tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87786262875568342612024-03-18T01:18:14.916-07:00lostpastrememberedDeana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-74142283022768250082023-10-30T15:54:00.005-07:002023-10-31T12:21:44.224-07:00Wilfred Scawen Blunt, an Amorous Adventurer and Quail with Scotch<p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ASYchaeRUdAnQ2Hpg9TibxFm7cIaOjP6uaKqViEg205cAjz0UAtSFdqAkbqgzqMBmW9_whwPZs7xbccDb7oC-fFZGvlGoVeSI_TulJ2OsLWr1JEddu1CJeq68KKl3poQlS1rYKfV58czOAW00BJYKDtxmbWz17hTL73QB2nwGOh1jGIpOR2zgcyPRl-q/s2064/Wilfrid_Scawen_Blunt,_Add._MSS_54085B,_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2064" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ASYchaeRUdAnQ2Hpg9TibxFm7cIaOjP6uaKqViEg205cAjz0UAtSFdqAkbqgzqMBmW9_whwPZs7xbccDb7oC-fFZGvlGoVeSI_TulJ2OsLWr1JEddu1CJeq68KKl3poQlS1rYKfV58czOAW00BJYKDtxmbWz17hTL73QB2nwGOh1jGIpOR2zgcyPRl-q/s320/Wilfrid_Scawen_Blunt,_Add._MSS_54085B,_original.jpg" width="248" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left; text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wilfred Scawen Blunt (1840-1922) in his 20s</span></span></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">While excavating my bookshelves a few weeks ago, I discovered <u>Unquiet Souls</u> by Mary Lambert - a book I had stashed away and forgotten years ago (yeah, I have serious <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsundoku#:~:text=Tsundoku%20(積ん読)%20refers%20to,one%27s%20home%20without%20reading%20" target="_blank">tsundoku</a></i> issues - links for the books at the end if you do too).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9hyphenhyphenKOzJrcu58Hibh0CSohqCu-nACkUU1stdUBITLrLHOvH7NTC1UDVRpe7ILnyLuiaqpUo8Wq4dWO2IHMz_jRjYWwvzD87gSzdcKk-flxgssig2hyphenhyphen3ZTa0ywYKSLZTDmF064Ikau3FdlZz3ki2_Qrub1oQmd6ccMjeQAIWHpxmGq8dOdNVdhodW9azcO/s1532/1898%20curzon%20for%20india%20farewell.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1532" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9hyphenhyphenKOzJrcu58Hibh0CSohqCu-nACkUU1stdUBITLrLHOvH7NTC1UDVRpe7ILnyLuiaqpUo8Wq4dWO2IHMz_jRjYWwvzD87gSzdcKk-flxgssig2hyphenhyphen3ZTa0ywYKSLZTDmF064Ikau3FdlZz3ki2_Qrub1oQmd6ccMjeQAIWHpxmGq8dOdNVdhodW9azcO/s320/1898%20curzon%20for%20india%20farewell.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">1895 Souls going-away party for new the Indian Viceroy, Lord Curzon </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The book was about a band of shimmeringly unorthodox, <i>fin de siècle</i> English men and women that were known as The Souls.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjKl1M0uoA47FLL5HC6ztxhxo8x_BtfZeBcLH7rm_JENraki0GeVe_5zApDlSSL65_ldFQ7ORwQ5Q3P2c7krOpuADa11Ekm9v7bynGk7KKDKRQzwIOYChe6dMvZ3x2pM3Rr8I7PXU7YA0DKZ_ULWHPCgYM5ExnDZqs5xwccrwysDjSJKFsCoH2ZEB4ZGZ/s760/Marlborough_house_set_1906.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="760" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjKl1M0uoA47FLL5HC6ztxhxo8x_BtfZeBcLH7rm_JENraki0GeVe_5zApDlSSL65_ldFQ7ORwQ5Q3P2c7krOpuADa11Ekm9v7bynGk7KKDKRQzwIOYChe6dMvZ3x2pM3Rr8I7PXU7YA0DKZ_ULWHPCgYM5ExnDZqs5xwccrwysDjSJKFsCoH2ZEB4ZGZ/s320/Marlborough_house_set_1906.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">1906 Marlborough Set</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The Prince of Wales’s crowd, </span><a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlborough_House_set#:~:text=The%20Marlborough%20House%20set%20(also,VII%20(1901–1910" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">‘The Marlborough Set’</a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">was the</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">‘smart set’ of the day. </span><span style="text-align: left;"> Smart meant fashionable - the front row seats to the sports and arts and mostly shallow as shallow could be. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">They were known for their lavish town & country parties filled with </span><a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debrett%27s" style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;" target="_blank">DeBrett’s</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">finest top-heavy titles (and a slight sprinkling of the spice of new money to foot the bills). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrZs_dEfRgmoDtVAgiYisQrdBfNLhIhaHyDjdKgJYctbmMCR8VaCJp_1ZIzQMexoU8PAwRmKnkM76HKyVHyK1Bqs8OM9WLpBxS53bltb9KBd4w5OO0ZdLN9c0TfhZQ45Ah0oIEZNiM0t9DQDh_J1gTy5ZPCSXeAJ2_GuvNBxsK4fW8EBznGt3ts_LadFO/s679/Sargentwyndhams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrZs_dEfRgmoDtVAgiYisQrdBfNLhIhaHyDjdKgJYctbmMCR8VaCJp_1ZIzQMexoU8PAwRmKnkM76HKyVHyK1Bqs8OM9WLpBxS53bltb9KBd4w5OO0ZdLN9c0TfhZQ45Ah0oIEZNiM0t9DQDh_J1gTy5ZPCSXeAJ2_GuvNBxsK4fW8EBznGt3ts_LadFO/s320/Sargentwyndhams.jpg" width="236" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Wyndham Sisters by Sargeant</span></div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">‘The Souls Set’ had what money couldn’t buy. Mostly from old families, they were brilliant artists, writers, poets and statesmen who blossomed in Victoria’s reign and faded with Edwardian Age. They engaged in strong friendships, heady, penetrating conversations and discreet but frequent partner-exchanging romances within the group over the decades. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Wilifred Scawen Blunt fondly remembered his time with The Souls among the Wyndhams, Lyttletons, Elchos and Balfours, Asquiths,Curzon Custs and Grenfells, “…I turned with redoubled zest to my social pleasures of the year before, and at this time saw much of that interesting group of clever men and pretty women known as the Souls, than whom no section of London Society was better worth frequenting, including as it did all that there was most intellectually amusing and least conventional. It was a group of men and women bent on pleasure, but pleasure of a superior kind, eschewing the vulgarities of racing and card-playing indulged in by the majority of the rich and noble, and looking for their excitement in romance and sentiment."</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">I saw a good read ahead. Then I noticed the face on the spine of the book beside it ….<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttDJ_OxEYfqhA8XYJt6xbtRm6bHC3WUmAq51-i819Q-cfMvR5QH2g_FB8-_1M97OQWu7W1iD4lbEHF1pUTerErCSx8g3dZbEufJOlwZCycK8QdqCPoQ32epz49ES83X5QiVpTzlPDi3ewIjFSSMtPxxyDLzX3M5aE2xdD1JJnjDj54Tq3bvJFoAv9oVdk/s636/gsb%20kerr%20photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="457" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttDJ_OxEYfqhA8XYJt6xbtRm6bHC3WUmAq51-i819Q-cfMvR5QH2g_FB8-_1M97OQWu7W1iD4lbEHF1pUTerErCSx8g3dZbEufJOlwZCycK8QdqCPoQ32epz49ES83X5QiVpTzlPDi3ewIjFSSMtPxxyDLzX3M5aE2xdD1JJnjDj54Tq3bvJFoAv9oVdk/s320/gsb%20kerr%20photo.jpg" width="230" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wilfred Blunt 1860s</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Next to<u> Unquiet Souls </u>sat another long-lost volume. I pulled it out and, whoa, the cover! How could I have overlooked the diabolically beautiful face of Wilfred Scawen Blunt with his gimlet eyes drilling into mine!! For all these years the book gathered dust with its neighbor? Tragic.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YwbllC0PvxB1cwXpc4b6dkI0cc5CMvIzE0lDfwJWqhIpqsCPzcKgwBSvLK0XMFM3upbZCeyAqP2fdlfPyHVGYs2VsYrrkXq6fW04PCTE2LHSTnpLqCelsLu3SmLhY2AXI_VaY3LW6GQgWC1MF4tnCkuC-wBhy5mZfqJqiqgFcbRVwVzZbVpIdQa_Mvfu/s1905/82171321_2909480192397717_61858206351097856_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1691" data-original-width="1905" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YwbllC0PvxB1cwXpc4b6dkI0cc5CMvIzE0lDfwJWqhIpqsCPzcKgwBSvLK0XMFM3upbZCeyAqP2fdlfPyHVGYs2VsYrrkXq6fW04PCTE2LHSTnpLqCelsLu3SmLhY2AXI_VaY3LW6GQgWC1MF4tnCkuC-wBhy5mZfqJqiqgFcbRVwVzZbVpIdQa_Mvfu/s320/82171321_2909480192397717_61858206351097856_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Blunt on Pharaoh by Anne Blunt</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The volumes were rightfully bound together since Blunt had played with, worked with or slept with most of the Souls. For all the prime ministers,Viceroys and famous creatives of the crowd – Blunt stood apart.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">I started reading the Souls book – and enjoyed it – but the image of Blunt kept calling and, in the end, I burned through his story. The book, <u>A Pilgrimage of Passion</u> by Elizabeth Longford was full of tantalizing stories but the writing was a slog. I got through it but just. Unsated, I ordered Blunt’s grandson’s book and hoped for a better guide to an amazing life -- the Earl of Lytton’s book, <u>Wilfred Scawen Blunt </u>did not disappoint and I was ensorcelled as it escaped most of the turgid technicalities of 19th century geopolitics and spent time with the man.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6jyf8Gqu2kIExgiHFT1-EqluCzsbHn8EFRIMEM51RKfiw3m4rTjNu5Utgzt-Ct-B7yGtvafNyQTtNUvgNwZNMbyxlWj0mNxpnkUtRIGkvmAlUy3M3WZV_h7EM45HLFSl5KG8tLCM770JMED-EjB607z0keAC5modE-am1BSiR6g9cE6RwNrZzb77TofM/s325/mw108273.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6jyf8Gqu2kIExgiHFT1-EqluCzsbHn8EFRIMEM51RKfiw3m4rTjNu5Utgzt-Ct-B7yGtvafNyQTtNUvgNwZNMbyxlWj0mNxpnkUtRIGkvmAlUy3M3WZV_h7EM45HLFSl5KG8tLCM770JMED-EjB607z0keAC5modE-am1BSiR6g9cE6RwNrZzb77TofM/s320/mw108273.jpg" width="229" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Esme Howard</span></div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esmé_Howard,_1st_Baron_Howard_of_Penrith" target="_blank">Esme Howard</a> remembered Blunt for an Atlantic Article written 15 years after Blunt's death in 1922, “Wilfrid Blunt was a well-known figure in English society, and also in Egypt. Tall, dark, and exceedingly handsome, he had been in the diplomatic service in his youth and was said, with what truth I do not know, to have been the only Englishman who had killed a bull in the bull ring at Madrid.”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMADRIfTBl5EOOPCOCqTgB1Xa-_bGDmzBjsZztViclc40hh5UT7IsojSbC-C4pIGPhGlaSEb9NdTd6DfbFznYkA_-S-IUHwM2xLNEXB4MvqNi3G6QMiAVtM9xSxIcOsbq7Jo_hq0NBgdHngOt7-TgBi4aNJUf-sRp_otp7ANQA2XrfwAgPjFsR5P9k6XWY/s396/Blunt-in-1881.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMADRIfTBl5EOOPCOCqTgB1Xa-_bGDmzBjsZztViclc40hh5UT7IsojSbC-C4pIGPhGlaSEb9NdTd6DfbFznYkA_-S-IUHwM2xLNEXB4MvqNi3G6QMiAVtM9xSxIcOsbq7Jo_hq0NBgdHngOt7-TgBi4aNJUf-sRp_otp7ANQA2XrfwAgPjFsR5P9k6XWY/s320/Blunt-in-1881.webp" width="194" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Blunt 1881</span></div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Howard continued, “He was a poet of no mean order, and his sonnets, published by the Kelmscott Press, are many of them extremely beautiful. Immensely proud, but at the same time a born revolutionary, he gave endless trouble to the British authorities in Egypt by continually and actively taking up the cause of those who, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Urabi" target="_blank">Arabi Pasha</a>, were using every means in their power, even to the extent of open rebellion against the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khedivate_of_Egypt " target="_blank"> Khedive</a>, to get the English out of Egypt.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRmnItj1RtZa9eNIml4mh7Ie0Y8knIDi7-74XmhGXEtxd7Ij5PvKP62wrV7sp1k1hyP1Y628aSVeUZBdim0DW_9HopeYubJknRIhtTmKm5voVk38-AHO7nDKgdl7sb1VLF_Wa4DeYm-PCbldS1Ho65OEgZNB0caiwB4yW8K86LNG3PZPnUzOQlY128C6l/s1080/George_Curzon2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRmnItj1RtZa9eNIml4mh7Ie0Y8knIDi7-74XmhGXEtxd7Ij5PvKP62wrV7sp1k1hyP1Y628aSVeUZBdim0DW_9HopeYubJknRIhtTmKm5voVk38-AHO7nDKgdl7sb1VLF_Wa4DeYm-PCbldS1Ho65OEgZNB0caiwB4yW8K86LNG3PZPnUzOQlY128C6l/s320/George_Curzon2.jpg" width="237" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Lord Curzon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Many of the Souls stayed firmly attached to their ancient estates in England, but, like his friend <a href=" https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2011/10/kedleston-american-heiressses-and-lady.html">Lord Curzon</a>, Blunt had a genuinely passionate love for the East and wanted to improve the condition of the native populations that the British Empire overlords and their minions were abusing. Both men were tireless diplomats, learning the local languages to truly absorb the cultures. Both had wives who shared their husband's aspirations and worked to achieve them. But where Curzon was madly, deeply in love with his beautiful wife Mary, Blunt’s love life was more complicated.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkr1BBUqNLp_k9PJQF83bdq7qbakKtLCMut47jZ4NryCs7vOhH0rCZwhcrusPhizs03PsjgGQWiQheUD7WiSET3njwpIK6u2qQrozslkyYYp2LGv0hC_cPe1fjJsgYi3rzuXCY7HFbUKAAo_t3U2ZW_gbjx15bSUwbN2cbLy_njgA8b92h3wNP-foUShb/s502/Anonyma400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkr1BBUqNLp_k9PJQF83bdq7qbakKtLCMut47jZ4NryCs7vOhH0rCZwhcrusPhizs03PsjgGQWiQheUD7WiSET3njwpIK6u2qQrozslkyYYp2LGv0hC_cPe1fjJsgYi3rzuXCY7HFbUKAAo_t3U2ZW_gbjx15bSUwbN2cbLy_njgA8b92h3wNP-foUShb/s320/Anonyma400.jpg" width="204" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">"Skittles'</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqrKv8oh2_kBebszJ9hr_6Xg4KdGMKbsenJ892_o-aoKDL79UCDU2Vpq4UlFxMrqELFTO-JV9N4zv3RAYIXiP3vaGMt4m4GwmVGcTja0fi7wYkx6en7ZlVnMfKI9KtdwkjOuRNRFBcsd5w2PjVgZGtnsTiG5BECL2jC5djOz8pv21l6fIpvWFOI0fPYb5/s300/skittles-horse-208x300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="208" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqrKv8oh2_kBebszJ9hr_6Xg4KdGMKbsenJ892_o-aoKDL79UCDU2Vpq4UlFxMrqELFTO-JV9N4zv3RAYIXiP3vaGMt4m4GwmVGcTja0fi7wYkx6en7ZlVnMfKI9KtdwkjOuRNRFBcsd5w2PjVgZGtnsTiG5BECL2jC5djOz8pv21l6fIpvWFOI0fPYb5/s1600/skittles-horse-208x300.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Catherine ‘Skittles’ Walters</span></div></span><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blunt began his romantic crusades in earnest with a decades-long affair and friendship with one of the great English courtesans (and favorite of the future King of England) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Walters" target="_blank">Catherine ‘Skitttles’ Walters</a> that started in his 20s in Paris of the 1860s and continued till her death in 1920. Women were mad for him and most remained close friends after the affairs had lost their fire (and some returned again and again!). Men enjoyed his conversation and companionship. Everyone - men and women both - remarked about his beauty.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd57Om50jaA0AzJWRfWoVDFEbPjlR8OfJ5rFyf_GhhMY348wGZY43oZr1beDmV8QYQKq50t3yvNnDv66SADsGeSkdRKeK-b-naKi-HhFXpk8bz4wDXSTROo_oBvZKfvDb-Z9hpJnJrud67y9b-P4QoLruWwK-PHhnzf_nm6VQTKuYD5-3ldz48PKPLOLPv/s438/32b4f7_02e66c87c01842bdab2be692083ac7ef~mv2.