as Ninjutsu.

 

Elektra is especially stoic and battle hardened. Her intense discipline can allow her to resist injury wounds and general pain. Elektra is considered to have vague and hard to define mystical powers that can seemingly allow for occasional supernatural feats. When she was killed, she was resurrected, and she is impervious to any form of psychic attack when she is prepared for it. She also has a few minor psychic abilities.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

 

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

 

Secret Identity: Elektra Natchios

 

Publisher: Marvel

 

First appearance: Daredevil #168 (Jan. 1981)

 

Created by: Frank Miller (Writer and Artist)

The Lost World (20th Century Fox, 1960).

youtu.be/h1CLA-gJbmA?t=5s Trailer

Irwin Allen, the producer who would go on to make the disaster film a huge success in the seventies, brought us this Saturday afternoon fodder with giant lizards posing as dinosaurs. Starring Michael Rennie, David Hedison, Claude Rains and Jill St. John.

Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's Lost World (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon upon which dinosaurs still lived. Aside from the paleontological presumptions in the premise, there is little "science" in The Lost World. Nonetheless, dinosaur movies have traditionally been lumped into the sci-fi genre.

Synopsis

When his plane lands in London, crusty old professor George Edward Challenger is besieged by reporters questioning him about his latest expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon River. After the irascible Challenger strikes reporter Ed Malone on the head with his umbrella, Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of Ed's employer, Stuart Holmes, offers the injured reporter a ride into town. That evening, Jenny is escorted by Lord John Roxton, an adventurer and big game hunter, to Challenger's lecture at the Zoological Institute, and Ed invites them to sit with him. When Challenger claims to have seen live dinosaurs, his colleague Professor Summerlee scoffs and asks for evidence. Explaining that his photographs of the creatures were lost when his boat overturned, Challenger invites Summerlee to accompany him on a new expedition to the "lost world," and asks for volunteers. When Roxton raises his hand, Jenny insists on going with him, but she is rejected by Challenger because she is a woman. Ed is given a spot after Holmes offers to fund the expedition if the reporter is included. The four then fly to the Amazon, where they are met by Costa, their guide and Manuel Gomez, their helicopter pilot. Arriving unexpectedly, Jenny and her younger brother David insist on joining them. Unable to arrange transportation back to the United States, Challenger reluctantly agrees to take them along. The next day, they take off for the lost world and land on an isolated plateau inhabited by dinosaurs. That evening, a dinosaur stomps out of the jungle, sending them scurrying for cover. After the beast destroys the helicopter and radio, the group ventures inland. When one of the creatures bellows threateningly, they flee, and in their haste, Challenger and Ed slip and tumble down a hillside, where they encounter a native girl. The girl runs into the jungle, but Ed follows and captures her. They then all take refuge in a cave, where Roxton, who has been making disparaging remarks about Jenny's desire to marry him solely for his title, angers Ed. Ed lunges at Roxton, pushing him to the ground, where he finds a diary written by Burton White, an adventurer who hired Roxton three years earlier to lead him to the lost diamonds of Eldorado. Roxton then admits that he never met White and his party because he was delayed by a dalliance with a woman, thus abandoning them to certain death. Gomez angrily snaps that his good friend Santiago perished in the expedition. That night, Costa tries to molest the native girl, and David comes to her rescue and begins to communicate with her through sign language. After Gomez goes to investigate some movement he spotted in the vegetation, he calls for help, and when Roxton runs out of the cave, a gunshot from an unseen assailant is fired, nearly wounding Roxton and sending the girl scurrying into the jungle. Soon after, Ed and Jenny stray from camp and are pursued by a dinosaur, and after taking refuge on some cliffs, watch in horror as their stalker becomes locked in combat with another prehistoric creature and tumbles over the cliffs into the waters below. Upon returning to camp, they discover it deserted, their belongings in disarray. As David stumbles out from some rocks to report they were attacked by a tribe of natives, the cannibals return and imprison them in a cave with the others. As the drums beat relentlessly, signaling their deaths, the native girl reappears and motions for them to follow her through a secret passageway that leads to the cave in which Burton White lives, completely sightless. After confirming that all in his expedition perished, White tells them of a volcanic passageway that will lead them off the plateau, but warns that they must first pass through the cave of fire. Cautioning them that the natives plan to sacrifice them, White declares that their only chance of survival is to slip through the cave and then seal it with a boulder. After giving them directions to the cave, White asks them to take the girl along. As the earth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption, quakes, they set off through the Graveyard of the Damned, a vast cavern littered with dinosaur skeletons, the victims of the deadly sulfurous gases below. Pursued by the ferocious natives, Roxton takes the lead as they inch their way across a narrow ledge above the molten lava. After escaping the natives, they jam the cave shut with a boulder and, passing a dam of molten lava, finally reach the escape passage. At its mouth is a pile of giant diamonds and a dinosaur egg. As Costa heaps the diamonds into his hat, Challenger fondles the egg and Gomez pulls a gun and announces that Roxton must die in exchange for the death of Santiago, Gomez' brother. Acting quickly, Ed hurls the diamonds at Gomez, throwing him off balance and discharging his gun. The gunshot awakens a creature slumbering in the roiling waters below. After the beast snatches Costa and eats him alive, Ed tries to dislodge the dam, sending a few scorching rocks tumbling down onto the monster. Feeling responsible for the peril of the group, Gomez sacrifices his life by using his body as a lever to dislodge the dam, covering the creature with oozing lava. As the cave begins to crumble from the impending eruption, the group hurries to safety. Just then, the volcano explodes, destroying the lost world. After Roxton hands Ed a handful of diamonds he has saved as a wedding gift for him and Jenny, Challenger proudly displays his egg, which then hatches, revealing a baby dinosaur. The End.

The 50s had seen several examples of the dinosaur sub-genre. LW is one of the more lavish ones, owing to color by DeLuxe and CinemaScope. The A-level actors help too. Claude Rains plays the flamboyant Challenger. Michael Rennie plays Roxton, perhaps a bit too cooly. Jill St. John and Vitina Marcus do well as the customary eye candy. David Hedison as Malone and Fernando Lamas as Gomez round out the bill.

The first film version of LW was a silent movie shot in 1925: screenplay by Marion Fairfax. The film featured stop-motion animated dinosaurs by a young Willis O'Brien. Fairfax followed Doyle's text, but Fairfax added a young woman to the team, Paula White. Ostensibly trying to find her father from the first failed expedition, she provided the love triangle interest between Malone and Roxton.

Allen's screenplay tried to stick to Doyle's text as much as Hollywood would allow. It carried on Fairfax's invention of the young woman member of the group as triangle fodder. Fairfax had Doyle's ape men (ape man) but omitted the native humans. Allen had the natives, but no ape men. Allen revived the Gomez/revenge subplot, which Fairfax skipped. Doyle's story had Challenger bringing back a pterodactyl. Fairfax made it a brontosaur who rampaged through London streets (spawning a popular trope). Allen suggested the baby dinosaur traveling to London.

Willis O'Brien pitched 20th Century Fox in the late 50s, to do a quality remake of LW. He had gained much experience in the intervening 35 years, so his stop-motion dinosaurs were to be the real stars. Fox bass liked the idea, but by the time the ball started rolling, there was trouble in studioland. Fox's grand epic Cleopatra was underway, but was already 5 million dollars over budget. Cleo would nearly sink 20th Century Fox when it was finally released in 1963. To stay afloat, all other Fox films' budgets were slashed. Allen could no longer afford the grand O'Brien stop-motion.

Allen's production is often criticized for its "cheap" dinosaurs, which were live monitor lizards and alligators with fins and plates and horns glue onto them. (more on that below) These were already a bit cheesy when used in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. O'Brien is still listed on the credits as "Effects Technician," but all Allen could afford was lizards with glued on extras. Somewhat amusingly, the script still refers to them as brontosaurs and T-Rexes.

The character of Jennifer Holmes starts out promising. She's a self-assured to the edges of pushy, and is said to be able to out shoot and out ride any man. Yet, when she gets to the Amazon jungle, she's little more than Jungle Barbie, dressed in girlie clothes and screaming frequently. She even does the typical Hollywood trip-and-fall when chased by the dinosaur, so that a man must save her.

Bottom line? FW is a finer example of the not-quite-sci-fi dinosaur sub-genre. The actors are top drawer, even if some of their acting is a bit flat. Nonetheless, FW is a fair adaptation of Doyle's

classic adventure novel, given the constraints of Hollywood culture.

 

The Movie Club Annals … Review

The Lost World 1960

Introduction

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin Allen's 1960 production of The Lost World. Nothing. It was perfect in every way. I therefore find myself in the unique and unfamiliar position of having to write a rave review about a Movie Club movie that was entirely devoid of flaws.

Faced with such a confounding task, I half-heartedly considered faking a bad review, then praying my obvious deceptions would go unnoticed. But the patent transparency of my scheme convinced me to abandon it posthaste. After all, leveling concocted criticisms at such an unassailable masterpiece would be a futile and tiresome exercise, the pretense of which would escape nary a semi-cognizant soul.

Thus, having retreated from my would-be descent into literary intrigue, I start this review in earnest by borrowing a quote from the legendary Shelly Winters, spoken during the 1972 filming of Irwin Allen's The Poseidon Adventure:

"I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. Allen.” Shelly Winters, 1972

Review

A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.

The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.

Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl

She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.

By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.

Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.

Vitina, as Sarit

Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.

Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.

And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.

For those who would still question the genius of Irwin Allen, I defy you to find a better casting choice for the character of Lord John Roxton than that of Michael Rennie. Mr. Rennie, who earlier starred as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to even greater heights, starring as The Keeper in episodes 1.16 and 1.17 of the revered Lost in Space TV series. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Rennie often played highly cerebral characters with

unique names, such as Garth A7, Tribolet, Hasani, Rama Kahn, Hertz, and Dirk. How befitting that his most prolific roles came to him through a man named Irwin, a highly cerebral character with a unique name.

The selection of David Hedison to play Ed Malone was yet another example of Irwin's uncanny foresight. Soon after casting him in The Lost World, Irwin paved Mr. Hedison's path to immortality by casting him as a lead character in his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series. Although Voyage ended in 1968, Mr. Hedison departed the show with a solid resume and a bright future.

In the decades following Voyage, Mr. Hedison has been a veritable fixture on the small screen, appearing in such socially influential programs as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy and The A Team. Mr. Hedison's early collaborations with Irwin Allen have left him never wanting for a day's work in Hollywood, a boon to the legions of discerning fans who continue to savor his inspiring prime time depictions.

Irwin selected Fernando Lamas to play Manuel Gomez, the honorable and tortured soul of The Lost World who needlessly sacrificed himself at the end of the movie to save all the others. To get a feel for how important a casting decision he was to Irwin, just look at the pertinent experience Mr. Lamas brought to the table:

Irwin knew that such credentials could cause him to lose the services of Mr. Lamas to another project, and he took great pains to woo him onto the set of The Lost World. And even though Mr. Lamas never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his talent is not lost on us.

Jay Novello was selected by Irwin Allen to play Costa, the consummate Cuban coward who perpetually betrays everyone around him in the name of greed. In pursuing his craven calling, Mr. Novello went on to play Xandros, the Greek Slave in Atlantis, The Lost Continent, as well as countless other roles as a coward.

Although Mr. Novella never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his already long and distinguished career as a coward made him the obvious choice for Irwin when the need for an experienced malingerer arose.

Jill St. John was Irwin's pick to play Jennifer Holmes, the "other" glamour girl in The Lost World. Not to be upstaged by glamour-cave-girl Vitina Marcus, Jill played the trump card and broke out the pink go-go boots and skin-tight Capri pants, the perfect Amazonian summertime jungle wear.

Complete with a perfect hairdo, a killer wardrobe, a little yip-yip dog named Frosty, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and pampered prehistoric society, Jill's sensational allure rivaled even that of a certain cave girl appearing in the same film.

With the atmosphere rife for an on-set rivalry between Jill and Vitina, Irwin still managed to keep the peace, proving that he was as skilled a diplomat as he was a director.

Claude Rains, as Professor George Edward Challenger

And our cup runneth over, as Irwin cast Claude Rains to portray Professor George Edward Challenger. His eminence, Mr. Rains is an entity of such immeasurable virtue that he is not in need of monotonous praise from the likes of me.

I respectfully acknowledge the appearance of Mr. Rains because failure to do so would be an unforgivable travesty. But I say nothing more on the subject, lest I state something so obvious and uninspiring as to insult the intelligence of enlightened reader.

Irwin's casting of the cavemen mustn't be overlooked, for their infallibly realistic portrayals are unmatched within the Pleistocene Epoch genre of film. Such meticulous attention to detail is what separates Irwin Allen from lesser filmmakers, whose pale imitations of his work only further to underscore the point.

To be sure, it is possible to come away with the unfounded suspicion that the cavemen are really just a bunch of old white guys from the bar at the local Elks lodge. But Irwin was an absolute stickler for authenticity, and would never have allowed the use of such tawdry measures to taint his prehistoric magnum opus.

In truth, Irwin's on-screen cavemen were borne of many grueling years of anthropological research, so the explanation for their somewhat modern, pseudo-caucasian appearance lies obviously elsewhere. And in keeping with true Irwin Allen tradition, that explanation will not be offered here.

1964 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season One, Episode 7 - "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Vitina Marcus as The Native Girl. Produced by Irwin Allen.

And then there was Irwin Allen's masterful handling of the reptilian facets of The Lost World, most notably his inimitable casting of the dinosaurs. His dinosaurs were so realistic, so eerily lifelike, that they almost looked like living, breathing garden variety lizards with dinosaur fins and horns glued to their backs and heads.

The less enlightened viewer might even suppose this to be true, that Irwin's dinosaurs were indeed merely live specimens of lizards, donned in Jurassic-era finery, vastly magnified, and retro-fitted into The Lost World via some penny-wise means of cinematic trickery.

But those of us in the know certainly know better than that, as we are privy to some otherwise unpublished information about The Lost World. The lifelike appearance of the Irwin's dinosaurs can be attributed to a wholly overlooked and fiendishly cunning approach to the art of delusion, which is that the dinosaurs didn't just look real, they were real.

While the world abounds with middling minds who cannot fathom such a reality, we must follow Irwin's benevolent leanings and temper our natural feelings of contempt for this unfortunate assemblage of pedestrian lowbrows. In spite of Irwin's superior intellect, he never felt disdain toward the masses that constituted his audiences. He simply capitalized on their unaffectedness, and in the process recounted the benefits of exploiting the intellectually bereft for personal gain.

The purpose of all this analysis, of course, is to place an exclamation point on the genius of Irwin Allen, the formation of his dinosaur exposé being a premier example. Note how he mindfully manipulates the expectations of his unsuspecting audience, compelling them to probe the dinosaurs for any signs of man-made chicanery. Then, at the palatial moment when the dinosaurs make their entry, he guilefully supplants the anticipated display of faux reptilia with that of the bona fide article.

Upon first witnessing the de facto dinosaurs, some in the audience think they've been had, and indeed they have. Irwin, in engineering his masterful ruse, had used reality as his medium to convey the illusion of artifice. His audience, in essence, was blinded by the truth. It was the immaculate deception, and none but Irwin Allen could have conceived it.

Indeed, the matter of where the live dinosaurs came from has been conspicuously absent from this discussion, as the Irwinian technique of fine film making strongly discourages the practice of squandering time on extraneous justifications and other such trite means of redundant apologia. For the benefit of the incessantly curious, however, just keep in mind that Irwin Allen wrote and produced The Time Tunnel TV Series, a fact that should provide some fair insight into his modis operandi.

