Aristocracy · Monarchies · Society
A plot to overthrow the government has been uncovered in Germany. Arrests were carried out in 11 German states, and 25 people have been detained, among them former servicemen and adherents of far-right views. Among those held is one of the leaders of the group, a 71-year-old
Art · Observations · Mores
May the appearance of these two gentlemen of 1782, painted and gaudily dressed, help everyone who sees them to grow accustomed to the thought that notions of beauty in the past can be every bit as surprising, even shocking, as notions of beauty in the future. Every age has its
Museums · Observations · People · Rome · Humour
Can you picture this horror in place of the face of so soulful and refined a Byron? The poet wore this frightening mask to a carnival in February 1820. It once had hair and a beard, which have not survived to our day, though they probably lent some small adornment
Art · Nature
A reminder. Feed the birds in winter. The Irish artist Mildred Anne Butler
NB! · People · Humour
Art · Museums · Paris
The Seasons. Rouen faience, Nicolas Fouquay manufactory, 1730s. The anthropomorphic allegories of the seasons take their cue from the style of Ovid's "Metamorphoses". Winter is represented by a pensive old man. The Rouen faience manufactory is known for the virtuosity of its masters, and it is
Faith · Art · Rome · Ethnography
This year's Christmas crib for Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican was made in the northern Italian village of Sutrio, in the province of Udine. All the figures are made entirely of wood, and the hemisphere above them symbolises the grotto in which the Holy Family
NB! · Archive · Mores · Society
The lady in the foreground is delighted by the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, which had introduced Prohibition in the USA. The ban on the production, transportation and sale of alcohol had been in force in the States since 1920. On 5 December 1933 Prohibition was repealed by the ratification
NB! · Observations · Humour
Art · Museums
Sir Henry Raeburn, founder of the Scottish school of painting, “The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch”, 1784, National Gallery of Scotland
Faith · Books
"Well, I daresay the time's at hand, eh. Saw the privies, too, eh, in the town. When we got there, that is. All smoothed, smoothed out, eh, smart as can be. Made like a tavern. And for no purpose. All for no purpose. Oh, we've
Art · Observations · Humour
I will say: MADAM, RESPECT THE LABOUR OF CLEANERS