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Label of Madame Alliot's Franco-Russian Camembert from Calvados, 19th century
The finest Camembert. The Franco-Russian cheese of Madame Éliot from Auteuil-en-Auge in Calvados. Ah, that naive nineteenth century!
NB! · Monarchies · Mores · Nature · Humour
In 1577 Sir Humphrey Gilbert presented Elizabeth I with a narwhal tusk adorned with gold, but claimed it was the horn of a sea unicorn
In 1577 Sir Humphrey Gilbert presented Elizabeth I with a narwhal tusk adorned with gold, but claimed it was the horn of a sea unicorn. Though we know perfectly well that these are quite different animals, the rascal!
NB! · Art · Observations · Mores
Victor Maximilien Potain (1760-1840), Portrait of the Artist's Sister Marie-Adrienne and Her Daughter Rose-Marie with a Puppy
Victor Maximilien Potain (1760-1840), Portrait of the Artist's Sister Marie-Adrienne and Her Daughter Rose-Marie with a Puppy. A charming statement on how important it is to be close to those we love
NB! · Archive · Monarchies · Mores · Pop Culture · Saint Petersburg
Nicholas II as Alexei Mikhailovich, Alexandra Feodorovna as Maria Miloslavskaya at the costume ball of 1903 in the Winter Palace, and Jared Leto at the Gucci Cruise 2018 show in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence
NB! · Mores · Humour
The scheme of amorous attachments runs roughly like this; I trust you have recognised everyone by sight
Aristocracy · In the Press · Monarchies · Mores · People
Duke of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV, and the court's view of his homosexuality
Remember Louis XIV's irritating younger brother, the gay Philippe d'Orléans? The so-called spare heir succumbed to the temptations of sodomy very early. In his early youth the Duke of Orléans was raped by Philippe Mancini, Duke of Nevers, a nephew of Cardinal Mazarin. From that
Aristocracy · Monarchies · Mores
Matronyms instead of patronyms among the nobility of Rus and Europe
History knows cases in which children were given a matronymic instead of a patronymic, that is, a name derived from the mother's line, both in Rus' and in Europe. For example, when the mother was of nobler stock, or when the child was illegitimate. So it was
In the Press · The East · Mores · Ethnography
Vessels of Grief in Ancient Rome and Tear Bottles in the Victorian Era
In Ancient Rome, the tears of hired mourners were collected in vessels of grief, and the filled vessels were carried to the tomb as a kind of tribute to the deceased. The Victorian era, too, had its fashion for gathering tears: grieving women used special tear bottles, small flasks that
Aristocracy · Monarchies · Heritage · Mores · People
Emperor Alexander III had a brother, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who was married to a German princess, Maria Pavlovna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Emperor Alexander III had a brother, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who was married to a German princess, Maria Pavlovna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The Grand Duchess was also known as Miechen. What a shrew she was! The whole life of the grand ducal couple was marked by bilious envy of the
Mores · Ethnography
Folk beliefs about eggshells and the fear of water among evil spirits
There is a superstition that eggshells must never be kept, because witches can use them to sail out to sea. The shells must be burnt. Bear this in mind the next time you make scrambled eggs. There is, in fact, another widespread belief connecting unclean spirits with water. Evil entities
NB! · Monarchies · Mores · Humour