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History of Johnstown Castle
The estate itself dates back to the 11th century, when the Esmondes; a family from Lincolnshire, England, settled in the area. The family arrived in County Wexford after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169.
In 1169, a force of Norman knights landed in Bannow, County Wexford, at the request of Diarmait Mac Murchada, who had been ousted from his seat as the King of Leinster in 1166. Mac Murchada hoped that by pledging his allegiance to King Henry II, he could return to Ireland and reclaim his kingdom, which had been taken from him by his arch enemy, the High King of Ireland, Ruaidri Ua Conchobair.
During their reign over the estate, the Esmonde family constructed two tower houses in Johnstown and Rathlannon. These towers were stone structures that had three or four floors; with the family living on the top floor and servants living on the bottom floor. These sturdy stone towers provided protection against would-be attackers and land raiders. Pictured below is one of the towers that can be seen inside the grounds of Johnstown Castle.
During the mid-1600s, Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland. During his conquest of the country, he sacked towns such as Wexford and Drogheda and confiscated large amounts of land. Cromwell is an extremely notorious figure in Irish history because of the abhorrent actions of his troops. For example: After the siege of Wexford Town, Cromwell’s army broke loose and ran amok inside the town walls, massacring up to 1500 civilians.
According to the book A topographical dictionary of Ireland, by Samuel Lewis, Oliver Cromwell spent a night on the estate in 1649, prior to his attack on Wexford Town. In his book, Lewis describes how Cromwell used the expansive land around Johnstown Castle to prepare and review his troops.
It was during the Cromwellian years that the Catholic Esmonde family were expelled from County Wexford.
In 1682, the estate was acquired by the Grogan family. In 1798, the owner of the estate, Cornelius Grogan was hanged and beheaded on Wexford Bridge for his part in the 1798 rebellion. Cornelius, who was the eldest son of the family, had become a commissary-general for the United Irishmen, a group of insurgents that had successfully taken over Wexford and established a republican regime. During his trial, Cornelius claimed that his position in the United Irishmen had been overstated and that he had been forced to take a nominal lead in the organisation. After his execution, his estate in Johnstown was seized by the crown.
Twelve years later, in 1810, Cornelius’ youngest brother, John Knox, managed to regain control of Johnstown Castle after he paid the crown court a heavy fine. It was John and his son, Hamilton Knox Grogan, that built the castle, the lake and the expansive gardens that people can visit today, with Kilkenny architect Daniel Robertson designing the castle and parts of the surrounding land. Pictured above is the castle lake, which is roughly five acres in size.
During World War One (1914-1918), German U-boats (underground boats) were active off the coast of County Wexford. In response, the British Royal Naval Air Service stationed a number of Zeppelin air ships at Johnstown Castle. Unfortunately, these air ships were an ineffective tool against Germany’s military submarines, which continued to snoop around the south coast of Ireland until American seaplanes cleared the shipping lanes in February of 1918.
In 1945, Maurice Victor Lakin, who was a descendent of John Grogan, presented the estate as a gift to the Irish nation. A few years later, the Department of Agriculture took charge of Johnstown Castle and its gardens, before setting up an agricultural institute inside its grounds.
Today, the site boasts an agricultural museum, which can be visited, provided you pay an extra charge. If you’re not particularly interested in visiting an agricultural museum, you can choose to take a walk around the castle’s large gardens, which contain beautiful flowers, trees, lakes, statues and historical structures.
'On Feb. 22nd 1968 Mike Walker and I completed a most successful day in Cheshire by visiting the MPD at Speke Junction. Mike uses his cine camera to record the spectacular departure of 9F no 92091 on a heavy mixed freight.'
An image from an album of prints by the Revd David Benson, a curate in Hull when he took most of his photographs. Nearly all from the late 1960s, he not only chased steam (plenty of such photographs from others), but didn't ignore the first generation diesels, of which there are some fantastic images. Also a good number of shots around Hull Docks. Loaded into the Flickr album 'A Curate's Collection' in reverse order, so when I've uploaded them all you can browse the album as it was compiled.
I had attempted to hike to this area in May of this year but was forced to turn back due to the depth of the snow that had still remained. However, this attempt was successful.
Three Fingered Jack above with Canyon Creek Meadows in the foreground.