Carl R.

 

In the photo, you can see the statue of Lt. John Anthony, who's in a position to tip over, the fight in disarray, without a sword sheath, seeing themselves alongside a piece of it, broken in the heat of battle.

 

The episode of Withdrawal of Laguna occurred in the context of the War of the Triple Alliance.

 

Monumento aos Heróis da Laguna e Dourados-

 

Na foto,pode-se ver a estátua do Tenente Antônio João,em posição de quem vai tombar,na luta,em desalinho,bainha sem espada,vendo-se ao lado um pedaço da mesma,quebrada no fragor da luta.

 

O episódio da Retirada da Laguna ocorreu no contexto da Guerra da Tríplice Aliança.

 

Rio de Janeiro-Brasil

 

Todos os direitos reservados, sendo proibida qualquer reprodução ou divulgação das imagens para fins comerciais ou não, em qualquer mídia ou meio de comunicação inclusive na WEB, sem prévia consulta e aprovação, conforme LEI N° 96.610/1998, que rege sobre o Direito Autoral e Direito de Uso da Imagem

  

finally got my studio back up and running after being in total disarray from remodeling.

 

so i started a still life with some of my Royal Ballet artifacts and my mother’s pearls and some vintage satin gloves AND my opera glasses from the Royal Ballet.

 

now, in complete transparency, i didn’t see the royal ballet in london. have never seen it other than videos, but being a huge fan i bought the opera glasses online. and use them at the ballet in orange county.

 

in the early 2002 i had had a really bad accident and was in hospital/nursing home for 6 weeks. i was off-line for quite a while and my friend from a ballet forum, a fellow RB aficionado, sort of panicked.

 

when i finally was able to write her and tell her what happened, she went on a mission getting autographs and signed dancers’ photos for me.

 

i’ve kept that box of stuff all these years. those simple things make me smile remembering not only her kindness but that of the dancers who signed programs, photos and cast lists for a lady in california lucky to be alive, but broken.

 

so i have autographs of some of the greats of the royal ballet from yesteryear.

 

this is a preliminary image, i think it will improve over the next few days.

 

2lil owls textures

Edited Hubble Space Telescope image of the group of three galaxies known by NGC 7764A. Color/processing variant.

 

Original caption: The subject of this image is a group of three galaxies, collectively known as NGC 7764A. They were imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, using both its Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The two galaxies in the upper right of the image appear to be interacting with one another — indeed, the long trails of stars and gas extending from them both give the impression that they have both just been struck at great speed, thrown into disarray by the bowling-ball-shaped galaxy to the lower left of the image. In reality, however, interactions between galaxies happen over very long time periods, and galaxies rarely collide head-on with one another. It is also unclear whether the galaxy to the lower left is actually interacting with the other two, although they are so relatively close in space that it seems possible that they are. By happy coincidence, the collective interaction between these galaxies have caused the two on the upper right to form a shape, which from our Solar System's perspective, ressembles the starship known as the USS Enterprise from Star Trek! NGC 7764A, which lies about 425 million light years from Earth in the constellation Phoenix, is a fascinating example of just how awkward astronomical nomenclature can be. The three galaxies are individually referred to as NGC 7764A1, NGC 7764A2 and NGC 7764A3, and just to be really difficult, an entirely separate galaxy, named NGC 7764, sits in the skies about a Moon’s distance (as seen from Earth) away. This rather haphazard naming makes more sense when we consider that many of the catalogues for keeping track of celestial bodies were compiled well over 100 years ago, long before modern technology made standardising scientific terminology much easier. As it is, many astronomical objects have several different names, or might have names that are so similar to other objects’ names that they cause confusion.

This is the deal ya'll check the post! <3

 

thespouge.wordpress.com/2014/05/01/the-shops/

  

Pattern is Gypsy wife by Jenn Kingwall. Fabric.... too many to name, but Denyse Schmidt, Sweetwater, Kaffe Fassett are a few. This is the most complicated quilt I have made, but it's come together so nicely. I'm not sure what I'm most excited about: my tidy sewing room or this completed quilt. My sewing room was in total disarray as it was getting assembled but the end product is sure worth it! Special thanks to Stitch in Jordan, Ontario for selling these kits! You did an amazing job.

Not abandoned this country house appears to have someone living in parts of the back of the house . There are new building materials laying about the property as if things might be moving forward at a snails pace inside . Iron sheeting and ridge capping lay on the roof as if repairs might be about to start .

Its all a bit of a mystery .. the lawn mown and the garden in total disarray..

 

Booral .

The Bucketts Way . NSW

Whilst the LL-553 prototype had been well received by the space federation (12 favourites, woo hoo!!) a ferocious Ugokin* attack left it virtually destroyed. The team was in disarray & a rebuild commenced from scratch.

Then with revenge on their minds, thoughts turned to artillery, or to be technical, guns; the bigger the better & plenty of them!!

 

*with much homage & respect to Nnenn :-)

Their 'first dance' as newly-weds. A jumble of hilarious events leading to them being hoisted up on chairs in the air by all sorts of friends and family.

 

It was such a beautiful moment, and I'm so glad I was able to snag this shot out of the disarray. They were bouncing all over the place up until this moment, where (and this is where my imagination kicks in) things slowed down and allowed them to hold hands, if only for a moment.

 

There wasn't a person in the room who wasn't smiling. :)

 

In the far reaches of northern Scotland, within a village where time meanders at its own tranquil pace, a series of images unfolds, painting a tableau of life's relentless march amidst the shadows of climate's dismay and the distant rumbles of war that threaten to engulf Europe. It is a Wednesday evening, draped in the quietude of rainfall, a scene reminiscent of an Edward Hopper collection—imbued with solitude, emptiness, yet a profound continuance.

 

A Poem:

 

In this hamlet 'neath Scottish skies so wide,

Where the rains whisper and the winds confide,

Looms the spectre of a world in disarray,

Yet within these bounds, life finds its way.

 

Upon the cusp of night, shadows merge and dance,

In the pub's warm glow, eyes steal a glance.

The hearth's soft crackle, a comforting song,

In this northern retreat, where hearts belong.

 

The world outside may churn and roar,

With climates wracked and the drums of war.

Yet here we stand, in this time-suspended place,

Where tomorrow's worries are but a trace.

 

The local pub, our living room, our sphere,

A sanctuary from doubt, from dread, from fear.

We'll return come dusk, as sure as the tide,

In the rhythm of the ordinary, we take pride.

 

For what are we, but passengers in time,

Through days mundane, through nights sublime?

The question lingers, in the air, it floats,

Is this all there is? In whispers, it denotes.

 

Yet, as we stand 'neath the gentle pour,

We find beauty in the repeat, in the encore.

For in these moments, life's essence we distill,

In the quiet of the village, in the peace, so still.

 

A Haiku:

 

Rain veils the night's face,

Quiet pub bids farewell—

Life's quiet march on.

The heath spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) grows on acid soil in heath. I am pretty sure that the taxonomy of this genus is in disarray as the D maculata in Austria seem quite different from those in Orkney.

A city street in picturesque autumn disarray.

Grass Orb Web Spiders are nocturnal spiders that love to position themselves with stretched legs so that they are well-camouflage among long lalang grasses.

 

The identity of this orb weaver spider is somewhat in disarray and will require more studies.

 

Sample by Chan Zi Yang

 

More on Macro Photography here: pixelsdimension.com/

Check out Malaysia's wildlife here: wildlifemalaysia.com/

 

Bronze, Early Augustan, Allegedly from Asia Minor

H. 29 cm.

 

Hollow-cast by the lost wax method in five parts [1] joined to each other by fusion-welding, extensively cold-worked: patched, chased, burnished and polished. The eyes silver, the inlaid irises missing. Lips, nipples and button on pommel of sword inlaid in copper.

 

Condition: patina light olive green to blackish green, copper-coloured metal showing through in places, specks of light green cuprous chloride here and there, the odd spot of cuprite, traces of light-coloured earth incrustation; the surface, originally very smooth, in places scraped with superficial spots of pitting, a few pin-points - casting faults at join of arms and upper left thigh to body.

 

Missing the sword blade, the scabbard, the base on which he would have been seated, and at the join with the head a rectangular patch on the upper left side of his neck and a small one on the nape, at the hairline.

 

Ajax at daybreak comes to his senses. The instant when dawns upon him the terrible realization that only death can cleanse his honour. This is the Sophoclean version of Ajax [2].

 

Meditating his suicide, brooding and despondent, he would have been seated on a rock [3] probably cast at one with a small section of landscape figuring slain cattle and sheep. In his upraised right hand he held the unsheathed sword - maybe Hector's which he exchanged for his belt - of which the blade might have been of copper or silver, and in his left the scabbard.

 

Until recently [4], this was the only known representation of him in the round. The best previous comparison for the subject was a bronze patera in Lyon [5] with, on its omphalos in low relief, the same representation at this very pathetic moment of the drama. His right hand also in the same position holds the sword and he is seated on a draped rock with dead cattle at his feet; across his upper left thigh rests a scabbard and over his left forearm is the strap that would have held it. The latter an added indication, if one be needed, that the representation is Ajax, son of Telamon, King of Salamis; for Telamon means baldric in Greek. The Lyon patera has been dated by its handle and decorative elements to the 1st century A.D. Another revealing comparison is a terracotta lamp [6] reputedly from Naples in Vienna. The scene is almost identical but in addition there is a tree in the background. There are numerous gems illustrating the scene, among which one in Munich [7] shows a very similar representation.

 

In archaic times Ajax would have been shown in action, or dead. Only the great Black-Figure artist Exekias shows him contemplating suicide, and here, as with all the comparisons mentioned, we have a psychological study where the moment represented is before the action. Why a representation of Ajax at this time? B. Shefton [8] says: "It is very well possible that a Classical prototype, perhaps under the influence of Sophocles' play is indeed behind this particular iconography. It is then, however, puzzling that all its surviving precipitation should come at the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire". At first the author in his talk at Stara Zagora thought that this work harked back to a Classical original of the late 4th century, maybe a work by Lysippos, or in his tradition, though at his Getty conference he rhetorically asked "What is the date and what is the purpose or function of this admirable statuette? On account of its close parallel to the Belvedere Torso, its best comparison, its classical spirit and yet its Roman characteristics (such as the treatment of certain details, the left thigh, the shoulder-blades, the head and hair very well modelled and chiselled, the furrowed brow, also the stressed musculature, almost exaggerated, and the spinal groove, his beard and hair somewhat similar to the Boxer), we perceive between its classical inspiration and its execution reminiscences of baroque Pergamene art with eastern influences expressed in the muscles and thorax. I feel that we should place him in the second half of the 1st century B.C. and probably in the early reign of Augustus." The 1st century B.C. is a very eclectic period, but in spirit it is classicizing: Greek artists worked for Augustus. Ajax' expression bears strong resemblance with cameos of his time. J. Marszal, on a visit, pointed out that a detail such as his very severe eyebrows are characteristic of the Augustan Age. The subject of Ajax in a similar position was represented on a painting by Timomachos, one of the two paintings [9] which Julius Caesar brought back to Rome from Kyzikos for the temple of Venus Victrix. Whatever the date of the painting, whether 3rd or 1st century B.C., it reveals, with other examples such as the scene representing Ajax on the Tabula Iliaca Capitolina of the last quarter of the 1st century B.C., that Romans of the period were keenly aware of the subject.

 

The Torso Belvedere, contemporary in date, third quarter of the 1st century B.C., is the closest parallel and is also primarily to be seen from one viewpoint: "einansichtig".

 

Historically, psychologically and philosophically such a representation of Ajax is most appropriate for the period.

 

The last century B.C. was a terribly difficult time. There is civil war when Octavian becomes Augustus, with an atmosphere of perpetual uncertainty and insecurity. A representation of Ajax would have served a political purpose, have been a warning against dissension and disorder, and by inference would have been meant to be dissuasive.

 

Suetonius (Frgs. on the works of Augustus, 85,2) tells that Augustus was very interested in the psychology of Ajax and wrote a tragedy on the subject which he later destroyed. When his friends asked him what was becoming of his "Ajax", he answered "that he had thrown himself on a sponge". Augustus is here making a pun on the title of his tragedy, for Ajax threw himself on his sword, while Augustus has thrown himself on a sponge to erase any traces of his verses.

 

Historically both suicide and Ajax were in fashion just before and during the time of Augustus. Ajax was a very popular subject, for in a certain manner he incarnated the tragic condition of man, victim of the injustice of his peers. In philosophy the renewal of Stoicism honours the hero for his moral strength and will-power, thus serving as an example for all humans. As with Ajax who, shown in a moment of disarray and despair, feeling dishonoured, commits suicide; an act which the Stoics admitted, even approved of, if well planned. Suicide was an acceptable form of escape and served also as a mark of opposition to a bad prince or emperor.

 

Romans in official speeches, wishing to extol the virtues of an emperor, always referred to Ajax, Achilles or Hector.

 

In conclusion, it is probable that this work was made in the metropolis after an original of the 2nd century B.C. by a Greek artist, just as was his closest comparison, the Belvedere Torso, whose identity the author had suggested the Ajax might reveal. It is however R. Wünsche who appropriated the idea, developed and published it. It is, nevertheless, also possible that our Ajax was made in one of the great workshops of the Eastern Roman Empire for a Roman general or a philhellene prince or ruler.

 

On view: Antikenmuseum, Basel: 1988-1992

 

Mentioned: Wünsche, R.: Deutung und Wirkung des Torso vom Belvedere, Nürnberger Blätter zur Archäologie 8, 1991-92, pp. 61-69 ill. 57. - id.: Der Torso vom Belvedere. Denkmal des sinnenden Aias, MüJb 3. Folge, XLIV, 1993, pp. 7-46.

       

The author gave a twenty-minute exposé on this statuette of Ajax on 30 May at the VIIIth International Colloquium on Ancient Bronzes which took place at Stara Zagora on 28 May to 1 June 1984, and a one-hour talk at The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, entitled "Ajax contemplating suicide" on 25 April 1985. On these occasions he discussed different aspects and at the Malibu talk developed the historical context of the statuette covering the last two centuries that led up to it. But in both he drew attention to its closest parallel and comparison, the Belvedere Torso of which he showed several slides, matching views with the Ajax and said "en passant" that the present statuette could furnish the indication for the identification of the torso.

 

Subsequent to the author's 1985 talk and a visit to his collection by R. Wünsche when the author suggested the identification for the Belvedere Torso, Wünsche obtained photographs for study purposes only; but later he published a photograph and the identification in an article in 1991-92, neither acknowledging the paternity of the idea nor informing the author. This accomplished, a more thorough publication appeared in 1993, of which the author, once again, was not informed; but since he had written a letter of protest to Wünsche after the first publication, this time minimal acknowledgment was given.

 

At the closing of the George Ortiz Collection in the Hermitage, in a small symposium, George Ortiz spoke of Ajax, cat. no. 220, in detail, showing its closest comparison to be the Belvedere Torso and suggesting once again that the bronze could be the explanation for the latter's identification.

