I just adore this portrait of Elizabeth Farren! As soon as I enter the gallery where she is housed (in the European wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art), I swoon. I hardly notice any other portraits around me. It’s just Elizabeth Farren and I in that room. I’m infatuated. In love. But what makes… Continue reading The Portrait of Elizabeth Farren, Painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1789)
Tag: culture
What the Fawkes?
What the Fawkes? November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day— a jolly good holiday for British folk where fireworks are set off & Union Jacks are waved. But why? And who the hell is Guy Fawkes?? If these are questions which have troubled you every time November 5th rolls around, & caused you sleepless nights of… Continue reading What the Fawkes?
Medicine in the Age of Miasma
What does this silhouette say to a modern viewer? Does it remind you of Carnival of Venice masks or the mysterious character from V for Vendetta? Maybe you are reminded of the goggle-donning steampunk, or perhaps it just resembles any vague nightmare—a bird-like monster clad in a broad-brimmed hat. Whatever the association, this particular costume… Continue reading Medicine in the Age of Miasma
La Sapeurs: Dandies of the Congo
After the dust of WWII had settled, Congolese soldiers brought Parisian fashions back to the Congo. This is a great example of the cultural exchange which occurs during wartime. As deplorable and devastating as war is, it does act as a vehicle for ideas, food, and….fashion! It’s interesting to see how the poverty-stricken regions of the… Continue reading La Sapeurs: Dandies of the Congo
Charles Lindbergh: Fixed in Firmament
I confess that I adore bold people. (with the exception of people who get too bold on the Jersey Turnpike) I get a tingling sensation down to the end of my toes anytime I read about people pursuing what they believe in, and that feeling becomes inflamed when the pursuit is “against all odds.” Maybe… Continue reading Charles Lindbergh: Fixed in Firmament
Colette…Fantasy dissolves into flesh
Colette…Fantasy into flesh On January 28th, 1873 Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was born. Who would have imagined that in twenty years’ time, she would start a revolution with her bare breast, provoke the minds of Europe with her pen and wake up the conscience of society with a kiss? Colette was a writer, a dancer, a stage… Continue reading Colette…Fantasy dissolves into flesh
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