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd57Om50jaA0AzJWRfWoVDFEbPjlR8OfJ5rFyf_GhhMY348wGZY43oZr1beDmV8QYQKq50t3yvNnDv66SADsGeSkdRKeK-b-naKi-HhFXpk8bz4wDXSTROo_oBvZKfvDb-Z9hpJnJrud67y9b-P4QoLruWwK-PHhnzf_nm6VQTKuYD5-3ldz48PKPLOLPv/s320/32b4f7_02e66c87c01842bdab2be692083ac7ef~mv2.jpg.webp" width="219" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Anne Noel Blunt (1837-1917), Baroness Wentworth</span></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYLnvqO_dJqfrnI1aIlRCmC0cmUPCdq_YBrRkfsTK5rcS7lo1w3RNMF_naLTzfhMEgaxLOFc5bFx17CaGlOQIZOUaa4OZoqYbb7nYyc0V9sa0nNwoamUHRIAYvKKdUtKJKiFQm3H9_kcv81IGLe3eKEmwrDs5kpZ8bnnePhJHMDwHQuWmt3v6IomUPv3j/s1198/Blunt,_Lady_Anne,_par_Maull_and_Fox,_BNF_Gallica.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="832" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYLnvqO_dJqfrnI1aIlRCmC0cmUPCdq_YBrRkfsTK5rcS7lo1w3RNMF_naLTzfhMEgaxLOFc5bFx17CaGlOQIZOUaa4OZoqYbb7nYyc0V9sa0nNwoamUHRIAYvKKdUtKJKiFQm3H9_kcv81IGLe3eKEmwrDs5kpZ8bnnePhJHMDwHQuWmt3v6IomUPv3j/s320/Blunt,_Lady_Anne,_par_Maull_and_Fox,_BNF_Gallica.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;">Anne Noel Blunt (1837-1917), Baroness Wentworth</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div></span><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Blunt played the field for years, but married Anne, the granddaughter of great romantic poet<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron"> Lord Byron</a>(1788-1823), in 1869. She remained a steadfast life-partner and fellow world traveler till nearly the end of their lives (when the Blunt brought a live-in mistress into their home – a bridge too far even for the understanding Anne). <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">He had dozens of women throughout his long life – many were friends and wives of friends and even daughters of friends. Anne stuck with him – although often living separately from him at one of their many homes and finally staying at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheykh_Obeyd" target="_blank">Sheykh O'Beyd</a> in Egypt on her own -- with her beloved horses. Blunt remained impossibly amorous till the end. His notorious, <u><a href="https://archive.org/details/mydiaries00unkngoog/mode/2up" target="_blank">My Diaries by Wilfred Scawen Blun</a>t</u> was locked for 50 years after his death so as not to reveal the secret trysts of the living… it is a GREAT read for the full flavor of the times. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNah7qiUn_dH-Lkt_wEQAEX_s4aUnSW31Hr15mrP_6ytFQA_g9cTBhAKqnlMHPJ2qsrB_8MoxFdKFAsO0aGNly1ENHZm7jhhmtJSG5dSQg3xVURjvTweuOX5-AIOne3xAoSZRNy2qSYvPl5LYr-N669QxnVmtP0BipxW3_xs7dbiwlLbzGHivomvYTtHSB/s661/1*9Lg1IZiJBYXlrviHwtpPnA.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="661" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNah7qiUn_dH-Lkt_wEQAEX_s4aUnSW31Hr15mrP_6ytFQA_g9cTBhAKqnlMHPJ2qsrB_8MoxFdKFAsO0aGNly1ENHZm7jhhmtJSG5dSQg3xVURjvTweuOX5-AIOne3xAoSZRNy2qSYvPl5LYr-N669QxnVmtP0BipxW3_xs7dbiwlLbzGHivomvYTtHSB/s320/1*9Lg1IZiJBYXlrviHwtpPnA.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne with Blunt, with her horse Kasida)</span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYTnGQNcPZP39IS2NhQdFP4xygDa-FOldAunW4uSdLA4xZN6OH8nvnPconlqYQ8Ij-_Z-Mrq8SQjCG4V36NKz1-s_S3Va1N_bSU7OsZAStNW-YtCIPyRZkDItsOjbA1LxPTKBTtAMDvlo-wENhbEUkC9wgBfgO7KJjbfYZneVwpl_4UhaQi1QchS1XaNA/s1610/Screenshot%202023-09-26%20at%2011.40.44%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1610" data-original-width="1314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYTnGQNcPZP39IS2NhQdFP4xygDa-FOldAunW4uSdLA4xZN6OH8nvnPconlqYQ8Ij-_Z-Mrq8SQjCG4V36NKz1-s_S3Va1N_bSU7OsZAStNW-YtCIPyRZkDItsOjbA1LxPTKBTtAMDvlo-wENhbEUkC9wgBfgO7KJjbfYZneVwpl_4UhaQi1QchS1XaNA/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-26%20at%2011.40.44%20AM.png" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anne and Wilfred Blunt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNyS1KxRs2OsG76CFkcXyYDbnls2CoEPivF-OA8q0vgu59kpPEykVRK0IGppQGGuVM-n3YJzOgj70IHXM7VE3xNuusZKuGKp1qMlPv10ACHdCrq6sfwZGqBxpg76PFF36-VeCrsCHEFyx23xx7reJY0xejrQLWk39DJkUIbcthF5JUZc6JT34acGoi3cu/s450/102240626_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNyS1KxRs2OsG76CFkcXyYDbnls2CoEPivF-OA8q0vgu59kpPEykVRK0IGppQGGuVM-n3YJzOgj70IHXM7VE3xNuusZKuGKp1qMlPv10ACHdCrq6sfwZGqBxpg76PFF36-VeCrsCHEFyx23xx7reJY0xejrQLWk39DJkUIbcthF5JUZc6JT34acGoi3cu/s320/102240626_o.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anne and Wilfred in Egypt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Blunt was incredibly lucky to have had Anne, a brave and willing partner who accompanied him on many of his most dangerous and exotic travels. Together they traversed thousands of miles on camels, horses and on foot through wild deserts and mountains, living with the local tribes, trading information and procuring the finest Arab horses and all the while writing poetry and sending diplomatic missives. Blunt was a polymath force of nature.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._M._Forster" target="_blank"> E.M Forster</a> called Edwin Scawen Blunt “an English gentleman of genius.” He was also a man who fought for lost causes.</span><span face="-webkit-standard"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2Tt2P4dtUgZ3Trp2pWjyc8cZzS832igaOmlZTftnxE-SS0VKHmrs7uqXy3gsYiWSNbrS0Qnuh25_ZjQCG-3DFRpVCDGjBrvVA1PWK2q3VC43PGLdt5XLW270NrV8N3bgz8bk5QtZEfQd7EJXT7CPr5cr6fR8lCPub-hmuZeUhkT8dSAzijygD5L9OPMY/s800/vtls000056136_001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="800" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2Tt2P4dtUgZ3Trp2pWjyc8cZzS832igaOmlZTftnxE-SS0VKHmrs7uqXy3gsYiWSNbrS0Qnuh25_ZjQCG-3DFRpVCDGjBrvVA1PWK2q3VC43PGLdt5XLW270NrV8N3bgz8bk5QtZEfQd7EJXT7CPr5cr6fR8lCPub-hmuZeUhkT8dSAzijygD5L9OPMY/s320/vtls000056136_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Blunt and Anne on an Irish postcard</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">He fought for, wrote furiously about, and was jailed in the cause of Irish Independence and against the English aristocracy's cruel tenant evictions which left a huge swath of farmers starving and homeless. He wrote some rather potent words about his time in Galway Gaol in his 1888 poem, <i>In Vinculis</i>. It inspired Oscar Wilde's better known Reading Gaol poem and helped to get Winston Churchill's attention. But Blunt's attempts to exact some kind promises of prison reform from his friend Winston were fruitless - the "convent without god" saw no improvements from his fervent ministrations.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">V<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">“A prison is a convent without God.<br />Poverty, Chastity, Obedience<br />Its precepts are. In this austere abode<br />None gather wealth of pleasure or of pence.<br />Woman’s light wit, the heart’s concupiscence<br />Are banished here. At the least warder’s nod<br />Thy neck shall bend in mute subservience.<br />Nor yet for virtue – rather for the rod.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaZy76oAzJEUgoInItV66qVjMW6u_egTaHKAymGuJGHAS2Cxw0sgz8IOmYbgf7HGYmOSudzmntMdJiDD1pObiHXs7qbdzFCmC5jrngQBq0IHpy8wd8BAZjHeIskw0_zMRHJVeBZimjp_k21IwOZZThndHeTfTf9DTXY-uFWV3PiLAs7k97vCbwXd6XkHZ/s400/wilfrid-scawen-blunt-b51cb283-8f80-46ee-b8ba-5d371fd6eba-resize-750.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaZy76oAzJEUgoInItV66qVjMW6u_egTaHKAymGuJGHAS2Cxw0sgz8IOmYbgf7HGYmOSudzmntMdJiDD1pObiHXs7qbdzFCmC5jrngQBq0IHpy8wd8BAZjHeIskw0_zMRHJVeBZimjp_k21IwOZZThndHeTfTf9DTXY-uFWV3PiLAs7k97vCbwXd6XkHZ/s320/wilfrid-scawen-blunt-b51cb283-8f80-46ee-b8ba-5d371fd6eba-resize-750.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">In his day, Wilfred was a well-known poet known for <u>Love Sonnets of Proteus</u> in 1880 and <u>Wind and the Whirlwind </u>in 1883 – much respected in his time but now virtually forgotten. Today he is more remembered for his spicy diary than his poetry. Much of it is quite good and his correspondence with friends and inamorata were festooned with lovely verses – oh how we are starved for such letters these days.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The Blunt family motto was <i>“respiciendo prospiciendo”</i> looking forward looking back so I thought I would share 2 of his poems to give you the idea of his way with words.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://allpoetry.com/To-One-Who-Would-Make-A-Confession" style="color: #954f72;">To One Who Would Make A Confession</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Oh! leave the past to bury its own dead.<br />The past is naught to us, the present all.<br />What need of last year's leaves to strew Love's bed?<br />What need of ghosts to grace a festival?<br />I would not, if I could, those days recall,<br />Those days not ours. For us the feast is spread.<br />The lamps are lit, and music plays withal.<br />Then let us love and leave the rest unsaid.<br />This island is our home. Around it roar<br />Great gulfs and oceans, channels, straits and seas.<br />What matter in what wreck we reached the shore, <br />So we both reached it? We can mock at these.<br />Oh! leave the past, if past indeed there be;<br />I would not know it; I would know but thee.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><u>On the Shortness of Time </u><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">If I could live without the thought of death,<br />Forgetful of Time's waste, the soul's decay,<br />I would not ask for other joy than breath,<br />With light and sound of birds and the sun's ray.<br />I could sit on untroubled day by day<br />Watching the grass grow, and the wild flowers range<br />From blue to yellow and from red to grey<br />In natural sequence as the seasons change.<br />I could afford to wait, but for the hurt<br />Of this dull tick of time which chides my ear.<br />But now I dare not sit with loins ungirt<br />And staff unlifted, for death stands too near.<br />I must be up and doing--ay, each minute.<br />The grave gives time for rest when we are in it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">There was poetry and then there were his Arabian horses. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeLt1E9W8Ug10akEHKktCmxT0_I-i9UxLOtMOnqigOUCZxNkx2SFs9syHR6n82sML-WgVLTz_2Monm68S5vooYsFA4GCWadnut-hT3qbSAMTUWNe19Uo9Sk2PSU9cmA2KotFf21-nvGItzChjb8xlf_25z3QwgMD7GkXFKtxN_GGJPwh864izbD3ZC64s/s760/1881.jpg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="584" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeLt1E9W8Ug10akEHKktCmxT0_I-i9UxLOtMOnqigOUCZxNkx2SFs9syHR6n82sML-WgVLTz_2Monm68S5vooYsFA4GCWadnut-hT3qbSAMTUWNe19Uo9Sk2PSU9cmA2KotFf21-nvGItzChjb8xlf_25z3QwgMD7GkXFKtxN_GGJPwh864izbD3ZC64s/s320/1881.jpg" width="246" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="-webkit-standard" style="font-size: small;">Blunt 1881</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The Blunts introduced the finest Arabian horses to England in 1878 and established roots at a magical house in Egypt - Sheykh O’Beyd. In 1895, the Philosopher <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Harrison" target="_blank">Frederic Harrison</a> wrote very fondly of his visit and for " the pleasure and instruction I received under his roof and in his tent." He described the estate: "The garden , which covers around 40 aces, is full of oranges, olives, apricots in blossom and roses in bloom - so that, although it is in the Desert, it is a wilderness of water and greenery. The fruit trees are now in blossom and the crops are intensely green - the early corn is 2 feet high and the tall grasses are as fresh as cowslips in May. The house is an airy Egyptian villa in two stories, with a large flat roof on which we spend early morning and evening, take after noon tea and coffee and lounge - and would sleep if it grew hot enough."</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lRW9a2n7r7H6p8120qa42OUmvfFe4Vr8SsevbSntA2UChPPWwAajGdPymXFiKxVwOe-rADmpsLRWgqnyT_i_quFZoCv4x3DSnaRRlfAFmTUKvY2DtoAkosJ5gJj7qTq7D2HJx4VQGOPDynjWR8m273J70VlAuwzqDp1Qe1aLp5cFJJpC2WBoRLlar7cq/s1166/sheykh%20obeyd%20%20photo-Rosemary%20Archer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1166" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lRW9a2n7r7H6p8120qa42OUmvfFe4Vr8SsevbSntA2UChPPWwAajGdPymXFiKxVwOe-rADmpsLRWgqnyT_i_quFZoCv4x3DSnaRRlfAFmTUKvY2DtoAkosJ5gJj7qTq7D2HJx4VQGOPDynjWR8m273J70VlAuwzqDp1Qe1aLp5cFJJpC2WBoRLlar7cq/s320/sheykh%20obeyd%20%20photo-Rosemary%20Archer.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheykh_Obeyd" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Sheykh O'Beyd</a> in Egypt</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYKLbIkJKKDkNriM53xIFlNsp_xq_VNYGyOsZlczhsFkNvi9XjyQjlBK4EkyfMzH08idJ-mHlHytDV93r8WRNFHw86itNbTqKHnH-H7SSHR4-I9-5kqU7If96rJGfDGVnywRjt9GlGKFF2JZTfMJifPRK9xVF3ywMTfX8fBKu3rgVeBimw0yj0Y7h-2a-/s500/6a00d8341c464853ef01bb0825c587970d-500wi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="500" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYKLbIkJKKDkNriM53xIFlNsp_xq_VNYGyOsZlczhsFkNvi9XjyQjlBK4EkyfMzH08idJ-mHlHytDV93r8WRNFHw86itNbTqKHnH-H7SSHR4-I9-5kqU7If96rJGfDGVnywRjt9GlGKFF2JZTfMJifPRK9xVF3ywMTfX8fBKu3rgVeBimw0yj0Y7h-2a-/s320/6a00d8341c464853ef01bb0825c587970d-500wi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne Blunt Drawing of land around house</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Thanks more to Anne and his daughter Judith's tireless work, the line of <a href="https://www.crabbet-heritage.com/crabbet-stud">Crabbet Arabian Stud</a> horses are still legendary all over the world.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVAe8NZ3DLEvlplzTTidQ1PNF4Zvwf-whQyO8mOR8OPGfwJ-MgTdXmEKu9u8umxQ7uUP6vYfHZxgK5f0EBNR79HtpAQQfvDafQ5BziRej0vqdq00ZYdDj5AkDX2FVm1IpHjrPe_Xz7WHBUjDjc1mnTIHXSN5A70YHGu9gxgbiWzpEeGvG4hq9C_FuVG4r/s513/32b4f7_6063ab22d8de47919fc552fefc8d6e68~mv2.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="513" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVAe8NZ3DLEvlplzTTidQ1PNF4Zvwf-whQyO8mOR8OPGfwJ-MgTdXmEKu9u8umxQ7uUP6vYfHZxgK5f0EBNR79HtpAQQfvDafQ5BziRej0vqdq00ZYdDj5AkDX2FVm1IpHjrPe_Xz7WHBUjDjc1mnTIHXSN5A70YHGu9gxgbiWzpEeGvG4hq9C_FuVG4r/s320/32b4f7_6063ab22d8de47919fc552fefc8d6e68~mv2.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Crabbet House </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CkKs6hadh5V8FYi4xtIEbHZpIuMepI9Ai54BJb8ISx0H8ZjdXrnDPBFAOfLwOt42P2czuYOza1wzJuU16KD1m8deqjaops62GMnNUNbiGjenhemcHjMIedkBYjdrr1GKFSs4u8a7yjQ1YyIijt5LnrRMy-bhjZv9F1V2lZuQH3ErpcljOF13yaJWOPIC/s2026/Screenshot%202023-09-26%20at%2011.41.46%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="2026" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CkKs6hadh5V8FYi4xtIEbHZpIuMepI9Ai54BJb8ISx0H8ZjdXrnDPBFAOfLwOt42P2czuYOza1wzJuU16KD1m8deqjaops62GMnNUNbiGjenhemcHjMIedkBYjdrr1GKFSs4u8a7yjQ1YyIijt5LnrRMy-bhjZv9F1V2lZuQH3ErpcljOF13yaJWOPIC/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-26%20at%2011.41.46%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blunt's daughter Judith (1873-1957) with some of the horses at Crabbet</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL1rTEQiwccR7FtLRMZu7K1_soiVLNoNigASlPWvISuuRMrIzXE38Vwd9I1JX4YZtMYE5IHeQhtN7WgJ3grXmx_bRT4k1NyFLWiWiP2zmU-emKg_alOVF6dChSUCDQawo1ysOCb2AIBRgT4vMfbpfqZqTJr5CnImDUQ1QGo-VQONJynS0kGTer7mNuRpx/s453/Wilfred_Scawen_Blunt.