 

1 These are: the body with the right leg, the head (the join circling the base of the beard and continuing around at the hairline), both arms (the join below the shoulders), the left leg (the join running under the thigh where it meets the buttock following naturally the inguinal line and crossing on top at the back of the thigh and on its outer side). In fusion-welding the two parts are melted together at the join, adding superheated metal of similar composition. This is both a difficult and wasteful process: one has to fill the two parts with clay to avoid the hot metal running in (here it partially filled the left leg) and mount a mould inserting ducts and vents to allow the wax and gases to escape. Here, considerable cold-work has been carried out to attenuate the fusion-welding imperfections.

 

Below the buttocks traces of the soldering (probably soft solder - roughly 50% Pb & 50% Sn) that served to hold the figure on its base; a long oval opening below the right foot surely for the same purpose; the iron rod running down through the core of the right leg probably once extended into the base through the opening in the foot, though it may have been only to hold the core in place.

 

2 The tragedy (446-420 B.C.) of which a résumé of the argument is given us in F. Storr, Sophocles, Vol. II Loeb Classical Library (London/New York, 1919) as follows: "The arms of Achilles, claimed by Ajax as the bravest warrior in the host", bulwark of the Achaeans, erchos Achaion (Homer, Iliad III 229), the greatest hero after Achilles, whose body he recovered at great risk from under the walls of Troy that he might receive appropriate burial among his own "were through intrigue given to Odysseus, and Ajax vows vengeance both on the winner and on the awarders of the prize. But Athena, his patron goddess, whom his arrogance has estranged," for he committed the sin of hubris - he told her when she came to help him 'Go and look after other Achaeans, the line will never break where I stand' and to his father Telamon, King of Salamis, who asked him if he had sacrificed to the gods, that he could win glory without their help. He is punished for his arrogance and through intrigue the Achaean chieftains vote with a bare majority that the arms go to Odysseus, Athena's new protégé - "sends him a delusion so that he mistakes for his foes the sheep and cattle of the Greeks. Athena, when the play opens, is discovered conversing with Odysseus outside the tent of Ajax; she will show him his mad foe mauling the beasts within. The mad fit passes and Ajax bewails his insensate folly and declares that death alone can wipe out the shame. His wife Tecmessa and the Chorus try to dissuade him, but he will not be comforted and calls for his son Eurysaces. The child is brought, and after leaving his last injunctions for his brother Teucer, Ajax takes a tender farewell. He then fetches his sword from the tent and goes forth declaring that he will purge himself of his stains and bury his sword. Presently a Messenger from the camp announces that Teucer has returned from his foray and has learnt from Calchas, the seer, that if only Ajax can be kept within the camp for that day all may yet be well. The Chorus and Tecmessa set forth in quest of Ajax, and Tecmessa discovers him lying transfixed by his sword. Teucer finds the mourners gathered round the corpse and is preparing to bury him, when Menelaus hurries up to forbid the burial. After an angry wrangle with Teucer, Menelaus departs, but is succeeded by Agamemnon, who enforces his brother's veto and is hardly persuaded by Odysseus to relent." Odysseus says (Ajax 1357): "with me his worth outweighs his enmity.""Ajax is carried by his Salaminians to his grave, a grave (so they prophesy) that shall be famous for

all time."

 

3 As suggested by the comparisons and indicated by the uneven surface under his buttocks and the traces of soldering. The position also bears comparison with that of the Herakles in Tarentum, as described by Strabo (64 B.C.-A.D. 21).

 

4 The author was lucky enough to be offered from New York a small bronze statuette of Ajax (H: 6.75 cm), allegedly also from Asia Minor, seated on a draped rock, cast in one on a piece of landscape, its base, on which lie three dead animals, an ox, a ram and what appears to be a doe. His right hand in a similar position to that of the present statuette also holds the pommel of a sword, the blade missing, and in his left resting on the forearm is the scabbard, whereas on the present statuette it would have been held inside his arm.

 

5 Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine à Lyon Br. 144: Armand-Caillat, L.: Patères en bronze trouvées près de Lyon à l'Ile-Barbe, RA, 1959, p. 65 ff. - Boucher, S., Tassinari, S.: Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine à Lyon. Bronzes Antiques I (Paris, 1976), no. 138, pp. 122-123.

 

6 Kunsthistorisches Museum V 3601: Armand-Caillat, L.: op. cit., fig. 4. - LIMC I,1, no. 101, p. 328 ill. I,2, p. 245 (O. Touchefeu).

 

7 Staatliche Antikensammlung und Glyptothek A 458: LIMC I,1, no. 99, p. 328 ill. I,2, p. 245 (O. Touchefeu).

 

8Agamemnon or Ajax? RA, 1973, pp. 217-218.

 

9 The other was of Medea reflecting on the assassination of

her children.

St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk

 

As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.

 

Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.

 

If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.

 

The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.

 

It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.

 

Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.

 

For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.

 

The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.

 

A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.

 

With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.

 

The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.

 

Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.

 

Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.

 

The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.

 

And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.

 

Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.

 

Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.

 

Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.

 

The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.

 

Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.

 

You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.

 

Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.

 

Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.

 

Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.

 

You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.

 

Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.

 

This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?

 

If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.

 

The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.

 

As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.

Kings and Queens of France

 

Charles IX (27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was a monarch of the House of Valois who ruled as King of France from 1560 until his death. He ascended the throne of France upon the death of his brother Francis II.

 

After decades of tension, war broke out between Protestants and Catholics after the massacre of Vassy in 1562. In 1572, after several unsuccessful peace attempts, Charles ordered the marriage of his sister Margaret of Valois to Henry of Navarre, a major Protestant leader and the future King Henry IV of France, in a last desperate bid to reconcile his people.

 

Facing popular hostility against this policy of appeasement, Charles allowed the massacre of all Huguenot leaders who gathered in Paris for the royal wedding at the instigation of his mother Catherine de' Medici. This event, known as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, crippled the Huguenot movement.

 

Charles sought to take advantage of the disarray of the Huguenots by ordering the Siege of La Rochelle, but was unable to take the Protestant stronghold.

 

He died without legitimate male issue in 1574 and was succeeded by his brother Henry III.

forty-six/100

www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/pool/

 

Meet Molly Stackhouse (left) and Kelly McCormack (right) ,

Retail Sales Associates for Angela Adams Designs

in Portland, Maine.

 

Just a few doors down from my last *stranger interview*

(see below), I was greeted enthusiastically by Kelly and Molly,

who spent invaluable time introducing me to the stunning line of hand-designed and created carpets which are a *signature* item for Angela Adams Designs

 

which is a MUST to visit NOW with just a click

on angela adams designs

 

I apologize for not being able to do justice to the experience of stepping inside this amazing design studio/shop and being greeted by these gorgeous gals who were as beautiful inside as out!

 

Whether you're looking for custom area rugs, furniture, home accessories or the ultimate in classy designs, this is the place to go!

 

Unfortunately we were not able to meet Angela that day, nor her husband who creates the handsome furniture. Ironically, we discovered that Angela is a lifetime friend of my dear flickr friend, Terry, who lives on the island in Maine where Angela was raised and gets her creative inspiration!

 

Kelly and Molly were apologetic for the fact things were in a bit of disarray as they were moving to a new location on Congress Street. But to us, everything was perfectly in place and awesome!

 

On the way back to our room, we stopped by the newly refurbished "Press Hotel" which housed many of Angela's stunning designs (more to follow!) . . .

 

note: see the carpets hanging behind each gal,

plus the beautiful stack upon which they are standing!

Wall full of cracks.

St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk

 

As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.

 

Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.

 

If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.

 

The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.

 

It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.

 

Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.

 

For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.

 

The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.

 

A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.

 

With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.

 

The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.

 

Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.

 

Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.

 

The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.

 

And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.

 

Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.

 

Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.

 

Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.

 

The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.

 

Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.

 

You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.

 

Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.

 

Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.

 

Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.

 

You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.

 

Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.

 

This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?

 

If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.

 

The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.

 

As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.

St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk

 

As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.

 

Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.

 

If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.

 

The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.

 

It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.

 

Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.

 

For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.

 

The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.

 

A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.

 

With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.

 

The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.

 

Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.

 

Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.

 

The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.

 

And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.

 

Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.

 

Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.

 

Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.

 

The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.

 

Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.

 

You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.

 

Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.

 

Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.

 

Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.

 

You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.

 

Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.

 

This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?

 

If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.

 

The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.

 

As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.

Their hair is in disarray, but I couldn't be bothered. I have 2 more Takaras coming, but you know I really don't think I need any more petites. We still need some names. I am trying to hold to the KISS (keep it simple stupid) philosophy and name them something obvious or easy to recall.

This was the photo I took last night after she'd gotten in trouble...note the disarray under the tree....Yup, that was her.

 

How about that expression?

Styling available below:

twowordshotmess.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/show-a-little-leg/

Wadi Nekarot, Ramon Crater

Negev, Israel

Flag of the American puppet kingdom of Madawaska, located on the Maine/Canada border in occupied Canadian territory, soon to be featured in the story.

 

Guys, this was originally illustrated and formatted, but I just copied and pasted it here lazily. To read the story the right way, go here: (EDIT: LOOK AT FIRST COMMENT!)

 

American King: Take Two

“Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad”

-Ecclesiastes 7:7

 

Massacre of the Tories by the Sons of Liberty by Alonzo Chappel

   

To fully understand the events of the Great Revolution, we must go back to earlier decades of the Glorious Century, the 1700's. Following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War (1756-63), and the rise of Britain as the supreme world power, Louis XV, great-grandson of the Sun King, was forced to sign away most of France's New World colonies. This left Britain extremely wealthy, but still, it had war debts, as it also fought alongside Frederick II, the Great, against the Austrians and French in mainland Europe. King George III (who succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760) was the latest British sovereign of the House of Hanover, and he needed tax money, and the American colonies were a great source of income. After all, the colonists had had the protection of the mighty British army and navy during the Seven Years' War, so why should not they pay for it? The King could not run the government for free, after all. Even after the Seven Years', as late as 1766, the Redcoats were fighting Pontiac's Rebellion against those Indian tribes formerly allied to the French. On October 7th, 1763, George set up the Proclamation Line to protect those "infernal colonists," and they were not even grateful! Taxes, taxes, and, above all, more taxes, were required to pay for the New World shenanigans and the expanding empire. The Parliament soon issued the Sugar and Currency Acts (1764), taking away the colonies' rights to print money, and claiming, "It is expedient that new provisions and regulations should be established for improving the revenue of this Kingdom ... and ... it is just and necessary that a revenue should be raised ... for defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same." Shockingly, these acts proved wildly unpopular and the colonists rioted in the streets. Late to the party was the Stamp Act (1765), which infuriated most Americans. Riots and violence broke out, which the British mercilessly crushed. Virginia's Burgesses claimed the motherland could not tax Virginians under British law; "only Virginians can tax Virginians." The final kick in the crotch came with the enactment of the Quartering Act, allowing roving mobs of British soldiers and sailors to "loot, pillage, and make themselves at home on private property."

  

George III, By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Prince-Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick

 

The Parliament's refusal to repeal the Stamp and Quartering Acts resulted in the New York Rebellion of 1766, when New Yorkers took up arms against the British garrisons. After the quickly-but-bloodily-won victory by the British government, New York's government was suspended and numerous arrests ensued, including that of revolutionary Seven Years' War veteran Captain James DeLancey, a member of the radical Sons of Liberty movement.

 

After squashing the New York Independence movement, the King and Parliament flaunted their victory with the Declaratory Act, essentially rubbing in the colonists' faces that, "We can do what we want, when we want, for whatever reason we want, and you cannot do anything about it," along with the Townshend Act, yet another tax.

 

Burgeoning under all these unwanted tyrannies, many colonists became open opponents of Britain. King George watched with shock and anger, in March 5th, 1770, shortly after the election of Lord North as Prime Minister, as Americans, upon reading To the Betrayed Inhabitants of the City of Boston (a Sons of Liberty broadside), seized fifty sleeping British troops garrisoned in Boston, dragged them out of their barracks, impaled them "like flags" upon pikes, and hoisted the corpses at Boston Harbour for all to see. It was known as "The Bostonian Massacre," and it made the English cry out for revenge. It was not long before they would have it.

 

The so-called "War of the Regulation" (1765-1770), in western North Carolina, was a rebellion of the citizens against the colonial government in protest to the "Intolerable Acts" passed by Parliament. The British knew it could incite unrest in the other areas, especially after The Bostonian Massacre, and immediately brought in professional soldiers to assist Governor William Tyron in crushing the insurgency. At the Battle of Alamance, over three hundred rebels were captured by Redcoats and executed. In retaliation, a mob in New York City, a location under martial law since the Rebellion of '66, stormed a compound, freeing numerous prisoners and taking hostage five hundred British troops. They then declared that they would execute ten soldiers every day until the Intolerable Acts were repealed. They practiced what they preached: the next day, ten bodies were hoisted on pikes on Wall Street. After ten days, and one hundred executions, a British counter-attack liberated the prisoners and forced the rebels to flee for their lives. The Wall Street Hostage Crisis was over.

 

From this time forth, North America plummeted into violence and riots. Following the Hostage Crisis, Sam Adams, a leader of the Sons of Liberty, formed the Committee of Correspondence. This heavily-Masonic organization pulled the strings of power in America, much to the disgruntlement of King George. A further black eye for the crown was the newly-formed (1772) Watauga Republic, along the Louisiana border, which was formed by settlers pushing the limits of the Proclamation Line.

  

Samuel Adams

 

Britain responded with the Tea Act. This new act was designed by the East India Company to sell its hugely overpriced tea to the colonists, who would have to pay Townshend Duties, making it even more expensive. The Sons of Liberty, now on the ascension to supreme power over all independence/anti-Britain movements, retaliated with the Boston Tea Party. The Sons of Liberty chapter in Boston, Massachusetts disguised themselves as Indians, complete with tea-stained skin, turbans, scimitars, and explosives, and attacked the ships tied to the docks, massacring the sailors, throwing the tea overboard, and burning the ships. Numerous ships, however, were privateered and taken to an undisclosed location, crewed, repainted, and sent out to sea. This marks the start of the Pirate War (1773-75). British civilian ships were seized, hostages taken, property destroyed, and finally sunk-- if they could not be used as yet more pirate vessels. The Royal Navy was then stretched to its full capacity as piracy broke out all over the empire, inspired by the Tea Party.

 

Parliament had had enough. They quickly passed the Massachusetts Bay and New York Governing Act, which removed all colonial authorities, installed new ones, raised taxes, beefed up occupational troops, and made support of revolt punishable by death. It was followed quickly by the Proclamation Line of 1774, which pushed the Line of 1763 back east even further, and sent in troops to order and monitor settler relocation. While this helped the all-seeing eye of George watch and control more easily for a while, it made the western rural families and towns hate his guts. The Watauga Republic prepared violent resistance against the Line of 1774. Making the matters worse was the Administration of Justice Act of 1774, which essentially allowed local officials to persecute, execute, or exile anyone they wanted and crush uprisings and protests by whatever means necessary, and the Second Quartering Act.

 

Violence was to reign supreme during the Powder Confiscation of September 1st, 1774, when British general Thomas Gage, military governor of Massachusetts Bay, seized gunpowder supplies and brought them to Boston, where he could keep an eye on it to keep it out of the hands of "the unruly elements of society." Unfortunately, in a violent, brief skirmish, the same Sons of Liberty members who had started the Boston Tea Party stole most all of it and dispersed it across the colony in all manners of hiding spots, making it impossible to retrieve it all again. Furious, Gage cracked down, triggering riots which resulted in the deaths of fifty civilians. The Sons of Liberty quickly took hostages of soldiers stationed on the Proclamation Line and executed five for every one of the fifty civilians killed. More troops were brought in to "teach those d*** colonists a lesson," as King George so nicely put it to Lord North. Shortly after, the colonists, being pushed to their limits, formed the First Continental Assembly, under the firm control of the Sons of Liberty, and met at Carpenter's Hall, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Assembly warned King George III that the colonies were being pushed as far as possible, and that the Intolerable Acts should be immediately repealed. The Assembly, consisting of 12 colonies (Georgia was not invited because it was a penal colony), went about forming local chapters of the Sons of Liberty to act as militias and police. Gang brawls between the militias and Redcoats became a common sight, and numerous deaths ensued.

