Archive · Faith · Rome

Consistory of Pius XII on 18 February 1946: a colour photograph of the ceremony appointing 32 new cardinals

An extremely rare colour photograph of the papal consistory of 18 February 1946. A cardinal kisses the slipper of Pope Pius XII as a token of obedience and devotion to the Pontiff. The rite precedes the bestowal of the cardinal's red galero hat. On that day 32 new

Art · Museums · Observations

Washington statue, Napoleon portrait and Hermitage Jupiter modelled on Phidias's Zeus

George Washington and Napoleon in the Guise of Zeus-Jupiter. The magnificent marble Washington was commissioned by Congress in 1832 to mark the centenary of the first president's birth. The sculpture is the work of Horatio Greenough. Today the statue, 3.5 metres high, is displayed in the

NB! · Museums · Heritage

Winter Footwear of a German Serviceman from the Russian Campaign of the Second World War

Fantasy Art Nouveau mansion with a huge arched stained-glass window, turrets, a green roof and a red wooden door above stone steps.

NB! · Architecture · Art · Moscow · Humour

A digital artist imagines how the Ryabushinsky mansion might look in Europe

The Ryabushinsky Mansion, had it lived in Europe. The building is imaginary, created by a digital artist

A pug puppy sits on the seat of a red velvet armchair with wooden armrests, a red carpet beside it.

Art · People

Thomas Theodor Heine painted “Puppy Siegfried” in 1921

Siegfried the Puppy. 1921. Thomas Theodor Heine (1867-1948)

The East · Geography · Monarchies · Society

Population and Population Density of the Roman and Mongol Empires Compared with Europe and Russia Today

The Roman Empire and the Mongol Empire at their height. The maximum population of the Roman Empire was around 75 million, or 20 people per square kilometre. The Mongol Empire at its peak reached 100 million, or around 3 people per square kilometre. Today the population density of Europe is

NB! · Aristocracy · Art · People

Portrait of Felix Yusupov

Portrait of Felix Yusupov. Artist: Johannes Linse, 1920s

NB! · Archive · London · Monarchies

Queen Mary and the future King Charles III, her great-grandson, little Charles

Elderly moustached man in pince-nez, a white tunic with orders and medals, and a white feathered helmet, with a horse behind him.

Cinema · Observations · People · Humour

Man in pince-nez, white dress uniform and plumed helmet in the second half of the 20th century

Tell me, am I the only one who thinks the Governor of Bermuda in the early 1960s, Major-General Sir Julian Gascoigne, in old-fashioned full-dress uniform and pith helmet, looks like the chief antagonist of the first Jumanji film, the demented hunter Van P. And do not forget

NB! · Art · Humour

Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer. Clear off this instant, or I shall fetch the constable. 1510

NB! · In the Press · Society · People

The Times: General de Gaulle's Grandson Backs Putin and Blames the United States

Architecture · Moscow · Observations

Tribune Tower in Chicago, a neo-Gothic skyscraper of the 1920s, converted into apartments

If only all skyscrapers looked even half as impressive and majestic as the Tribune Tower in Chicago, Illinois. The neo-Gothic tower was built in the 1920s and is the most emblematic building in Chicago. These days the skyscraper has been converted into residential apartments. It must be said that

Alexandr Radayev