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL1rTEQiwccR7FtLRMZu7K1_soiVLNoNigASlPWvISuuRMrIzXE38Vwd9I1JX4YZtMYE5IHeQhtN7WgJ3grXmx_bRT4k1NyFLWiWiP2zmU-emKg_alOVF6dChSUCDQawo1ysOCb2AIBRgT4vMfbpfqZqTJr5CnImDUQ1QGo-VQONJynS0kGTer7mNuRpx/s320/Wilfred_Scawen_Blunt.gif" width="224" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">The intersection of the Souls and Blunt was felt strongly in the formation and celebration of the Crabbet Club which met once a year in June for many years.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Blunt described the formation of the club in the 1870s in his diaries of 1890. It grew from shared school days and the inclination to keep the spirit going with athletics and contests once a year. “It was in that summer that the Crabbet Club, which was to acquire a certain social celebrity, was established on a footing which was to gain for it a character almost of importance. It will not be out of place, seeing that our memoir writers of the day have included it, or rather have not left it unnoticed in their recollections, if I say a few words here as to what it really was…” “The Crabbet Club was in its origin a purely convivial gathering, unambitious of any literary aim…”</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">That Atlantic Magazine article, <u>Recollections of a Respectable Mediocrity,</u> was so titled after the way Esme Howard introduced himself to what he saw as a dazzling assembly at the Crabbet Club - he felt clearly outclassed and humble humor won him a place at the table, “There was also an institution of the early nineties called the Crabbet Club, to which I had the honor to belong. A certain number of young men, I forget how many, and one or two old ones, used to meet for a week-end in June under Wilfrid’s hospitable roof, and he gave a prize for the champion lawn-tennis player and for the best poem.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">On the Saturday evening the business of the Club was first transacted; new members were elected, and speeches were made, generally in a vein of pleasantry and satire, proposing and seconding the candidates. As president of the Club, Wilfrid Blunt sat a t the head of the table dressed in gorgeous silks, like an Arab sheik, with an enormous turban.” </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span>Blunt recollected in his diary, <span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“The young men thus got together, most of them fresh from the Universities, though also bent on amusement, had tastes more intellectual than their predecessors, and besides our lawn tennis handicaps, we had much after-dinner speaking, and a verse competition with the election of a poet laureate for the year. The Club was in this condition when in 1889 George Wyndham, becoming a member, took it in hand, and seeing its intellectual capabilities brought new blood into it by introducing friends of his own, already holding a certain position in the political world, and who have since no few of them climbed to fame. Among these were George Curzon, Harry Cust, Houghton (now Lord Crewe), Frederick Locker, Umphreville Swinburne, cousin of the poet, St. George Lane Fox, Eddy Tennant, Laurence Currie, George Leveson Gower, Esme Howard, Elcho, Dick Grosvenor, Alfred Douglas, Charles Gatty, Morpeth, and his brother Hubert Howard, and on a single occasion Oscar Wilde, and it was in the company of these that our meetings of the early nineties were held. They were really brilliant meetings, with post-prandial oratory of the most amusing kind, and were productive of verse of a quite high order. The number of the members was limited to twenty, and there was much competition when a vacancy occurred. The poetry of the Crabbet Club has been preserved in print, and is one of the curiosities of literature, deserving a place, I venture to think, in company with the best verse of a not serious kind, including even perhaps that of the Mermaid Tavern. My own part in these meetings, which were essentially convivial, was that of Chairman.</span></p> " 1st July, — Crabbet. Annual meeting of the Crabbet Club. We sat down over twenty to dinner, and did not leave the table till half-past one.<br /><br />" George Curzon was, as usual, the most brilliant, he never flags for an instant either in speech or repartee; after him George Wyndham, Mark Napier, and Webber. The next day, Sunday, Harry Cust won the Tennis Cup, and the Laureateship was adjudged to Curzon.”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRDV7cIQYYwmOQSy7ToEbClIrbl8F2KwYF9fCIIjlf8cT7z-O8caw2OngshRKj79xMBbi6iOmjUpuBTNhyphenhyphenwtQ7o69Iku5K8TBelmIqR0pTTwGOEkyA5MlqQc4Kh4Tya45ldgF-HVcjDJqi4e_M4W2xHATxJLqmfE_btKhMzNlBLaPk50BOsAnTSt5tC2B/s1024/Chiasson-Poets-And-Peacock2.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="1024" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRDV7cIQYYwmOQSy7ToEbClIrbl8F2KwYF9fCIIjlf8cT7z-O8caw2OngshRKj79xMBbi6iOmjUpuBTNhyphenhyphenwtQ7o69Iku5K8TBelmIqR0pTTwGOEkyA5MlqQc4Kh4Tya45ldgF-HVcjDJqi4e_M4W2xHATxJLqmfE_btKhMzNlBLaPk50BOsAnTSt5tC2B/s320/Chiasson-Poets-And-Peacock2.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Blunt with Pound and Yeats at the Peacock Dinner 1914</span></div><br />“The Club as the " Crabbet Club " was still continued, but reconstructed in later years on different lines with a number of young men.” Oxford undergraduates replaced older members. I think Blunt enjoyed being the elder statesmen and representative of the last century with younger men. He even hosted a famous dinner at New Buildings with a peacock and a marble box of poems the younger poets gave to Blunt. At the dinner were the young poets of the day with Yeats and Pound – who regarded Blunt as “the grandest of old men” and ‘the last of the great Victorians”. The dinner was a bit of a legend.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi371COsgwxodTOvuX4iArXzEvo4u1dggjF7ixTEK4xqi7YYeo0lRe-g9BwR4pZyfB6eztmqfWGHb6pORRax10tQ33NnDBv9ji5oMQPCe3XWK0MWMxjIGoBKQbC1y0OFFAFvzBGxVWtbYvHwdMJ01IYSVWm6n8IodyfCF6T0PLCoyjlFRFa09lx4u5BZCnt/s918/30611859199_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="918" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi371COsgwxodTOvuX4iArXzEvo4u1dggjF7ixTEK4xqi7YYeo0lRe-g9BwR4pZyfB6eztmqfWGHb6pORRax10tQ33NnDBv9ji5oMQPCe3XWK0MWMxjIGoBKQbC1y0OFFAFvzBGxVWtbYvHwdMJ01IYSVWm6n8IodyfCF6T0PLCoyjlFRFa09lx4u5BZCnt/s320/30611859199_5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">New Buildings. house</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">So what to eat?? Blunt lived in a world of incessant house parties, many of them at his own country houses Crabbet and New Buildings.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY5-EpF0j9gFxWQgQFdEC42alXSk3cXX0EsQ4ixjxhtFHyWf_baXab-MSxYZDj_qIIj6QPu-4vp5G_BIy3CSjoxqa7ZzXBsIosDYMtJ0jZzH2KsrTis1uCGSsRv3-wHGZbGfuzkeqEf81FDSA3RTQwOkkSHAA52LstECJOjpUoAYRjUBBD1V0ICeizAJW/s1493/mid-19th-century-english-sheffield-walker-knowles-silverplate-food-warmer-9249%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1493" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKY5-EpF0j9gFxWQgQFdEC42alXSk3cXX0EsQ4ixjxhtFHyWf_baXab-MSxYZDj_qIIj6QPu-4vp5G_BIy3CSjoxqa7ZzXBsIosDYMtJ0jZzH2KsrTis1uCGSsRv3-wHGZbGfuzkeqEf81FDSA3RTQwOkkSHAA52LstECJOjpUoAYRjUBBD1V0ICeizAJW/w200-h136/mid-19th-century-english-sheffield-walker-knowles-silverplate-food-warmer-9249%20copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPfhgZ36NnXEGylbdo5eqUXuXod-T24s9QepeXgsqmtSynCjfh8B3OFp3pJWptkveT-xBTxSTmvzKQHYnIm-ZXLh5Ge5zrJm6XTu9lMzwycPqO3tP_su8aGN0D47-mU53wpAkMbqo3tIV3XKgvLD5B8MHM2ohF8xqxZrAsEpxyyjohxcXmIIgj-GlK-4E/s940/DSC_2324aa.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="940" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPfhgZ36NnXEGylbdo5eqUXuXod-T24s9QepeXgsqmtSynCjfh8B3OFp3pJWptkveT-xBTxSTmvzKQHYnIm-ZXLh5Ge5zrJm6XTu9lMzwycPqO3tP_su8aGN0D47-mU53wpAkMbqo3tIV3XKgvLD5B8MHM2ohF8xqxZrAsEpxyyjohxcXmIIgj-GlK-4E/s320/DSC_2324aa.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />What better food to share with you than the stuff of weekend hunts and silver chafing dishes on ten foot sideboards? I say game birds sauced with Scotch – warming, filling and decadently delicious. Both of these sauces are heavenly variations on a theme. The squab dish was based on something I’ve made for years based on <u>Catharine Brown’s Scottish Cookery</u>. It’s divine using the original pheasant or squab as I used thanks to my friends at<a href="https://www.dartagnan.com" target="_blank"> D’Artagnan</a> but easy to use simple chicken thighs -- which are excellent with the sauce. I also throw in peach scone recipe to have on the next morning's breakfast table after the evening's festivities. <br /><br /> The second recipe was based on <u>The Scotch Cookbook</u> from the 20s (those juniper berries were a great addition), it used game birds which tend to be leaner and chewier. I used a plump<br />poussin and changed the cooking style – do go back to the original (pictured below) if you are<br /> using grouse or other game birds. It’s all about about the savory oatmeal and that Scotch cream.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b> Squab with Scotch Cream for 2</b></span></i><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkO_n4tzcYTGLv1BeXETvVb-mLjmnzHi4mjrwfSaNNzBmW-HAhNkgENJx610mfPqgryLZnV3kivNlPCel_oqhBTIGM-eZdzoGJZtrfoCaCHOSIEy3_QBMCx8QU2jIqmoZ94y3NSK3-Ge_3buU44PesE9yf0Siw9aSnmXAkyz9Ujj-Fm0Z3rPo6Jpm4Wj8/s800/quail%20scotch%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkO_n4tzcYTGLv1BeXETvVb-mLjmnzHi4mjrwfSaNNzBmW-HAhNkgENJx610mfPqgryLZnV3kivNlPCel_oqhBTIGM-eZdzoGJZtrfoCaCHOSIEy3_QBMCx8QU2jIqmoZ94y3NSK3-Ge_3buU44PesE9yf0Siw9aSnmXAkyz9Ujj-Fm0Z3rPo6Jpm4Wj8/s320/quail%20scotch%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">2 boned<a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/squab-whole-semi-boneless/product/FSQBO004-1.html?bcgid=squab" target="_blank"> squab</a> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">2 oz single malt Scotch (<i>I like a peaty Lagavulin best</i> or Laphroaig)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">2 Tablespoons unsalted butter<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">2-3 diced shallots</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">½ c <a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/duck-and-veal-demi-glace/product/PENDG002-1.html?bcgid=gourmet-pantry" target="_blank">demiglace</a> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">pinch cayenne<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">½ t nutmeg<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">1 t marjoram chopped<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">bay leaf<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">salt and pepper<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">a splash of whisky<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">½ cup heavy cream<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;">1 t lemon juice</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Put the birds in the scotch for an hour or overnight.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pour off the scotch and reserve. Dry </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the birds and salt and pepper them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Heat the butter until bubbling over medium heat and turn the birds in it to brown all over.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lift the birds from the pot, reduce the heat to medium low and cook the shallots until golden.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Add the reserved whisky.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Add the stock, cayenne, salt and pepper and reduce slightly.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Return the birds to the sauce and cover and cook until tender at low heat, usually in about </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">5-10 minutes or so.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Remove the birds, add the lemon juice, taste and add a splash more of whiskey if needed - pour sauce over birds and serve</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><i><b><span style="color: #990000;"> Poussin Scotch Stew based on a recipe from <u>The Scots Cookbook</u> 1929</span></b></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><i><b><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><i><b></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0iwaNxAwThlPYXcSENphPaxpKZIYDTU75LpCMbcGRTQjMXGnlKTP4BEL-FJEMYh4AehJ28ddQMy03uy13gTwlNMec74JN4eu8Y-0WvglyRKCvfkMVUoYkWhd7VrPzmWHcsAx1ohy5jD5Afqga95ppXUL1_l_Si__Zm9qVPsaOYFUgWbjHzykvsM6Odpk/s1282/Screenshot%202023-10-29%20at%2011.19.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1282" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0iwaNxAwThlPYXcSENphPaxpKZIYDTU75LpCMbcGRTQjMXGnlKTP4BEL-FJEMYh4AehJ28ddQMy03uy13gTwlNMec74JN4eu8Y-0WvglyRKCvfkMVUoYkWhd7VrPzmWHcsAx1ohy5jD5Afqga95ppXUL1_l_Si__Zm9qVPsaOYFUgWbjHzykvsM6Odpk/s320/Screenshot%202023-10-29%20at%2011.19.58%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></b></i></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1 <a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/whole-semi-boneless-free-range-poussin/product/FPOBO002-1.html?bcgid=poussin" target="_blank">Poussin</a> or cornish hens</span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> - breasts removed, larger pieces of meat removed and reserved.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2 slices bacon, fried - reserve the fat</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3 c stock</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2 T <a href=" https://www.dartagnan.com/duck-and-veal-demi-glace/product/PENDG002-1.html?bcgid=gourmet-pantry" target="_blank">demiglace</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1 t pepper</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1 t salt</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">6-8 juniper berries slightly crushed</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2 sticks of celery - reserve some leaves</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">2 oz </span>plus<span style="font-size: small;"> 1 T </span>butter </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2 oz irish oatmeal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1t sage</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1T butter</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1T </span>redwine</p><p class="MsoNormal">2 T whiskey ( again - a<i> peaty Lagavulin best</i> or Laphroaig)</p><p class="MsoNormal">3 T cream</p>Cut the Poussin into pieces. Saute in bacon fat to brown slightly. Add the stock, demiglace, <br />pepper & salt, juniper and celery. Simmer for 2 hours and strain. