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Against an inky black backdrop, the blue swirls of spiral galaxy NGC 6956 stand out radiantly. NGC 6956 is a barred spiral galaxy, a common type of spiral galaxy with a bar-shaped structure of stars in its center. This galaxy exists 214 million light-years away in the constellation Delphinus.
Scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to image NGC 6956 to study its Cepheid variable stars, which are stars that brighten and dim at regular periods. Since the period of Cepheid variable stars is a function of their brightness, scientists can measure how bright these stars appear from Earth and compare it to their actual brightness to calculate their distance. As a result, these stars are extremely useful in determining the distance of cosmic objects, which is one of the hardest pieces of information to measure for extragalactic objects.
This galaxy also contains a Type Ia supernova, which is the explosion of a white dwarf star that was gradually accreting matter from a companion star. Like Cepheid variable stars, the brightness of these types of supernovae and how fast they dim over time enables scientists to calculate their distance. Scientists can use the measurements gleaned from Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae to refine our understanding of the rate of expansion of the universe, also known as the Hubble Constant.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jones (University of California – Santa Cruz); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
For more information, visit: www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/hubble-captures-m...
Keys are useful. They do so much. They can take you on adventures, unlock mysteries, keep things in/others out and get you home.
This very handy filter case came with a Contaflex that I acquired long ago. I no longer have the camera, but I kept the case and the filters.
You will notice that there is one missing. That's right; it was like that when I got it. I do have a skylight filter, but that came in its own separate little case. I also have the four Proxar lenses, but those should go in a case of their own. (BTW, I have the whole Proxar set twice, in case anyone is interested).
All of these filters are for black and white film photography. I have to explain this because the digital generation likely will not know.
The yellow and the orange one are very useful. A yellow filter will enhance contrast and an orange filter will make a cloudy sky a lot more interesting. The green one, which I find distinctly less useful, will enhance the detail and nuances in a picture that is full of different greens, such as a forest scene.
But the one filter I am missing is a red or dark red filter. A red filter has a similar effect to an orange filter, but much more so. It will filter out the blue light, so a blue sky will look very dark and the clouds will look very dramatic. You want to use this effect sparingly, like all strong effects should be used sparingly. But if the scene is right, then a red filter will make a world of a difference.
I haven't seen a red or dark red filter on the market so far. I mean: not those that are made by Zeiss Ikon (and they are beautifully made!) for the Contaflex.
Shot with:
Canon EOS600D
Leica Bellows R (16860)
Leica 100mm f/4 Macro Elmar-R, bellows version (11230)
Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, at the end of a long period of design development for this type of vessel, which ended as steamships took over their routes. She was named after the short shirt of the fictional witch in Robert Burns' poem Tam o' Shanter, first published in 1791.
After the big improvement in the fuel efficiency of steamships in 1866, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 gave them a shorter route to China, so Cutty Sark spent only a few years on the tea trade before turning to the trade in wool from Australia, where she held the record time to Britain for ten years.[5] Continuing improvements in steam technology meant that gradually steamships also came to dominate the longer sailing route to Australia, and the ship was sold to the Portuguese company Ferreira and Co. in 1895 and renamed Ferreira. She continued as a cargo ship until purchased in 1922 by retired sea captain Wilfred Dowman, who used her as a training ship operating from Falmouth, Cornwall. After his death, Cutty Sark was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College, Greenhithe, in 1938 where she became an auxiliary cadet training ship alongside HMS Worcester. By 1954, she had ceased to be useful as a cadet ship and was transferred to permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London, for public display.
Cutty Sark is listed by National Historic Ships as part of the National Historic Fleet (the nautical equivalent of a Grade 1 Listed Building). She is one of only three remaining original composite construction (wooden hull on an iron frame) clipper ships from the nineteenth century in part or whole, the others being the City of Adelaide, which arrived in Port Adelaide, South Australia on 3 February 2014 for preservation, and the beached skeleton of Ambassador of 1869 near Punta Arenas, Chile.