  

Thomas Gage

 

On October 19th, 1774, the HMS Peggy Stewart, a Maryland vessel attempting to bring in more "accursed ETC tea," was burned by the Sons of Liberty in Annapolis. It quickly became known as the Annapolis Tea Party. In December, New Jersey members of the Sons of Liberty, acting upon the direct orders of Sam and Johnny Adams, dressed themselves as Indians, again, complete with turbans, scimitars, and tea-stained skin, burned a massive overland shipment of tea bound for Philadelphia. It became known as the Greenwich Tea Party.

  

The Peggy Stewart Burns

 

Finally, it came to a head. On April 19th, 1775, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith marched 1000 British regulars to arrest and/or disperse (and confiscate the supplies of) the Massachusetts militia, lead by silversmith Paul Revere, at Concord, which was especially infamous for massacres of Redcoats and the burning of tea. At Concord, the British army faced the Sons of Liberty down the barrels of their muskets. As soon as dragoons moved to arrest the leaders, shots were fired. Within thirty minutes, 100 "Lobsterbacks" had perished. Revere ordered his troops to advance, heads of British soldiers mounted on bayonets. Terrified, the British gave ground, only to be hewn down even more. The casualties' heads were quickly mounted, and rebel colonists, now covered in blood, gave chase. The entire army routed and Smith was captured during the retreat. Revere had won a huge victory.

   

Francis Smith and Paul Revere

 

Simultaneously, in Boston, revolutionary fervor spread like wildfire. Radicals under the command of Samuel Adams stormed the British stronghold in the city and killed all the defenders. Elsewhere in the town, widespread looting and burning was ensuing as the British were evacuating. The Battles of Boston and Concord had ended. The Great Revolution had begun.

  

Liberty, Brotherhood, Justice

The First Years of the Great Revolution

"And when 'e gets to 'eaven, to ol' Saint Pete 'e will tell, 'One more Brit reportin', mate; I've served m' time in Hell.' "

-Unknown British Veteran

 

General McClintock leads the Americans into battle

Following the evacuation of Boston, the Sons of Liberty took complete control of the city. Those who opposed them were too frightened to say so, and Faneuil Hall became the center of the new government. In the following weeks, the Second Continental Assembly was created, and Samuel Adams became the President. Upon his election, the first flag carrying an inherently anti-British meaning was hoisted over Faneuil Hall. It was had green, red, and white stripes in the canton, and a blue field in the corner thirteen white seven-pointed stars encompassing a white Masonic Compass-and-Square. This new design, and variations of it, became extremely popular, and Harry Lee hoisted one in Philadelphia. However, many still resisted the violence of the Sons, and so Benedict Arnold, from Connecticut, and Thomas Jefferson, from Virginia, created the Fraternity of Freedom, a moderate patriot group that cooperated with the Sons, but tried to deter the violence.

Once again, Georgia was not invited to the Assembly. This snub triggered even more pro-British sentiment within the Southern colony. However, once the Sons of Liberty went south with bands of green-white-red armband-wearing thugs to "promote the Cause," Georgia quickly fell in line with the Radicals. When, in January of '76, the British army arrived at Savannah to enforce their rule, Georgian general Lachlan McIntosh fought them off with heavy casualties. General McIntosh, together with General Archibald Bulloch, created the Georgia Council of Public Safety, a provisional government. Soon, Bulloch became the de facto dictator, and McIntosh became head of the army. The history of the Georgia Republic had just begun.

As Adams, Bulloch, and the others occupied headlines, Bostonian General Henry Knox was marching his feeble force through unimaginable winter weather to Boston, bringing with him 60 cannons brought all the way from Fort Ticonderoga. It took 54 days, and it became known as the Rescue of Boston. Thanks to his back-breaking effort and spunk, Boston was able to fight off a massive British attack in February of '76.

It was during these first few months of 1777 that a new figure appeared on the political horizon, a man with an epic destiny. His name was Thomas Paine, and he would change the world forever. On January 10th, the young English immigrant to America released Plain Truth, a new book preaching the destruction of the British, execution of the Tories, and full and total independence.

 

"These are the times that try Patriots' souls. Until the Tories are exterminated the continent will feel itself like a man who continues putting off some unpleasant business from day to day, yet knows it must be done, hates to set about it, wishes it over, and is continually haunted with the thoughts of its necessity."

 

"If we have to send one million British soldiers, or even George himself, straight to Hell to win our independence, then send them we should and shall."

 

"The Sons of Liberty warm the hearts of the continent with their quest for Liberty, Brotherhood, and Justice."

 

"In our search for the blasphemous Tories, we should base our tactics on Numbers 31: 'And they slew all the males.' "

 

This pumped radicalism to new heights, and Plain Truth was printed by the hundreds of thousands. It became standard issue for all Continental Army troopers, and if they could not read, they were to have someone read it to them. A huge increase in the number of volunteers, and in Tories becoming Patriots was likely a product of civilian readings. Paine was on the political ascent as "The Thinking Man's Rebel," and it would be a long time before he started to descend.

 

Upon the huge surge in patriotism, New England's armies doubled and resulted in the Liberation of the Bahamas in March. The amphibious invasion pummeled the British garrison there and set up a Council of Public Safety. When copies of Plain Truth were passed out, all of Nassau draped green, white, and red banners. In a month, the Caribbean sank into civil war and revolt, which the British Royal Navy, busy combating the Second Rise of Piracy, was unable to cork. Prices for sugar in Britain soared, and extensive smuggling operations began, swelling the Continental coffers. A Caribbean native, General Alexander Hamilton, was placed in charge of conducting Caribbean military operations. A member of the Fraternity, Hamilton was a moderate, but he got the job done. In July, he had sent copies of Plain Truth as far as British and Spanish possessions in South America. A failed uprising in Colombia got so far as to have established a Council of Safety before the Spanish came in and wiped them out.

 

On June 4th, 1776, the Second Assembly signed and approved a unanimous Declaration of Autonomy, severing all chances for any kind of repatriation under the British crown. It was war, total and unceasing, until one side was beaten.

 

Shortly after the Declaration, a new mercenary force arrived from Europe. 5,000 Poles, French, Russians, and Germans, and at their head was 56 year-old ex-Jacobite, William "Claymore" McClintock, also known as "Bloodie Billie." The Scot had fought in the Rising of '45 under Bonnie Prince Charlie, where he earned his nick-name following the medieval butchering of fifty British soldiers with his claymore, a huge broadsword he kept with him at all times. His troops were at the front of the American phalanx at the Battle of Long Island, where, under his and Israel Putnam's inspired leadership, the Continentals heavily defeated both Howe and Cornwallis. A series of forced retreats following suicide assaults by the British eventually forced them to evacuate Long Island to the British.

 

McClintock had proven himself; he was quickly chosen by the Assembly as Commander-in-Chief of their joint forces. He foiled Howe again at the decisive Battle of Morningside Heights, which sent Howe's forces scurrying in disarray thanks to a badly-organized retreat. This enabled American snipers to have field days, and dead soldiers mounted on pikes on the sides of the roads were common sights for the Redcoats. Numerous groups of German and Russian mercenaries fled after witnessing the brutal backwoods campaign.

 

As the British army ran south to New Jersey, Benedict Arnold, newly arrived from roaring victories in Quebec and New York (where he fought for the Green Mountain Republic) gave chase with several thousand volunteers. They pestered the British unceasingly, Arnold stating that "George's army shall die of a thousand mosquito bites."

 

Howe decided to make a stand in New Jersey. Things were about to get nasty.

  

Trial by Fire

Massacres and Murder

  

Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, Freiherr zu Eisenbach

 

After a brutal, vicious campaign in New Jersey, the Empire decided to strike back at last. The Continentals were forced to flee Fort Ticonderoga when a large Brunswicker army under Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, Freiherr zu Eisenbach was on the assault from Canada. It was the year 1777, and it would make or break the Revolution. Upon being reinforced by the Canadians at Ticonderoga(a name Riedesel was incapable of pronouncing, according to aides), the Brunswick army invaded New York, pounding back the Revolutionary forces there, until McClintock was left alone to hold New York City. Howe, marching to assist the Germans, immediately left New Jersey, stationing only a minimal garrison. Within a week, the garrison had been overthrown completely and impaled in the streets. Howe knew he had to make his attack on McClintock as soon as possible or Ticonderoga would be the only position King George would have to launch decent incursions onto "American" soil. That would not do at all. The British made such magnificent haste and marched so speedily to New York City that they were quite starved and exhausted by the time they arrived. Riedesel, under pressure from Vermont's troops, decided to assault the city gates when news of General Howe's arrival reached him. This mistake would cost the British greatly. At the disastrous First Siege of NYC (July 7th), Riedesel's Germans valiantly attacked McClintock's fortifications, and, though at great cost, successfully pushed Continental troops from the outer ring of trenches and defenses. Riedesel took control of these areas and carried on an urban battle with the Revolutionaries. At this moment, the Brunswicker noble could have lashed out and sent the Americans packing, likely making victory in the entire conflict inevitable; he certainly had enough troops, and time was on his side. However, he instead elected to wait for Howe to bring up "fresh" troops. It was a disaster. Orders and messages between Howe and Riedesel, informing the latter that the British were not capable of fighting properly in their current state, had been lost and not delivered. In a confused panic, the Brunswickers started to lose morale, and a rumor swept through the ranks that Riedesel had been killed by a sniper. They gave ground. Before the day was over, German troops were fleeing in waves, behaving like "Medieval rabble." Seeing the fate befalling the assault, a British cavalry officer, his name lost to history, came up with the brilliant idea of sending his cavalry squadron at the American dogs. They promptly collided with the retreating Germans. What broke the camel's back were the uniforms of the cavalry. Blue. The distraught Brunswickers opened fire, in turn causing the cavalry to become confused and counter attack. For eight deadly minutes the bloodletting continued until officers finally stopped the friendly fire. Thoroughly defeated, the British retreated far from the city, faces red with humiliation.

 

Low on supplies and badly in need of a morale-boosting victory, Howe picked fights with small rebel detachments and looted the corpses. Riedesel insisted on taking Philadelphia, which was now in the hands of Harry Lee, one of the lesser American generals. Desperate, Howe agreed. From then until October, the British-Hessian army crashed full-tilt into Pennsylvania, decisively defeating Lee at the Battle of Philadelphia. Little did they know Lee was smarter than they thought, and that he had prepared a huge underground movement for them. Philadelphia was about to go to Hell in a handbasket. Impaling poles were sharpened.

  

Harry Lee

 

In the north, General Burgoyne was losing badly to McClintock. Thousands were dying. The Green Mountain Republic was resisting him with all they had, and McClintock was chomping up from the south. Finally, held up in Fort Ticonderoga, Burgoyne made his last stand. He was wiped off the face of the planet. McClintock had hoisted the black flag before the battle had begun, indicating no mercy would be given. No mercy was given, not even to Burgoyne, as he was seized and impaled from the anus to the throat. Ticonderoga was bathed in blood.

  

"Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne, victim of the Ticonderoga Massacre

 

The horrific disasters were furthering Britain's hatred of the war even more. By itself, it simply could not hold down the radicals. In early 1780, the first Asian troops arrived. The war was about to get even more complicated.

   

Birds of a Feather

The Alliance of the Monarchies

Anglo-Spanish troops storm Georgian beach defenses (1780)

 

Georgia's relations to Spain had been bad before the Revolution, especially over the highly-disputed areas of northern Florida. When Georgian troops crossed the border in January of 1780 to evade capture by British soldiers, Spain warned Georgian dictator Lachlan McIntosh to get his men out. Riots triggered by propaganda spread by the Georgians on their march broke out in early February. After rioters stormed a government building in St. Augustine, Spain blamed the Georgians. War was declared and the Alliance of the Monarchies was formed between Britain, Spain, Prussia, several German states, and Portugal. It was declared by King George III that, "The Monarchies must all hang together, or else we shall surely all hang separately." The American ideology was seen as infectious, and kings worried about unrest breaking out in their own colonies and even their own countries. France decided not to support the Alliance, as it was not willing to form an agreement with Prussia or Britain at any cost. It was not extremely friendly with the Americans, but extensive smuggling operations were carried out to arm the rebels to avenge the French territorial losses of the Seven Years War.

  

Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid

 

Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, the 5th governor of Spanish Louisiana, took control of the Army of New Spain upon Spain's entrance into the Alliance. Militias were raised from New Orleans to Canada, Spanish troops were crossing the Atlantic, and Georgia was inundated with attacks.

 

In Prussia and the Holy Roman Empire, thousands of soldiers were being transported to the New World. While the soldiers cared little for the conflict, the Germanic leaders had formed a blood pact to help George III, who was also Prince-elector of Hannover, crush the American anti-monarchists and usurpers. General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben commanded the first Prussian army to land, a small token force of 5,000. This brigade crashed its way through the Georgian defenses and humiliated General McIntosh in several pitched battles. Things were looking grim for the Rebellion.

 

Georgian, Wataugan, and Colonial leaders met in secret at Lexington, Virginia in mid-1780 to plan a new strategy. It was decided that Alexander Hamilton should leave the Bahamas before he was trapped and sail for South America. Hamilton did as ordered and was about to be the originator of guerrilla warfare.

 

In early August, 1780, Hamilton and 1,000 Patriots landed in Colombia with the intent of spreading the "Revolucion." Immediately, the Spanish authorities closed in for the kill, only to have him evade capture and kill 500 Spanish soldiers. Hamilton marched into the jungles, where he preached rebellion to the villages of New Spain. In a month, rebellion was sweeping the continent as copies of the banned Plain Truth miraculously appeared by the thousands. Hamilton had several disciples that he was grooming, including a young Colombian named Jose Fernandez. Fernandez soon found himself a general, and he organized a small army to begin the Liberation of Gran Colombia. It was a wildly popular uprising, and it spread into other areas. Just as planned, the Spanish suddenly withdrew to Louisiana and Georgia regained some strength. The Spanish government tried to brutally suppress the rebellion in South America, but it was too late. Soon Plain Truth became all the rage in Brazil, and the ancient and decrepit Portuguese empire was totally inept at deterring revolt. Violence rocked the entire New World. In the Spanish Tejas region, just below Louisiana, the lower classes revolted and set up the Tejas Republic. Spain was regretting its decision to enter the war. By the end of 1780, Georgia was meeting and defeating the feeble Spanish army in the field and cutting away at morale in the homeland. In Madrid, the people said the royals were destroying the Spanish Empire. The final straw was the New Orleans Uprising, during which the entire Spanish garrison of the key strategic city was massacred.

 

All of New Spain and New Portugal was on fire, literally and figuratively. Maria I Francisca of Portugal withdrew from the Alliance and sent all troops to Brazil to try to crush the uprising. As Charles III of Spain tried to still support George III, he was losing his territories and men. Mass executions in New Orleans of rebels in retaliation for the Uprising made things even worse, and in February 1781, Spanish rule in the New Orleans area was finally toppled and a republic proclaimed.