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sauté the oatmeal in the butter till slightly brown (if you toast it too much, it will not become creamy). Add triple the amount of stock and sage and cook slowly, covered. till soft and creamy -- about 30 minutes. Then stir in the most of the rest of the stock - reserving half a cup. In a separate pan fry the breasts and the rest of the meat in butter till browned and cooked through. Add the red wine and whisky and cook a bit of the alcohol off. Add the reserved stock and the cream and cook for a few moments to join the flavors. You can either combine all of it together or serve the meat on top of the oatmeal. Sprinkle the bacon over the top with the celery leaves.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgj29-cqGGnq1qlcaBuBvHWJlzv7VfMZdvsTAxpPdrIJg4szHCP_u459x7NxPs6FSdBuqM5QTRahEEqxahKFnf4QETo2JQ3hpJJZUUNY7obDo8IBxR-RaQJDVgQ5dkajSiltbjoyS4o5vZ9mdQMpW5DxGhzI7Vnoc-Oh1HtrsfG945odgfMWNbL8TV3nBI/s1364/grouse%20soup..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1035" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgj29-cqGGnq1qlcaBuBvHWJlzv7VfMZdvsTAxpPdrIJg4szHCP_u459x7NxPs6FSdBuqM5QTRahEEqxahKFnf4QETo2JQ3hpJJZUUNY7obDo8IBxR-RaQJDVgQ5dkajSiltbjoyS4o5vZ9mdQMpW5DxGhzI7Vnoc-Oh1HtrsfG945odgfMWNbL8TV3nBI/s320/grouse%20soup..jpg" width="243" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwo0zDDzNi0Cvkm1BhG6i-PqmSfEKkT_9qiCGNvPO3raVhVjh-R9p68a4aVlyELt3O0fs8s8rQyw8cZvFYRBD5FEc9l2jJYJBIcKJJvdvIgx8thJMI8XHau6EdUrX3rIQrvI6tMgB3VQS8Tm23h5Stj9Br4GbUSLRNmUKoD6Soaw66sBxBGq-2XfHOtXq/s800/DSC_2263a%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="800" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwo0zDDzNi0Cvkm1BhG6i-PqmSfEKkT_9qiCGNvPO3raVhVjh-R9p68a4aVlyELt3O0fs8s8rQyw8cZvFYRBD5FEc9l2jJYJBIcKJJvdvIgx8thJMI8XHau6EdUrX3rIQrvI6tMgB3VQS8Tm23h5Stj9Br4GbUSLRNmUKoD6Soaw66sBxBGq-2XfHOtXq/s320/DSC_2263a%20copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i><b>Peach Scones (adapted from All Recipes)</b></i></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">6 tablespoons white sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon baking powder<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">½ teaspoon salt<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">½ teaspoon ground cardamom<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">¼ teaspoon baking soda<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 pinch ground nutmeg<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 stick unsalted butter, frozen<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">½ cup heavy cream<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 egg<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">1 cup peeled and diced fresh peaches (if you can get it – tossed with a splash of <a href=" https://www.etsy.com/listing/1417617682/jasmine-extract-flavoring?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_d-home_and_living-kitchen_and_dining-drink_and_barware-barware-bar_carts_and_bars&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAjwsKqoBhBPEiwALrrqiLmNp0QCdznQPEYNNUDbAb6Il3EIgwFf2R5RYCR201dWOPegpkgTNRoCFncQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_1844702802_75381282651_346398237730_aud-1184785539978:pla-371219662237_c__1417617682_12768591&utm_custom2=1844702802&gclid=CjwKCAjwsKqoBhBPEiwALrrqiLmNp0QCdznQPEYNNUDbAb6Il3EIgwFf2R5RYCR201dWOPegpkgTNRoCFncQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Jasmine essence</a> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p> 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, baking soda, and nutmeg together in a large bowl.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Grate in 1/3 of the butter using the large holes of a box grater. Toss lightly with your fingertips until coated with flour. Repeat twice more with remaining butter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Whisk cream, egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl with a fork. Pour over the flour-butter mixture. Mix with a fork just until large clumps of dough form. Gently fold in peach.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;">Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Bring together and gently pat into a 9-inch-long rectangle about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top; press gently to adhere. Cut into 8 triangles with a bench knife or sharp knife. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Place baking sheet on a wire rack and let cool.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></p><div class="aok-float-right amzn-ss-preview-image" id="amzn-ss-preview-text-image-link" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; float: right; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; max-width: 250px;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1845113446&asins=1845113446&linkId=51c1f45d1bb1d3467d6b128f0dbf59da&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; overflow: hidden;"><ul class="amzn-size-radio-list" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 10px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="a-declarative" data-action="amzn-ss-text-image-checkbox-updated" data-amzn-ss-text-image-checkbox-updated="{}" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="a-checkbox a-checkbox-fancy" id="amzn-ss-text-image-open-link-checkbox" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><label style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; margin-left: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 19px; position: relative; text-indent: -19px; top: -2px;"><input checked="checked" name="" style="border-width: 0px; bottom: auto; color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; height: 16px; left: 0px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.02; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; transition: 0.1s linear; vertical-align: top; width: 16px; z-index: -1;" type="checkbox" value="" /></label></div></span></li></ul></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0000CL128&asins=B0000CL128&linkId=b84f9da6badc25a722c0bed8b45f7802&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: left; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0060153296&asins=0060153296&linkId=c061689e64744db4a6b2fa0b66232023&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-75939010664524132312022-09-20T15:28:00.009-07:002022-09-22T08:52:16.349-07:00Max Beerbohm, Legendary Caricatures. Poussin with Figs and Squab with Orange and Prunes<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieb8uDKuMCIHWVXOqvELu87uWJ6yXH07FRiuFqzRjbBTJEYDChHk-X5o7l5fg6mm5hu_ePUUAlY8IVsqx78h6z5DDWtiBRcWSgfsUh9XRaVh3LOaGaBtzhix10UMZny398U5gl9ua83DCXxY2k1JD7uCgVfi-loW8HcdkALUFgy04SCj9dNvU2EtbNRQ/s570/b0d103c5-9f17-4e11-9d3b-29541f0cff65_g_570.Jpeg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="422" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieb8uDKuMCIHWVXOqvELu87uWJ6yXH07FRiuFqzRjbBTJEYDChHk-X5o7l5fg6mm5hu_ePUUAlY8IVsqx78h6z5DDWtiBRcWSgfsUh9XRaVh3LOaGaBtzhix10UMZny398U5gl9ua83DCXxY2k1JD7uCgVfi-loW8HcdkALUFgy04SCj9dNvU2EtbNRQ/s320/b0d103c5-9f17-4e11-9d3b-29541f0cff65_g_570.Jpeg.webp" width="237" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Max 1897</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>I have wanted to write about Max Beerbohm for years. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelig ">Zelig-like</a>, he appears regularly in the English-speaking cultural timeline of the late 19th to mid 20th century and beyond - he knew and was known by everyone. Sometimes it felt as if Max was reminding me to write about him since his name popped up so often in things I was reading, so I kept compiling books, drawings and articles as I came across them – collecting as if that would assure Max I was not going to welch on the deal. At long last, the promise is kept. It has been a great joy to dig into his remarkable life. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcK3wtTfYq-C_aQaH1WjiQdvohGnEg1g-UZ_ighG3nnqDDxAkzjodhPggy04JF3xpcFmmiyE-yEBFgM1v2QvO9RJ6KPiwwcLIhqFdEeLsoIPBG4fioRQqv7VN-eL1izaXfQYsUKVBqaz_fMW6sDRYyhDHPgYc0Ir0l0BFPtc4hBH7cVfT8S-o7MtlZQ/s400/beerbohm2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcK3wtTfYq-C_aQaH1WjiQdvohGnEg1g-UZ_ighG3nnqDDxAkzjodhPggy04JF3xpcFmmiyE-yEBFgM1v2QvO9RJ6KPiwwcLIhqFdEeLsoIPBG4fioRQqv7VN-eL1izaXfQYsUKVBqaz_fMW6sDRYyhDHPgYc0Ir0l0BFPtc4hBH7cVfT8S-o7MtlZQ/s320/beerbohm2.jpeg" width="249" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Art critic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Fry">Roger Fry</a> in his <u><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54154/54154-h/54154-h.htm">Vision and Design</a></u> sagely observed that “ordinary people have no idea of what things really look like, because they are so accustomed to observing only those objects which, for the practical purposes of life, it is necessary for them to observe.” Max absorbed all the details. In researching this, I got to explore and share his vision as a ‘profound critic of men” -- see my fellow humans with fresh eyes.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPunlykfNsgwRZpD-mrIss2LHeYttTnDkMb95lsFmFLTsMzeLulNAzZN5k-lgjRxIXry78xbKajtLS5Er52lb3vMFdbrVAEg9XVnWF13LZi5C0L3EQ5plZwwxR5I8YgxPUc0LHSEd7TggApxGJtajqvc3O2jg50NTDgx-NSO2PXpqqavHLa5My-Hrxw/s800/max%20nicholson%20portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPunlykfNsgwRZpD-mrIss2LHeYttTnDkMb95lsFmFLTsMzeLulNAzZN5k-lgjRxIXry78xbKajtLS5Er52lb3vMFdbrVAEg9XVnWF13LZi5C0L3EQ5plZwwxR5I8YgxPUc0LHSEd7TggApxGJtajqvc3O2jg50NTDgx-NSO2PXpqqavHLa5My-Hrxw/s320/max%20nicholson%20portrait.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Max Beerbohm 1872-1956, Nicholson</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Max Beerbohm. For those of you who don’t joyfully dwell in the past as I do, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw">George Bernard Shaw</a> called him “The Incomparable Max”. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wharton">Edith Wharton</a> announced that to have dinner with Max, "was like suddenly growing wings." When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_West " target="_blank">Rebecca West </a>heard Max’s beautifully spoken words on his legendary WWII BBC broadcasts she announced, "I felt that I was listening to the voice of the last civilized man on earth. Max's broadcasts justify the entire invention of broadcasting." The whole of the British Isles felt an enormous heartstring tug to the warm safety of the past that Max painted so beautifully with his talks during the terrible times of WWII (a tug to the past that's all the more visceral and relatable after the death of Queen Elizabeth last week). His voice is from another time and so very, very listenable (you can hear a sample<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9Kw8elybEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9Kw8elybE" target="_blank"> HERE</a> ). A whole generation thought of him as a safe port in a raging war storm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0F1By5Z2xiJjbapE81tOKvmrczyBtDAV8TyqQiGI_FgUZ3wFfdaLkgCQoSmEl4QeI8Q9jQpZum-ijO2ckHidKlcF8AeujFyK0HHLHoTUzXiCZ0gs1bdltM3v7-styeHPhVB1xM2uaxFGY4rIeT1EAUhmmddqUwUKw3AmmhrXrAAW9fus46pMOQpXKLA/s619/Beerbohm%20Some%20Persons%20of%20the%20Nineties.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="594" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0F1By5Z2xiJjbapE81tOKvmrczyBtDAV8TyqQiGI_FgUZ3wFfdaLkgCQoSmEl4QeI8Q9jQpZum-ijO2ckHidKlcF8AeujFyK0HHLHoTUzXiCZ0gs1bdltM3v7-styeHPhVB1xM2uaxFGY4rIeT1EAUhmmddqUwUKw3AmmhrXrAAW9fus46pMOQpXKLA/s320/Beerbohm%20Some%20Persons%20of%20the%20Nineties.JPG" width="307" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some Persons of the Nineties 1925</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Who was he? Max was a master at distillation and that gave his caricatures and his writing an extraordinary quality (it is quite a creative exercise to examine a person's parts and put them back together again). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLypdiASjVfxI9pNPC6LNht7OLLCfD_2YJLuTMP9wdVNyjkhkkND6sxAxU9M-CKSuIYriXg5Du1RehXwvr_7ptcRFa4Xi7_01gV9g9feJtmAFudue5cbNG0-Wh0Cw0HhM9kEPOLMV4jtsEg4Oe0r5Yxn9aAcUl11Urp0m7smREXNUdavTXsbzNgN2Aw/s1920/merton-college-oxford-01-1920x1080-1.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLypdiASjVfxI9pNPC6LNht7OLLCfD_2YJLuTMP9wdVNyjkhkkND6sxAxU9M-CKSuIYriXg5Du1RehXwvr_7ptcRFa4Xi7_01gV9g9feJtmAFudue5cbNG0-Wh0Cw0HhM9kEPOLMV4jtsEg4Oe0r5Yxn9aAcUl11Urp0m7smREXNUdavTXsbzNgN2Aw/s320/merton-college-oxford-01-1920x1080-1.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Merton College, Oxford</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Max was born in 1872 and while still at Merton College, Oxford, he joined the shimmering, creative firmament of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde">Oscar Wilde</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_Beardsley">Aubrey Beardsley</a> and their company at Café Royal -- the “haunt of intellect and daring” as an observer and chronicler (I wrote of Café Royal <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2015/02/londons-cafe-royal-and-famous-chicken.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> 7 years ago– one of my favorite posts and what first got me thinking about Max). </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQXRfT2-_aQR1dIv-I_o02C-AYSGrhTh32K3rSguXz9lt45lqXYrsSEbviuFkXXG9T61rrLR7c_d0cPQ41KIGuzpwLZsEKB-SjwQoA4nKO9lf-3qw0YXQq8QtPSxnPTtBDk9SE9eI-m_XF-qiMMWORYv8iehdua2fenJWTdaTuI8wU9uBzYM6OGaVCw/s421/Beerbohm-Beardsley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQXRfT2-_aQR1dIv-I_o02C-AYSGrhTh32K3rSguXz9lt45lqXYrsSEbviuFkXXG9T61rrLR7c_d0cPQ41KIGuzpwLZsEKB-SjwQoA4nKO9lf-3qw0YXQq8QtPSxnPTtBDk9SE9eI-m_XF-qiMMWORYv8iehdua2fenJWTdaTuI8wU9uBzYM6OGaVCw/s320/Beerbohm-Beardsley.jpg" width="241" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Aubrey Beardsley 1894</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmF6YSWD3QJkfJJQy_eDXK-M_FEz2_1L1hsu087oHaKwqwgjCHuNjy-BSy0aKmazve8Tirt82WIUcgZCVFRYQLsUJSUiUbWl6wyHjMLAhWIzAhk-eq_nIlVRyUv0IeHSMplcsrogx6DCw-ji3eMLTA1Jwz23wNBh11t_kL98mrMayTJfuQ2MRRDvmnQA/s611/Max_Beerbohm_1901_retouched.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmF6YSWD3QJkfJJQy_eDXK-M_FEz2_1L1hsu087oHaKwqwgjCHuNjy-BSy0aKmazve8Tirt82WIUcgZCVFRYQLsUJSUiUbWl6wyHjMLAhWIzAhk-eq_nIlVRyUv0IeHSMplcsrogx6DCw-ji3eMLTA1Jwz23wNBh11t_kL98mrMayTJfuQ2MRRDvmnQA/s320/Max_Beerbohm_1901_retouched.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Max 1901</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It probably didn’t hurt his social life that his much older half-brother was the famous actor/theater manager, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Beerbohm_Tree" target="_blank">Herbert Beerbohm Tree </a>who produced the plays of Wilde and Shaw and the like (Shaw gifted young Max his job as drama critic at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Review_(London_newspaper)">Saturday Review</a> in 1898 - he remained till 1910 when he moved to Italy).