The ship has been damaged by fire twice in recent years, first on 21 May 2007 while undergoing conservation. She was restored and was reopened to the public on 25 April 2012.[6] Funders for the Cutty Sark conservation project include: the Heritage Lottery Fund, the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Sammy Ofer Foundation, Greenwich Council, Greater London Authority, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Berry Brothers & Rudd, Michael Edwards and Alisher Usmanov.[7]
On 19 October 2014 she was damaged in a smaller fire.[8]
Cutty Sark whisky derives its name from the ship. An image of the clipper appears on the label, and the maker formerly sponsored the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race. The ship also inspired the name of the Saunders Roe Cutty Sark flying boat. Wikipedia
Its been a while since I've posted any pictures of my (our) Lego building studio.
Last year, the room was completely renovated. Originally, the room was built as part of a house extension in 1985 to enclose a hot tub and shower. Since owning the house, we used the hot tub only a few years until we shut it down and converted the room into a playroom. The playroom then evolved into a family Lego studio. During this time, we built storage and work spaces around the hot tub. This of course resulted in inefficient use of space and inconvenient accessibility.
Finally, in 2018 we embarked on a much needed renovation. This involved removal of the hot tub and infrastructure, followed by new floor joists and framing. The shower was converted into a storage closet and the entire room received new tiled floor with under floor heating system.
Of the best attributes of this studio is abundant natural light emanating from large floor to ceiling windows and three overhead skylights. For nighttime use, the room is illuminated from ceiling mounted track lighting and a series of adjustable gooseneck LED worklights fitted along the entire length of the work spaces.
Lastly, a custom centre island was constructed from 2x Ikea Kalax storage units. The units were bolted together, a table top surface was installed (with bullnose edges) and heavy duty castor wheels were fitted to the bottom. This centre island not only incorporates integrated storage but serves as an immensely useful worksurface for staging models, sorting parts, or collaboration.
Storage and parts organization is a topic for another day. Suffice to say, we use Ikea Trofast drawers for bulk parts storage of major colours. We use wall mounted Kalax units (not shown) for less used colours, the island Kalax units store monochrome colour detail parts (e.g. slopes, round bricks, etc.), and finally the workspaces are completely surrounded by many 100's of small parts bins organized by part type and also colour if applicable. All storage is labelled using custom python software scripts which generate part thumbnails, part descriptions etc. and automatically lays out label graphics for a variety of Avery brand label sheets of different sizes.
It is a wonderful space to spend time being creative and having fun! Now I just need time to enjoy it!
Against an inky black backdrop, the blue swirls of spiral galaxy NGC 6956 stand out radiantly. NGC 6956 is a barred spiral galaxy, a common type of spiral galaxy with a bar-shaped structure of stars in its center. This galaxy exists 214 million light-years away in the constellation Delphinus.
Scientists used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to image NGC 6956 to study its Cepheid variable stars, which are stars that brighten and dim at regular periods. Since the period of Cepheid variable stars is a function of their brightness, scientists can measure how bright these stars appear from Earth and compare it to their actual brightness to calculate their distance. As a result, these stars are extremely useful in determining the distance of cosmic objects, which is one of the hardest pieces of information to measure for extragalactic objects.
This galaxy also contains a Type Ia supernova, which is the explosion of a white dwarf star that was gradually accreting matter from a companion star. Like Cepheid variable stars, the brightness of these types of supernovae and how fast they dim over time enables scientists to calculate their distance. Scientists can use the measurements gleaned from Cepheid variable stars and Type Ia supernovae to refine our understanding of the rate of expansion of the universe, also known as the Hubble Constant.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jones (University of California – Santa Cruz); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
For more information: www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/hubble-captures-m...
Artefact. It's from the intensive observation unit and are used for people who can't speak due to some injury. I guess it's very practical and useful.
Not a great picture, but a fun test of my editing sequence. Started with a picture taken at ISO 3200, 1/500 sec, f5/.6 at 300mm. It was nice to see I could get at least an identifiable image shooting in this low of light. I think it will certainly be useful for spring warblers
Brick wall shots are useful (for assessment of distortion, contrast, corner sharpness etc.) but also a bit boring, so I livened up this one by choosing a brick where there happened to be a thick vine wrapped abound a pole in the foreground.
