Friday, December 30, 2022

En pied - ten ladies standing

 
Unknown, tintype, circa 1880s.
Grand Duchess Elizaveta Alexeievna née Princess Louise of Baden, by Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1795.
Japanese, eighteenth century.
Mrs. Elliott Fitch Shepard née Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt, by John Singer Sargent, 1888.
Portrait en pied d'une élégante au châle noir sur fond de paysage, by Fernand Toussaint, circe 1920s.
Unknown, circa 1850s.
Margherita Sparapani Gentili Boccapadule, by Laurent Pécheux, 1777.
Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice, by Anders Zorn, 1894.
Portrait d’une femme peintre en pied, French School, circle of Marguerite Gérard, circa 1800.
"Portrait of a richly dressed young lady, full-length, before a draped table", by Pieter Codde, circa 1635.




Sunday, December 25, 2022

What day is it? Oh, yes....

 

Blog post Sunday falls on that holiday this year, so what more logical time to share our (Christmas) holiday card for this year? We always strive to be cheeky with the card we send out, but this effort might seem especially directed toward those - and there are many - who rather, for whatever reason, clearly loathe the particular holiday and all it brings in its tarted-up wake. (I so get it! Having worked in retail for many years, it's sometimes an effort to feel the "magic of the season", and Christmas music still makes me want to hurl.) 

But for all you others... Merry Christmas, happy all-the-holidays, and a most brilliant new year! 




Friday, December 23, 2022

Feeling blimpy

 
British (?), circa 1916.

No, I didn't eat that much over the holidays. Just a cheeky title to introduce these images that have long been languishing in my blog folder.

Repairing the hull of the Graf Zeppelin during a flight over the Atlantic Ocean, by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1934.
Russia, 1930.
British, 1915.
The USS Macon airship under construction, Akron, Ohio, 1932.



Sunday, December 18, 2022

Brothers, pendant - nine pairs of fraternal portraits

 
Jean-François, comte d'Entremont et de Montbel, by Louis Ferdinand Elle l'Aîné, 1658.
Elie-Louis d'Entremont, marquis du Monteiller, by Louis Ferdinand Elle l'Aîné, 1658.
*
Prince Henry Benedict Clement Stuart (1725-1807), by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1737.
Prince Charles Edward Stuart "Bonnie Prince Charlie" (1720-1788), by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1737.
*
A posthumous portrait of Saxon elector Friedrich III "the Wise" (1463-1525), by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1533.
A posthumous portrait of Saxon elector Johann I "the Constant" (1468-1532), by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1533.
*
Michael Damien Farrow (1939-1958), by Eileen Chandler, 1949. The boys were the children of director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan.
Patrick Villiers Farrow (1942-2009), by Eileen Chandler, 1949.
*
Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (1589-1624), by William Larkin, 1613.
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset (1591-1652), by William Larkin, 1613.
*
Aaron Kingsbury Drury (1813-1859) and Elijah Drury (1817-1864), unknown artist, circa 1840s. It isn't known which portrait is of which brother.
*
 James Stapleton, 2nd Baronet Stapleton of the Leeward Islands (1672-1690), at the age of eleven, Circle of Mary Beale, circa 1683.
 William Stapleton, 3rd Baronet Stapleton of the Leeward Islands (1674-1699), at the age of eight, Circle of Mary Beale, circa 1683.
*
Arnoldus van Rijneveld (1715-98), by Louis Tocqué, 1738.
Isaac van Rijneveld (1706-92), by Louis Tocqué, 1738.
*
John Helias Finnie McEwen, later 1st Baronet McEwen of Marchmont & Bardrochat (1894-1962), by Philip de László, 1915.
Lieutenant James Robert Dundas McEwen (1896-1916), by Philip de László, 1915. He was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme only a year later.




Friday, December 16, 2022

Three ladies, relaxing

 
La Turque (a presumed portrait of the courtesan Catherine-Rosalie Gerard Duthé), by Étienne Aubry, 1779.
*
 L'Ombrelle verte (a portrait of the artist's elder sister, Edma Morisot), by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
*
Portrait of a Smoking Lady, by Richard Friedrich "Fritz" Reusing, 1927.




Sunday, December 11, 2022

Rehearsing for Oscar - preparing the 1958 Academy Awards broadcast, photographs by Leonard McCombe

 
Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, and choreographer Jack Cole. The actors performed a number called "It's Great Not to Be Nominated."
Shirley Jones, Van Johnson, Marge and Gower Champion*, Betty Grable, and Bob Hope.
Shirley Jones, Van Johnson, Mae West, Rock Hudson, Marge and Gower Champion, Janet Leigh, Rhonda Fleming, Bob Hope, and Shirley MacLaine*.
Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds performed her big hit "Tammy" from Tammy and the Bachelor during the ceremony.
James Stewart. Stewart, along with David Niven, Jack Lemmon, and Rosalind Russell shared the hosting duties with Bob Hope.
Clark Gable.
Doris Day and Clark Gable. The two presented the writing awards.
Mae West and Rock Hudson rehearsing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside."
Russ Tamblyn, at center. Lower right, Rock Hudson and Mae West.
Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster.
Paul Newman and Doris Day.
Shirley MacLaine and - just barely - Janet Leigh.
At center, Janet Leigh and Shirley MacLaine.
Shirley MacLaine.
Zsa Zsa Gabor. In credits of the event, she's actually only listed as an audience member.
Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, and David Niven.

*

The 30th Academy Awards ceremony was held on 26 March 1958 at the RKO Pantages Theatre, the venue for the event from 1949 to 1959.

*

* I haven't been able to find an explanation for it, but Shirley MacLaine and the Champions don't appear in any credits list of the actual event.