</div></div><div style="text-align: center;">. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULZqvxrNcOB4nfCaW3jqj9watFyWsZg8nE277yMwxT7nltqVgF9eaS6quFGTZb1iqWpM3MgTRpdgUNHtoOnI2xTcJJaxbMqJgoKCFYw4BK_NlmTdzZvpTKN6bKkOu6rOo-ZFznSnkPFFkrEuRMjHgWLuOmHZRB54ORepnB8spUbB3L35hrdht7o1rtw/s608/mw88821.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULZqvxrNcOB4nfCaW3jqj9watFyWsZg8nE277yMwxT7nltqVgF9eaS6quFGTZb1iqWpM3MgTRpdgUNHtoOnI2xTcJJaxbMqJgoKCFYw4BK_NlmTdzZvpTKN6bKkOu6rOo-ZFznSnkPFFkrEuRMjHgWLuOmHZRB54ORepnB8spUbB3L35hrdht7o1rtw/s320/mw88821.jpg" width="233" /></a></div></div><br />Tree paid for the new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Majesty%27s_Theatre" target="_blank">His Majesty’s Theatre</a> with the fortune from his portrayal of the first Svengali in London in 1895 – (I wrote about the history of the book, play and film of <u>Trilby</u> <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2019/12/john-barrymore-svengali-bohemia-and.html">HERE</a>) and many of the classic plays of the period were first performed there. Accompanying his older brother to the theatre and in society made Max familiar with the artists and writers of the day from a very early age and Max absorbed that world like a sponge through those enormous, all-seeing Owl eyes of his.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjkrNnoLs1Yy37H8QN9Z_HXlW6xIU5JkYHRrFOO_FQVnKDSrGhYddCrJ5uoY3hUR7c1S_bjXStksPHAwLfkhyMO1e4RbMorj9JKANrqoCUr7xvGi3lAI28qN6esYCcfii6eqa6IunhWm-Rz5A6KXsRp41yGDy020D5HNUvfBtD0oVwnQHBFP__DiQsA/s1452/1892%20strand%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="1205" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjkrNnoLs1Yy37H8QN9Z_HXlW6xIU5JkYHRrFOO_FQVnKDSrGhYddCrJ5uoY3hUR7c1S_bjXStksPHAwLfkhyMO1e4RbMorj9JKANrqoCUr7xvGi3lAI28qN6esYCcfii6eqa6IunhWm-Rz5A6KXsRp41yGDy020D5HNUvfBtD0oVwnQHBFP__DiQsA/s320/1892%20strand%201.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Strand, 1892</span></div><br />He first published his caricatures in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Strand_Magazine" target="_blank">The Strand Magazine</a> at the age of 20 – this time capturing and satirizing to perfection the habitués of the famous clubs of the day (he had a reputation for his drawings already at Oxford but had been at it since childhood). </div><div> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bHytuTNdYPOC-RL9VCYdKge4SHY2xrb5rMsa-kOiPAlju_ETk12Ab-z1Sya_ofkWYrOYxiv_sCqmi4O8fKGrGbBExMzx-H_6tuE0rvh63fXGR78O4Z0MImQFNt5JpJNTpe28Kvi1ntdqN2hGcDOXo9X91W3slTu9OfarknkgumKLfXMNEtd9984a9g/s400/Yellow_book_cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="323" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bHytuTNdYPOC-RL9VCYdKge4SHY2xrb5rMsa-kOiPAlju_ETk12Ab-z1Sya_ofkWYrOYxiv_sCqmi4O8fKGrGbBExMzx-H_6tuE0rvh63fXGR78O4Z0MImQFNt5JpJNTpe28Kvi1ntdqN2hGcDOXo9X91W3slTu9OfarknkgumKLfXMNEtd9984a9g/s320/Yellow_book_cover.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yellow Book 1894, cover by Aubrey Beardsley</span></div><br />It was Beardsley who told him that he should write on first acquaintance and then got him hired to write for the first edition of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yellow_Book">The Yellow Book</a> in 1894. <a href="https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=mU5aAAAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PP1&hl=en">A Defense of Cosmetics</a>, (a cheeky defense of decadence), was a scandal. He relished the notoriety and was amused that the chattering class were either inspired or infuriated by his essays and stories. He knew how to ruffle feathers with artfully applied observations in prose and poetry, a skill that he attributed to his youthful mastery of Latin and Greek that made his writing stronger – like a classical drawing class for an artist – the old language skills provided structure for his word-work).</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavo82spZjctStslowffkTKO6lkRLsjTu_jQlJhpPPpr625w8mZMKw3zWR49UZThbKfOUWDBRX02WJD1hQjiWMOBuJxtN9nNwGGnoHSrRpgAMRt1-piftYUSDg63YxJ3HxeyCY8RqPGwP2-2pPV5S9vVS7td_JWDZ_QpXfoCPhUsfczCnxu3BrW2MVyw/s800/max.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavo82spZjctStslowffkTKO6lkRLsjTu_jQlJhpPPpr625w8mZMKw3zWR49UZThbKfOUWDBRX02WJD1hQjiWMOBuJxtN9nNwGGnoHSrRpgAMRt1-piftYUSDg63YxJ3HxeyCY8RqPGwP2-2pPV5S9vVS7td_JWDZ_QpXfoCPhUsfczCnxu3BrW2MVyw/s320/max.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Max 1901</span></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Max took his art seriously and worked at his caricature-craft. He believed that, “the perfect caricature (be it of a handsome man or a hideous or an insipid) must be the exaggeration of the whole creature, from top to toe. Whatsoever is salient, must be magnified, whatsoever is subordinate must be proportionately diminished. The whole man must be melted down, as in a crucible, and then, as from the solution, be fashioned anew. He must emerge with not one particle of himself lost, yet with not a particle of himself as it was before. And he will stand there wholly transformed, the joy of his creator, the joy of those who are privy to the art of caricature... The perfect caricature is not a mere snapshot... it is the epitome of its subject's surface, the presentment (once and for all) of his most characteristic pose, gesture, expression.”</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsC3eBiEB9ZtQnOlB37ddh-Swslgsg_7dUzHBcmSrWP7BFChIDNe4ci28nFS9_b-gf2ymlkW6HCma80GuZoIrErD80UzsjUeiu2ZCAMt-BFyJ4Y15nH1IaBjjc-LvZh2jFalkn4Up_KyjSD07XI1d92aXO30BPQGpyZB3z8iQdDM19q8d5H1K8HDxsQ/s470/max-beerbohm-mr.-lytton-strachey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsC3eBiEB9ZtQnOlB37ddh-Swslgsg_7dUzHBcmSrWP7BFChIDNe4ci28nFS9_b-gf2ymlkW6HCma80GuZoIrErD80UzsjUeiu2ZCAMt-BFyJ4Y15nH1IaBjjc-LvZh2jFalkn4Up_KyjSD07XI1d92aXO30BPQGpyZB3z8iQdDM19q8d5H1K8HDxsQ/s320/max-beerbohm-mr.-lytton-strachey.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lytton Strachey</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">He did have a strict theory as to how to best capture a subject, “A caricature done at sight was mere hit-or-miss — usually miss. At best it could only be superficial. True, one didn’t have to know a man well before one could do a good caricature of him. On the contrary, as soon as one knew a man really well, one ceased to have a clear vision of him -took him rather as a matter of course. But acquaintance... was a necessity". </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MAlgzHbZmBx5_1coeUHhJtU9oCgqJyGm3bKX5ds3sZ21qLHDQthcgCGjG8VlxiCCiv0l_ZKgAj3gGTvJwWDxjkQjWiwwUG6l4Ow3-vnHR6y3OwvO6t7JQS9DFXZ5t97sfNIzSiy87Mc4lMRKCwGqgaJZgt1oUfLbXdZuDghtGYf-lsJxSzhj3NzSQA/s551/1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="551" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MAlgzHbZmBx5_1coeUHhJtU9oCgqJyGm3bKX5ds3sZ21qLHDQthcgCGjG8VlxiCCiv0l_ZKgAj3gGTvJwWDxjkQjWiwwUG6l4Ow3-vnHR6y3OwvO6t7JQS9DFXZ5t97sfNIzSiy87Mc4lMRKCwGqgaJZgt1oUfLbXdZuDghtGYf-lsJxSzhj3NzSQA/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">Rossetti as a Child</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bOKLBScWmYG6SpeUCrb9hPRErecZbCMeP32bzQbuPBHmY7T2EbjuqxqxwUXiLmRz0wQY6dbggrFaHAbqiKxG4CYP_Qpa5Puz5ONFfN4lno0xn2OyR2QfdW_yt3NNbBtGjkjxenyynX5VjD2dX-5VuM5bqcHp3N1xhiQdod0j-jR6orAxl3mvi-PbbQ/s512/Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti_in_His_Back-Garden.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="512" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bOKLBScWmYG6SpeUCrb9hPRErecZbCMeP32bzQbuPBHmY7T2EbjuqxqxwUXiLmRz0wQY6dbggrFaHAbqiKxG4CYP_Qpa5Puz5ONFfN4lno0xn2OyR2QfdW_yt3NNbBtGjkjxenyynX5VjD2dX-5VuM5bqcHp3N1xhiQdod0j-jR6orAxl3mvi-PbbQ/s320/Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti_in_His_Back-Garden.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">Rossetti in his Back Garden </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkxCGImLZE7_U2TsAzBbGqwbEMh_8g5Ee-w8fEUXrVZyDeCAWDuyw_Bs6291LTmVbMn9IESH81fGAbAcwz99mvZ-JAH8sOQnr6JNEIv4Tjj4dywZ60WebtER0D8VxnLzaoVL1rX6l6UEzPpckMqWLHIFyGJvaGsEdXFA6oWZrQWuBsTcpcP2yrWYwXA/s371/Rossetti-12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkxCGImLZE7_U2TsAzBbGqwbEMh_8g5Ee-w8fEUXrVZyDeCAWDuyw_Bs6291LTmVbMn9IESH81fGAbAcwz99mvZ-JAH8sOQnr6JNEIv4Tjj4dywZ60WebtER0D8VxnLzaoVL1rX6l6UEzPpckMqWLHIFyGJvaGsEdXFA6oWZrQWuBsTcpcP2yrWYwXA/s320/Rossetti-12.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">Rossetti and Fabrics</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>One thing he never ceased to enjoy was reanimating characters of the past – especially the recent past of his youth or just before. He once said, “It is the period that one didn’t quite know, the period just before oneself, the period of which in earliest days one knew the actual survivors, that lays a really strong hold on one’s heart.” A particular favorite from his youth was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Gabriel_Rossetti ">Dante Gabriel Rossetti </a>(1828-92). Max devoted a whole book to the inhabitants and guests of <a href="https://editions.covecollective.org/place/16-cheyne-walk ">16 Cheyne Walk</a>. <u>Rossetti and his Circle</u> (1922) conjures up the supernal creative nexus that swirled furiously for a time there – and which, I imagine, Max wished devoutly he hadn’t missed - so he made himself a portal (the book was re-issued 30 years ago by Max’s biographer, Mr. Hall, and is rich with notes- many of which I am sharing with you now to tease you to get the book). </div><div><br /></div><div>Max felt Rossetti “shone, for men and women who knew him, with the ambiguous light of a red torch somewhere in a dense fog.” When <u>Rossetti and his Circle</u> was published, the Times said each drawing “was worth a whole volume of sermons on ideals in art and life” and Rosetti’s niece felt nothing compared to Max’s book on the group - it was so “accurate a picture of its physical and spiritual composition.”<br /><br />Max once said, “The past is a work of art, free of irrelevancies and loose ends." In his fond paean to the circle – I would say he nailed it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA5DLIefwLhsfmSWJ48WBbt7QPfRbTpO8qftaXE15TIDDQAMHkqz6k6iOP_XRG3FKyUEkVJWDz3B7j_naRof2O5BTE50-q9CvvSrK_Jm2CE2Xt0DH0gClW4H3uVvAMgpbH1FvMhGSg11u6246LZc8PvjRJxsuLYXH5NFmpkXYSUGyMAAEO4rHMOYtIQ/s937/beerbohm-oscar-lectures-lincoln-877-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="877" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA5DLIefwLhsfmSWJ48WBbt7QPfRbTpO8qftaXE15TIDDQAMHkqz6k6iOP_XRG3FKyUEkVJWDz3B7j_naRof2O5BTE50-q9CvvSrK_Jm2CE2Xt0DH0gClW4H3uVvAMgpbH1FvMhGSg11u6246LZc8PvjRJxsuLYXH5NFmpkXYSUGyMAAEO4rHMOYtIQ/s320/beerbohm-oscar-lectures-lincoln-877-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oscar Wilde first saying Rosetti’s name in USA</span></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Caricature – the principal behind it animates so much in art, doesn't it? The idea of a few strokes capturing the soul and spirit of a person, place or thing is magic. “A man’s gestures, the movements of his face, the very tone of his voice — to say nothing of the tone of his mind—all these things the caricaturist needed to know before he could make a proper synthesis.” Fascinating that Max took in all of the person – much more than lineaments of muscle and bone were absorbed to make the drawing… even sound!</div><div><br /></div><div>I think of it in set design – when you are trying to show an audience a life or 'a tone of mind' in a few objects, colors and placement of a few sticks of furniture. The better the design, the more you get from that all important first 10 seconds the space is revealed on film.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAAJlGW4NjHbfkDR_ZgJVcP89gfB5pWhFUZOoSCUzk7e2DnTr5Ta1f5vUabPv6-SyQKGu6DlFfKfQM7zWBi4LKOwLze6fYJC5V-mGd7Kcmt0BtsDeS7T9VHSGzfi1jryl1tKbpIWA50k-c6AD-G8DJoYnNQMlxYED0vV3iaRFtrWCVTLDSuTLyfh7ug/s1800/matthewarnold.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAAJlGW4NjHbfkDR_ZgJVcP89gfB5pWhFUZOoSCUzk7e2DnTr5Ta1f5vUabPv6-SyQKGu6DlFfKfQM7zWBi4LKOwLze6fYJC5V-mGd7Kcmt0BtsDeS7T9VHSGzfi1jryl1tKbpIWA50k-c6AD-G8DJoYnNQMlxYED0vV3iaRFtrWCVTLDSuTLyfh7ug/s320/matthewarnold.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Matthew Arnold 1904</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I guess that’s why I have been drawn to Max who believed: “The beauty of a work of art lies not at all in the artist's vision of his subject, but in his presentment of the vision." " The most perfect caricature is that in which, on a small surface, with the simplest means most accurately exaggerates, to the highest point, the peculiarities of a human being.”<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkyohpcTzipON6fcbxVNzwboYVjGOES0s6PO7ZnkpfZWOG_AmSeny4xBBHwOvXyKsnDYA9c6XAGZfTqkgajE8iAEvMMI8vrjIuz3SKukSSPdrviIx_k2wQTedIjpOoRuqByb98RxDsWKj2UUH3kUv4mDONBH1_XI6j_Fk770KFHHOGkFfv2nB2qy-Vw/s1536/A01058_10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkyohpcTzipON6fcbxVNzwboYVjGOES0s6PO7ZnkpfZWOG_AmSeny4xBBHwOvXyKsnDYA9c6XAGZfTqkgajE8iAEvMMI8vrjIuz3SKukSSPdrviIx_k2wQTedIjpOoRuqByb98RxDsWKj2UUH3kUv4mDONBH1_XI6j_Fk770KFHHOGkFfv2nB2qy-Vw/s320/A01058_10.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Quis Custodiat Ipsum Custodem? With Watts Caine and Shields original soft color</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>There was often another element in his work beyond the figure drawing. Max often drew props or a physical environment to help tell the story of his subject and he spoke of his relationship with favorite possessions in a revealing way in series of interviews with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._N._Behrman">SN Behrman</a> at Max's home at Villino Chiaro in Rapallo, Italy in the last years of this life - I empathized with his meaningful attachments completely. It is certainly how I perceive my own special totemic objects, many of which have been with me forever and which hold keys that bring me closer to events and people of my past. They are the Lares and Penates that I carry through my life. Max used that relationship in some of his caricatures - the setting revealing even more about the person in the picture - their tastes, history and even color choices as well as their physical being.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTYRVTtFopYmBSEw3N95kdLch55jF5Esrjohscl6_BrWm4u4FeJ5LQwatGlkUg5hrBIhjkB81DWC9D91jfcnsQawUh697sxrk1f8A1K-pRArkH8qpBjXEaN9xaD2yJIJjSAyUxTLPnrstb7hSlvlpaDYTc7tTvwG0ZqIIXEdR_cjgttHgEtvri-fLKA/s432/Rossetti-20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="346" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTYRVTtFopYmBSEw3N95kdLch55jF5Esrjohscl6_BrWm4u4FeJ5LQwatGlkUg5hrBIhjkB81DWC9D91jfcnsQawUh697sxrk1f8A1K-pRArkH8qpBjXEaN9xaD2yJIJjSAyUxTLPnrstb7hSlvlpaDYTc7tTvwG0ZqIIXEdR_cjgttHgEtvri-fLKA/s320/Rossetti-20.