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"In a city full of monkeys, I'm the king
Because I sing with a crooked grimace for the masses
The females screech, all the monkeys jump
Nice thing that I'm the hip monkey
I hang out, have a great day
A couple of primates and a barrel of Havana Club
I pose, have style in front of the camera
And earn a lot of Banana-na-na-na-na
With my monkey power I celebrate popular hits
Brides get shivers on their necks, it pisses off their studs
She kisses her lips, I'll knock over a bus for her
Stand in the sun and drum on your chest
Red fur, big head, looks like a young god
Mothers close, mares flee at a gallop
I see a blond woman, steal her from the balcony
And she scratches me all night long
Everything is colourful, loud and flashing
City full of monkeys is full and stinks
Smog in the lungs, I'm on it and grin
I climb a house and you hear me sing
Everything is colourful, loud and flashing
City full of monkeys is full and stinks
We're partying for no reason, come smoke and drink
The party was successful, we are deaf and blind!"
Successfully avoiding the sun, 50008 Thunderer passes Burn heading 5Z19, the 11.52 Gascoigne Wood Sidings - Chaddesden Sidings empty stock for the next days special from Derby to Paignton. Friday 13 January 2023.
This is the medieval town Regensberg. I can see it from my backyard and have therefore been aware for a long time that it would make a nice foreground for a nightscape. Unfortunately, Switzerlands biggest city Zurich, with its bortle 7 light pollution dome, is located only 16km to the south-east of Regensberg - exactly in the direction of the rising core. I therefore decided that an image with the Milky Way behind Regensberg was impossible and tried to forget the shot.
The thought however kept nagging me and during the last new moon, I finally decided to sacrifice a clear night and give it a try. As I have scucessfully captured the Lagoon Nebula with a telescope from my backyard, I knew that I had to do a longer focal length deepscape, if I wanted to have a fighting chance.
To get a clear view, I set up my equipment a few hunderd meters from my home. After successfully capturing the foreground, the first sky images did not look very encouraging, but the Lagoon Nebula was visible on my LCD and so I kept shooting. After a while, I installed my seldom used light pollution filter and captured a second, filtered sequence.
Stacking the exposures in Photoshop confirmed that I had captured - something. The gradients in the light polluted sky however looked very ugly. It was time to switch to more powerful tools.
After extracting the background gradients and processing the filtered sequence with PixInsight, I could hardly believe how much detail my camera had recorded. The colors however still suffered from the light pollution filter.
Processing the unfiltered sequence yielded better colors, but less detail. I therefore combined the two stacks and blended them with the untracked foreground, I had captured before the Milky Way moved into position.
If somebody showed me my image a few weeks ago, I would have been convinced it was a fake. Now, after actually capturing it, I can hardly believe the quality I was able to extract from the meagre looking data and I wonder what other seemingly impossible scenes are waiting to be captured.
EXIF
Canon EOS 6D, astro modified
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L ll IS USM @ 142mm
Skywatcher AZ-GTI mount
Guided with a ZWO ASI 385MC and ASIair
Sky:
30 x 40s @ISO800 f/4 with nachtlicht° light pollution filter
40 x 40s @ISO800 f/4 without filters
processed with PixInsight and PS
Foreground:
12 x 30s @ISO800 f/2.8
“The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time.”
John Steinbeck
Avenue of the Giants, Humbolt County, Northern California
This Cheetah Mum now can serve a delicious breakfast to her Cub. One of them is always on alert. Now this is a moment they are themselves vulnerable to other hunters such as Lions. This was a really rare sighting
A not entirely successful experiment with 3 bracketed shots,Hdr and lab colour techniques. View Large.
Combat and Hunting Game System .to play in the Second Life Simulator .
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Hunting-and-combat-game/2476...
A successful take, flying towards the boat too. An awesome sight!
Taken on a private charter with Mull Charters as a part of a bespoke photography tour I was helping run on Mull.
The decor and ambience of this pizza parlour and bar suggest a successful and thriving business, but unfortunately a couple of months later this establishment closed
Successful hunting trip for this Long-Tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus).
Image cropped only, to focus on target.
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Herring Gull with Starfish, Vancouver BC Canada
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife
Columbia Pacific Dahlia Show 2024
September 13 @ 10:00 am - September 14 @ 4:00 pm PDT
Free
The Columbia Pacific Dahlia Show is hosted by the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco on September 13th and 14th, 2024. After a very successful first year, this part contest-part show highlighting locally grown dahlias is back!
