Art · Mores

Sorolla’s 1895 painting “Mother” and the medical advice of the time on infant sleep

The Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla marked the birth of his daughter in 1895 with the painting "Mother", in a light palette, where against white walls, coverlets and pillows only the heads of his wife Clotilde and the newborn Elena stand out. The painting is considered one of Sorolla&

A rider in a dark greatcoat and bicorne rides through snow beside a guide with a staff. Soldiers on the left wave their hats; a column winds through the gorge behind.

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Troops on a snowy mountain pass: a painted scene

Geography · Art

Suvorov Crossing the Alps, Surikov, 1899

Napoleon Crossing the Great St Bernard Pass, Edmond Marie Félix de Boisléconte, 1908. Three commanders are known to have crossed the Alps: Hannibal, Napoleon and Suvorov. Napoleon made the crossing twice: in 1796 and in 1800. Suvorov did so in 1799.

Observations · Education · Society

A High School Diploma in Oregon Can Now Be Had Even if You Cannot Read, Write or Count

A high school diploma in Oregon can now be had even if you cannot read, write or count. The state's competent authority has ruled that students no longer need to demonstrate writing skills or a knowledge of mathematics in order to proceed to higher education. Officials of the

NB! · Observations

What My Ordinary Trip to the Dry Cleaner's Looks Like

NB! · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

Imaginary Lego sets are always better than real ones

Coming Up · Archive · Architecture · Museums · Saint Petersburg

Exhibition on the reconstruction of Hermitage buildings and architect Alexander Sivkov marks 100 years since the Winter Palace joined the museum

An exhibition marking the centenary of the incorporation of the Winter Palace into the State Hermitage is devoted to the reconstruction of the Hermitage buildings and its chief architect Alexander Sivkov. Its unique photographs show the remodelling of the palace interiors, the hidden side of architectural structures, the laying of

Black-and-white photo of an Aeroflot airliner, registration CCCP-42382, parked on a concrete apron with boarding stairs and a few people nearby.

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Aeroflot Tu-104 airliner CCCP-42382 parked on an airfield apron

Geography · London · Moscow · Society

First flights between London and Moscow in May 1959, with a stopover in Copenhagen

The first flight from London to Moscow and from Moscow to London took place in May 1959. The British side assigned a Vickers 806 Viscount, G-AOYS, to the service, the Soviet side a Tu-104A of Aeroflot. The route included a stopover in Copenhagen, and the journey time with

Cinema · Books · Humour

Watching "Khraniteli" (The Guardians), the Soviet heartfelt screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, based on the splendid translation of the novel by Muravyov and Kistyakovsky, in which many details cut from the plot in Peter Jackson's version have be

Watching "Khraniteli" (The Guardians), the Soviet heartfelt screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, based on the splendid translation of the novel by Muravyov and Kistyakovsky, in which many details cut from the plot in Peter Jackson's version have been preserved. Tom Bombadil, for instance,

Archaeology · Architecture · Faith · Heritage

Destruction of the Church of St Paraskeva Pyatnitsa in Tolpino in 1933 and the 2022 finds

On the website of the Ryazan Diocese I read how volunteers, together with local historians and villagers, found in the village of Semion a bas-relief of the Saviour from one of the oldest churches of Ryazan Governorate. The church of the Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa in the village of

NB! · Observations · Humour

Alexandr Radayev