Amersfoort Around

Saturday, August 29th, one could walk, to celebrate its 750 birthday, along the municipal borders of Amersfoort. I choose to walk the part along the river Eem.

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Toledo

The city of Toledo is situated just south of Madrid. It was the capital of Spain until the Moors concurred Spain in the 8th century.

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Constance Worth

Miss Constance Worth, a British beauty in the beginning of the 20th century

Matthias Stom

Woman counting coins by candlelight, by Matthias Stom (or Matthias Stomer) (born in Amersfoort in 1600).

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Alphonse Mucha - Monaco, Monte-Carlo

1897. Mucha's painting often feature beautiful women in flowing neoclassical looking robes, surrounded by lush flowers which form haloes behind the women's head. In this painting Mucha went all out with a most opulent design. The shy maiden, kneeling, is completely encircled by the curving stalks of lilac and hydrangea, featuring some of the most intricate flower scenes ever painted by Mucha. It is probable that the design is meant to suggest the tracks and wheels that convey the public to Monte Carlo. The maiden is probably Spring herself, enraptured with the beauty of the seascape.

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Калининград

Калининград means Kaliningrad in Russian. As you can see the city centre has completely disappeared. Found at http://www.kng750.kanet.ru/list221.htm.

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Officers of the 71st Highlanders

Officers of the 71st Highlanders playing with a dog, before conical tent with military camp in background. By Roger Fenton, 1855. 

"From then to the beginning of spring, the light and temperature were the best a photographer could ask for” he reported. As the season advanced, the light became stronger, the temperature hotter and the flies bothered the photographer who then started to take photographs of the military leaders in the early morning, as this was the only suitable time to work. “It is impossible to work after nine or ten o’clock because of the intense heat, which makes the corks on my bottles pop, and ruins all the pictures.” (

(source: Musee D'Orsay).