Museums · Observations · Science · Saint Petersburg
My favourite part of the Kunstkamera is the Lomonosov Museum. The collection of objects connected with the life of the great scholar and with his age is housed in the tower in the central part of the building, which was restored to its historical appearance only in the 1940s, almost
Museums · Saint Petersburg · Ethnography
This stunning outfit is the attire of a Yupik warrior from Saint Lawrence Island, in the south of the Bering Strait. Early nineteenth century. The armour protecting the back is of sealskin; the parka, mittens, trousers and boots are of leather and reindeer fur. Below: a Yupik military breastplate of
Cinema · Observations · People · Humour
The French pioneering film epic "Napoléon" of 1927 is an unrecognised masterpiece of silent cinema. Perhaps the film would be better known if it did not run for five hours, and if it bore at least some resemblance to historical fact. The picture is so far removed from
Art · Observations
Anyone who likes to rummage through flea markets and old mezzanine lofts may find this chart of Meissen porcelain marks useful. If you happen to be lucky enough to turn up a rare plate or figurine, you will at least know which period it belongs to. A seemingly negligible change
Observations · Mores · Society
Switzerland, prostitutes punished by being harnessed to a night-soil collector's cart, 1790. That is to say, this was not simply a dustman's wagon but rather an emptier of cesspits. The contents of privies and cesspools were tipped out onto the streets, and the offending women
NB! · Humour
Archaeology · Faith · Art
If a hunched fellow wrapped in a predator's skin, greedily drinking from a two-handled cup, ever catches your eye, you are most likely looking at the most mischievous of the Greek gods: Silenus, henchman of Dionysus. Incidentally, the kantharos, as this vessel is properly called, was essentially
NB! · Observations · Ethnography · Humour
July is not only the time for making hay but also for shearing sheep, that much is understood. But can anyone explain what is going on here?
Cinema · People · Pop Culture
The last living Hollywood screen diva of the 1930s, Olivia de Havilland, has turned 103. Olivia is a two-time Oscar winner and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Incidentally, she is also the last surviving actress of "Gone with the Wind". In 2018
Books · London · Mores · Society
British historian Hallie Rubenhold has published a book on the anatomy of Jack the Ripper's crimes, 'The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper'. The work is of interest not only from the standpoint of criminology, but also as an anthropological
Art · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour
How can you tell that Antinous is in the guise of Dionysus and Osiris? Look at the hair. It is swept up towards the forehead and gathered beneath a diadem, with ivy leaves and berries woven into it and heavy bunches of grapes at the temples. A splendid headdress, the
Art · Observations · Nature
Fond of marigolds? Or perhaps you remember your grandmother planting these flowers between the rows of vegetables to save them from pests? Marigolds, or Tagetes, reached Europe immediately after Columbus's expedition to America, and in Russia they were in fact the very first overseas crop. Once in Spain,