 

Finally, in May of 1781, Spain withdrew from the Alliance. The Alliance was finished and failed. One of the main reasons was the fact that Czarina Catherine was shipping arms and munitions to the Americans. Thomas Jefferson himself was, from 1780-82, the Continental ambassador to the Russian Imperial court, where he slowly-but-steadily gained the Czarina's ear. Russia became increasingly hostile to Great Britain, along with France. If France would come to the rescue of the Americans, and Russia attacked Prussia, then the Revolution would succeed.

 

Urah! Urah! Urah!

Russia and France Enter the War

  

Russian troops of the American Revolution

 

It was time for payback. The Seven Years' War had resulted in the victory of Britain, Portugal, Hannover, and Prussia over France, Russia, the Holy Roman Empire, Mughal Empire, and Spain. Now, in 1781, seeing a chance to avenge their losses, Russia, France, and the Holy Roman Empire declared war on Britain. Britain was caught so off-guard that France actually was successful in the Thames Raid, when several French warships sailed up the river and blasted London before promptly returning to Normandy.

 

Prussia, under the elderly Frederick II, engaged the Russian army five times before a peace was negotiated. Prussia's alliance with Britain was for all practical purposes dissolved. This left only Britain and Hannover to fight on.

 

In early 1782, McClintock was about to be reenforced by French and Russian troops in New York. Britain was about to launch a huge assault from Canada into New York. The Green Mountain Republic was finally crumbling, and New York City was about to come under siege once again. On February 5th, 1782, Britain began bombardment of New York City. The Second Siege had begun. McClintock, desperate for new troops, found a world of relief as the French and Russian navies engaged the British fleet in New York Harbor. Howe, commander of the British and Hessian forces, found himself trapped with no where to go. Faced with no other option, Howe stormed the city. With unbelievable ferocity, the British defeated the Americans and left mounds of stinking corpses laying in pools of blood in the streets. As McClintock evacuated, however, the British fleet was destroyed. On February 10th, the Franco-Russian army landed and began a counter-siege. Howe was trapped, and the French controlled the seas. On the 11th, a Russian force stormed the walls and took over a portion of the city before being pushed back. Finally, after fighting and losing so many soldiers his position was unsustainable, Howe surrendered. McClintock made a triumphal procession back into the city.

  

British and American troops clash in the streets of NYC; note the green-white-red tricolor banner

 

General McClintock (front and center), marches triumphantly into New York City under a Sons of Liberty tricolor and holding General Howe's surrendered sword

Britain was not about to admit defeat. In the south, George was using military access agreed upon with Spain to march down from Canada, through Louisiana, and down to New Orleans, where the nascent republic was crushed by General Banastre Tarleton. Using it as momentum, he steamed ahead into Georgia, where he defeated two rebel armies. Finally, McIntosh handed "Bloody Ban" defeat at the Battle of Johnson's Swamp, near the Florida border, where Georgian sharpshooters massacred the bogged-down British army in a manner akin to Braddock's Defeat. Tarleton was severely wounded when his wet flintlock pistol blew up in his hand, and was carried away on a stretcher. He died two hours later when his army was "regrouping."

 

Banastre Tarleton

 

Tarleton's death was, for all basic purposes, the death blow to the British cause. It had been far too costly and bloody, and on June 13th, 1782, Britain informally recognized American Independence.

  

"Of Alexander, of Caesar, of Paine!"

-Third Triumvir Aaron Burr, January 10th, 1782

  

General Henry Knox and Richmond Deputy of Public Safety James Monroe lead the October assault upon the Richmond capitol building

After the unofficial peace began, more thought was given about governments for the new independent nations. Georgia remained essentially the same in a Bulloch "loving dictatorship." Watauga elected to follow a fairly free, republican style. The Green Mountain Republic, with its low population and high casualties during the war, was a dictatorship under Allen, but was actually fairly open and free. The other states, however, chose something else entirely.

 

During the war, the Continental Assemblies were the leadership of the colonies. But in actuality, local Councils of Public Safety, ruled by Deputies of Public Safety, ruled with iron fists. After the war, the ramshackle group of regions needed a solid government to prevent collapse. So, in January of 1783, a vote was taken in the Continental Assembly as to which form of government should be adopted. With delusions of Roman Republican grandeur, the voters chose a triumvirate. On January 10th of the same year, Thomas Paine was elected First Triumvir of the American Republic. Aaron Burr was elected as Second Triumvir of the Republic. Finally, Thomas Jefferson was elected Third Triumvir of the Republic. The three men effectively took on the Assembly's duties upon being sworn in. The Oath of Office was as follows:

 

"I, (name), do solemnly swear upon my blood and my sacred honor that I will faithfully execute the Office of Triumvir of the Republic, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend our glorious enlightened nation at whatever cost."

 

This of course meant dictatorship.

   

The Triumvirate:

Paine (top right), Burr (top left), and Jefferson (bottom)

 

Thomas Paine dominated, and he and his pawn Burr helped silence Jefferson. The first few days in office saw the withdrawal of the Kaintuck Territory, Virginia, and the Carolinas from the new nation, who did not trust the new system. They in turn became the Kaintuck Republic, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Democracy of South Carolina, and the Republic of North Carolina.

 

The use of military force was considered to bring the small countries back into the fold. General McClintock was appointed Commander-in-Chief, but he was disillusioned by the new government. Nevertheless, he fulfilled his duty.

 

Virginia was the country to look out for. It would have the ability later to go against and possibly beat New England. This would not do at all. So, as a solution, rebellion was stirred up in Richmond and several regiments sent in to wreak havoc. In October, 1783, the Richmond Deputy of Public Safety, James Monroe, who had served as an aide to General McClintock during the war, conspired with the Bostonian General Henry Knox to overthrow the Virginian government. In a bloody assault, the Virginian capitol building was stormed and the garrison of elite foot guards massacred. The anti-Triumvirate government officials were arrested and exiled. Virginia rejoined the Union.

 

Following the Virginian coup, a peace treaty between Britain and all its former colonies was drawn up in Brussels. Now, the new countries could focus on each other and the unfolding New Spain crisis.

   

The Reign of Horror

It Begins

  

Woodcut of the 1784 impalement of Doctor Benjamin Rush, an outspoken opponent of slavery and, ironically, capital punishment

  

An unusually lucky group of Loyalists land in British Canada to escape almost certain execution

  

Etching showing the lynching and killing of Virginian nationalist George Washington by the Sons of Liberty; he was hoisted on a Liberty Tree and beaten senseless like a party game before William Franklin(shown waving fist in foreground) himself delivered the killing blow

  

William Franklin, (son of Seven Years' War hero General Benjamin Franklin, who was killed in 1759 at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham ) was the inventor and leader of the "Republican Death Brigades"

  

Major Jacques Louis David, famous American radical and musician; note the sabre wound on the right side of his face, a scar he acquired fighting under Hamilton in Central America and Mexico

 

Benjamin Rush was a doctor and veteran of the Great Revolution. He was a mild-mannered bespectacled chap who behaved himself, was anti-slavery, and anti-capital punishment. It's ironic then, that on January 8th, 1784, he was impaled on a steak, starting off the Reign of Horror with a bang.

 

It all started when William Franklin, son of legendary Seven Years' War general Benjamin Franklin, approached the Triumvirs with a plan, a plan that would "hold the Republic together." America needed enemies, he said, and those enemies should be killed. Thomas Jefferson kept his mouth shut as Paine and Burr applauded. Paine declared Franklin "a hero of the Republic." These enemies needed to be hunted down and executed, it was agreed. The list included "Tories, monarchists, former Hessian and British soldiers who deserted during the war, spies, saboteurs, and general enemies of the state." This unofficially included abolitionists and those not gung-ho on the Triumvirate.

 

Following the execution of Rush, the next man to be seized was plantation owner, businessman, and Virginian nationalist George Washington. On January 12th, during a business trip to Philadelphia to make an agriculture deal with Midwest Territory rancher James Madison, a mob of fifty "large, burly men wearing green-red-white armbands, lead by the noble patriot William Franklin," assaulted, lynched, and hoisted Washington by the waist on a Liberty Pole in front of a massive crowd. They then commenced to "whupping the tar out out of the Virginian rapscallion." It happened to be William Franklin's birthday that day, and as Washington hanged limply seven feet in the air, Franklin was given the honor of smiting him. With a large board, Franklin smacked Washington in the head, breaking his neck. Franklin was drunk during this time, and it was said it took multiple whacks and misses to actually kill Washington. This of course has been passed down to today in the form of washingtons--paper mache and cardboard boxes of various shapes and sizes suspended in the air and filled with candy on one's birthday to be struck with a bat or club, often done while wearing a blindfold to replicate Franklin's "blind drunkenness."

 

Raising Washington's Death Pole

 

Following the two executions, hysteria swept the Republic. Neighbor turned against neighbor, sibling against sibling, friend against friend, all to protect the Republic from its mortal enemies. Chaos swept the nation as the Reign of Horror took hold. Thousands of closet Tories fled the country, most fleeing to Canada. However, on the way there, many were ambushed by Republican troops, the Sons of Liberty, and their Native American allies (see first illustration of timeline on pg. 1). The ones who made it to Canada were welcomed with open arms, many joining the British army, hoping for a chance at revenge sometime in the future.

 

The radicalism did not stop at the Republic border; in 1785, Alexander Hamilton, still campaigning in New Spain, received a new officer: French immigrant Major Jacques Louis David. Officially there to assist Hamilton, his real purpose was to spy on him and help enforce the radical new methods of search and destroy. Though America was not officially at war with Spain, it did not stop the Republicans from killing Spanish soldiers and officials. Hamilton and David soon found themselves leaving South America behind, half in firm control of Republicans. Soon, Mexico was just as violent. Revolution had been attempted, inspired by Tejas, but Hamilton's entrance changed everything. By late 1786, the Republics of Yucatan and Rio Grande had been established with pro-American Republic leaders. Georgia-supporting Tejas disliked this immensely.

 

Cut off from most all real contact with the mother country, Louisiana revolted, finally throwing off Spanish rule and forming the Federated Republic of Louisiana, consisting of the regions of New Orleans, North Missouri, South Missouri, Montainia, Cimarron, Minnesquotah, Daquotah, Colorado, Oklowma, and Akansea. It's capital was the capital of New Orleans: New Orleans City, site of the former bloodily-created Republic of New Orleans. Immediately, George Walton was elected Federal President. A native Virginian who had left his home region to spread the Revolution, Walton was best friends with Georgia's commander-in-chief Lachlan McIntosh and an acquaintance of President Bulloch. Because of this, Louisiana and Georgia signed the Pact of Gulfport in 1787, forging a firm bond between the American Republic's greatest rivals. The Triumvirate started conscripting men, young and old, into the armed forces in case the "Southron Alliance" would try to attack the Republic. Louisiana and Georgia instead decided to just stand by and watch what they thought be an epic internal collapse of the north.

 

Flag of the Federated Republic of Louisiana

  

Flag of the Yucatan Republic

  

Flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande

  

Flag of the Democracy of South Carolina

  

Flag of the former Republic of New Orleans

  

Flag of the Georgia Republican Guards

  

Flag of the North Carolina Republic

  

The original flag hoisted over Boston by the Sons of Liberty at the beginning of the Great Revolution, currently being preserved by the Royal American Military Museum

 

Back in the American Republic, Samuel Adams, the original spearhead of the Revolution, had long ago lost his thunder to the more exciting, more radical Paine. Already in ill health and expecting to be arrested, he died of an opium overdose at the age of 65. He was buried following an honorary funeral in Freedom Square, in front of Faneuil Hall.

 

Paul Revere, the first American to lead troops into battle against British forces, was seized under charges of smuggling slaves to freedom, writing and drawing propaganda against the duly-elected Triumvirs, and advocating genocide, none of which was true, but the last was more then a little ironic. He was impaled in 1788, at the age of 55, "cutting" a promising career short.

 

An new generation of Americans raised during and after the Great Revolution was about to enter politics and the officer corps. One of this new generation was a young man named Andrew Franklin Jackson. History would never be the same.

Wearing:

 

Bodysuit - Dead Dollz - Zephyr in Lavender

Skirt - Fishy Strawberry Mistral Skirt in White

Shoes - Essenz - Maine (White)

Hair - Elua - Latifa

Head - Lelutka Simone

Body - Maitreya - Lara

Necklace - Kibitz Choker Rosary & 215 ANE Minimal Disarray Necklace Rose Gold String

Bracelet - MINIMAL - Leya Bracelet in Gold

 

Photograph of the organic form of flowers distorted by light and tracing paper. Through changing densities shadows and distant forms are captured. The blurred forms of flowers create a ghostly aesthetic combined with a deep sense of colour.

 

Year 13 current project-

I am currently starting my year 13 theme I have based upon 'man as earths canvas, rather than earth as mans canvas'. I intend to explore natural forms and textures in order to create a garment composed of fabrics and papers which will symbolise the creation of earth taking over man.

dimensions: A1

The May 14th 1948 issue of The Rexport Enquirer carries this interesting story. Entitled "The Foolish Pirates", it tells the tale of a group of men recently arrested for piracy on the high rails.

 

The leader of the gang, one Jimmy Patella, had apparently since childhood been besotted with the ideals and romance of piracy.

 

Many were the books he had read about derring-do, hunts for gold, hot tropical islands and bloodthirsty deeds.

 

One night, in a drunken dare, he and his bar mates decided to become pirates for real.

 

As they were more than a hundred miles from the sea, and had no sailing experience, they were slightly stymied, until one of them proposed the next best thing - hijack and then run the Pirate Train across the national rail network, paying due attention to proper signalling, as well as kidnapping, stealing and carousing along the way.

 

This plan was put into action at the local station, where they daringly boarded the 17:49 to South Fopps with nothing more than platform tickets.

 

Their extreme adventures had begun, only to come to a shuddering halt when they realised that in fact, as a getaway vehicle, a train was not ideal.

 

As it was always going to stop at the next station, whatever they did, the plan quickly fell into disarray.

 

The addition of a surprise ticket inspector half an hour in scuppered the last of the plan.

 

This photograph was taken by the local police department shortly before the lot of them were taken to the courthouse, where all were found guilty.

 

They were then escorted to a suitable place of execution.

 

Poor romantic Jimmy Patella.

There was probably a lot more in disarray here than I captured in this photo, but this is a decent example nonetheless.

____________________________________

Sears, 1996-built (closed early 2019), Germantown Pkwy. at Hwy 64, Memphis

"Lately I've been distant from the world in a quiet place

Feels like I might be wired differently I can't embrace

From all the hurt and all the pain can you feel my rage?

Growing up was bullied they considered me a basket case

But things have changed, the past is done and over with

Why I keep on dwelling on it? Why my thoughts so cancerous?

Why my best friend have to die? God can you please answer this?!

Why am I still agonizing on my last relationship

Maybe Ima crumble, take a shot I'm seeing double

You can hear my stomach rumble, reason I can never settle

I have come up from the struggle, I can promise staying humble

I am sorry for the trouble, dark inside my fucking tunnel

If my thoughts could really kill best believe I would be dead

I am out here saving lives and sometimes I forget

Cause my demons came to play I'm barely hanging by a thread

Maybe I should pull this trigger and just lay my mind to rest, yeah

 

Lost in the music this is therapeutic

Barely hanging on I don't know if I can do this

Will I rise? Will I fall?

Will I rise? Will I fall?

