Britain is experiencing a cold snap and consequently there is talk of how to keep warm. This has made me look at old ways to keep out the cold. .This is a detail of a tapestry which hung in a hall in Medieval England. It was a barrier against the cold drafts which crept inContinue reading “Warmth in a cold snap”
Category Archives: How we see history
Three challenges
By chance, I had my squeamishness put to the test in three very different situations. Having enjoyed Serial Mom and Hairspray, I watched This Filthy World, a one man show by the filmmaker John Waters. As he stood on the dimly lit grave yard stage set, his appearance reminded me of a Hammer horror character.Continue reading “Three challenges”
Airmail envelope
The lightweight, blue and red airmail envelope is hardly used anymore, replaced by the sending of emails which is quicker, cheaper and easier than posting a letter. It is set still more firmly in the past with it’s Woolworths branding and price tag. For more on packaging, see categories >>
Old English architecture, as seen
Medieval merman
We visited the coast of Suffolk and saw its wild seas and exposed coastline. This is a story the sea brought forth in the medieval era, when Orford was a major town. AN INCIDENT REPORTED IN ORFORD, SUFFOLK, IN 1176 The fishermen pulled in their nets from the sea and found they had caught aContinue reading “Medieval merman”
Camera Obscura
Rebekah Cameron built a camera obscura and devised these experimental shots. Pearls, rich colours, fruit and silver objects come out particularly well on the camera obscura lens. The lighting is instantly reminds us an old master portrait.
Polaroid
The Polaroid is now a museum piece. There is much pleasure in taking a polaroid. Each shot is treated as special, there is the mechanical sound and feel of the paper ejecting, the waiting and watching and the slow alchemical change on the surface of the paper. I wonder if someone will make a digitalContinue reading “Polaroid”
Neanderthal cosmetics
50 000 year old make up has been discovered by archeaologists in South Eastern Spain. Most surprisingly, it is thought that the make up was used by Neanderthals. The team has uncovered a thorny oyster shell containing the remnants of pigments. The pigments, made of ground minerals and mixed or stored in the shell palettes,Continue reading “Neanderthal cosmetics”
English Drama
Ed Ruscha’s painting English Drama (left). A horizontally set gothic font has gravitas. When it is set at an uplifting angle, it is becomes an advert. It leaves behind religious text, formal documents and invitations. It is now a commercial item to be shown off with an added air of entertainment. A gothic font atContinue reading “English Drama”
The world’s first dinosaur sculptures
A few years before the publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species, a group of life size dinosaur models was commissioned by the Crystal Palace Company. They were to go on display in the pleasure park near the glassy Crystal Palace Exhibition hall. The sculptor, Hawkins, worked with paleontologist, Richard Owen, to visualise the dinosaurs andContinue reading “The world’s first dinosaur sculptures”
Coffee Table TV 