Computer rendering of Place de la Concorde from above: an obelisk at the centre, two fountains, tree-planted lawns on the paved square, an avenue at left and a garden at right.

NB!

Aerial rendering of Place de la Concorde in Paris with obelisk, fountains and gardens

Pair of gold sandals made of thin sheet metal on a grey background: soles with concentric lines, a rosette at the heel, a wide curved strap and a toe post.

NB! · Archive

Pair of gold sandals with engraved decoration

A pair of gold sandals and gold finger stalls laid out in rows on a grey background, with a caption below.

NB! · Archaeology · Museums · New York · Humour

Gold sandals and finger stalls from the tomb of three foreign wives of Thutmose III

If one must stroll the afterlife in sandals, then with closed toes. Sandals and toe stalls of sheet gold, found in the tomb of the three foreign wives of Pharaoh Thutmose III: Menhet, Menwi and Merti. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

NB! · Cinema · Observations

Mood for This Morning: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Black-and-white photo: a smiling woman in a dark swimsuit and cap stands on sand before a tall wooden surfboard inscribed FRED. Trees are behind her.

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Woman in a vintage swimsuit beside a wooden surfboard marked FRED

Black and white photograph of a woman in a swimsuit standing in sea water, holding a long wooden board in front of a breakwater.

NB! · Mores · People · Humour

Agatha Christie took up surfing during her husband's tour of British Empire countries

Agatha Christie, meanwhile, learnt to surf thanks to her husband, who was busy organising the British Empire Exhibition. Agatha rode the waves on a board in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii. She was most likely among the first Britons to master the sport, somewhere in the neighbourhood of

NB! · Archive · People · Humour

George Bernard Shaw with a primitive surfboard on the South African coast at the age of 75

Painted portrait of a woman in a golden dress with two children looking out from behind her shoulders, in a dark wooden frame.

NB! · Art · Humour

Portrait of a Mother with Two Children by John Cooper, 1725

Goggle-eyed children have gatecrashed mummy's selfie. 1725, John Cooper

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Cinema · Madrid · Museums · Humour

And More on Amusing Coincidences

And more on amusing coincidences. Princess Leia and the stone Lady of Elche, 4th century BC, Archaeological Museum of Madrid

NB! · Aristocracy · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Remember: if you see me in the guise of Leopold I, in full ceremonial dress and a gigantic headdress of white plumes with a peacock atop, it means I am returning with good news

Remember: if you see me in the guise of Leopold I, in full ceremonial dress and a gigantic headdress of white plumes with a peacock atop, it means I am returning with good news. If I appear as Prince Gundaker of Liechtenstein, with a sail of black feathers upon my

NB! · Archive · Cinema · Observations · Pop Culture

The 33-year-old Chaplin and Anna Pavlova

The 33-year-old Chaplin and Anna Pavlova. How handsome they are! And how well Charlie looks without make-up and moustache

Engraving of a crowned king in an ermine mantle on a canopied bed with fleurs-de-lis, with candlesticks and a cross before it.

NB! · Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Posthumous Portrait of Henry IV on His Bed of State, Engraving of 1610

Behold the tiny feet of Henri IV ☺️ Only bear in mind that here he is a corpse. Hardly the most flattering angle for a portrait, and a posthumous one at that. The king reclines on a bed beneath a canopy, in full dress and regalia, with candlesticks set all around