Leica II body ("LYKAN"), 1935
Camera received a CLA in 2017 at Leica Gallery Frankfurt
Elmar (I) 5cm 1:3.5, 1930
Ilford HP5 black and white negative film
Developed and scanned by www.meinfilmlab.de
Now I've got the Alien³ bug...tooling around with some bits and pieces. I always wanted to build some scenes of the surface but at the moment I don't have a clear design in mind so I'm not sure if I wanna do micro or forced perspective, a vignette or a full dio 🤔
Here is something artists and photographers might find very useful. I uploaded this image to chatGPT and gave it the following task:
Analyze this picture as a historian of clothing. This is a picture of an early 17th century English yeoman doing his books. Determine if the image is an accurate representation of somebody wearing this costume in the time period and place. Then switch roles and analyze the picture as a modern art teacher, analyzing the image as in terms of the classical tradition of representational art.
This is how chatGPT replied:
Alright, Phil, let's dive in.
Historian of Clothing Analysis:
1. Collar and Cuffs: The white collar and cuffs are indicative of the period. These detachable pieces, likely made of linen, were both functional and decorative. Their presence on this yeoman hints at a certain level of affluence or at least an attempt to present oneself well, especially when engaged in a task like bookkeeping.
2. Tunic/Doublet: The blue garment is consistent with tunics or doublets worn by men in the early 17th century. Its simple design and lack of embellishment are fitting for a yeoman, someone who is of a respectable standing but not of the gentry.
3. Breeches: His knee-length breeches are appropriate for the time and status. Breeches of this style were standard menswear during the period.
4. Footwear: The shoes, with their rounded toe and simple design, align with early 17th-century footwear.
Overall, from a clothing perspective, the image presents an accurate representation of a 17th century English yeoman.
Art Teacher Analysis:
1. Light and Shadow: The play of light and shadow here is reminiscent of the chiaroscuro technique used prominently by Baroque artists such as Caravaggio. The light source, coming from the left, casts dramatic shadows that give depth to the subject and surrounding objects.
2. Composition: The yeoman is positioned slightly off-center, which creates a dynamic visual interest. There's a clear focal point - the man and his activity, which draws viewers into the narrative of the scene.
3. Details & Texture: The detailing on the textiles, pottery, and even the texture of the walls gives the artwork a tactile quality, grounding it in a tangible reality.
4. Atmosphere: The dimly lit room, punctuated by the focused light on the yeoman, conveys an intimate, almost contemplative atmosphere. This ambiance is very much in line with the classical tradition of representational art where scenes from daily life are elevated through artistic techniques.
5. Emotion & Gaze: The yeoman's expression is one of concentration and introspection, possibly indicating the importance or weight of the task at hand. His gaze directed downward draws the viewer's attention to his activity, making the act of bookkeeping seem monumental.
In conclusion, the image masterfully marries historical accuracy with classical representational art techniques, creating a piece that not only educates but also evokes emotion and thought.
Then I asked chatGPT for suggestions on how I could improve the composition:
Certainly, Phil! Here are some suggestions to enhance the image:
1. Depth and Perspective: Consider adding more elements in the background to give the image added depth and perspective. This could be in the form of shelves with books or artifacts, a window hinting at the outside world, or even just some rustic tools or household items of the era.
2. Varied Lighting: While the chiaroscuro technique creates a dramatic effect, adding a secondary, softer light source (like from a window or another candle) might bring out more details, especially in the shadowed areas, providing more context to the viewer.
3. Emphasize Engagement: The yeoman's interaction with his books is central to the image. Enhancing this - perhaps with visible ledger lines, quill details, or ink stains on his fingers - can emphasize the nature of his work further.
4. Costume Details: Introducing more texture or slight wear-and-tear on the clothing could give an added sense of authenticity. A patch or mended area, or maybe even a slight dirt stain, might suggest the practical, hands-on nature of his lifestyle.
5. Emotional Depth: While the yeoman's concentration is evident, introducing slight furrows in his brow or a more pronounced grip on the quill might amplify the weight and importance of his task.
6. Color Palette: Consider enriching the color palette slightly. While maintaining the period-correct colors, some variation or added warmth could make the image even more inviting.
7. Foreground Elements: Introducing some objects in the immediate foreground, perhaps blurred slightly, can enhance the depth of field and make the scene more immersive.
