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,

Art · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

French Christofle vase of the late 19th century with dragonflies on the cover of a Christie's publication

At first glance I thought that Palekh had at last graced the cover of the Christie's catalogue, and I rejoiced. But no, this is a 22-centimetre French vase of the late nineteenth century, with handles of turned and patinated bronze, partly gilded, decorated with dragonflies, insects and

Faith · Monarchies · Observations · Ethnography · Humour

I doubt you will see anything more touching today than Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pressing noses with indigenous New Zealanders, air force officers and elders, during the ceremonial…

The hongi is the traditional Maori greeting, based on the belief that the nose is the centre of the body and that the divine breath passes through it, so that touching the tips of noses makes people close: they have shared one divine breath and are, as it were, united

Art · Observations · People

John Singer Sargent, an American among the Impressionists, and his belated fame

I'd rather lie abed a little longer than face all this... Punting under the Willows (1887) and Siesta (1907) by the American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). Sargent moved among the Impressionists, and this seems to have left a mark on his work. American by birth, he

NB! · Observations · Humour

Don't Think Anything of It When I Vanish for a Couple of Days

Don't think anything of it when I vanish for a couple of days. I was merely withdrawing to the dacha, in token of the end of the working week

A rat sits on a dark post above the water in a flooded room beside a peeling wall.

Observations · Heritage · Society · Nature

Sympathy for a rat in a photograph and the suffering of urban animals

A state of emergency has been declared in Venice: the water rose to 187 centimetres in recent days, 20 million euros have already been allocated to clear up after the flood, while the mayor puts the damage at 1 billion euros. ps I feel terribly sorry for the little rat

Archive · Observations · Mores · Society

A 19th-century pamphlet against masturbation as an example of control over sexual behaviour

Look at what this charming fifteen-year-old girl became in a mere year, after making the acquaintance of the dreadful sin of masturbation! Yet another nineteenth-century pamphlet against self-gratification is a rather typical example of how the state and society, through the institutions of morality, propriety and

NB! · Moscow · Observations · Society · Humour

Recently, outside the Moscow government building, I saw a lone picketer with a placard: "We feared the 90s, and got the 30s instead"

Recently, outside the Moscow government building, I saw a lone picketer with a placard: "We feared the 90s, and got the 30s instead". There is something in that. At the very least, it holds out hope for the 50s

Page of an old English dictionary with the entry Bonfire, a fire made for triumph or exultation, with quotations from Spenser, South and Gay.

NB! · Observations · Mores

Bonfire as a celebratory fire rather than fireworks, in an English dictionary entry

The bonfire is a fire made for triumph or jubilation, in other words not a firework but a festive blaze. And quite rightly: what is a holiday without one?

NB! · Faith · Observations · Nature