Aristocracy · Monarchies · Observations
On the question of how the Germans ruled Russia. Olga Nikolayevna, daughter of Nikolai Pavlovich, married her cousin, Crown Prince Karl of Württemberg. At the time of her betrothal she said rapturously to V. A. Zhukovsky: “May the Lord bless this step in my life and grant me the strength
NB! · Art · Observations
Dropped in on friends, and they are showing off wallpaper by the lovely artist Natalia Pivko. I cannot help sharing the beauty.
NB! · Museums · Science · Palaeontology · Nature
Museums · Science · Palaeontology · Nature · Saint Petersburg
A little about the errors of scholars. In 1806 a frozen mammoth was found in the valley of the River Lena. Apart from the missing internal organs, part of the muscle mass and the front right leg, it was a whole carcass, badly mauled by the wild beasts that had
Archive · Mores · Society · People
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh and from 1821 Marquess of Londonderry, had been British Foreign Secretary since 1812 and in 1822 was to have represented his country at the Congress of Verona, had it not been for an unfortunate incident. One of the minister's ill-wishers learned of his
NB! · Architecture · Monarchies · Mores
The Ladies of Llangollen's house, known as Plas Newydd, drew the attention of Queen Charlotte herself to the married couple. Charmed by the story of these modern ladies, the Queen prevailed upon the King to grant them a pension
Aristocracy · Books · Mores · People
The women met in 1768, when Sarah was 13 and Eleanor 29. Ten years later they left their native parts together, setting off on a journey through Wales and, a little later, settling in Llangollen. They turned their house into a veritable pearl of local architecture and, given their way
NB! · Aristocracy · Mores · People
Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby were for most of their lives known as the Ladies of Llangollen. The romantic friends lived together in the Welsh backwoods for 50 years; today their union would be called a same-sex marriage
NB! · Art · Science · New York · People
The wife of the artist Konenkov, Margarita Ivanovna, was a Soviet intelligence officer and worked in New York for 22 years. One of her most famous operations was the attempt to recruit Albert Einstein
Art · Moscow · Museums · People
Today is the anniversary of the death of the Russian artist and sculptor Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov, who died in his 98th year on 9 December 1971. The outstanding master lived and worked in the USA for more than twenty years. He returned to the USSR with all his works aboard
NB! · Observations
NB! · Mores · People · Humour
The famous English highwayman of the 18th century, Dick Turpin, hanged for horse-stealing, is said to be haunted to this day by the ghost of an old woman whom he tortured over the gold she had hidden. Does it remind you of anyone?