I don't know anymore

Look at my reflection, angel vs demon

Wish that I was dreaming

Will I rise? Will I fall?

Will I rise? Will I fall?

I don't know anymore

 

I know your life ain't glamorous

I can see it in your eyes

You can't even stand yourself

Your past is haunting you

So you go to rhyme a little

Toss and turning every night

Debating if it even helps

You quit the partying, quit the drugs, quit the reefer

And now you think its problem solved cause you changed your people?

You wake up miserable its clear you're feeding off of evil

Take my hand tonight and I can promise you'll be always peaceful!

What about my family I can't leave em in a disarray?!

Give it time and they'll move on forget about you anyway

What about my fans and the impact I have made on them?

Find another source! Do not worry they will all amend

Its better if you go do not act like you have any friends

Heaven don't exist, this is it, will you take my hand?

Voices getting louder you can't fight em best to sign your will

Join me on the darker side through the dreary depths of hell

 

Lost in the music this is therapeutic

Barely hanging on I don't know if I can do this

Will I rise? Will I fall?

Will I rise? Will I fall?

I don't know anymore

Look at my reflection, angel vs demon

Wish that I was dreaming

Will I rise? Will I fall?

Will I rise? Will I fall?

I don't know anymore

 

I feel like giving up though...

Some things I can't explain no...

I feel like giving up though...

Some things I can't explain no..."

 

Will I rise? Will I fall?

Will I rise? Will I fall?

I don't know anymore...

Will I rise? Will I fall?

Will I rise? Will I fall?

I don't know anymore...

 

Reflection (Angel Vs Demon) Problematic

modeatoutprix.blogspot.fr/2014/02/539-reine-en-son-chatea...

St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk

 

As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.

 

Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.

 

If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.

 

The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.

 

It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.

 

Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.

 

For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.

 

The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.

 

A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.

 

With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.

 

The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.

 

Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.

 

Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.

 

The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.

 

And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.

 

Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.

 

Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.

 

Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.

 

The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.

 

Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.

 

You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.

 

Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.

 

Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.

 

Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.

 

You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.

 

Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.

 

This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?

 

If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.

 

The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.

 

As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.

My Spring/Easter decor - I didn't get it done before Easter since the house was all in disarray but it still works for Spring. So now to think what I will even do for May???? Hmmmm

Selfridges, Shop Window Display, London, UK

Bearing uneasy expressions, the faces of these two drunk painters are doubled by those staring over their shoulders...official images of Mao Tse-Tung, former chairman of the People's Republic of China (1949-1976), each skewed and slightly stylized, but unmistakable.

 

Chinese artist Liu Wei (1972- ) painted this canvas the year after Tiananmen Square massacre brutally suppressed a pro-democratic uprising in China. After 1989 he became a leader of "cynical realism" known for imagery reminiscent of official state art and propaganda but emptied of any belief in its utopian promises or the possibility of democratic reform.

 

The figures in this painting are crammed into a tight space, uncomfortably sharing a chair in off-balance positions. Their faces, clothes, and bedding bear rumples of disarray. Such details subtly but deftly convey the disillusionment and confinement that prevaded Chinese art communities in the early 1990's.

 

This original painting by Liu Wei was seen and photographed on exhibit at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.

And I feel so much depends on the weather, so is it raining in your bedroom? And I see that these are the eyes of disarray. ( STONE TEMPLE PILOTS)

The Lost World (20th Century Fox, 1960).

youtu.be/h1CLA-gJbmA?t=5s Trailer

Irwin Allen, the producer who would go on to make the disaster film a huge success in the seventies, brought us this Saturday afternoon fodder with giant lizards posing as dinosaurs. Starring Michael Rennie, David Hedison, Claude Rains and Jill St. John.

Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's Lost World (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon upon which dinosaurs still lived. Aside from the paleontological presumptions in the premise, there is little "science" in The Lost World. Nonetheless, dinosaur movies have traditionally been lumped into the sci-fi genre.

Synopsis

When his plane lands in London, crusty old professor George Edward Challenger is besieged by reporters questioning him about his latest expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon River. After the irascible Challenger strikes reporter Ed Malone on the head with his umbrella, Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of Ed's employer, Stuart Holmes, offers the injured reporter a ride into town. That evening, Jenny is escorted by Lord John Roxton, an adventurer and big game hunter, to Challenger's lecture at the Zoological Institute, and Ed invites them to sit with him. When Challenger claims to have seen live dinosaurs, his colleague Professor Summerlee scoffs and asks for evidence. Explaining that his photographs of the creatures were lost when his boat overturned, Challenger invites Summerlee to accompany him on a new expedition to the "lost world," and asks for volunteers. When Roxton raises his hand, Jenny insists on going with him, but she is rejected by Challenger because she is a woman. Ed is given a spot after Holmes offers to fund the expedition if the reporter is included. The four then fly to the Amazon, where they are met by Costa, their guide and Manuel Gomez, their helicopter pilot. Arriving unexpectedly, Jenny and her younger brother David insist on joining them. Unable to arrange transportation back to the United States, Challenger reluctantly agrees to take them along. The next day, they take off for the lost world and land on an isolated plateau inhabited by dinosaurs. That evening, a dinosaur stomps out of the jungle, sending them scurrying for cover. After the beast destroys the helicopter and radio, the group ventures inland. When one of the creatures bellows threateningly, they flee, and in their haste, Challenger and Ed slip and tumble down a hillside, where they encounter a native girl. The girl runs into the jungle, but Ed follows and captures her. They then all take refuge in a cave, where Roxton, who has been making disparaging remarks about Jenny's desire to marry him solely for his title, angers Ed. Ed lunges at Roxton, pushing him to the ground, where he finds a diary written by Burton White, an adventurer who hired Roxton three years earlier to lead him to the lost diamonds of Eldorado. Roxton then admits that he never met White and his party because he was delayed by a dalliance with a woman, thus abandoning them to certain death. Gomez angrily snaps that his good friend Santiago perished in the expedition. That night, Costa tries to molest the native girl, and David comes to her rescue and begins to communicate with her through sign language. After Gomez goes to investigate some movement he spotted in the vegetation, he calls for help, and when Roxton runs out of the cave, a gunshot from an unseen assailant is fired, nearly wounding Roxton and sending the girl scurrying into the jungle. Soon after, Ed and Jenny stray from camp and are pursued by a dinosaur, and after taking refuge on some cliffs, watch in horror as their stalker becomes locked in combat with another prehistoric creature and tumbles over the cliffs into the waters below. Upon returning to camp, they discover it deserted, their belongings in disarray. As David stumbles out from some rocks to report they were attacked by a tribe of natives, the cannibals return and imprison them in a cave with the others. As the drums beat relentlessly, signaling their deaths, the native girl reappears and motions for them to follow her through a secret passageway that leads to the cave in which Burton White lives, completely sightless. After confirming that all in his expedition perished, White tells them of a volcanic passageway that will lead them off the plateau, but warns that they must first pass through the cave of fire. Cautioning them that the natives plan to sacrifice them, White declares that their only chance of survival is to slip through the cave and then seal it with a boulder. After giving them directions to the cave, White asks them to take the girl along. As the earth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption, quakes, they set off through the Graveyard of the Damned, a vast cavern littered with dinosaur skeletons, the victims of the deadly sulfurous gases below. Pursued by the ferocious natives, Roxton takes the lead as they inch their way across a narrow ledge above the molten lava. After escaping the natives, they jam the cave shut with a boulder and, passing a dam of molten lava, finally reach the escape passage. At its mouth is a pile of giant diamonds and a dinosaur egg. As Costa heaps the diamonds into his hat, Challenger fondles the egg and Gomez pulls a gun and announces that Roxton must die in exchange for the death of Santiago, Gomez' brother. Acting quickly, Ed hurls the diamonds at Gomez, throwing him off balance and discharging his gun. The gunshot awakens a creature slumbering in the roiling waters below. After the beast snatches Costa and eats him alive, Ed tries to dislodge the dam, sending a few scorching rocks tumbling down onto the monster. Feeling responsible for the peril of the group, Gomez sacrifices his life by using his body as a lever to dislodge the dam, covering the creature with oozing lava. As the cave begins to crumble from the impending eruption, the group hurries to safety. Just then, the volcano explodes, destroying the lost world. After Roxton hands Ed a handful of diamonds he has saved as a wedding gift for him and Jenny, Challenger proudly displays his egg, which then hatches, revealing a baby dinosaur. The End.

The 50s had seen several examples of the dinosaur sub-genre. LW is one of the more lavish ones, owing to color by DeLuxe and CinemaScope. The A-level actors help too. Claude Rains plays the flamboyant Challenger. Michael Rennie plays Roxton, perhaps a bit too cooly. Jill St. John and Vitina Marcus do well as the customary eye candy. David Hedison as Malone and Fernando Lamas as Gomez round out the bill.

The first film version of LW was a silent movie shot in 1925: screenplay by Marion Fairfax. The film featured stop-motion animated dinosaurs by a young Willis O'Brien. Fairfax followed Doyle's text, but Fairfax added a young woman to the team, Paula White. Ostensibly trying to find her father from the first failed expedition, she provided the love triangle interest between Malone and Roxton.

Allen's screenplay tried to stick to Doyle's text as much as Hollywood would allow. It carried on Fairfax's invention of the young woman member of the group as triangle fodder. Fairfax had Doyle's ape men (ape man) but omitted the native humans. Allen had the natives, but no ape men. Allen revived the Gomez/revenge subplot, which Fairfax skipped. Doyle's story had Challenger bringing back a pterodactyl. Fairfax made it a brontosaur who rampaged through London streets (spawning a popular trope). Allen suggested the baby dinosaur traveling to London.

Willis O'Brien pitched 20th Century Fox in the late 50s, to do a quality remake of LW. He had gained much experience in the intervening 35 years, so his stop-motion dinosaurs were to be the real stars. Fox bass liked the idea, but by the time the ball started rolling, there was trouble in studioland. Fox's grand epic Cleopatra was underway, but was already 5 million dollars over budget. Cleo would nearly sink 20th Century Fox when it was finally released in 1963. To stay afloat, all other Fox films' budgets were slashed. Allen could no longer afford the grand O'Brien stop-motion.

Allen's production is often criticized for its "cheap" dinosaurs, which were live monitor lizards and alligators with fins and plates and horns glue onto them. (more on that below) These were already a bit cheesy when used in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. O'Brien is still listed on the credits as "Effects Technician," but all Allen could afford was lizards with glued on extras. Somewhat amusingly, the script still refers to them as brontosaurs and T-Rexes.

The character of Jennifer Holmes starts out promising. She's a self-assured to the edges of pushy, and is said to be able to out shoot and out ride any man. Yet, when she gets to the Amazon jungle, she's little more than Jungle Barbie, dressed in girlie clothes and screaming frequently. She even does the typical Hollywood trip-and-fall when chased by the dinosaur, so that a man must save her.

Bottom line? FW is a finer example of the not-quite-sci-fi dinosaur sub-genre. The actors are top drawer, even if some of their acting is a bit flat. Nonetheless, FW is a fair adaptation of Doyle's

classic adventure novel, given the constraints of Hollywood culture.

 

The Movie Club Annals … Review

The Lost World 1960

Introduction

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin Allen's 1960 production of The Lost World. Nothing. It was perfect in every way. I therefore find myself in the unique and unfamiliar position of having to write a rave review about a Movie Club movie that was entirely devoid of flaws.

Faced with such a confounding task, I half-heartedly considered faking a bad review, then praying my obvious deceptions would go unnoticed. But the patent transparency of my scheme convinced me to abandon it posthaste. After all, leveling concocted criticisms at such an unassailable masterpiece would be a futile and tiresome exercise, the pretense of which would escape nary a semi-cognizant soul.

Thus, having retreated from my would-be descent into literary intrigue, I start this review in earnest by borrowing a quote from the legendary Shelly Winters, spoken during the 1972 filming of Irwin Allen's The Poseidon Adventure:

"I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. Allen.” Shelly Winters, 1972

Review

A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.

The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.

Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl

She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.

By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.

Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.

Vitina, as Sarit

Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.

Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.

And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.

For those who would still question the genius of Irwin Allen, I defy you to find a better casting choice for the character of Lord John Roxton than that of Michael Rennie. Mr. Rennie, who earlier starred as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to even greater heights, starring as The Keeper in episodes 1.16 and 1.17 of the revered Lost in Space TV series. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Rennie often played highly cerebral characters with

unique names, such as Garth A7, Tribolet, Hasani, Rama Kahn, Hertz, and Dirk. How befitting that his most prolific roles came to him through a man named Irwin, a highly cerebral character with a unique name.

The selection of David Hedison to play Ed Malone was yet another example of Irwin's uncanny foresight. Soon after casting him in The Lost World, Irwin paved Mr. Hedison's path to immortality by casting him as a lead character in his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series. Although Voyage ended in 1968, Mr. Hedison departed the show with a solid resume and a bright future.

In the decades following Voyage, Mr. Hedison has been a veritable fixture on the small screen, appearing in such socially influential programs as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy and The A Team. Mr. Hedison's early collaborations with Irwin Allen have left him never wanting for a day's work in Hollywood, a boon to the legions of discerning fans who continue to savor his inspiring prime time depictions.

Irwin selected Fernando Lamas to play Manuel Gomez, the honorable and tortured soul of The Lost World who needlessly sacrificed himself at the end of the movie to save all the others. To get a feel for how important a casting decision he was to Irwin, just look at the pertinent experience Mr. Lamas brought to the table:

Irwin knew that such credentials could cause him to lose the services of Mr. Lamas to another project, and he took great pains to woo him onto the set of The Lost World. And even though Mr. Lamas never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his talent is not lost on us.

Jay Novello was selected by Irwin Allen to play Costa, the consummate Cuban coward who perpetually betrays everyone around him in the name of greed. In pursuing his craven calling, Mr. Novello went on to play Xandros, the Greek Slave in Atlantis, The Lost Continent, as well as countless other roles as a coward.

Although Mr. Novella never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his already long and distinguished career as a coward made him the obvious choice for Irwin when the need for an experienced malingerer arose.

Jill St. John was Irwin's pick to play Jennifer Holmes, the "other" glamour girl in The Lost World. Not to be upstaged by glamour-cave-girl Vitina Marcus, Jill played the trump card and broke out the pink go-go boots and skin-tight Capri pants, the perfect Amazonian summertime jungle wear.

Complete with a perfect hairdo, a killer wardrobe, a little yip-yip dog named Frosty, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and pampered prehistoric society, Jill's sensational allure rivaled even that of a certain cave girl appearing in the same film.

With the atmosphere rife for an on-set rivalry between Jill and Vitina, Irwin still managed to keep the peace, proving that he was as skilled a diplomat as he was a director.

Claude Rains, as Professor George Edward Challenger

And our cup runneth over, as Irwin cast Claude Rains to portray Professor George Edward Challenger. His eminence, Mr. Rains is an entity of such immeasurable virtue that he is not in need of monotonous praise from the likes of me.

I respectfully acknowledge the appearance of Mr. Rains because failure to do so would be an unforgivable travesty. But I say nothing more on the subject, lest I state something so obvious and uninspiring as to insult the intelligence of enlightened reader.

Irwin's casting of the cavemen mustn't be overlooked, for their infallibly realistic portrayals are unmatched within the Pleistocene Epoch genre of film. Such meticulous attention to detail is what separates Irwin Allen from lesser filmmakers, whose pale imitations of his work only further to underscore the point.

