Archive · The East · Art · Mores · Ethnography

Punishments in the Ottoman Empire of the Sixteenth Century

From Pictures of Turkish Folk Life, illustrations by Heindrich Hendrovsky

Aristocracy · Monarchies · Mores · People

Napoleon's illegitimate sons Charles Denuelle and Alexandre Walewski and the Bonaparte name

Napoleon's illegitimate sons: Charles Denuelle, called the infernal bastard, Count Léon (1806-1881), and Alexandre, Count Colonna-Walewski (1810-1868). Each left numerous descendants, but none of the offspring of Napoleon's illegitimate sons had the right to bear the surname Bonaparte, although Count Léon pressed the

Faith · London · Mores · Society

The General Synod of the Church of England Discussed Prayers for the Blessing of Same-Sex Couples

The subject is not new to the Church of England, but until now matters had never gone as far as publishing a proposed collection of prayers and Bible readings connected with same-sex services. The Archbishop of Canterbury, however, chose to abstain in the vote on the prayers, explaining that

A fair-haired man in a grey suit and a dark-haired woman in a light wrap sit on a sofa looking at an open magazine, a colourised photograph.

Mores · People · Pop Culture

Yesenin's marriage to a wife 18 years his senior lasted just over a year

Sergei Yesenin and Isadora Duncan. Yesenin was eighteen years her junior; their marriage was brief, lasting little more than a year, but brilliant

Art · Mores

A girl in curl-papers waits for her ringlets to set, breakfasting on hot chocolate and cake

A Family Breakfast at Lavergne, Jean-Étienne Liotard. The artist returned to this subject twice: in 1754, when he painted the picture in pastel, and thirty years later, when he made an exact copy of it in oils

NB! · Observations · Mores · Humour

Whom, do you suppose, does this hostess hope to deceive by passing off a bowling ball as a Christmas pudding?

NB! · Mores · Humour

You Can See at a Glance: Acknowledged Society Beauties

NB! · Aristocracy · Archive · Mores

General Kostenetsky Dined at Count Osterman-Tolstoy's for Twenty Years

General Kostenetsky dined at Count Osterman-Tolstoy's for twenty years. It was so organic a part of their routine that every day, an hour and a half before dinner, the Count sent his carriage to fetch the General

Aristocracy · Mores · People · Saint Petersburg

Count Stroganov's open dinners and the unknown guest who dined there for almost 30 years

The open dinners of Count Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov were the stuff of legend: his table was prized not only by colleagues and kinsmen but by members of the imperial family and by distinguished foreign guests, such as the painter Vigée Le Brun. At times this influential and wealthy gentleman found

Four men with open mouths and a cat in a lace collar sing from a sheet of music against a dark background.

Art · Mores · Humour

The painting “The Singing Company” by Niccolò Frangipane

When everyone at the party has the same beautician, except the cat. A Singing Company, Niccolò Frangipane

Art · Mores

Sorolla’s 1895 painting “Mother” and the medical advice of the time on infant sleep

The Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla marked the birth of his daughter in 1895 with the painting "Mother", in a light palette, where against white walls, coverlets and pillows only the heads of his wife Clotilde and the newborn Elena stand out. The painting is considered one of Sorolla&

Archive · Art · Mores · Paris

Robert Doisneau’s “The Kiss” from the 1950 Life shoot to the court case and the auction

Robert Doisneau's famous photograph "The Kiss" was taken for Life magazine in 1950. Doisneau noticed a couple kissing in a Parisian café and proposed that they take part in a shoot, paying them a handsome 500 francs, which in our day is almost 1,500 euros.