Remember, art is subjective, and these are just suggestions. The image is already beautifully composed and captures the essence of the era effectively. Making changes should align with the story and emotion you aim to convey.
Phil: all I can say is "Wow!" I think it missed, however, the most important story telling moment in this image. The yeoman is looking at the viewer, saying, "why are you disturbing me?"
Coccinellidae...in my garden.
The majority of coccinellid species are generally considered useful insects, ...
... one of the greatest allies of the farmer and the gardener as many species feed on aphids or scale insects, which are pests in gardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and similar places. They are nature's own 'pest' controllers.
Some populations of ladybugs are decreased due to habitat destruction and chemical pollution (as a result of increased human activity).Luckily, most species of ladybugs are abundant in the wild. softschools.com
Also from Softschools.com is this fascinating info: Middle Ages in Europe were associated with lot of damaged crops due to raid of various pests. People prayed to the Virgin Mary for the salvation. Red bug covered with black dots appeared soon after the prayer and eliminated pests from the fields. Bug was known as "beetle of Our Lady" in the beginning, but it was renamed into "ladybug" later
from Softschools.com. Ladybug Facts.
Getting down low can be useful. Squirrel Girl cbk intoduced me to the word bryophyte, so here's a short evolutionary primer on bryophytes from Wikipedia:
Bryophytes are the oldest of all lineages of land plants and are believed to be a vital link in the migration of plants from aquatic environments onto land. DNA sequencing of Bryophytes has elucidated the fact that they are a polyphyletic group and the three main clades (mosses, hornworts and liverworts) are believed to have evolved from green algae on three different occasions. A number of physical features link Bryophytes to both land plants and aquatic plants. Two distinct adaptations have helped to make the move from water to land possible and forged the way for plants to colonize the Earth's terrestrial environments. A waxy cuticle covering the soft tissue of the plant provides protection and prevents desiccation of the plant's tissues; and the development of gametangia provided further protection specifically for gametes. They also have embryonic development which is a significant adaptation seen in land plants and not green algae. Connections to their aquatic ancestry are also evident through their dependence on water for reproduction and survival. A thin layer of water is required on the surface of the plant to enable the movement of sperm between gametophytes and the fertilization of an egg.
This area was dependent on lead mining for centuries. The rough ground to the east, west and north has the hillocks and hollows of hundreds of abandoned mines; there are also remains of the miners' buildings on some of the sites. Most of the houses are at least 300 years old.
By the 1600s lead had become second in importance in the national economy only to wool. It was essential for the roofs of public buildings and the new houses being built in every part of the country by the nobility and gentry. All houses, including farmhouses and cottages by then, had glazed windows, with lead glazing bars. It was the only material for water storage and piping. Every army used it as ammunition.
So at the time they thought it was pretty useful stuff!!
Talyllyn Railway no. 3 Sir Haydn and no. 4 Edward Thomas approach Abergynolwyn with a passenger train from Tywyn.
Both locos were built for the Corris Railway. No. 3 dates from 1878, having been built by Hughes' Loco and Tramway Engine Co. Ltd. at the Falcon Engine and Car Works in Loughborough (works no. 323), while no. 4 was built by Kerr, Stuart and Co. Ltd. (works no. 4047) in 1921.
Taken during a photo charter organised by David Williams, on the third of three days.
Having unnecessarily taken the pole with me at some of the lineside photo stops when we were climbed to a point where we looked down on the railway, I left it on the train when we stopped here. But I quickly realised that if I'd brought it with me it would have been useful to (a) stand behind people and see over their heads rather than get the odd elbow on the left-hand edge of a frame, and (b) get the train completely clear of the lineside fence when it was closer to the tree on the right (and I could have stood further back and included the whole of the gate as well as some of the path leading down to it). Never mind... one to remember next time!
To see my non-transport pictures, visit www.flickr.com/photos/137275498@N03/.
she laughed at me when i wanted to buy it at the donation store but it makes a perfect prop and it's useful, too ~grin~.. btb, i adore my kitchen counter-- the light's not bad either
ANSH scavenger14 "in the kitchen"
“Look at this Bertie, yet another empty jar.”