Participants can enter bouquets, arrangements, and single stems. If you grow many dahlias, participants can pre-register for a 6-foot table to create their own display. Pre-registration for tables is encouraged as amounts are limited. There will be ribbons awarded for People’s Choice, Best Bouquet, Biggest Bloom and Smallest Bloom.
The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission to this event and the museum is free to all thanks to the Port of Ilwaco and our members.
columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org/event/columbia-pacific-...
Successful strike! This is the next frame of the juvenile Great Blue Heron hunting posted recently.
Pillar Point
Half Moon Bay, CA
This is yet another arctic bird of prey overwintering here in the northern United States.
The species, named for its feathered legs, breeds throughout the arctic and sub-arctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. They typically breed in the open tundra and semi-open taiga.
Rough-legged Hawks primarily eat lemmings and voles, but will also hunt for other small rodents, such as shrews and mice.
I had an unexpected opportunity to observe this youngster hovering, successfully hunting and subsequently eating a vole last week. All with a broken leg, which made it that much more difficult for him. But he did it!
Hawks live by the health of their feet. It’s the talons that catch their prey and help protect them against enemies. If a hawk’s feet are too damaged or infected, they most likely won't survive in the wild.
After my observation it seemed his left leg was injured/broken from below his ankle, (bird's ankle is what appears to be a backwards bent knee), as he was still able to lift the leg up but not put any weight on it. The talons on that side were visibly swollen too.
Hunting season is well underway in Alaska - and I have already seen quite a few moose and caribou racks in hunter's vehicles, as they head back to their urban homes. Returning to our cabin, we came upon this successful hunter with a beautiful caribou rack in the bed of his truck. I sure hope he packed out the meat as well - or at least donated it to a needy family.
The stately royal spoonbill is one of six spoonbill species worldwide, and the only one that breeds in New Zealand. This large white waterbird was first recorded in New Zealand at Castlepoint in 1861. Sightings increased through the 1900s, with breeding first recorded next to the white heron colony at Okarito, south Westland, in 1949. Since then it has successfully colonised New Zealand from Australia and is now widespread, breeding at multiple sites on both main islands, and dispersing to coastal sites across the country after the breeding season. In flight, birds hold their neck outstretched and trail legs behind, looking rather awkward, like a "Dr Seuss" cartoon bird. Their closest relatives are the ibises
This week in 1973, the second crewed Skylab mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean following a successful 59-day mission in the orbiting laboratory. Here, astronaut Owen K. Garriott retrieves an image experiment from the Apollo Telescope Mount during an extravehicular activity. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall serves as "science central" for the space station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory's scientific experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
Upper East Side, Central Park - Jun 2008 - 085
These pictures were taken on two successive days when I had doctor appointments on the Upper East Side of NYC, and had the chance to walk along Fifth Avenue, and then through Central Park in order to return to my apartment on the Upper West Side, at Broadway & 96th
I had spotted this woman jogging in Central Park a little earlier -- how could you not notice someone in a bright pink top and pink hat? She had been running south, while I was walking north, and she went by too quickly for me to get a picture.
But about ten minutes later, as I was approaching Columbus Avenue and 96th Street, she jogged past me again ... she had to stop at Columbus Avenue, because of the traffic, so she was actually jogging in place when I took this picture...
Note: on Sep 26, 2012, I replaced the original version of this photo with a slightly edited one. All I did was some relatively minor adjusting of "hot spots" and "cold spots" -- but unfortunately, I was unable to remove all the monochromatic blackness in the woman's tights Unfortunately, the original photo was shot as a JPG image, before I learned about the benefits of shooting in RAW and making more subtle adjustments with my Aperture photo-editing program...
Note: this picture was published in a Sep 21, 2008 blog article entitled "Road Kill." It was also included in a June 6, 2009 photo mashup, as seen in the comment below, and as displayed in full-sized format on this Flickr page. And it was published in an Aug 4, 2009 blog titled "What Kind of Music Do You Listen to When You Work Out?" More recently, it was published in a Sep 1, 2009 blog titled "How Far Should You Run In A Workout?", which was republished in a Jul 19, 2010 blog, and again in a Dec 17, 2010 blog. And it was published in a Sep 28, 2009 blog titled "Treadmill Vs. Outdoor Running," which was reprinted in a Jun 30, 2010 Bike Swim Run blog with the same title. It was also published in a Nov 6, 2009 blog titled World Run Day 2009 is This Sunday!" And it was published in a Dec 12, 2009 "Sweet California" blog titled "Tomorrow's the Day."
