Faith · Mores · Society · People

The most remarkable part of Benjamin Lay's biography is his literal adherence to his theoretical ideals: first he left Barbados, where he could not reconcile himself to the condition of the slaves, then he resolved to renounce the fruits of slavery's expl

The most remarkable part of Benjamin Lay's biography is his literal adherence to his theoretical ideals: first he left Barbados, where he could not reconcile himself to the condition of the slaves, then he resolved to renounce the fruits of slavery's exploitation, ceasing entirely to acquire

Faith · Society · People

The Quakers have a hero named Benjamin Lay (1677 - 1759): an Englishman who ended up in Barbados, where he saw his fill of the horrors of slavery and, because of his categorical rejection of the order prevailing on the island, was obliged to move to Penns

If you have ever been a guest in a Quaker house or in some memorial apartment, you will surely have seen the image of this man, extraordinarily widely reproduced and easily remembered: a bandy-legged fellow under 120 centimetres tall, hunchbacked, with arms longer than his legs. Such was Benjamin

Museums · Observations · Heritage · People

Early this morning came the sad news: at the age of 80 there passed away a remarkable person, a living legend of the Russian museum world, an outstanding, cultured, devoted and tirelessly active champion of Russian culture, Natalya Nikolayevna…

Early this morning came the sad news: in her 81st year there passed away a remarkable person, a living legend of the Russian museum world, an outstanding, cultured, devoted and tirelessly active champion of Russian culture, Natalya Nikolayevna Gramolina, who had worked at the Polenovo estate museum since 1970 and

Books · Observations · Society · People

Tatyana Savina on Griboyedov, Secret Societies and “Woe from Wit”

Some very interesting reflections on Griboyedov and secret societies: was he a Decembrist, and what can be said of his attitude to the clash between old and new, as reflected in "Woe from Wit"? They come from a series of talks by Tatyana Savina on Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov,

NB! · Books · Observations · People

I should never have thought that Elizabeth Bowen, author of naive novels about ingénues and the loss of illusions in the heartless, cruel world of the 1930s, could be so popular among the wa

Aristocracy · Monarchies · Mores · Humour

King Philippe of Belgium meets his sister Delphine, legally recognised as Albert II's daughter

When a woman you have never met gets a court to make your father adopt her, and then comes to tea. This photograph captures, quite literally, the first meeting of King Philippe of Belgium with his sister, Princess Delphine of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II

NB! · Observations

Now that is an interesting turn

Archive · In the Press · Books · Observations · Society

There are quite a few oddities in issue No. 9 of 1830 of Delvig's "Literary Gazette"

There are quite a few oddities in issue No. 9 of 1830 of Delvig's "Literary Gazette". Take, for example, the rhyme in Pushkin's epistle to Yazykov of 1824: "Since time immemorial a sweet bond Unites poets with one another: They are priests of

The East · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Society

The Rijksmuseum and the Museum of World Cultures of the Netherlands Intend to Part with Exhibits Acquired During Colonial Conquests: at the Prompting of the Council for Culture, the Museums Have Declared Their Readiness to Return Illegally Exported Works

The Rijksmuseum and the Museum of World Cultures of the Netherlands intend to part with exhibits acquired during colonial conquests: at the prompting of the Council for Culture, the museums have declared their readiness to return to their homelands works of art, jewels and antiquities that were illegally removed. To

Observations · Science · Education · Nature

Spring mount for a label on a cork oak in the Royal Holloway University arboretum

Julia Koricheva, Professor of Ecology at Royal Holloway, University of London, has photographed the label on a cork oak in the university arboretum. Note the spring that holds the sign loosely on its screw, so that no foreign object presses too tightly against the bark. In short, the damage done

Archaeology · Observations · Rome · Humour

Aulus Aemilius paved a square in Terracina and left an inscription in bronze letters

How should one speak of one's good deeds? A fellow a couple of thousand years ago, for instance, had his name cut into stone on the main square of the resort town of Terracina, on the approaches to Rome along the Appian Way, in huge bronze letters. Made

Coming Up · Art · Cinema · Moscow · Museums

Giovanni Troilo’s film on Frida Kahlo to be shown at the Tretyakov Gallery on 15 October

On 15 October the Tretyakov Gallery will screen Giovanni Troilo's documentary "Frida. Viva la Vida", which reaches general release on 20 October. Before the screening, Tatyana Pigareva, head of the cultural department of the Instituto Cervantes in, will give a lecture on Frida Kahlo, her ties

Latest