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quis Custodiat Ipsum Custodem? With Watts Caine and Shields saturated</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div>Max’s possessions, even the color of his study, followed him from youth to old age, “The study was a square room of modest size, with blue-painted walls. Max's nursery had had blue-painted walls, as did his rooms in Merton, and he had brought his color scheme to his final home in Italy.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdHiU7XOc_r1ec75S4HHE3PB4WZvdNxpRY8cjJDKCEC8uFqeE3rmzRLD5vyPz9W9vNA6hmyR-ku5geucI5BKFftYiZoTm3dyxaOd6gCSr7xBEpvBJffgCVQeHYCPfg2eSKLipof8h8pWlcll_fhhMpAJL_jAgWp1E3M5Wj4c1g3fMbky3P00zjYKO8w/s1600/TH-Huxley-Carlo-Pellegrini-1871.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="962" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdHiU7XOc_r1ec75S4HHE3PB4WZvdNxpRY8cjJDKCEC8uFqeE3rmzRLD5vyPz9W9vNA6hmyR-ku5geucI5BKFftYiZoTm3dyxaOd6gCSr7xBEpvBJffgCVQeHYCPfg2eSKLipof8h8pWlcll_fhhMpAJL_jAgWp1E3M5Wj4c1g3fMbky3P00zjYKO8w/s320/TH-Huxley-Carlo-Pellegrini-1871.jpg.webp" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">T.H. Huxley by Pelligrino</span></div><br /></div> On the walls hung a series of caricatures done by Max in imitation of the style of the great Italian caricaturist Carlo Pellegrini—"Ape," as he signed himself—whom Max revered as a master of the craft. The caricatures were imitations, but the legends were Max's own. Original Pellegrini drawings cut out of "Vanity Fair" had hung in Max's rooms in Merton, and later in those he occupied in his mother's house in London.” He continued to copy Pellegrini throughout his life to inspire - and remember.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72YJQvd58Hv2xahcPGf5rDcXEFLtnDT3oTPj0t0rlq5wD6iaNKkm3kDes7x2cL_oR8ftRYIiYVPjRDUec0VgvlnuaJ3SfrK7ZZZ_neskO3SzZSlA0vNoBhzjJ9JJ09tG1Re9xKXqhP53xgllxEzaV-lF0fyghu2d1bD6oXJN3WC5ALhBT0PTq70y7wg/s675/antique-convex-mirror-267201973533-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="601" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72YJQvd58Hv2xahcPGf5rDcXEFLtnDT3oTPj0t0rlq5wD6iaNKkm3kDes7x2cL_oR8ftRYIiYVPjRDUec0VgvlnuaJ3SfrK7ZZZ_neskO3SzZSlA0vNoBhzjJ9JJ09tG1Re9xKXqhP53xgllxEzaV-lF0fyghu2d1bD6oXJN3WC5ALhBT0PTq70y7wg/w149-h167/antique-convex-mirror-267201973533-1.jpg" width="149" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thakehamfurniture.co.uk/antique-mirrors/overmantel-mirror-and-wall-mirror/antique-convex-mirror-12-26-refno-4227/">1830 Convex mirror</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> I feel like max’s mirror would be like the one in the drawing of</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Watts Caine and Shield above</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Max also had a favorite mirror that was invested with meaning for him and followed him through his long life, “"Well, you see, it is convex," Max said. "There is no poetry in a straight mirror—just a reproduction of life. But what one sees in a convex mirror is a complete picture, a composition, an intérieur. By miniaturizing, it concentrates and essentializes. It hung in my nursery, this mirror. Then, when, as a young man, I occupied rooms on the top floor of my mother's house, I had it moved up there. It has been with me ever since. My father bought it at the Paris International Exhibition of 1867. It seems to me that during my childhood I was half asleep, but as I grew a bit older, this mirror began to fascinate me. I began to think of all that it had seen since my father bought it; he used to have it in his rooms. And then, when I reached the age of twenty-one—the age of reminiscence, of seasoned reminiscence—I began to see this mirror as a collaborator, with memories of its own, a <i>temps perdu</i> of its own. I began to write a novel about it, an autobiographical novel called 'The Mirror of the Past.' I wanted to corporealize all the backs the mirror had seen leaving my room." I am devastated that he never finished it - the idea is magnificent. The mirror view kept moving back in time, displaying events performed by the people in the room. </div><div><br /></div><div>Max thought the idea was too complicated to work but always kept the magic mirror notion in his imagination. Eavesdropping on the past held a great fascination for Max - he was always holding a hearing horn to the wall of the past and reported time's echoes so eloquently. Toward the end of his life he did write a radio script based on that idea of looking back - “Hethway Speaking" - sans mirror.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xJ6txNbSaDtBjx5bH6WR-O4-4QFEkzx6lqYGEV9y8c77ysSzll-FQGSDLC7z3DX3CZIkPNnFf1Kb5xnfW9A2lQUsd_iE5K3oDs3SB_c3n5hAijL3y1-ZlnkjGPJPyI4DQfqJMrZxDm3kOJlaLZDhp5ocGKNmt7G8VNr14SR6RJ3JMmP0lvEyEtXEKQ/s450/1905%20study.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xJ6txNbSaDtBjx5bH6WR-O4-4QFEkzx6lqYGEV9y8c77ysSzll-FQGSDLC7z3DX3CZIkPNnFf1Kb5xnfW9A2lQUsd_iE5K3oDs3SB_c3n5hAijL3y1-ZlnkjGPJPyI4DQfqJMrZxDm3kOJlaLZDhp5ocGKNmt7G8VNr14SR6RJ3JMmP0lvEyEtXEKQ/s320/1905%20study.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Max 1905</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>And then there's Max's <a href="https://www.sparknotes.com/film/citizenkane/quotes/page/4/">Citizen Kane, girl-in-the-white-dress </a>moment. During one session at Villino Chiaro – Behrman said he “… took from the mantelshelf … two photographs, a little larger than ordinary postcards. I gave them to Max, and he sat looking at them as if he had never seen them before. "I always keep them by me," he said. "Look. . . ." One showed two lovely girls in white, standing on a lawn beside a low wall on which there are huge urns. It is night. Above them are great beech trees, part of their slender trunks and their foliage white in the moonlight. "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gordon_Craig">Gordon Craig</a> bought this in London in 1929 and gave it to me," Max said. "It had been in the library of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Hare">Augustus Hare</a>. It is a country house, Buttles, which Hare used to visit before the wars came, when the world was civilized. Now, I am told, in the drawing room of that house they play billiards!" Max looked up at me from the photograph—a commiserating look, to ease the shock, to show me that he felt as bad about it as he imagined I did. "But aren't they lovely? It is after dinner, probably, and the house is full of people, and perhaps they were bored and wanted to get off by themselves to gossip or to exchange romantic confidences. Aren't they lovely? Isn't it lovely? Vanished. That life and that era—vanished."</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcfQT0TnhF12hkk08oB9UjBTeEfCVvn9gjjPbopFV_YktbDLRCJl8-tAOuXndBhC4SmGWZkU-vj5CXDAoCvJZkltauALbIPF_8A2KvMCElt4-4mMJcxsJEfIj7FAD2FV1THz-9fY9llUyRciT37escpLMYgABsfCacqfUks0jPl21A70VUtv-84_riQ/s750/H19532-L142505983.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="750" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcfQT0TnhF12hkk08oB9UjBTeEfCVvn9gjjPbopFV_YktbDLRCJl8-tAOuXndBhC4SmGWZkU-vj5CXDAoCvJZkltauALbIPF_8A2KvMCElt4-4mMJcxsJEfIj7FAD2FV1THz-9fY9llUyRciT37escpLMYgABsfCacqfUks0jPl21A70VUtv-84_riQ/s320/H19532-L142505983.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>He paused a moment longer over the two girls and then gave me the other photograph. This was a study in pure joy: a little girl of three or four is standing beside a priest in full canonicals. The priest has just told her a funny story and the little girl's freckled, pug-nosed, homely face is crinkled with laughter; she is giving herself up to laughter without a let. You feel that she will go on laughing and laughing, and will laugh again whenever she remembers what the priest has said to her; the priest himself is smiling, revelling in the success of his joke. I asked where this photograph had come from.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Oh," said Max, "it is a photograph from a book about Huysmans; it is the Abbé Mugnier with the little daughter of the Countess de Castries. I never look at it without its cheering me up. How happy she is! How happy they both are!"</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCx78aRnip5uCEYrGX50sYcK9dSfwpn_xGJnxGUWOMtqwFWizt3GHasBFpf9sZHgkTxl_kgGqmXNaSZ-KOIbPA7NfYaU-hVuW64vXeyNwmaGKn54Z2g1i8ONdqxkfklsKwoEBRX-Fvri0rXz__QtYGK50GxT-EYsoUYWo-vUJ17edj1bB_29GYK-2Huw/s1960/max-beerbohm-self-caricature.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCx78aRnip5uCEYrGX50sYcK9dSfwpn_xGJnxGUWOMtqwFWizt3GHasBFpf9sZHgkTxl_kgGqmXNaSZ-KOIbPA7NfYaU-hVuW64vXeyNwmaGKn54Z2g1i8ONdqxkfklsKwoEBRX-Fvri0rXz__QtYGK50GxT-EYsoUYWo-vUJ17edj1bB_29GYK-2Huw/s320/max-beerbohm-self-caricature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Even the reason he became a writer begins with an object and the story of that object. <br /><br />The essay is called "A Relic." Max describes how, rummaging about in an old trunk, he came upon the fragments of a fan. The moment he came upon these fragments, he heard himself murmuring a sentence: "Down below, the sea rustled to and fro over the shingle." He goes on to recall an incident of his youth. Max was nineteen. He was sitting at a table of the café on the terrace of the casino in Dieppe, drinking a glass of bock, when he beheld a startling scene.” It was a woman chased by a man and the fan she had abandoned that he picked up. “He decided to call it "The Fan"—very Maupassantish. Maupassant would have needed no more; why should he need more? He felt very cynical and worldly, and, after all, Maupassant was so simple; Maupassant was just an observer, like him.” Try as he might, “the plum did not ripen,” and the story was never finished.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsdUDCBb5QbcjM3xsfM1mBBoWaPLELjINPt2hwAFHnlrxwcJ6Y0rDEehXhjcG56A-GboJe7xbZs1gJNowbEWDHBfx8oRjetLpuONmZ8ZZVP1Fo_IFjtfEV0WchkQHsW8WYfbDOXseqKwf-y0Xgwd8cJe6Y8s7Z6I1b7kzsc_FpXBeVmjwOY5YT_QIfA/s800/1937%20beaton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="800" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsdUDCBb5QbcjM3xsfM1mBBoWaPLELjINPt2hwAFHnlrxwcJ6Y0rDEehXhjcG56A-GboJe7xbZs1gJNowbEWDHBfx8oRjetLpuONmZ8ZZVP1Fo_IFjtfEV0WchkQHsW8WYfbDOXseqKwf-y0Xgwd8cJe6Y8s7Z6I1b7kzsc_FpXBeVmjwOY5YT_QIfA/s320/1937%20beaton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Max 1937 Beaton photograph</span></div><br /></div>Bohan Lynch in his book, <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030735164&view=1up&seq=15&skin=2021">Max Beerbohm in Perspective</a> (1921), explained why Max's writing and his art come from the same vine, “There are a number of proverbs, which may or may not be generally true, about shoemakers sticking to their lasts and Jacks-of-all-trades being masters of none. But these do not apply to Max Beerbohm who has but one trade. He is a satirist: so that it is less odd than at first glance it might appear that he should have succeeded equally well both as author and as artist. Boil a man down to essentials – come up with a proper synthesis."He didn't just write brilliant captions for his caricatures, he wrote beautiful stories with all the best qualities of his drawings. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggawHuWVz3PXCw6CfzYYjxCDlXxs9Tv6Oz861NqcfS4TJKz7e9OhuTs5VQAMx4QCb_dQerOB28ihpscKstm4RenTSYcbgh8sOF-Gzjius8SICrwBGEPFIKETx9cg6LvRdqwJgLP41ZI91fMMVOyWfh_IVs7A4_jRS8Z_KVT4i8HRgxB5NTqypoA0-RqA/s450/cms_lam0250.bro.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="406" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggawHuWVz3PXCw6CfzYYjxCDlXxs9Tv6Oz861NqcfS4TJKz7e9OhuTs5VQAMx4QCb_dQerOB28ihpscKstm4RenTSYcbgh8sOF-Gzjius8SICrwBGEPFIKETx9cg6LvRdqwJgLP41ZI91fMMVOyWfh_IVs7A4_jRS8Z_KVT4i8HRgxB5NTqypoA0-RqA/s320/cms_lam0250.bro.jpeg" width="289" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henry James 1904</span></div><div><br /></div><div>This is best illustrated in his 1912 collection of stories, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14667/14667-h/14667-h.htm">A Christmas Garland</a>. Here he deftly copies yet gently skewers the styles of the favorite authors of the day - essentially word caricatures. The stories are just long enough to paint the delicious word caricature of the authors (many are around 10 small pages long). Regretably, many of the authors like Moore and Meredith are forgotten – you will have to read them first to understand the art of Beerbohm’s literary likenesses. Here’s a sample from “A Mote in the Middle Distance” by H*NRY J*M*S – close your eyes and dream of James' more familiar <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Square_(novel)">Washington Square</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Portrait_of_a_Lady">Portrait of a Lady</a>:<br /><br />“It occurred to him as befitting Eva's remoteness, which was a part of Eva's magnificence, that her voice emerged somewhat muffled by the bedclothes. She was ever, indeed, the most telephonic of her sex. In talking to Eva you always had, as it were, your lips to the receiver. If you didn't try to meet her fine eyes, it was that you simply couldn't hope to: there were too many dark, too many buzzing and bewildering and all frankly not negotiable leagues in between.”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbfFAdfW1gzUPwxFGb9fjY1ud-Y1LSp8oZprdXHvgJj9MDwXR4_2tGNPRDQWRzin9JMYxEmOPXD3fpyYKhd0XIAEmE5oZXzmKi6C6Kec_13LXZWPxCdRwlTGk58KDuW3PNT8YrUOJUHrLEX7JUFraFIuzoZw36AoKhwTUXKX_uFzDA1a9bUgmiKkjlw/s800/mw14872.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="608" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbfFAdfW1gzUPwxFGb9fjY1ud-Y1LSp8oZprdXHvgJj9MDwXR4_2tGNPRDQWRzin9JMYxEmOPXD3fpyYKhd0XIAEmE5oZXzmKi6C6Kec_13LXZWPxCdRwlTGk58KDuW3PNT8YrUOJUHrLEX7JUFraFIuzoZw36AoKhwTUXKX_uFzDA1a9bUgmiKkjlw/s320/mw14872.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whistlerized Max 1915</span></div></span></div><br />Behrman made a penetrating observation about his subject. He shrewdly discerned that Max, “had a severely topiary intelligence; he knew where he could go and where he couldn't go, what he could do and what he couldn't do." Max admitted as much, "I am not creative in a big way ... I haven't any powerful invention; I used up all I had. What I really am is an essayist." When Max wrote about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Abbott_McNeill_Whistler">JM Whistler's</a> prose style, he might as well have been assessing his own work, "An exquisite talent like Whistler's, whether in painting or in writing, is always at its best on a small scale. On a large scale it strays and is distressed. . . . For no man who can finely grasp a big theme can play exquisitely round a little one." Play exquisitely -- yes -- that is the best way to work. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijveCy9UUc3MGEEhhmC3blncYKHBTDmBVdPUTZXnnjVzmIkOTDWToHkTEAkf617R15ui2wBhC1_qpRyyQ2zgMYxSNexURaeLHxDSpqJEMMnkmQ4mV0w6oQZrzatxwQi8Nv6nxaSzRIU0n9aVhlt0mRnr_FNtUeUBlmdq1Wkb2HEdv5fSgEuWmxp5efuQ/s1352/max%20bohan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="966" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijveCy9UUc3MGEEhhmC3blncYKHBTDmBVdPUTZXnnjVzmIkOTDWToHkTEAkf617R15ui2wBhC1_qpRyyQ2zgMYxSNexURaeLHxDSpqJEMMnkmQ4mV0w6oQZrzatxwQi8Nv6nxaSzRIU0n9aVhlt0mRnr_FNtUeUBlmdq1Wkb2HEdv5fSgEuWmxp5efuQ/s320/max%20bohan.