In the Press · Books · Observations · Society · People
A Few Words on Haters. Turgenev had many enemies even in his lifetime, Katkov of the Russian Messenger among them. Their quarrel began when Ivan Sergeyevich stopped publishing in his journal. The matter was this: the editor had thought it permissible to correct Fathers and Sons at his own discretion,
Geography · People · Nature
Incidentally, today is considered the day of the discovery of Florida by the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León, who in 1513 led an expedition in search of either new lands for Ferdinand I, or the fountain of eternal youth, which is mentioned in an ancient legend that places it
Monarchies · Science · Education · People
The first obstetric mannequin was designed by Angélique Du Coudray, celebrated for her book on the fundamentals of midwifery and her vast experience of training young midwives. Under the influence of Du Coudray and her petition, the decision to deny women professional training in obstetrics was reversed. After this success,
Aristocracy · Moscow · Mores · People · Humour
One of the directors of the Assembly of the Nobility, Pavel Afanasyevich Afrosimov, a retired major general, a fearfully important and dreadfully rich Moscow grandee, whom some call the prototype of Griboyedov's Famusov, was dying at the age of 64. His contemporaries left some amusing recollections of the
Art · Observations · People
All that is known of the author of this painting is his name, inscribed on several dozen other works created between 1654 and 1662, presumably in Delft and Haarlem. Jacobus Vrel is one of the most enigmatic of the Little Dutch Masters, and mystery hangs over his canvases too, "
Aristocracy · London · Monarchies · Mores · People
Catherine, younger sister of the nine-day queen Jane Grey, paid with her liberty for marrying without Elizabeth's leave: the Virgin Queen took the marriage of a maiden of the Tudor line for an attempted coup. All the more so since Catherine Grey had, in Elizabeth's
Aristocracy · Archive · Mores · People
Baroness Natalya Mikhailovna Stroganova, known for her rich collection of books and the vast fortune she received from her husband Nikolai, was widowed at forty and left with one son. Her nephew, Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Dolgorukov, left a most amusing account of his relations with his aunt. Chance joined the
NB! · Aristocracy · Art · People
NB! · Faith · Museums · Heritage · People
The terrifying mask of the Scottish prophet lay hidden for hundreds of years, kept in secret by the Peden family as the most precious relic of their famous forebear, and was shown to the public only in 1840. It is now on display in the National Museum of Scotland
Faith · Museums · Society · People
The mask of Alexander Peden, the seventeenth-century Scottish preacher, is made of human hair, animal skin and even human teeth! Today this wandering prophet would be called an oppositionist. He spoke out sharply against the Crown and every decision of Charles II, for which he was declared an outlaw
Museums · Paris · People
On 17 February 1673, seated in this very chair, the dying Molière played the part of Argan, the "imaginary invalid" who is forever convinced that something ails him. In the play, Argan resolves to feign death in order to see how those around him will behave once he
Aristocracy · Archive · Moscow · Mores · People
Ekaterina Khovanskaya, like many mothers, suffered terribly when no news came from her son, especially during the main and bloodiest battles, which only aggravated her already extremely frail condition. The son was a noted carouser and simply forgot to write home, for which his father devised a stratagem: he asked