Moving into 2010, the photo was published in a Feb 25, 2010 blog titled "Is Less Exercise More Effective?" It was also published in an undated (Mar 2010) blog titled "My yeast infection cure." And it was published in a Mar 31, 2010 "Wellwire" blog titled "What's My Motivation?", as well as a Mar 31, 2010 Suite-101-dot-com blog titled "Term Insurance Comparison by Age for Women Only," and an Apr 1, 2010 blog titled "Encouraging Activity With Group Health Insurance Discounts." It was also published in an Apr 22, 2010 Italian blog titled "Ti alleni con la musica? Apple sostituisce le cuffie che non resistono al sudore." It was also published in an Apr 23, 2010 Insured Life blog, with the same title as the caption that I used on this Flickr page. And it was published in an Apr 27, 2010 Italian blog, titled Alternare i tipi di allenamento per migliorare i risultati. It was also published in a May 24, 2010 blog titled "How Physical Activity Enhances Productivity." And it was published in an undated (May 2010) blog titled "Exercise for Women." It was also published in a Jun 3, 2010 blog titled "How to Look Cute While Jogging."
In the second half of 2010, it was published in a Jul 7, 2010 blog titled "Women’s Workout Guidelines Are Mostly Guesswork." A tightly cropped version of the photo was published in a Jul 14, 2010 blog titled "3 Reasons Not To Use An iPod Armband." And a very tightly cropped version was also published in an Aug 26, 2010 issue of the French version of Slate, in a blog titled "Ecouter de la musique pousse à s'entraîner plus fort." It was also published in a Sep 11, 2010 blog titled "Working Out in Maintenance Mode." And it was published in a Sep 26, 2010 ArticleTZ blog, with the same title (and notes) as what I had put onto the original Flickr page. It was also published in an undated (Oct 2010) Cool New York Group Health Insurance images blog , with the same title as the caption that I put on my Flickr page.
Moving into 2011, the photo was published in an undated (early Jan 2011) blog titled "Top Picks in Running Sneakers." It was also published in a Mar 15, 2011 blog titled "Ready To Race? Getting Started & Running In NYC." And it was published in a Sep 9, 2011 blog titled "Sport: risultati migliori cambiando ritmo."
Moving into 2012, the photo was published in a Jan 3, 2012 blog titled "5 Resolutions Diversity Practitioners Should Make in 2012." It was also published in a Feb 15, 2012 blog titled "High-Tech Health: Your Smartphone and the Gym." And it was published in a May 8, 2012 blog titled "5 Signs Your Exercise Habit Might Be Getting Out of Hand." It was also published in a May 31, 2012 blog titled "Five Practical Tips for Developing a Sustainable Workplace for Employees." And it was published in a Jun 1, 2012 blog titled "Workout Camp." It was also published in a Jun 17, 2012 blog titled "A hidden message of encouragement in my exercise playlist." And it was published in an Aug 30, 2012 blog titled "Tips To Help Avoid Yeast Infections," as well as a Sep 3, 2012 blog titled "Think You Can’t Do Anything About Your Yeast Infection? Think Again!" It was also published in an undated (late Sep 2012) blog titled "10 Most Powerful Success Habits," as well as a Sep 26, 2012 blog titled "Celebrate National Women’s Health and Fitness Day!" And it was published in an undated (late Oct 2012) blog titled "Ti alleni con la musica? Apple sostituisce le cuffie che non resistono al sudore." It was also published in a Dec 27, 2012 blog titled "Saving Money on Term Life Insurance."