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br />I finish with one of my favorite Max lines from the end of his story, "The Golden Drugget.” Here he tells a tale of the enchanted light in the darkness in his Italian town of Rapallo during WWI. A drugget is a rough rug – the golden drugget image would be the rough street illuminated by the Inn's light – such a beautiful image and resonant message then and now: </div><div><br />“Stranger, come in!' is the clear message of "The Golden Drugget". "'This is but a humble and earthly hostel, yet you will find here a radiant company of angels and archangels.' And always I cherish the belief that if I obeyed the summons I should receive fulfilment of the promise. Well, the beliefs that one most cherishes one is least willing to test. I do not go in at that open door. But lingering, but reluctant, is my tread as I pass by it; </div><div><br /></div><div>"and I pause to bathe in the light that is as the span of our human life, granted between one great darkness and another.” <br /><br />Ah Max- you have lived on in the hearts of so many --- here’s hoping this little tease will encourage new acolytes who walk with open eyes and hearts to see the world before them and follow Max’s favorite line of Henry James, “Be generous and delicate and pursue the prize”. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Royal Family has been much on my mind of late. Max did many drawings of Victoria and the Prince of Wales -- and felt great affection for them. Too bad he missed nearly all of Queen Elizabeth's reign -- I'm sure he would have made her smile with his drawings of her and her circle -- everyone said she had a great sense of humor. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>I dedicate this to Queen Elizabeth II whose passing tugged the whole world's heartstrings this past week - most certainly mine.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Vanished. That life and that era—vanished." <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #bcc0c3; font-size: 14.000001px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>Requiscat in pace.</i></span></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcs4BVDRgCoSGvCc0Vh11FuNLUjqYgFr8MSpe_hUjpCcxFCZuXIrEeJcq0ewqHJ1U7lu4NhIQKMxrcFVs5ktuasQlevuw0kD4Zz3H9URUfNeOrczbXw1kurXmV26sbRs06ic9uMeKEx3LTxI0vEN8txMZbK0gBKPVsri2a76XKuI23VSi8qlnqBbDGg/s651/victoriabritain1819f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcs4BVDRgCoSGvCc0Vh11FuNLUjqYgFr8MSpe_hUjpCcxFCZuXIrEeJcq0ewqHJ1U7lu4NhIQKMxrcFVs5ktuasQlevuw0kD4Zz3H9URUfNeOrczbXw1kurXmV26sbRs06ic9uMeKEx3LTxI0vEN8txMZbK0gBKPVsri2a76XKuI23VSi8qlnqBbDGg/s320/victoriabritain1819f.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">VICTORIA and Prince of Wales 1900</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6BS9bInsCd-qBckkQ5tzbuhPqyYmK4yFvxUmLDn9sEx3PPwD0Ad4c4AExKP0sv-cpGOY6JKefeCSbC119-8tP5MoaKqUe-3E6Y8VU3quRaAWJ2d3L-jOcPSg7zLy_VDAGfd54amYr9VUvPBkDBPY_idfG7qaV6hNou9EIx8hB6Sl-pHgxQJUhGaeaQ/s1000/lp30666.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="626" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6BS9bInsCd-qBckkQ5tzbuhPqyYmK4yFvxUmLDn9sEx3PPwD0Ad4c4AExKP0sv-cpGOY6JKefeCSbC119-8tP5MoaKqUe-3E6Y8VU3quRaAWJ2d3L-jOcPSg7zLy_VDAGfd54amYr9VUvPBkDBPY_idfG7qaV6hNou9EIx8hB6Sl-pHgxQJUhGaeaQ/s320/lp30666.webp" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Prince of Wales 1905</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw0YZBENLKddg0gPR_J9a_wLSlgOriXDKnLDo3mQIfg83Zkexg4hFxCTsmnMMIWWgxrSWo2814j5aJZ6ohnLjQjNx9rjhoOmtpqWwOvosrVjXWEhw6wC_JQEP29B_k5aLsGBMQ--1PC__7N7Gdfj9DBYs19FA-8FlCOn789G-FnqiwgqBSBsV_k3v8A/s800/King-George-V.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCw0YZBENLKddg0gPR_J9a_wLSlgOriXDKnLDo3mQIfg83Zkexg4hFxCTsmnMMIWWgxrSWo2814j5aJZ6ohnLjQjNx9rjhoOmtpqWwOvosrVjXWEhw6wC_JQEP29B_k5aLsGBMQ--1PC__7N7Gdfj9DBYs19FA-8FlCOn789G-FnqiwgqBSBsV_k3v8A/s320/King-George-V.webp" width="171" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">King George V</span><i style="font-family: times; font-size: 14.000001px; text-align: left;"> </i></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Click to get the picture books and bio:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Max-Beerbohm-Professor-John-Hall/dp/0300097050?crid=ZALSR0F7UNTK&keywords=mAX+BEERBOHM+A+KIND+OF+LIFE&qid=1663465553&sprefix=max+beerbohm+a+kind+of+life%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=lostpastremem-20&linkId=99e5d3ae2a46abe8ef096e7a95f52f56&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0300097050&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Max-Beerbohm-Caricatures-John-Hall/dp/0300072171?crid=1A4JY9TUK1YZ3&keywords=max+beerbohm+caricatures&qid=1663463454&s=books&sprefix=max+beerbohm+caricatures%2Cstripbooks%2C49&sr=1-1&linkCode=li2&tag=lostpastremem-20&linkId=eac1c25a9e56786c337c38c0c5aa7368&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0300072171&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=0300072171" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" width="1" /> <img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US&l=li2&o=1&a=0300097050" style="border: none; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dante-Gabriel-Rossetti-His-Circle/dp/0300039867?crid=SD3GUXNSPTQR&keywords=max+beerbohm+rossetti%27s+circle&qid=1663462599&s=books&sprefix=max+beerbohm+rossetti%27s+circle%2Cstripbooks%2C55&sr=1-1&linkCode=li2&tag=lostpastremem-20&linkId=4333b0edc4838b3973ade486de002357&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_il" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0300039867&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=lostpastremem-20&language=en_US" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" /></a> </div><div><br /></div><div>*Most of his fiction is available for free online - or buy the books and savor.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what to eat?? Since Max was a master of 2 crafts and I haven’t been writing for ages, I give you 2 recipes for little birds that I can imagine Max enjoying whilst sitting on the terrace at Villino Chiaro - enjoying the blue Mediterranean breeze and the warm laughter of friends.</div><div><br /></div><div>Each recipe is sweet and savory and a delight. The Sherried Orange sauce from Spain is delicious on its own and the Chicken Rapallo is based on the Famous Silver Palate Chicken Marbella but with figs and not prunes.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01pYJcWdNazvUo3zQlkNjNTkHuI3rNSWbFgHuBEGDGcSytHuH5BRK4CEgKHztWQWY7PRyoCJIf_ll4xfAMbJ2va3OXYgwO75rI8ESkd_JifW_gHtIkfx1U510_9o2YUymq6eJcftFYATbEHcIkAY_PQFckf_8Ac1N9PrhyTd4_PPnnUrxGQAnhmZnuA/s960/DSC_2241b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="960" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01pYJcWdNazvUo3zQlkNjNTkHuI3rNSWbFgHuBEGDGcSytHuH5BRK4CEgKHztWQWY7PRyoCJIf_ll4xfAMbJ2va3OXYgwO75rI8ESkd_JifW_gHtIkfx1U510_9o2YUymq6eJcftFYATbEHcIkAY_PQFckf_8Ac1N9PrhyTd4_PPnnUrxGQAnhmZnuA/s320/DSC_2241b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Squab with Sherried Orange Sauce with Prunes.</i></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i> Sherried Orange Sauce with Prunes</i></span> (enough for 4 Squab)<br /><br />2c Earl Gray tea<br />Peel from 1 orange cut into strips<br />2-3” piece of cinnamon<br />4 cloves<br />1 star anise<br />5T sugar<br />2 oz Pedro Ximeniz or cream sherry (one oz for cooking and one oz added after cooking<br />2 oz orange juice<br /><br />8 oz prunes<br /><br />Put the first 8 ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the prunes and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the prunes and simmer the sauce to reduce it a bit if needed. Add the second oz of sherry to the sauce and set aside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFB2RmSGpb9x-uCOTCM-VA4dlCl29nYlEa-45678MyRCXMcaG4WffGMHevc9pWfX9H-OlHQLpdjZsyL6-QTS-kKI6tpOxlzti1g0BfUNUTx_bxRjfG2eRSlKSfL-A5ILgvNJI7EOK4fFnPB4NfAtbXILYuVucmb9-gpolkE1gZjnP7oN-DAjFUw2tow/s960/DSC_2246b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="960" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFB2RmSGpb9x-uCOTCM-VA4dlCl29nYlEa-45678MyRCXMcaG4WffGMHevc9pWfX9H-OlHQLpdjZsyL6-QTS-kKI6tpOxlzti1g0BfUNUTx_bxRjfG2eRSlKSfL-A5ILgvNJI7EOK4fFnPB4NfAtbXILYuVucmb9-gpolkE1gZjnP7oN-DAjFUw2tow/s320/DSC_2246b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Squab</i></span> (serves 1-4 - 1 per person) <br /><br />1-4 <a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/squab-whole-semi-boneless/product/FSQBO004-1.html?dwvar_FSQBO004-1_freshFrozenWeight=frozen-ZSQBL002&cgid=squab#start=1">boneless squab</a> from D'Artagnan<br />1-4 slices of <a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/buy/uncured-bacon/">bacon</a> (one slice per bird)<br />1/4- 1 c of demiglace <br />sage leaves <br /><br /><br />Heat the oven to 500º<br /><br />Salt and pepper the squab inside and out.<br /><br />Sauté the bacon in the pan for the squab until crisp and remove and reserve. Keep the fat. Place the squab (s) in the bacon fat and put in the oven for about 12 minutes.<br /><br />Take from the oven. Put pan over low flame and add the demiglace — spooning over the squab. Add the prunes and the sauce and the sage and warm the sauce with the bird. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve it forth!<br /><br />If you make fewer than 4 birds - the prunes are delicious with ice cream or yogurt without the demiglace <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsPC7fNe25Hnm1pjOLx-mvxYrOV3vhsg9rFmql1gbTNo9KD7ipvWeC_-ZG0JOUWHQpYl_ukgkTCUCpwvfgUwrk-x4aYLqNfOdVTF1iGlo6P2RBtRElnuZTqqhOQk8DC5AjZd476Xgy-x1o9sBozKDNuSB3REwhj1mbUsKXDxlDqFx14UA53n6cILU6A/s648/pic%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="648" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipsPC7fNe25Hnm1pjOLx-mvxYrOV3vhsg9rFmql1gbTNo9KD7ipvWeC_-ZG0JOUWHQpYl_ukgkTCUCpwvfgUwrk-x4aYLqNfOdVTF1iGlo6P2RBtRElnuZTqqhOQk8DC5AjZd476Xgy-x1o9sBozKDNuSB3REwhj1mbUsKXDxlDqFx14UA53n6cILU6A/s320/pic%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Poussin Rapallo with Figs</span></i><br /><br />Serves 1-2 (1 bird can serve 2 or 1 big eater)<br /><br />1 <a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/buy/poussin/">poussin</a>, semi-boneless (from D'Artagnan)<br />4 cloves of garlic, crushed<br />6-8 pitted olives (green or black Moroccan)<br />8 figs, dried, fresh, or combination (can replace with prunes)<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>MARINADE</i></span><br /><br />1/4 cup olive oil<br />1/4 cup wine vinegar<br />3-4 bay leaves<br />1 tablespoon dry oregano<br />2 tablespoons capers with juice<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>SAUCE</i></span><br /><br />1/4 -1/3 cup white wine depending on how much sauce you want <br />2 - 3 tb. brown sugar<br />2 tablespoons chopped parsley<br /><br />Combine marinade ingredients. Mix the poussin and fruit, garlic, and olives in a bowl, then add the marinade. Put it in the refrigerator overnight.<br /><br />Heat the oven to 350º degrees. Place the poussin in an oven-proof pan and pour the marinade over it. Then pour the wine over the chicken and sprinkle it with the brown sugar.<br /><br />Cook for 25-30 min (or until internal temp is 165 degrees), basting a few times during the baking.<br /><br />Cut poussin in half and serve with the fruit and juices. Great over rice or orzo. The juices are so good that you’ll want to spoon them up.<div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-12485086318790426642022-02-13T19:48:00.004-08:002022-02-14T19:02:19.674-08:00The Gilded Age, Furniture of Herter & Belter and Election Cake<div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi329efsHQV-HDRr1c9xVzU4xPgf_ax5HXhUkK1DIp7whDJ1CMnE5oVoWUYnD7BQfhef4DRxG_BY7huPqiFa1dMtn2Mk3c5jvRaaO8k6QkTiAgpvuXBrEw6LH7ZfeVBXdIAB5veZPaPMvH7C2hvitftCoWRS9h4_kJzXyG22NkPWiOUgquWKDEZFZmSwQ=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">William H Vanderbilt mansion 1882 57th & 5th</div><br />At last, after 10 years of nearly as much off-screen drama as on – years of rumors, flipping networks, starts, stops and plagues -- Julian Fellowes’ <u>The Gilded Age </u>has arrived at HBO. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhogkhdCBdMvwEXD0M0zjP2VE-6ma-3w3QzCfVZK9fkADHAB_Rbd7FUDFU7b7dNn_lBbmIHohg12ljKlm6CEqn4VJOSPjiVSTBWrvcvjWhhB026UYN8XuKM1jynyfxPDqFIXGqHu9_Im4d5hUIhcy3OveiokUyb4YLPjJ_bSJdBOJZFHAw5JsH4sc3Rww=s563"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhogkhdCBdMvwEXD0M0zjP2VE-6ma-3w3QzCfVZK9fkADHAB_Rbd7FUDFU7b7dNn_lBbmIHohg12ljKlm6CEqn4VJOSPjiVSTBWrvcvjWhhB026UYN8XuKM1jynyfxPDqFIXGqHu9_Im4d5hUIhcy3OveiokUyb4YLPjJ_bSJdBOJZFHAw5JsH4sc3Rww=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Central Park + 59th Street 1880s</div><br />Although not strictly a prequel to <u>Downton Abbey</u>, <u>The Gilded Age</u> sets the 19th century table for the Downton story which would begin the year the Titanic sunk in 1912. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin51cKdxvp71q1MD9SVL7hSH5CsuTzgmdM2WLLTncNwsNSLcFqBt4Yjhb1kfc0yqr5JsG9y9VV4eU6fx3HsN4ODtTfdxkT3OjSsiVMDcQ8_Y2v-FBeOM3pDSxQ8-IvHXlVUIujh2wT_HyrozDofruKlrd-IWSHWzl8LTy9c5BT9pBl7Tf8r80Ela0yQA=s1600"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin51cKdxvp71q1MD9SVL7hSH5CsuTzgmdM2WLLTncNwsNSLcFqBt4Yjhb1kfc0yqr5JsG9y9VV4eU6fx3HsN4ODtTfdxkT3OjSsiVMDcQ8_Y2v-FBeOM3pDSxQ8-IvHXlVUIujh2wT_HyrozDofruKlrd-IWSHWzl8LTy9c5BT9pBl7Tf8r80Ela0yQA=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Van Rhijns arrive</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyofKqFCwayITo0j328egWysWtPEmK_Nmb2GxzetHpYy-SANgJ_LJmR9ki5yNTwzBh4GYsr3zpfFvqY5_hmzcM2tj8T3MJfwYkmm8ZUN07Tf4Ft2mQaMgptTyUqwzdHaVG7lT3iNgFRAWkrgIUWt74Xm2eHXDtCw1c-AQG228qZat-pGwI_SxxdnFuNQ=s900"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyofKqFCwayITo0j328egWysWtPEmK_Nmb2GxzetHpYy-SANgJ_LJmR9ki5yNTwzBh4GYsr3zpfFvqY5_hmzcM2tj8T3MJfwYkmm8ZUN07Tf4Ft2mQaMgptTyUqwzdHaVG7lT3iNgFRAWkrgIUWt74Xm2eHXDtCw1c-AQG228qZat-pGwI_SxxdnFuNQ=s320" /></a></div><br /><u>The Gilded Age</u> gives us a technicolor introduction to the New York society that formed Cora, Lady Grantham. She was one of the later <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">“Dollar Princesses”</a> who came to Britain to buy titles and estates in the later part of the 19th century.<div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeUAdXxz8UCoarqVbbY-2Vs7K4OOEJSDGpJcTfHUCynAYdi9ympGDateBS8VkS9se6TLX8b4uK1hFTsS2gKrfHd2xIJvhMNqY2FwZa0SknOZVtJ1Pi6KIxHz8Rz7xtnPxYNQumM334Cv_kzjCndqZxU2vq_pwoy0iw7H926Sr-QRkuSmvM9QGQKtyr7A=s450"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeUAdXxz8UCoarqVbbY-2Vs7K4OOEJSDGpJcTfHUCynAYdi9ympGDateBS8VkS9se6TLX8b4uK1hFTsS2gKrfHd2xIJvhMNqY2FwZa0SknOZVtJ1Pi6KIxHz8Rz7xtnPxYNQumM334Cv_kzjCndqZxU2vq_pwoy0iw7H926Sr-QRkuSmvM9QGQKtyr7A=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Mrs Russel and daughter</div><br />As Cora was born in 1868 – she would have been slightly younger than the Russell’s daughter in 1882 when the Gilded Age story begins.