To be sure, it is possible to come away with the unfounded suspicion that the cavemen are really just a bunch of old white guys from the bar at the local Elks lodge. But Irwin was an absolute stickler for authenticity, and would never have allowed the use of such tawdry measures to taint his prehistoric magnum opus.

In truth, Irwin's on-screen cavemen were borne of many grueling years of anthropological research, so the explanation for their somewhat modern, pseudo-caucasian appearance lies obviously elsewhere. And in keeping with true Irwin Allen tradition, that explanation will not be offered here.

1964 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season One, Episode 7 - "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Vitina Marcus as The Native Girl. Produced by Irwin Allen.

And then there was Irwin Allen's masterful handling of the reptilian facets of The Lost World, most notably his inimitable casting of the dinosaurs. His dinosaurs were so realistic, so eerily lifelike, that they almost looked like living, breathing garden variety lizards with dinosaur fins and horns glued to their backs and heads.

The less enlightened viewer might even suppose this to be true, that Irwin's dinosaurs were indeed merely live specimens of lizards, donned in Jurassic-era finery, vastly magnified, and retro-fitted into The Lost World via some penny-wise means of cinematic trickery.

But those of us in the know certainly know better than that, as we are privy to some otherwise unpublished information about The Lost World. The lifelike appearance of the Irwin's dinosaurs can be attributed to a wholly overlooked and fiendishly cunning approach to the art of delusion, which is that the dinosaurs didn't just look real, they were real.

While the world abounds with middling minds who cannot fathom such a reality, we must follow Irwin's benevolent leanings and temper our natural feelings of contempt for this unfortunate assemblage of pedestrian lowbrows. In spite of Irwin's superior intellect, he never felt disdain toward the masses that constituted his audiences. He simply capitalized on their unaffectedness, and in the process recounted the benefits of exploiting the intellectually bereft for personal gain.

The purpose of all this analysis, of course, is to place an exclamation point on the genius of Irwin Allen, the formation of his dinosaur exposé being a premier example. Note how he mindfully manipulates the expectations of his unsuspecting audience, compelling them to probe the dinosaurs for any signs of man-made chicanery. Then, at the palatial moment when the dinosaurs make their entry, he guilefully supplants the anticipated display of faux reptilia with that of the bona fide article.

Upon first witnessing the de facto dinosaurs, some in the audience think they've been had, and indeed they have. Irwin, in engineering his masterful ruse, had used reality as his medium to convey the illusion of artifice. His audience, in essence, was blinded by the truth. It was the immaculate deception, and none but Irwin Allen could have conceived it.

Indeed, the matter of where the live dinosaurs came from has been conspicuously absent from this discussion, as the Irwinian technique of fine film making strongly discourages the practice of squandering time on extraneous justifications and other such trite means of redundant apologia. For the benefit of the incessantly curious, however, just keep in mind that Irwin Allen wrote and produced The Time Tunnel TV Series, a fact that should provide some fair insight into his modis operandi.

Carl R.

 

"J’ai trouve` mes ailes (I have found my wings)"

 

"-She displays her wounds and her sensibilities as badges of honor- scrapes of grace. Her reflection stands there as the knobby knees and elbows of her strides in battle. With her chin held high, she traces the lines on her back and knows, she is a creature of heaven.

  

- Here I have the opposition of biological and metrical working with each other to frame myself in the mirror. My reflection is full of longing and a quiet strength. This image shows the striving to heal oneself and the world we all find ourselves going through at times. There are difficult moments in the human life that almost cannot be described, but only felt. The flourishes of the mirror represent the beauty in the strength of these moments, the branches- disorganization and disarray of each individual situation- yet each is connected and brings the individual onward to new paths. At this moment in my life I am fighting for my potential with all the grace and hard work I can muster."

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St Andrew and St Patrick, Elveden, Suffolk

 

As you approach Elveden, there is Suffolk’s biggest war memorial, to those killed from the three parishes that meet at this point. It is over 30 metres high, and you used to be able to climb up the inside. Someone in the village told me that more people have been killed on the road in Elveden since the end of the War than there are names on the war memorial. I could well believe it. Until about five years ago, the busy traffic of the A11 Norwich to London road hurtled through the village past the church, slowed only to a ridiculously high 50 MPH. If something hits you at that speed, then no way on God's Earth are you going to survive. Now there's a bypass, thank goodness.

 

Many people will know St Andrew and St Patrick as another familiar landmark on the road, but as you are swept along in the stream of traffic you are unlikely to appreciate quite how extraordinary a building it is. For a start, it has two towers. And a cloister. And two naves, effectively. It has undergone three major building programmes in the space of thirty years, any one of which would have sufficed to transform it utterly.

 

If you had seen this church before the 1860s, you would have thought it nothing remarkable. A simple aisle-less, clerestory-less building, typical of, and indistinguishable from, hundreds of other East Anglian flint churches. A journey to nearby Barnham will show you what I mean.

 

The story of the transformation of Elveden church begins in the early 19th century, on the other side of the world. The leader of the Sikhs, Ranjit Singh, controlled a united Punjab that stretched from the Khyber Pass to the borders of Tibet. His capital was at Lahore, but more importantly it included the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The wealth of this vast Kingdom made him a major power-player in early 19th century politics, and he was a particular thorn in the flesh of the British Imperial war machine. At this time, the Punjab had a great artistic and cultural flowering that was hardly matched anywhere in the world.

 

It was not to last. The British forced Ranjit Singh to the negotiating table over the disputed border with Afghanistan, and a year later, in 1839, he was dead. A power vacuum ensued, and his six year old son Duleep Singh became a pawn between rival factions. It was exactly the opportunity that the British had been waiting for, and in February 1846 they poured across the borders in their thousands. Within a month, almost half the child-Prince's Kingdom was in foreign hands. The British installed a governor, and started to harvest the fruits of their new territory's wealth.

 

Over the next three years, the British gradually extended their rule, putting down uprisings and turning local warlords. Given that the Sikh political structures were in disarray, this was achieved at considerable loss to the invaders - thousands of British soldiers were killed. They are hardly remembered today. British losses at the Crimea ten years later were much slighter, but perhaps the invention of photography in the meantime had given people at home a clearer picture of what was happening, and so the Crimea still remains in the British folk memory.

 

For much of the period of the war, Prince Duleep Singh had remained in the seclusion of his fabulous palace in Lahore. However, once the Punjab was secure, he was sent into remote internal exile.

 

The missionaries poured in. Bearing in mind the value that Sikh culture places upon education, perhaps it is no surprise that their influence came to bear on the young Prince, and he became a Christian. The extent to which this was forced upon him is lost to us today.

 

A year later, the Prince sailed for England with his mother. He was admitted to the royal court by Queen Victoria, spending time both at Windsor and, particularly, in Scotland, where he grew up. In the 1860s, the Prince and his mother were significant members of London society, but she died suddenly in 1863. He returned with her ashes to the Punjab, and there he married. His wife, Bamba Muller, was part German, part Ethiopian. As part of the British pacification of India programme, the young couple were granted the lease on a vast, derelict stately home in the depths of the Suffolk countryside. This was Elveden Hall. He would never see India again.

 

With some considerable energy, Duleep Singh set about transforming the fortunes of the moribund estate. Being particularly fond of hunting (as a six year old, he'd had two tutors - one for learning the court language, Persian, and the other for hunting to hawk) he developed the estate for game. The house was rebuilt in 1870.

 

The year before, the Prince had begun to glorify the church so that it was more in keeping with the splendour of his court. This church, dedicated to St Andrew, was what now forms the north aisle of the present church. There are many little details, but the restoration includes two major features; firstly, the remarkable roof, with its extraordinary sprung sprung wallposts set on arches suspended in the window embrasures, and, secondly, the font, which Mortlock tells us is in the Sicilian-Norman style. Supported by eight elegant columns, it is very beautiful, and the angel in particular is one of Suffolk's loveliest. You can see him in an image on the left.

 

Duleep Singh seems to have settled comfortably into the role of an English country gentleman. And then, something extraordinary happened. The Prince, steeped in the proud tradition of his homeland, decided to return to the Punjab to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the Sikh people. He got as far as Aden before the British arrested him, and sent him home. He then set about trying to recruit Russian support for a Sikh uprising, travelling secretly across Europe in the guise of an Irishman, Patrick Casey. In between these times of cloak and dagger espionage, he would return to Elveden to shoot grouse with the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. It is a remarkable story.

 

Ultimately, his attempts to save his people from colonial oppression were doomed to failure. He died in Paris in 1893, the British seemingly unshakeable in their control of India. He was buried at Elveden churchyard in a simple grave.

 

The chancel of the 1869 church is now screened off as a chapel, accessible from the chancel of the new church, but set in it is the 1894 memorial window to Maharaja Prince Duleep Singh, the Adoration of the Magi by Kempe & Co.

 

And so, the Lion of the North had come to a humble end. His five children, several named after British royal princes, had left Elveden behind; they all died childless, one of them as recently as 1957. The estate reverted to the Crown, being bought by the brewing family, the Guinnesses.

 

Edward Cecil Guinness, first Earl Iveagh, commemorated bountifully in James Joyce's 1916 Ulysses, took the estate firmly in hand. The English agricultural depression had begun in the 1880s, and it would not be ended until the Second World War drew the greater part of English agriculture back under cultivation. It had hit the Estate hard. But Elveden was transformed, and so was the church.

 

Iveagh appointed William Caroe to build an entirely new church beside the old. It would be of such a scale that the old church of St Andrew would form the south aisle of the new church. The size may have reflected Iveagh's visions of grandeur, but it was also a practical arrangement, to accommodate the greatly enlarged staff of the estate. Attendance at church was compulsory; non-conformists were also expected to go, and the Guinnesses did not employ Catholics.

 

Between 1904 and 1906, the new structure went up. Mortlock recalls that Pevsner thought it 'Art Nouveau Gothic', which sums it up well. Lancet windows in the north side of the old church were moved across to the south side, and a wide open nave built beside it. Curiously, although this is much higher than the old and incorporates a Suffolk-style roof, Caroe resisted the temptation of a clerestory. The new church was rebenched throughout, and the woodwork is of a very high quality. The dates of the restoration can be found on bench ends up in the new chancel, and exploring all the symbolism will detain you for hours. Emblems of the nations of the British Isles also feature in the floor tiles.

 

The new church was dedicated to St Patrick, patron Saint of the Guinnesses' homeland. At this time, of course, Ireland was still a part of the United Kingdom, and despite the tensions and troubles of the previous century the Union was probably stronger at the opening of the 20th century than it had ever been. This was to change very rapidly. From the first shots fired at the General Post Office in April 1916, to complete independence in 1922, was just six years. Dublin, a firmly protestant city, in which the Iveaghs commemorated their dead at the Anglican cathedral of St Patrick, became the capital city of a staunchly Catholic nation. The Anglicans, the so-called Protestant Ascendancy, left in their thousands during the 1920s, depopulating the great houses, and leaving hundreds of Anglican parish churches completely bereft of congregations. Apart from a concentration in the wealthy suburbs of south Dublin, there are hardly any Anglicans left in the Republic today. But St Patrick's cathedral maintains its lonely witness to long years of British rule; the Iveagh transept includes the vast war memorial to WWI dead, and all the colours of the Irish regiments - it is said that 99% of the Union flags in the Republic are in the Guinness chapel of St Patrick's cathedral. Dublin, of course, is famous as the biggest city in Europe without a Catholic cathedral. It still has two Anglican ones.

 

Against this background then, we arrived at Elveden. The church is uncomfortably close to the busy road, but the sparkle of flint in the recent rain made it a thing of great beauty. The main entrance is now at the west end of the new church. The surviving 14th century tower now forms the west end of the south aisle, and we will come back to the other tower beyond it in a moment.

 

You step into a wide open space under a high, heavy roof laden with angels. There is a wide aisle off to the south; this is the former nave, and still has something of that quality. The whole space is suffused with gorgeously coloured light from excellent 19th and 20th century windows. These include one by Frank Brangwyn, at the west end of the new nave. Andrew and Patrick look down from a heavenly host on a mother and father entertaining their children and a host of woodland animals by reading them stories. It is quite the loveliest thing in the building.

 

Other windows, mostly in the south aisle, are also lovely. Hugh Easton's commemorative window for the former USAAF base at Elveden is magnificent. Either side are windows to Iveaghs - a gorgeous George killing a dragon, also by Hugh Easton, and a curious 1971 assemblage depicting images from the lives of Edward Guinness's heir and his wife, which also works rather well. The effect of all three windows together is particularly fine when seen from the new nave.

 

Turning ahead of you to the new chancel, there is the mighty alabaster reredos. It cost £1,200 in 1906, about a quarter of a million in today’s money. It reflects the woodwork, in depicting patron Saints and East Anglian monarchs, around a surprisingly simple Supper at Emmaus. This reredos, and the Brangwyn window, reminded me of the work at the Guinness’s other spiritual home, St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, which also includes a window by Frank Brangwyn commisioned by them. Everything is of the highest quality. Rarely has the cliché ‘no expense spared’ been as accurate as it is here.

 

Up at the front, a little brass plate reminds us that Edward VII slept through a sermon here in 1908. How different it must have seemed to him from the carefree days with his old friend the Maharajah! Still, it must have been a great occasion, full of Edwardian pomp, and the glitz that only the fabulously rich can provide. Today, the church is still splendid, but the Guinesses are no longer fabulously rich, and attendance at church is no longer compulsory for estate workers; there are far fewer of them anyway. The Church of England is in decline everywhere; and, let us be honest, particularly so in this part of Suffolk, where it seems to have retreated to a state of siege. Today, the congregation of this mighty citadel is as low as half a dozen. The revolutionary disappearance of Anglican congregations in the Iveagh's homeland is now being repeated in a slow, inexorable English way.

 

You wander outside, and there are more curiosities. Set in the wall are two linked hands, presumably a relic from a broken 18th century memorial. They must have been set here when the wall was moved back in the 1950s. In the south chancel wall, the bottom of an egg-cup protrudes from among the flints. This is the trademark of the architect WD Caroe. To the east of the new chancel, Duleep Singh’s gravestone is a very simple one. It is quite different in character to the church behind it. A plaque on the east end of the church remembers the centenary of his death.

 

Continuing around the church, you come to the surprise of a long cloister, connecting the remodelled chancel door of the old church to the new bell tower. It was built in 1922 as a memorial to the wife of the first Earl Iveagh. Caroe was the architect again, and he installed eight bells, dedicated to Mary, Gabriel, Edmund, Andrew, Patrick, Christ, God the Father, and the King. The excellent guidebook recalls that his intention was for the bells to be cast to maintain the hum and tap tones of the renowned ancient Suffolk bells of Lavenham... thus the true bell music of the old type is maintained.

 

This church is magnificent, obviously enough. It has everything going for it, and is a national treasure. And yet, it has hardly any congregation. So, what is to be done?

 

If we continue to think of rural historic churches as nothing more than outstations of the Church of England, it is hard to see how some of them will survive. This church in particular has no future in its present form as a village parish church. New roles must be found, new ways to involve local people and encourage their use. One would have thought that this would be easier here than elsewhere.

 

The other provoking thought was that this building summed up almost two centuries of British imperial adventure, and that we lived in a world that still suffered from the consequences. It is worth remembering where the wealth that rebuilt St Andrew and St Patrick came from.