Moving into 2013, the photo was published in a Jan 7, 2013 blog titled "Simple Way On How To Deal With Yeast Infection," as well as a Jan 7, 2013 blog titled "Alternative And Natural Treatments For A Yeast Infection," and a Jan 24, 2013 blog titled "Tips To Avoid Yeast Infections In The Future." It was also published in an undated (late Jan 2013) blog titled "The 16 Most Popular Habits of Highly Successful People." And it was also published in a Mar 26, 2013 blog titled "Exercise With Music For Bigger Benefits." It was also published in a May 24, 2013 article titled "ランニングの際に使いやすいアームバンド," as well as a Jun 3, 2013 blog titled "Alternative And Natural Treatments For A Yeast Infection." And it was published in a Jun 24, 2013 blog titled "Stop Trying To Deal With Yeast Infections Without Good Advice. Read Here!"
Phillip Mould:
This image, and those generated around it, represent one of the most successful sovereign statements of English history. It was painted under the aegis of the Queen’s own official Serjeant painter, George Gower, in the late 1580s, the decade in which she finally defeated the Spanish threat, and assured her place as one of England’s most successful and popular monarchs. The portrait was owned by Edward Drewe MP, one of Elizabeth’s ablest lawyers, and has remained in his family ever since. A family legend suggests that the portrait was the gift of Elizabeth herself. It is in part through such portraits that the mystique and power of Elizabeth I was conveyed in her day. As such it is not merely a portrait of a monarch, but a symbolic statement of national supremacy.
George Gower was Elizabeth’s Serjeant Painter from 1581 until his death in 1596. He was also a ‘gentleman’, being the grandson of Sir John Gower of Stettenham, Yorkshire. This was not only unusual for the time (hitherto, artists were effectively ranked as servants), but reveals the increasing status – and importance – of portraiture in sixteenth century England. There is little documentary evidence on Gower’s career, but there is no doubt that he was one of the leading English artists of his generation. His documented portraits, such as those of Sir Thomas and Lady Kytson (1573 Tate Gallery, London) show that he commanded the patronage of the important and wealthy from an early age, while his self-portrait (1579, the first known example by an English artist on such a scale) gives a clear indication of the bold characterization with which he depicted his subjects.
Gower’s technique and style is distinct, and perfectly suited to the display of power, and conspicuous monarchical grandeur seen here. His use of strong light on the head enables his subject’s face to stand out from the rest of the painting, and was perfectly suited to Elizabeth’s personal wish to avoid any shadows across her face. His reluctance to rely too heavily on drawing is made up by strong flesh tones and subtle shadows, so that the face is rendered with precision and power, aided by bold features such as the well-delineated eyes. The unmistakably warm and dry palette has the happy effect of seeming to depict the Queen in the heavy make-up on which she increasingly came to rely. In this example, the overall effect is one of power rather than beauty – but such is Gower’s skill that our focus is held unmistakably by Elizabeth’s face and strong gaze, despite the rich and bright details of her luxurious costume.
There are elsewhere in the portrait signs of a master’s touch. The subtle but noticeable pink tones in the ruff under Elizabeth’s chin skillfully illustrates the reflection of her face in the white lace, giving the ruff a three-dimensional effect so often lacking in sixteenth century portraiture. The deft modeling (with even the hint of veins) in the long and elegant hands of which Elizabeth was so proud is superb, while the folds and lace on the golden silk of her sleeves is redolent of Holbein’s supreme skill in depicting the rich quality of Royal costumes.
As with all portraits of the Queen, there comes the question of the level of her personal involvement. Of course, she did not sit for the many contemporary portraits of her that survive. Instead, artists would have followed patterns of her face, and then either have imagined her costume, or in some cases have painted the actual garment itself. The patterns would have been widely-circulated, and the Queen’s likeness then either traced onto a panel or drawn freehand. Surviving examples of patterns are rare, but those of Bishop John Fisher and Sir Henry Sidney can be found in the National Portrait Gallery, as can one previously believed to show Elizabeth herself.
Which ‘pattern’, therefore, is the Drewe portrait based on? Sir Roy Strong’s catalogue of 1963, Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I, and subsequent Gloriana, The Portraits of Elizabeth I were vital works in dating and attributing the many (invariably unsigned) portraits. According to Strong’s categorization, the Drewe portrait is based on the ‘Darnley’ face pattern, after a painting dated c. 1575 once owned by the Earls of Darnley, and now in the National Portrait Gallery attributed to Federico Zuccaro, an Italian landscape and religious painter to whom the Queen sat for a drawing in May 1575.[1] The Darnley pattern, Strong points out, does not change until the ‘Armada pattern’ is developed, apparently by Gower, c.1588.