“I can see that Posh. It must be useful having long paws that reach right to the bottom to get every last bit. I always try and get the small squat jars myself.”
“Long paws are handy Bertie but I didn’t empty this one, it was full to the brim when I put it under my bed and now look.”
“How very unusual Posh, I do wonder how that happened.”
“I have a good idea, don’t I Sky?”
“I don’t know Posh, tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I think a little bear with a big appetite helped himself to my honey.”
“While that is entirely possible Posh, I’m sure there could be another reason.” Sky coughed and licked his lips.
“Oh, really Sky, do tell.”
“Well, I have heard rumours that jars of honey that comes from big shops and some that come from little shops are now supplied in these special anti-wastage containers.”
“I’m sorry Sky, I don’t understand how that would affect poor Posh’s missing honey.”
“Sorry Bertie, I’ll make it clearer for you. You see, as I understand it, because there is so much waste of perfectly good food the top people have invented a special container that will in time reduce the amount of food stored inside it. That way by the time it becomes out of date there is nothing to throw away. I think poor Posh left his honey for just too long.”
“I never knew that Sky.”
“I thought everyone knew it Bertie, well apart from poor old Posh that is. Clever bear but just not up to date. You see Posh if you store too much honey it will slowly disappear and the best way to avoid this disappearing and waste of good honey is to share it with your friends. I don’t mind helping and I’m sure Bertie will help too.”
“I have never heard such nonsense, new containers, absolute rubbish Sky. Bertie you are a wise and fair-minded bear, what do you think of Sky’s explanation?”
Bertie looked at the empty jar and then licked his lips as he thought about the many full jars of honey under Posh’s bed and the total lack of any at all under his own bed.
“I think Sky could be right you know Posh. I think it might be a good idea to combined our honey stocks and then we’ll stop it getting old.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable as long as everyone shares their stock. How many jars do you have Bertie?”
“I’m not sure Posh, I haven’t counted it recently but rest assured you can have every last jar.”
“Fair enough Bertie, what about you Sky?”
“As you know I don’t count too well Posh, but you can have every jar I have too. Come on let’s make a start on Posh’s honey as it is bound to be the oldest and we can’t afford to waste them.”
Sky looks over to Bertie and grins then with a wink of the eye he is off to make a start.
Ullswater Steamers operate all year round providing a useful transport link between Pooley Bridge and Glenridding. In this December view MY LADY OF THE LAKE has just arrived at Howtown Pier to set down and pick up passengers.
Click here for more photographs of Ullswater Stemers: www.jhluxton.com/Shipping/Shipping-Companies-Pleasure-Ste...
The M.Y. LADY OF THE LAKE was ordered by the Ullswater Steam Navigation Company, a predecessor of the current Ullswater Transit and Navigation Company, to a design by Douglas Henson of Penrith.
She was built by T.B. Seath & Co. at Rutherglen near Glasgow, transported in three sections by rail to Penrith, and thence by horse drays to Waterside near Pooley Bridge.
She was assembled on the slipway at Waterside and launched on 26 June 1877.
In 1881 the Lady of the Lake sank at her moorings but was re-floated by a team of divers. In 1936 she was converted from steam to diesel power.
The vessel sank again in 1950 in a severe storm, but was again re-floated. In 1965 the vessel was badly damaged by fire and was out of service for 14 years, before being restored and reengined.
She was re-launched on 19 May 1979 by William Whitelaw MP.
Ullswater 'Steamers' provides pleasure ‘steamer’ sailings on Ullswater in the north-eastern part of the English Lake District. It is based in Glenridding, Cumbria. Founded in 1855, it currently operates five diesel powered vessels between four locations on the lake. The oldest vessel in its fleet was launched in 1877.
The company was founded as the Ullswater Steam Navigation Company in 1855, and originally moved mail, workers and goods between the Greenside Mine at Glenridding and the village of Pooley Bridge at the opposite end of the lake.
On 13 August 1859, the company's first purpose-built vessel, the paddle steamer ENTERPRISE, was launched, although it subsequently sank in the lake. In 1877, the company introduced the steam powered pleasure steamer MY LADY Of THE LAKE, and this was joined in 1889 by the MY RAVEN. Both are still in service.
