blog birthday

Kroket

Today I celebrate the 6th anniversary of this blog!

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Vicksburg Waterfront (I)

Vicksburg waterfront with the Mississippi River, ca. 1909 (Detroit Publishing Co)

The first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn Candy Company in 1891. Excerpt from a photo found on Shorpy.com.

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Mucha Models

Model posing in Mucha's studio, Rue du Val de Grâce 6, Paris

Alphonse Mucha - Portrait of a woman, ca. 1910

Model in a Bohemian folk costume posing in Mucha's studio

The majority of these Parisian photographs were not taken for a specific project. Mucha preferred to improvise a number of poses, creating an archive of variants from which he could select what he considered most suitable for the subject of each new commission (source).

next episode: waterfront

Jerusalem City Walls

Lions' Gate

 (photos by RfA, 2011)

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Real π Day!

Today is Real Pi Day! 

Real Pi Day will be celebrated on March 14th, 2015 at 9:26:53 AM.

These numbers (3/14/15, 9:26:53) correspond with the first 10 digits of pi (3.141592653).

next episode: Jerusalem

Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María & Aztec Sun Stone

Colorized photograph by William Henry Jackson, 1880s 

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of Mexico City is the largest cathedral in the Americas. It is build near the major square of Mexico City.

On the wall of the Cathedral’s southwest tower the famous Aztec Sun Stone is visible. It was discovered in 1790 by workers repairing the square. Today this sacred Aztec artifact is exhibited in the National Museum of Anthropology.

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Hidden Mother

with the cover

1/9th Plate daguerreotype of a child sitting in his moms lap, without the matte that originally encircled the portrait of the child (source)

In early photographs, a subject had to sit still because of long camera exposure times. When that subject was a squirming baby or small child, they were sometimes held in a lap or reassured by an adult hand, either from a photographer's assistant, relative, nanny, or father, but primarily by the child's mother. Whether they're mothers or not, collectors call these photos 'hidden mother photographs'. Since customers wanted photographs that showed only the children, photographers had to get creative to block out the other person (source).

next episode: aztec stone

Maude Fealy Day !

Maude was born on March 4, 1883.

more photos

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Gardiners Island

Gardiners Island

Gardiners Island is a small island east off the coast of the eastern end of Long Island. It is 6 miles long and 3 miles wide. In 1639, on the basis of a grant by King Charles I, the island was settled by Lion Gardiner. The patent gave him the "right to possess the land forever", Lion Gardiner was given the title of Lord of the Manor and thus was able to govern the island as a proprietary colony.

Gardiner reportedly purchased the island in 1639 from the Montaukett Indians for "a large black dog, some powder and shot, and a few Dutch blankets". It has been privately owned by Gardiner's descendants for over three hundred and fifty years and is the only real estate in the United States still held by a royal grant from the English Crown.

Gardiners Island from Springs, New York showing the famed white windmill and manor house.

Julia Gardiner, who was to become President John Tyler's First Lady, was born on the island in 1820.

next episode: Maude