And yet, such categorization carries with it the disappointing notion that all portraits of the Queen between c.1575 and 1588 are derivatives, completed at a distance from Elizabeth herself. This clearly cannot be the case with the Drewe portrait. Though Elizabeth is shown in a similar (if reversed) profile, she is unquestionably a different woman to that in the Darnley portrait: noticeably hierarchical, sepulchral in characterization, perhaps reflecting the progression of her historical achievements. It seems implausible that Gower, the Queen’s Serjeant Painter, would have been content to follow a pattern. Rather, he may instead have felt constrained by the dictates of Royal iconography to follow an approved pose – just as Henry VIII was invariably portrayed full-face.
It is to the Queen herself that we should seek an explanation for the repetitive nature of her portraits. From the note of her conversation with Nicholas Hilliard in c.1572 it seems she resolved that her portraits should have no “shadowe at all”[2]. After all, Royal portraits were primarily symbols of power combined with obsequious flattery, not simple likenesses. Considerations of deference (and by the 1580s her fading beauty) further forbade any attempt at realism. And artist’s had to operate within an accepted Royal iconography that began in the fifteenth century. It is certain, however, that Gower’s official position, and the fact that he was a gentleman by birth, would have guaranteed him access to the Queen. The Drewe portrait, with its delicately observed facial contours and expressive, piercing eyes, is a world away from the pallid and formulaic pattern portraits of Elizabeth, reflecting an authority derived from one who had access to the royal presence.
The provenance of this portrait is of interest, and helps confirm the attribution to George Gower. It has traditionally hung in the Grange, the Devon seat of the Drewe family, since its construction by Edward Drewe in the 1590s. Drewe was one of the ablest lawyers of the 16th Century. After a spell at Oxford (while apparently a teenager) he began to practice law at the Inner Temple in 1560. He was called to the Bar in 1574. From then he rose rapidly through the legal ranks; a Justice of the Peace in 1579, and a Member of Parliament (for Lyme Regis) in 1584. He must then have been well-known to the Queen and Privy Council, for in 1588 he was amongst those sharp legal minds, along with Francis Bacon, called to draft Government legislation. The letter makes flattering reading;
“Her Majestie… hath made especiall choice of you, upon knowledge of your sinceritie and sufficiencie in that behalfe, to proceede to the consideracion what statutes in your opinion were requisite to be either established or perfected for the better…
We bid you very hertely farewll.”[3]
In 1589 he was appointed a Serjeant-at-law, and became more familiar to the key members of Elizabeth’s Government. Perhaps his most powerful ally was Francis Russell, the second Earl of Bedford. He corresponded regularly with William Cecil, Lord Burghley. And in 1593 he is recorded as making a speech before the Queen when introducing the Lord Mayor of London to Court. Drewe’s correspondence with the Privy Council typically revolved around interrogations of suspects such as Jesuit spies, often in the Tower of London, and he became an important part of the security apparatus first set-up by Francis Walsingham. One case involved the hapless Yorke and Williams, who, “when confronted together, Yorke swore that they took the sacrament to kill the Queen, and that Williams had wished his sword in her belly.”[4] By 1593 Drewe held the prestigious parliamentary seat of the City of London, and in 1596 he was made a Queen’s Serjeant, and a judge on the Northern circuit. He died suddenly, of ‘gaol fever’, in 1598.
Drewe’s central role in the legal apparatus of the Government helps confirm an attribution to George Gower as the artist of this portrait. Gower had been appointed, in 1581, as the Queen’s Serjeant Painter. In 1584 an attempt was made to make Gower solely responsible for portraits of the Queen, a move that reinforced the government’s wish to maintain control of the Queen’s image. Some twenty years earlier, the Privy Council, at the Queen’s behest, had also attempted a similar measure in reaction to the increasing number of debased images of Elizabeth in circulation. And in 1596, the Privy Council ordered that public officers should aid Gower in seeking out and destroying those unofficial images which caused the Queen “great offence”[5].