In 1900 the company was renamed as the Ullswater Navigation and Transit Company. In the 1930s, the company converted its fleet of two steam powered pleasure cruisers, the MY LADY OF THE LAKE and the MY RAVEN, to operate on diesel engines. In 1954 Sir Wavell Wakefield bought a controlling shareholding in Ullswater 'Steamers' to prevent the company from being wound up. The company is still in the ownership of the family of Lord Wakefield, as Sir Wavell subsequently became.
In 2001, the company started to operate sailings during the winter; it had previously only operated during the summer season. Between the years of 2001 and 2010, three additional vessels were acquired by the company, these being the LADY DOROTHY, LADY WAKEFIELD and WESTERN BELLE. All three were acquired from previous salt-water service and conveyed to the lake by road. In 2015 a new jetty was opened by the company at Aira Force.
- I duno why but this structure is one that I always happy to see whenever I'm here... It has aged alot but still looking strong, useful and mighty!
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“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
William Morris
textures thanks to Jai Johnson and spektoral addendum.
Vultures provide a great service in the wild, making sure any remains don't lie rotting, which causes diseases.
We are GO FOR LAUNCH!
My new interactive eBook is now available to purchase on my website: davidgilliver.com/product-category/books/
I hope anyone who buys it enjoys the read, and I hope it becomes a really useful learning and teaching resource for anyone who loves photography!
Thanks,
David
p.s. thanks to everyone for helping to make last week's online book launch such a success :)
Erotylidae, or the pleasing fungus beetles, is a family of beetles containing over 100 genera. In the present circumscription, it includes the subfamilies Dacninae, Encaustinae, Erotylinae, Megalodacninae, and Tritominae. In other words, the narrowly circumscribed Erotylidae correspond to the subfamily Erotylinae in the definition sensu lato. They feed on plant and fungal matter; some are important pollinators (e.g. of the ancient cycads), while a few have gained notoriety as pests of some significance. Sometimes, useful and harmful species are found in one genus, e.g. Pharaxonotha. Most pleasing fungus beetles, however, are inoffensive animals of little significance to humans.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotylidae
Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.
William Morris
For 'Macro Mondays' theme of 'Hand Tool'.
Not quite what you would expect as a 'Hand Tool' but 60 to 70 years ago you improvised and used what was available to do a job ! Some of us still do.
My Dad always carried a coin in his pocket on the basis that you never knew when it might come in useful. I've seen him remove stones from his car tyre with a coin and I've seen him use a coin as a screw driver.
So here you have a more common use - removing a lid from a tight tin. Those more familiar with a 'modern' film camera will have used a coin to loosen and tighten the battery cover on the base of their camera.
Lesson to be leant - always carry a coin in your purse or pocket, but perhaps not like my Grandfather who always had a half-sovereign with him!
Russian Jupiter 9 85mm ...................................... less than 2 inches
This is my Silva compass. Part of its perspex base has broken off. It's little used now that Google Maps and OS maps online make instruments like this almost obsolete. However, it does not need batteries, nor does it lose its signal, so still useful as a backup. Probably about fifty years old now and still working.
Pilot G-Tec-C4 rollerball
One spot of Cass Art watercolour
Seawhite A4 concertina sketchbook
Inktober '21 No 16
#Inktober2021
Uses: Anything relating to finance and money.
Free Creative Commons Finance Images... I created these images in my studio and have made them all available for personal or commercial use. Hope you like them and find them useful.
To see more of our CC by 2.0 finance images click here... see profile for attribution.
As a confirmed "Cat Lady" I found this week's SoS theme challenging! No dog or dog paraphrenalia in my house! I did have this plastic poop bag, though, which I used as a color fliter for lighting in my macro studio..... And, I see that these generous canine offerings can apparently be used to generate electricity. Who would have thought of that?? HSoS!
On this day in 1780 the English prison reformer, social reformer & Quaker Elizabeth Fry was born.
Elizabeth Fry was one of Britain's most influential 19th century social reformers and is best known for her work on improving the conditions of Britain's gaols. Because of her work, first on the treatment of female prisoners at Newgate Prison and then more generally on the conditions in British and European gaols, she has often been referred to as the "angel of prisons".
