NB! · Archive · Monarchies · Humour
Anastasia Romanova and the Selfie
Anastasia Romanova and a selfie. The figure in the background is not a ghost, but one of the household, caught moving through the long exposure
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Art · London · Museums · Science
Science Museum in London opens medicine gallery featuring Eleanor Crook's sculpture “Holy Medicine”
The Science Museum in London delighted visitors barely a week ago by opening a new gallery devoted to medicine. The exhibition is enlivened by a remarkable work of art, a bridge between historical eras and the present day: the bronze sculpture "Saint Medicine" by the English artist Eleanor
Art · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour
Satire of 1786 fashion and its resemblance to Kim Kardashian
A Modern Venus, or a Woman of Modern Fashion in Her Natural State. 1786. The resemblance to Kim Kardashian is simply incredible. It is surprising, truth be told, that the standards of the late eighteenth century should be so relevant in our own day, and almost shocking that what has
Aristocracy · Cinema · Observations · Society
Criticism of the romanticisation of aristocratic privilege in the film “Downton Abbey”
The one thing about "Downton Abbey" that I simply cannot bring myself to accept is the romanticisation of what are, in essence, monstrously unjust foundations, built upon feudal inheritance, the treacherous will of monarchs of old, very nearly slaveholding and vassal-suzerain relations. It is not easy to
Aristocracy · Cinema · Monarchies · Observations
The new Downton Abbey captures Mary of Teck, consort of George V, with remarkable precision, while the actor chosen to play the King is astonishingly unlike him: simply a stately, charming old gentleman, some king out of Shrek, bearing no resemblance to…
In the ballroom scene Mary of Teck wears the famous Vladimir Tiara, so beloved of Elizabeth II, but with the emerald rather than the pearl set. The tiara originates from the Romanov family.
Aristocracy · Cinema · Monarchies · Observations · Mores
The film “Downton Abbey” about George V and his wife visiting the Crawley family
Downton Abbey throws open its doors once more: a feature-length film based on the plot of the eponymous series has been released. The Crawley family, in full strength, awaits an exalted visit from the royal couple, and the vicissitudes of the plot are chiefly bound up with preparations for
Archive · Monarchies · Observations · People
How Napoleon's signature changed from Captain Bonaparte to Saint Helena
It is interesting to watch how Napoleon's signature changed: from a plain Bonaparte, when he was still an artillery captain in 1792, to a plain Napoleon with a sharp flourish in the 1800s, when he was already Emperor. As late as 1798, in Egypt, Napoleon still signed himself
Observations · Science · Nature
The dog Laika, the first living creature in orbit, died of overheating in 1957
A dog named Laika was the first living creature to leave the planet Earth and find itself in orbit. This happened in November 1957. A tragic story, it must be said: a stray dog picked up off the street met every criterion, from height and weight to straightness of limb,
NB! · Books · People
Today is the day of Leo Tolstoy's death
Museums · Mores · People · Humour
Edward Bright's jacket, which held seven people, is the main exhibit of his museum
The jacket of the famous fat man Edward Bright, which could accommodate seven people: the star exhibit of the museum of this rosy-cheeked provincial giant of the eighteenth century, who lived to be only 29. A rather restrained and modern style, it must be said. An idea for an
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Bronze relief of seven men sharing one coat, set in a brick wall
Archive · Mores · People · Humour
Edward Bright of Maldon and his coat that seven townspeople could fit into
How can the suit of a very fat man serve the public? When in 1750 the 29-year-old Edward Bright, a stout fellow of Maldon in England, famed for nothing but his remarkable weight, departed this life, the townsfolk acquired a diverting attraction: to squeeze seven persons into Bright&