The Council’s failure, and that of Gower in the 1580s, is belied by the profusion of awkward and unsatisfactory images of the Queen which survive to this day. Nevertheless, a man of Drewe’s public position would have been the most unlikely person to either commission or own in the 1580s and 90s a portrait of the Queen that did not come from the Serjeant Painter’s ‘official’ workshop. Furthermore, in 1593 Drewe made a speech in Parliament against foreign workers in London, advocating support for “our countrymen” over charity to “strangers”, which sentiments would appear to rule out his patronage of any Flemish or Italian artist.[6] Finally, it may also be worth noting the connection between Drewe and the Bedford family, who commissioned the Armada portrait from Gower in 1588.
The Queen’s jewelry is worth noting here, and may assist in the precise dating of this portrait. Here, the jewelry worn by the Queen (aside from that embroidered into her costume) is surprisingly simple – only a double row of pearls. This is identical to the jewelry worn in the Darnley portrait dated c.1575, as is the chain of pearls and jewels around her waist. And such a combination can again be found in other portraits by Gower of the 1580s, Cornelius Ketel’s ‘Sieve’ portrait c.1580-3, and Marcus Gheerearts the Elder’s c.1585 full length. Furthermore, the lack of certain jewelry again suggests a date in the 1580s, for when Leicester died in 1588 he bequeathed to his 2most dear and gracious Sovereign whose creature under God I have been”[7] an extraordinarily large and elaborate jewel of emeralds, with a rope of 600 pearls. Elizabeth, who locked herself in her room on hearing Leicester’s demise, is shown wearing his gift in the Armada portraits of post c.1588, and other later variants – but not here.
Notes;
[1] Zuccaro had traveled to England apparently at the behest of Lord Leicester. Though some have assumed his purpose was to paint the Queen, it is possible that he had been summoned by Leicester to decorate the interior of Kenilworth Castle (now ruined), before the Queen was due to stay there in July 1575. The exquisite chalk and pencil drawing of the Queen by Zuccaro survives (British Museum), along with a pendant of Leicester. However, there seems little connection between the drawing, either in likeness or style, to the ‘Darnley’ portrait in the NPG.
[2] Strong, loc.cit., p16
[3] Letter from Privy Council to Drewe 27th December 1588, in Acts of the Privy Council of England 1588. Official Publications 1897 Vol XVI
[4] Calendar of State Papers (Domestic) Elizabeth I, 1591-94, August 28th 1594
[5] Strong, loc.cit., p14
[6] Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, citing House of Commons Journal
[7] In Public and Private, Elizabeth I and her world, Susan Watkins, London 1998
Hybrid printing system:
A digital negative image appeared on a Duobond 6 inch 2k monochrome LCD (no backlight itself, originally used for a 3D printer), herein called "virtual negative", was successfully formed on cyanotype (or Van Dyke) photographic paper using an analog photographic enlarger (light source: 395 nm UV SMD). This virtual negative method differs in this respect from previous digital negatives on OHP film (contact printing) and analog negatives as attempted by group: www.flickr.com/groups/cyanotype_wenlarger/).
Image signal is output to the LCD via HDMI from a mini-PC (OS: Windows 10) with a built-in graphics board capable of up to 4K video output.
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Printed on Cotman water colour postcard sized paper / exposed for 3hrs
Original picture: Jeremy Bishop (Pexels' free photo)
Sensitizer: Jacquard cyanotype kit (Potassium Ferricyanide & Ferric Ammonium Citrate)
Toning: Jasmine tea
Enlarger: LPL Model 7451 large format enlarger (EL Nikkor 150mm / F5.6)
Light source: High power (50w) UV LED unit (SMD=surface mounted LED modules)
The condenser unit (= a unit in which two 16cm diameter convex lenses are set facing each other) was removed from my old Hansa patent enlarger for use in LPL Model 7451.
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Latest version of one of my most successful images......
New residential building on the corner of Vauxhall Bridge London.
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Images can be used with permission commercially or non but must have creditation and link back to flickr.
Please contact me via email or flickrmail, images can be purchased with conditions.
www.flickr.com/photos/simon__syon/
Follow me on Photocrowd -
www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/13467/
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Three Photo Books Of Early Work Available On Amazon & Elsewhere Worldwide -
'Iconic London'
www.amazon.co.uk/Iconic-London-Simon-Hadleigh-Sparks/dp/1...
'Visions Of London'
www.amazon.co.uk/Visions-London-Simon-Hadleigh-Sparks/dp/...
'London Through A Lens'
www.amazon.co.uk/London-Through-Lens-Simon-Hadleigh-Spark...