Elizabeth was born on May 21st 1780 in Gurney Court, off Magdalen Street, Norwich, Norfolk, England into a prominent Quaker family, the Gurneys. Her father, John Gurney (1749–1809), was a partner in Gurney's Bank. Her mother, Catherine, was a member of the Barclay family who were among the founders of Barclays Bank. Her mother died when Elizabeth was twelve years old so as one of the oldest girls in the family, she was partly responsible for the care and education of the younger children.
She married Joseph Fry, who was also a Quaker, in August 1800 at the Norwich Goat Lane Friends Meeting House and moved to St Mildred's Court in the City of London. In 1811 she was recorded as a minister of the Religious Society of Friends.
Prompted by a family friend, Stephen Grellet, Fry visited Newgate Prison in 1813. The conditions she saw there horrified her. The women's section was overcrowded with women and children, some of whom had not even received a trial. The prisoners did their own cooking and washing in the small cells in which they slept on straw.
She returned the following day with food and clothes for some prisoners. She was unable to personally further her work for nearly four years because of difficulties within the Fry family, including financial difficulties in the Fry bank.
Fry returned in 1816 and was eventually able to fund a prison school for the children who were imprisoned with their mothers. Rather than attempt to impose discipline on the women, she suggested rules and then asked the prisoners to vote on them. In 1817 she helped found the Association for the Reformation of the Female Prisoners in Newgate. This association provided materials for women so that they could learn to sew patchwork which was calming and also allowed skills to develop, such as needlework and knitting which could offer employment when they were out of prison and then could earn money for themselves. This approach was copied elsewhere and led to the eventual creation of the British Ladies' Society for Promoting the Reformation of Female Prisoners in 1821. She also promoted the idea of rehabilitation instead of harsh punishment which was taken on by the city authorities in London as well as many other authorities and prisons.
Elizabeth Fry also campaigned for the rights and welfare of prisoners who were being transported. The women of Newgate Prison were taken through the streets of London in open carts, often in chains, huddled together with their few possessions. They were pelted with rotten food and filth by the people of the city. The fear was often enough to make women condemned to transportation riot on the evening before. Fry's first action was to persuade the Governor of Newgate prison to send the women in closed carriages and spare them this last indignity before transportation. She visited prison ships and persuaded captains to implement systems to ensure each woman and child would at least get a share of food and water on the long journey. Later she arranged each woman to be given scraps of material and sewing tools so that they could use the long journey to make quilts and have something to sell as well as useful skills when they reached their destination. She also included a bible and useful items such as string and knives and forks in this vital care package. Elizabeth Fry visited 106 transport ships and saw 12,000 convicts. Her work helped to start a movement for the abolition of transportation. Transportation was officially abolished in 1837, however Elizabeth Fry was still visiting transportation ships until 1843.
Fry wrote in her book Prisons in Scotland and the North of England that she stayed the night in some of the prisons and invited nobility to come and stay and see for themselves the conditions prisoners lived in. Her kindness helped her gain the friendship of the prisoners and they began to try to improve their conditions for themselves. Thomas Fowell Buxton, Fry's brother-in-law, was elected to Parliament for Weymouth and began to promote her work among his fellow MPs. In 1818 Fry gave evidence to a House of Commons committee on the conditions prevalent in British prisons, becoming the first woman to present evidence in Parliament.
Her humanitarian work didn’t stop at prisons. For example, she helped the homeless, establishing a "nightly shelter" in London after seeing the body of a young boy in the winter of 1819/1820. She also campaigned for the abolition of the slave trade and opened a training school for nurses. Her programme inspired Florence Nightingale, who took a team of Fry's nurses to assist wounded soldiers in the Crimean War.
Her work gained her admiration from people in high places. One such was Queen Victoria, who granted her an audience a few times before she was Queen and contributed money to her cause after she ascended to the throne. Another admirer was Robert Peel who passed several acts to further her cause including the Gaols Act 1823. The act was however largely ineffective, because there were no inspectors to make sure that it was being followed.
Fry died from a stroke in Ramsgate, England, on October 12th 1845. From 2001–2016, Fry was depicted on the reverse of £5 notes issued by the Bank of England.