 

As so often in British imperial history, interference in other peoples’ problems and the imposition of short-term solutions has left massive scars and long-cast shadows. For the Punjab, as in Ireland, there are no simple solutions. Sheer proximity has, after several centuries of cruel and exploitative involvement, finally encouraged the British government to pursue a solution in Ireland that is not entirely based on self-interest. I fear that the Punjab is too far away for the British to care very much now about what they did there then.

Hays, KS

 

Being gutted. Dunno if there are future plans for the site.

On June 17, 2013 a small bulldozer demoed our back yard, and since then our home has been in a state of utter disarray. The job that started with a 12 week estimate, was complete on Friday, just 10.5 months later. The new yard, pool, sundeck and outdoor living room are worth it, but more than anything, a little peace and tranquility in our new backyard feels really good.

 

Photo taken with a tripod, .6 ND filter, and a hand-held remote shutter trigger for a nice long (30 sec) exposure.

   

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BABUSHKA - SNAPSHOT OF A KILLER (Chapter Eleven)

    

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Истина не утаишь

TRUTH WILL OUT

    

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Near Whatcom County, Washington State, USA

     

On a quiet stretch of deserted American highway nestling between the majestic peaks of Mounts Baker and Shuksan which had stood for more than One hundred and twenty million years, in the North Cascades National Park, a completely unremarkable night fire red Chrysler Neon pulled onto the dusty shingle covered track, at the wheel, by contrast, a curiously remarkable lone female.

 

In the shadow of the two thousand seven hundred and eightyy metre high peak of the mighty Mountain, a tiny, by comparison, tired woman at the end of a long journey prepared to emerge into the glacier fresh air and brilliant sunshine, shielding her eyes from the bright rays with designer Dolce & Gabana shades prior to moving into the light from the stale and dour confines of the cars cabin. Ruthless and efficient, fearlessly loyal, and filled with an enormous sense of personal pride having fulfilled the requirements of her recent assignments with gusto and aplomb. Pulling to a halt far enough away from the road to leave reality behind, the engine pinged excitedly on the cool down as the key turned to the 'off' position and the long journey came to a conclusion.

 

Up ahead Tatiana's eyes fell upon the black and gold Jeep awaiting her arrival. The drivers door pushed open to the chimes of the warning sound as a lone figure climbed out, neatly polished shoes making contact with the dusty trail one at a time, right hand index finger pushing the bridge of his Ray bans firmly against his nose and closing the door as Tatiana too, climbed out into the glorious mountain fresh air.

 

Dmitri, looking as devilishly handsome as always, walked forwards, arms behind his back, a broad smile upon his lips, neatly groomed with not a hair of his freshly coiffured hair out of place as Tatiana opened her arms and moved at pace towards him, surrendering to the anticipation of the sweet embrace the pair would enjoy and allowing herself a rare squeal of excitement as the pair approached like a scene from a Hollywood blockbuster. But the world can alter in a split second, if the Hollywood blockbusteris directed by Quentin Tarantino and dreams can shatter into a million pieces that leave chard's of regret to wound and cut.

 

So euphoric and excited that her eyes did not truly witness the unfolding interplay, defences for once completely down, Dmitri did not even bother to halt in his tracks as, right hand dropping down from behind his back to his side, and outstretched in a lightening reflex as his left hand came round to grip the metal object. A blinding flash of the handgun previously concealed released a single nine millimetre bullet that screamed joyfully through the air before Tatiana's brain could contemplate and comprehend. Impact was violent and bloody as the bullet smashed through her rib cage, pushing her body backwards with fearsome velocity. She let out a scream of shock more than pain as the bullet tore into her flesh, bemused thoughts and feelings, a confused look upon those pretty eyes as she fell.

   

Prone and bleeding, a searing pain shooting through the wound that she desperately clutched with her right hand, Tatiana gazed up at the beautiful blue sky above her as the cold concrete mingled with the icy chill that swept through her very bones. Tiny white fluffy clouds like cotton wool puffs, danced across the sky as she fought to stem the blood flow now seeping down from her torso onto the ground around her. Kneeling down at her side, Dmitri switched the pistol to his left hand, the barrel ominously teasing Tatiana's painful flesh as it hung naturally in his hand, pushing his right index finger into the pooling blood, gazing at it with a childlike wonder as he pulled the finger towards his mouth, tasting the rich ruby liquid as though it were the creamy topping to a mouth watering dessert savoured at the latest celebrity chef nouvelle cuisine hotspot.

   

" My sweet baby Babushka, I have loved you since the first day that Sergei brought you to my attention. So young and fresh, so full of anger and hatred for those who had so cruelly robbed you of your innocence and childhood. The spark I saw in those beautiful brown eyes back then, I still see in you now as you lay clutching at your final few breaths before you depart this world. You have always shown such exquisite loyalty to the cause, devotion to your duties, allegiance to the fight. "

   

"And this is my reward Dmitri?, Tatiana gazed into Dmitri's cold eyes as he knelt directly over her, the gun still smoking in his left hand, now waving in the breeze as he spoke.

 

"And you know, your love and passion, your very loyalty were the weapons I harnessed to further my needs, to attain my objective"

   

"Your objective?", the pain was now so intense that Tatiana could feel her eyes flickering, struggling to remain conscious as natural defences kicked in. Dmitri pulled a packet of cigarettes from his left inner jacket breast pocket, flicking the lid with his thumb and retrieving one with his mouth before replacing the packet raising his line of view to take in the beauty of this tranquil location.

   

" Questions, questions, there must be so many rattling around in that pretty little head of yours, Babushka. I can give you only the truth. You see, it's not only the money that sways a man, makes him yearn to sample life on the other side. Old guard, old ways, refusal to be dragged kicking and screaming into the twentieth century. I've watched the frail old hearts rule this organization without the will or foresight to adapt to change, to move with the times. Those Americans can teach us a thing or two you know "

   

Dmitri raised his gold electronic lighter up to the end of his cigarette, the flickering flame seeming to dance seductively as the tobacco caught alight and he inhaled deeply before letting out a blissful plume of nicotine into the atmosphere.

   

" The Americans, God bless them. The change was easy, the execution of the plan even more so with you as my weapon of mass destruction. Across the land my three finest agents unleashed to kill the high ranking key players in our own organization, causing fear and disarray, inner turmoil, the death of the empire. So often the best laid plans are the simplest when you get down to it, as was the case here. Such a sweet plan, don't you think, my Babushka? "

   

Tatiana raised her right hand to her face, cupping her mouth as she realized the gravity of the situation and the needless executions she had carried out in good faith.

   

" Oh yes, sweet child, all those people you killed to facilitate the plan. Now the Americans will have a new recruit with a wealth of talent and information to accept into the fold. Supposedly dead after you killed my driver and abducted me so publicly, the organization closed ranks and despatched assets to track you down. Meanwhile my three angels of death, faithful and loyal to the end, set about bringing the organization to it's knees at my command. Quite brilliant, even if I do say so myself. But then, modesty never was a strong point of mine was it."

 

Tatiana shed a tear as her mind raced, recollections of how she had Loved Dmitri with all her heart until the cruel realization of this moment.

   

" You bastard "

   

" You are of course justified in your observation. But I do love you Babushka. You came to me a frightened child, a victim, so many facets to your personality that I slowly unravelled. I created you, sculpted you, moulded you into the finely honed killing machine with so many facets. Hence your codename. Just like the wooden dolls each one encased inside the other, I delved deep and found the frightened child within the angry woman. I knew you would never betray your beliefs, no matter how deep your love for me, which is why I never insulted you with an invitation to come with me, on the other side, as it were "

 

" If you had just let us extract the information we sought in London, you would have died a painless and dignified death by liquid rather than the hot steel of the bullet. And my what a wealth of information we extracted from you. You kept so many secrets, even from me, my beautiful Babushka. "

 

Rising to his feet, Dmitri dispensed with his half smoked cigarette, flicking it to the ground and stubbing out the remnants with his right foot as dust rose upwards from the sideways movements. Pistol now grasped in his right hand once more, he removed his Ray bans and fixed his eyes upon Tatiana as she fought against the icy chill now sweeping her body, the numb sensation as adrenalin coursed her veins and reality began to merge into wild visions.

 

“Your peers were as ruthless and methodical as yourself, you'll be pleased to learn, Babushka. Thomas Muller every inch the clinical German met his end two days ago after a small incendiary device detonated underneath his BMW. And David Parker, the British assassin with delusions of being James Bond, did a sterling job with never a doubt nor question on his stiff upper lips. I do believe that he is helping to keep the foundations of a new bridge in place somewhere in Geneva. Bones make such good rubble, I find. "

 

" And then Anastasiya ", Tatiana mumbled as the pain increased dramatically in her limbs.

 

"Yes, poor Anastasiya. I do believe that you too would have made such good friends had the opportunity arisen. So alike each other apart from the age difference of course. She always talked of you, looked up to you, respected you even. Like you she was a by the book kind of girl and I could not keep her, sadly. And may I take this opportunity of thanking you for an excellent kill there. "

 

Dmitri moved the pistol from side to side in his hand, closing an eye and looking down the barrel as it aimed downwards towards the ground.

 

" How it must have hurt you so much to not face Anastasiya in person, hand to hand, a fight to the death. But you understand why I could not allow that to happen my dear. Two like forces, a little chit chat prelude to death, the uncovering of matters both of you were privy to. No, no, I could not afford for the truth to come out and a sniper bullet was the easy option though it pained me to lose her in such a callous and undignified manner. But enough of this. I saved you till last, because you were always the best, Babushka, always my personal favourite and believe me when I tell you that you truly had no equal "

   

Replacing his sunglasses, Dmitri raised his pistol and cocked the hammer, the barrel aimed at her forehead as he smiled. “ Goodbye, Tatiana, I will always love you"

   

As the shot rang out, Tatiana eyes instinctively closed, her pained limbs braced and awaiting the impact of metal to flesh that would signal her demise. Perhaps inwardly, with the realization of her part in the demise of the unit of the organization to which she had such an allegiance, she was ready to suffer her fate. Instead, the sound of Dmitri's body gracing the shingled ground, his voice pained and cursing as the pistol landed just a few inches from Tatiana's body. Dmitri placed his left arm upon her lower leg, pulling himself up towards where the gun lay as she quickly fumbled with her left hand until the metal hand grip fell into her palm. Almost completely on top of her as the barrel was pushed into his mouth, Tatiana managed a wry grin as their eyes met for the very last time.

   

“ Fuck you, you worthless sack of shit "

   

As the bullet erupted from the barrel, ejected from the back of Dmitri's head along with fragments of cranial matter that spattered the scenery for yards, producing a vivid patchwork of artistic gloop, Tatiana managed to heave his carcass from her limbs, the gun falling out of her hand as she slumped back into the shingle, life slowly ebbing away from her. Distant footsteps became more audible as, through bleary eyes a lone gunman approached the dying woman, a sniper rifle in his hand as he knelt over her, checking her pulse and eyes closely.

      

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Rewritten on August 2nd 2011

 

Originally penned in August 2010

 

Photograph taken on August 19th 2010 by the River Darent in Farningham, Kent, England.

  

Nikon D700 50mm 1/30s f/5.6 iso200

 

Nikkor 50mm f/2.8. UV filter

 

Sighing next to the endless dusk...

The steam rising from countless chimneys

All in a row utterly lacking in disarray

The stewpots boiling

Licking condensation across old windows

None can contain

The smells rising

Trailing along alleyways

Impossibly long strings of tiny homes

Fingerprints forgotten on cold steel railings

Flowerpots pretending Spring

As the odd intervals of water pretend rain

So what does one do. . . Today,

amongst yesterdays ancient pretense

Of tomorrow's imagined possibility of what may be possibly tried?

For today has nearly died

Though light stubbornly will not fade

Umbrella covered eyes in disguise

Avoiding puddles where i once would wade.

Implausible perceptions may no longer linger

When even for an instant of now or then or. . .

Rain misted eyes

Can no longer lie

Even in disguise

 

Upon a bridge of sighs. . .

 

I was on Front Street in downtown Toronto this morning, checking out an historic building that was redesigned by Aaron, a retired Architect and my Stranger #818 (www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcbowen/18248730940/in/dateposted/). Part of the building is complete, including a multistory addition above it, and part is still undergoing renovation. I was starting to unlock my bicycle to move on when I saw her. She was coming toward me on the sidewalk with her beautiful blue scarf and circular sunglasses. She had a composed, relaxed air about her as she passed me and my curiosity was tweaked. I stopped her and she removed her earphones. I proceeded with my usual “Excuse me. My name is Jeff and I’m doing an amateur photo project….” She agreed without a second thought and said it sounded like a great project. We shook hands. Meet Melissa.

 

We were on a busy sidewalk with the building front on one side and a huge street construction project on the other side. It was “scramble time” as I looked at the immediate surroundings to come up with a way to make use of the opportunity. I posed Melissa between the building of interest and the building next door: The Hockey Hall of Fame. I knew the bright light in the laneway was less than ideal but I proceeded. I asked if I could straighten her sunglasses and she said “Sure. That’s ok. They might not straighten. They’re kind of wonky.” She was right. “Ok” I said. “That will be part of the character of this photo.” We shared a laugh. I had to photograph from the other side of the sidewalk and I appreciated the pedestrians who stopped to wait between “takes” so as to not get in the way. People can be so accommodating.

 

Not sure that I had a good enough image (see comment photo) I asked Melissa to move a few steps to the open doorway of the building under renovation. The workmen were inside and I called to them to ask if it would be ok to step inside the doorway for “just one minute” to take a photo of Melissa. They looked at each other (probably a bit nonplussed by my nerve), then waved me in with a friendlynshrug. I positioned Melissa inside the door with construction disarray and the workmen behind her and balanced myself on the step outside the door in the sunlight. It was somewhat precarious but it worked. I asked Melissa to remove her sunglasses and suggested that she follow up her smiling photo with a relaxed, neutral expression and figured I had the photo. Thanking the workmen, we stepped onto the sidewalk to chat.

 

Melissa, 22, was born and raised in Toronto. She is a recent college graduate with a major in Public Relations. “Oh, so you’re probably just hitting the job search?” “Well, pretty much. But I think I’m going to take a little break for travel first. I’m going to Quebec where I hope to learn some French which will make me more marketable.” Smart strategy. What was she doing when I interrupted her progress? “Oh, I was just walking to the park to relax and read a book. I like to alternate fiction pleasure reading with more serious reading.” I can remember one of the joys of finishing university was being able to read whatever I wanted to read without guilt that it wasn’t a textbook. “Any words you would like to share with the world?” Melissa laughed at the scope of the question. “I know, I’m just making life difficult for you” I said. She replied “No. Just give me a second. Uh, I think I would say to make time to do the things you value and don’t put them off.” I think she was talking about travel. “What do you like to do when you’re not going to the park to read?” I asked. “Well, I like food. I mean I REALLY like food.” “Your favorite food?” “Let’s just say I REALLY like food.” (smiling)

 

From the few minutes we spent together Melissa came across as very friendly, relaxed, and sincere. There was a gentle honesty about her and I thought it striking that she responded to my unexpected project request as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I think these nice qualities show in the portraits.

 

With that I thanked Melissa and freed her up to get to the park on this beautiful, sunny Toronto morning. Thank you Melissa for taking the time to meet and for participating in The Human Family. You are #834 in Round 9 of my project. Have fun in Quebec and good luck with your job search. And be sure to enjoy some of that Quebec cooking!

 

Update: I received a very nice email from Melissa saying she had enjoyed our meeting and she was positively impressed by my photos. She thanked me and wished me well on my continuing project. It was very nice feedback.