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPt2Du0MeIpYtdTc2IqnJwkFu0q0A-qVvZpUk1tUIdm-iWFzxpqzO1k9Kg4mza8Jzo-7oBvesl7mPGYUtW90M9oexhAwX42OTW8WeFSPbVUb5t2Ux_JeoZ3T5n3pqajNHD7DjY4HsYrXEqKUGqDePmxnfRc0kTayLXdXtBK4EruOJE7aTH21GVYRcBkQ=s659"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPt2Du0MeIpYtdTc2IqnJwkFu0q0A-qVvZpUk1tUIdm-iWFzxpqzO1k9Kg4mza8Jzo-7oBvesl7mPGYUtW90M9oexhAwX42OTW8WeFSPbVUb5t2Ux_JeoZ3T5n3pqajNHD7DjY4HsYrXEqKUGqDePmxnfRc0kTayLXdXtBK4EruOJE7aTH21GVYRcBkQ=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lord and Lady Grantham</div><br />I have such a fondness for <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Downton Abbey</a> -- it began shooting the year I started Lost Past (I have included links throughout to all the past articles that show some of the connections).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoRMxkYbKqAZ4MiEJrotZGZMXwGNJWbb1LLD56LiApJMddHu05SQHjL55YdxthVd9f4GwZCBzL5fuldFPL3KdKdaezTAjIQBqrqtOnQC-dW9uE1UqOcYUFAePboj_mPXxKvq2b-Frvrn2ZACBAMvUpjy0ecbWZ-8IEI-Q_cMjrXJKNLAjV-jKyU9l5Pw=s268"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoRMxkYbKqAZ4MiEJrotZGZMXwGNJWbb1LLD56LiApJMddHu05SQHjL55YdxthVd9f4GwZCBzL5fuldFPL3KdKdaezTAjIQBqrqtOnQC-dW9uE1UqOcYUFAePboj_mPXxKvq2b-Frvrn2ZACBAMvUpjy0ecbWZ-8IEI-Q_cMjrXJKNLAjV-jKyU9l5Pw=w320-h224" /></a></div><br />In the years that followed, the themes of both would intertwine as I learned and wrote about great English families saved from penury by rich Americans (those “dollar princesses” like<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consuelo_Vanderbilt"> Consuelo Vanderbilt</a> who exchanged gold for titles). I visited and wrote about gloriously <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">restored English houses</a> that were saved from rack and ruin by rich Americans as well as the other side of the coin - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">England’s Lost Houses</a> , that were dismembered and transported by rich Americans to add pedigreed art and architecture to their new houses in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, LA and Chicago. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3MuzxQLuhBG3_TiOtcHlrIgwd8HNqRomb8axl9GX2KbQTwBXc7QOOTpek1ZITp0h0_SxZbcHLnUbttmrGby-vJjr7fkdRPzLwYGk_5CxiHkN-zsELglEfy8mklrchcHlRxAlQKIlZUBTa9WAF63wVn6N-HOxcy8wDDhEZ3SNqKs7taqW5zLyvRn3C1w=s348"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3MuzxQLuhBG3_TiOtcHlrIgwd8HNqRomb8axl9GX2KbQTwBXc7QOOTpek1ZITp0h0_SxZbcHLnUbttmrGby-vJjr7fkdRPzLwYGk_5CxiHkN-zsELglEfy8mklrchcHlRxAlQKIlZUBTa9WAF63wVn6N-HOxcy8wDDhEZ3SNqKs7taqW5zLyvRn3C1w=w400-h299" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bradley Martin Ball 1897</span></div><br />Finally I spent many a happy hour of vicarious enjoyment reading about the over-the-top opulence and ostentation of the Americans at home at NYC watering holes overflowing with luxuries like the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Waldorf Hotel</a> that hosted the infamous, multi-million dollar<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> Bradley Martin Ball</a> in 1897 - a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">P.T Barnum </a> worthy costume party that the arriviste Russells will surely attempt to copy on <u>Gilded Age</u> at some point (an episode I will not want to miss). <br /><br />So much of this show is, like <u>Downton Abbey</u>, about traditions and the tension between old and new worlds. It’s the tension between old and new money and the tension between those who fight to keep traditions and those who intend to blow them up. It is reflected in who they are and how they live and the sets and locations do a fine job of making style reveal much about the characters in the show. The styles of the Russells’ new money and the van Rhijns old money pretty much set up the drama of the show.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiemQ-g7F-tWBg4RXwGsAv9X9PE6OQcJz0ASXmUE73sCvBWx1GKBVfFCBKM45CcERe5RTiH8MQwmJcEHNTwX0CxWLjstBcE3v1qFc3qxn4yEBfOiOXMjKsmimmO52VUDHOKZZ_FFbqICOtNuECwf83qJtLCGZ7L_kjMQ6558SJRV5zNHy41HdVApsmPCQ=s1961"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiemQ-g7F-tWBg4RXwGsAv9X9PE6OQcJz0ASXmUE73sCvBWx1GKBVfFCBKM45CcERe5RTiH8MQwmJcEHNTwX0CxWLjstBcE3v1qFc3qxn4yEBfOiOXMjKsmimmO52VUDHOKZZ_FFbqICOtNuECwf83qJtLCGZ7L_kjMQ6558SJRV5zNHy41HdVApsmPCQ=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Boiserie</i> from the Palais Paar, Canevale (1765-72)</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAS33a4TeZ4enRhI-KX_siL2NT77yoq8cXcPXeNXSm9pOd3lHcjndfwtROwl5hLRQhN5Ckw2SI0KJ7Xaa5zU_W9pM0y7Ubw6sz13ivT9kolNsW2--SCbRLZRccRKBiMUXupJefskrXQ2r04uyU5INGG-3EtbbsMmL2yQaOa-3BN2Mt-QQbeTljVtR8kg=s2000"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAS33a4TeZ4enRhI-KX_siL2NT77yoq8cXcPXeNXSm9pOd3lHcjndfwtROwl5hLRQhN5Ckw2SI0KJ7Xaa5zU_W9pM0y7Ubw6sz13ivT9kolNsW2--SCbRLZRccRKBiMUXupJefskrXQ2r04uyU5INGG-3EtbbsMmL2yQaOa-3BN2Mt-QQbeTljVtR8kg=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Boiserie </i>from the Palais Paar, Canevale (1765-72)</span></div><br />The Russells would have either had fine cabinet makers create the 18th c-style <i>boiserie</i> paneling for the formal rooms – or would have stripped a chateau or 2 to provide the materials and built the house to fit around the looted treasures. The house and its decoration was the best way to impress and display enormous wealth (while making a sly connection with the unfortunate material culture of pre-Revolutionary France). Their architect and interior designer, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Stanford White </a> would have made the style choices – holding his magic mirror up to his clients to reflect their glory back to them. This is what Mr. White decided set his clients the Russells off to their best advantage. It says they are very rich and very powerful and that is as good as 10 seats on the Mayflower in 1882. Mr. White was very good at this and supplied the antiques that were coming over in boatloads from the lost houses of the Continent - doubtless with a tidy profit for his trouble (White lost his warehouse of stock in an un-insured fire - ruining him at the end of his life).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1dwNFZekG1gkoEpP1hcEX1weIe2NbniSMye1ydfzSoKzrJ2Oq_PykB432ULPdDAVmwIUzD40Rod55_IvXgDmMAmDTHWLC2Jrs4BhTfar9WxIVKzWv5vATd64u1quDYqm9kBQDEy7fwCn2MkFfnnaOIVCxlOCH4pPPNwuYqPHZtea2XyqxW_ScwWJTlQ=s1072"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1dwNFZekG1gkoEpP1hcEX1weIe2NbniSMye1ydfzSoKzrJ2Oq_PykB432ULPdDAVmwIUzD40Rod55_IvXgDmMAmDTHWLC2Jrs4BhTfar9WxIVKzWv5vATd64u1quDYqm9kBQDEy7fwCn2MkFfnnaOIVCxlOCH4pPPNwuYqPHZtea2XyqxW_ScwWJTlQ=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Russell House</span></div><br />Like many, I think of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Jay Gould </a> as the inspiration for Russell what with his vast wealth, cut-throat business practices and society’s universal disapprobation for his vicious ways with commerce (the actor playing Russell also lightly resembles Gould). But for inspiration for the Russell mansion – I thought of Gould and William Vanderbilt’s style instead of White’s French confection for the show. Although the Vanderbilt exterior was a French Chateau – on the inside, Vanderbilt went for the new and exotic but terribly well made. Like Gould, he would set his own style as a king of business –he didn’t need to ape the style of toppled monarchies from the old world.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEip3hYDcSLcoS3UiIVqhzUmFsZw9_q3XW2V30sHwGxyG85eC_udj8mz85KZkeb3f_HaaSXyRX329mNb532wnvEMQd1uhAcys8xqEgjhpsa6xpHf5d1_NwxkzYNEwvqIfM93VwuIN8G01SPF-IbUefPUqYUgYD8-84TF9bs_R5LaaC_IHiiTrANSH6ms8w=s3709"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEip3hYDcSLcoS3UiIVqhzUmFsZw9_q3XW2V30sHwGxyG85eC_udj8mz85KZkeb3f_HaaSXyRX329mNb532wnvEMQd1uhAcys8xqEgjhpsa6xpHf5d1_NwxkzYNEwvqIfM93VwuIN8G01SPF-IbUefPUqYUgYD8-84TF9bs_R5LaaC_IHiiTrANSH6ms8w=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">William K Vanderbilt "Petit Chateau" 660 5th Ave</span></div><br />The Vanderbilt and Gould palaces relied on the talents of the designers, craftsman and decorators at the Herter Brother’s firm to make 5th Avenue palaces for them both at the same time in 1879-82. The brothers had come over from Germany in the 1850s and by the 1860s they had made a name for themselves for their glorious work (although many pieces of furniture survive – almost none of their interiors do). Like White, Herter brothers did whole interiors – furniture, textiles, art and woodwork - well the whole enchilada (admittedly nearly impossible for a show to replicate without camping out at the Metropolitan Museum Herter exhibit or until computers are able to generate everything successfully). They were masters at creating a style of legend - ancient exotic kingdoms that never were - using elements from Babylon to Abyssinia to anchor the illusion and create new myths for their client emperors of industry. I have wondered at Herter creations ever since I first laid eyes on them at the Metropolitan Museum – that Vanderbilt desk (which you can see <i>in situ</i> in Vanderbilt’s study in the B&W photo below) fills you with awe in person at the museum. It makes you want to be terribly naughty and get a closer look at it – pull out a drawer or two. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtH00EK6lDl1q2q8l-L7BoK6RT3OkUN2B8vnFxL8ITQMCr2StAYrvzO7pEGFbSCHrxsYhwCO-SXO_w5xsX5bsbT_-rUwTn2ksKNVwcQhnWumrwOfkuQNS4oxp2n-LIT33-hxeFDJYM0Yg0KZnzJ7lIaKE5jS2vSnIEftZLvT_2uMv_79cXu7LU7RaIJw=s900"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtH00EK6lDl1q2q8l-L7BoK6RT3OkUN2B8vnFxL8ITQMCr2StAYrvzO7pEGFbSCHrxsYhwCO-SXO_w5xsX5bsbT_-rUwTn2ksKNVwcQhnWumrwOfkuQNS4oxp2n-LIT33-hxeFDJYM0Yg0KZnzJ7lIaKE5jS2vSnIEftZLvT_2uMv_79cXu7LU7RaIJw=w400-h301" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vanderbilt Study with the library table in foreground</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioCyECEF0XqXskQd7KeclXrNXfbiSX5Q2DIvXN-tPp6nHiKloZgaIuaDnXDNO0V50vmv97k3rFz6q49-o-gTsJKGwW9_VCSMrwjgZRlsou3kVMosLppBrb18ooR4S6XOqe8is5_KrpkdVTQSSxI-B5cWUey5xmvj9_ZDryhvQcp-fWW4oRzp1J_VMaIw=s900"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioCyECEF0XqXskQd7KeclXrNXfbiSX5Q2DIvXN-tPp6nHiKloZgaIuaDnXDNO0V50vmv97k3rFz6q49-o-gTsJKGwW9_VCSMrwjgZRlsou3kVMosLppBrb18ooR4S6XOqe8is5_KrpkdVTQSSxI-B5cWUey5xmvj9_ZDryhvQcp-fWW4oRzp1J_VMaIw=w400-h234" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmG0gBz-PU7E7ynEj_aGM2PpFBHpLBGzOt-nKUg9CupgCh4kczpuJ0Kj0cJe7C17qSMcfGR3kVTSlZxEu3C0hXJgSnpHQnD3lT3ZAXMlw4nLUQHe1AoHQl7B6Ytsiqp45Y23gBpe0OK3wysSQ0u5n2E1zQ030NEACRCqI4Gs4EiyJ3GVto1jbK24n7Xg=s1154"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmG0gBz-PU7E7ynEj_aGM2PpFBHpLBGzOt-nKUg9CupgCh4kczpuJ0Kj0cJe7C17qSMcfGR3kVTSlZxEu3C0hXJgSnpHQnD3lT3ZAXMlw4nLUQHe1AoHQl7B6Ytsiqp45Y23gBpe0OK3wysSQ0u5n2E1zQ030NEACRCqI4Gs4EiyJ3GVto1jbK24n7Xg=s320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmI9xQHIKRl-lS44kdL_r4VfkGZke18cNY46lFgSLNsgKy3RQWzgYO3f29-FjUzCczxoASE7Ylm7_2yWCTL1b9MfKXcqP1Nuy47slnFNDJhZn-KectFMPZcTVGMhSPS5GT8GUczQ9P-pimgZxx19jetMc2CZIFDMD0HmA2TihvZQ3sXYvzaVyjPWw-lQ=s1297"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmI9xQHIKRl-lS44kdL_r4VfkGZke18cNY46lFgSLNsgKy3RQWzgYO3f29-FjUzCczxoASE7Ylm7_2yWCTL1b9MfKXcqP1Nuy47slnFNDJhZn-KectFMPZcTVGMhSPS5GT8GUczQ9P-pimgZxx19jetMc2CZIFDMD0HmA2TihvZQ3sXYvzaVyjPWw-lQ=s320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhw-bVYUGA-G6UT3pX1WPO39VJjzQcguaGQM3kTpI9qrTCyoVBtk3k6RgdcKG4DFjgEu7tSLqpdxWIPR_BgP0eH1pCTHB_BL72XMY_xc95J8sl-EYgDDTGk0gCsVM1P7pXpMSfdwuqeiEVG9BMojvidLWZVETfO3mKmx5cK3s0FjRRoQQoRna4tIVFzJQ=s1154"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhw-bVYUGA-G6UT3pX1WPO39VJjzQcguaGQM3kTpI9qrTCyoVBtk3k6RgdcKG4DFjgEu7tSLqpdxWIPR_BgP0eH1pCTHB_BL72XMY_xc95J8sl-EYgDDTGk0gCsVM1P7pXpMSfdwuqeiEVG9BMojvidLWZVETfO3mKmx5cK3s0FjRRoQQoRna4tIVFzJQ=s320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJt1oWQ4IkAjGytwnWh9OTECqo_l2PcKLpMUBlvhWqjQq9BDWXrIbcgGFwvEt0eFGSWCJQWJhc9fuYreKv3zgtSf9gFngGfvpz-AP95XqI0cZM7LBPL3EBKIApe5dfFKUY4lAlAIWCZhboJzpxHXZdikvU4h-cqvagfed5WfyBvwd_k6IJyR1-8F8nEw=s900"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJt1oWQ4IkAjGytwnWh9OTECqo_l2PcKLpMUBlvhWqjQq9BDWXrIbcgGFwvEt0eFGSWCJQWJhc9fuYreKv3zgtSf9gFngGfvpz-AP95XqI0cZM7LBPL3EBKIApe5dfFKUY4lAlAIWCZhboJzpxHXZdikvU4h-cqvagfed5WfyBvwd_k6IJyR1-8F8nEw=w400-h318" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vanderbilt china display with the chairs below</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBoyWS6RoiZiMCfvwV1ydi8QP3dHVRjunL5XlhYoDy1M8ygVD6EDYJT1-sbXU6mZIjhqnE6g_Q8k30SqOSbBCttbt1XZB5hn7ZxwFW_1AaBJe_IFcsGCZMtAL3X1h3eryTtALzpfBbtn2Mm-cNRiKJ1oFVLr_pFPq0JXEmgLRuDvnBS7JZG3ixUnBWQA=s708"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBoyWS6RoiZiMCfvwV1ydi8QP3dHVRjunL5XlhYoDy1M8ygVD6EDYJT1-sbXU6mZIjhqnE6g_Q8k30SqOSbBCttbt1XZB5hn7ZxwFW_1AaBJe_IFcsGCZMtAL3X1h3eryTtALzpfBbtn2Mm-cNRiKJ1oFVLr_pFPq0JXEmgLRuDvnBS7JZG3ixUnBWQA=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAGBtET43oIvTJ83GZXuglDhudYpPm__hU870GGqTv66u2YnupEJos7IVJRWcagsf0AS-M5oYRVQT0BxGA1FUF4nJ2dJEh-GmkN_lYhdRIR2n-CRX5Ck5m46n_U1Gte8Q_Kud7zg_Z_vzYGCPLinBK1u96Qv_ER37mROm1Clxhsw0-HFfUa4Xh7sXH8Q=s900" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="900" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAGBtET43oIvTJ83GZXuglDhudYpPm__hU870GGqTv66u2YnupEJos7IVJRWcagsf0AS-M5oYRVQT0BxGA1FUF4nJ2dJEh-GmkN_lYhdRIR2n-CRX5Ck5m46n_U1Gte8Q_Kud7zg_Z_vzYGCPLinBK1u96Qv_ER37mROm1Clxhsw0-HFfUa4Xh7sXH8Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vanderbilt Parlor</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvJosO-dKjHAB3qqcO9R6FwzPjGdb62SYd0KEIDfHjD7JU6hYQLJHVy9xxb360Lg9QA5f9qsoHk9ZsSJ778uKWpyRaVDIOIgXMfkQhpXdanWfYN1e9u_n__VlEgBcwg2OrTAaiLdjCjLRjRIxTDB2EozTQoyePuqlwAh_q6viH8o1DEEFvNs0Cz1CSZg=s900"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvJosO-dKjHAB3qqcO9R6FwzPjGdb62SYd0KEIDfHjD7JU6hYQLJHVy9xxb360Lg9QA5f9qsoHk9ZsSJ778uKWpyRaVDIOIgXMfkQhpXdanWfYN1e9u_n__VlEgBcwg2OrTAaiLdjCjLRjRIxTDB2EozTQoyePuqlwAh_q6viH8o1DEEFvNs0Cz1CSZg=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vanderbilt Ladies chair</span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2Qp8vDuBLhJTaKU1b1Yu-3jppm-PXtkf2_myFiwyY1_jFkHlZzv-RjWYu58TBfkwfH1Z2tCV2Q8EqraueTg6_oyROMXObrlxkfvPogvPDkmGorsVBr9rm5CmwkBk35vCl2DHTJ9Fvd_Ki6ANgyN-khCxuKpyEoLudG59A1Jzo0bHVFgGxwdNN2lKGyA=s936"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2Qp8vDuBLhJTaKU1b1Yu-3jppm-PXtkf2_myFiwyY1_jFkHlZzv-RjWYu58TBfkwfH1Z2tCV2Q8EqraueTg6_oyROMXObrlxkfvPogvPDkmGorsVBr9rm5CmwkBk35vCl2DHTJ9Fvd_Ki6ANgyN-khCxuKpyEoLudG59A1Jzo0bHVFgGxwdNN2lKGyA=s320" /></a></div><br />Such outlandish luxury was not remotely acceptable to the Van Rhijn sisters who deplored the newcomers showing off and tossing tradition to the curb.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf7aG2iS7UzUGZk25uJ6ox7so9RWQ0P7rNoGULmGNwA5E2306xtf0iMihksC7Dv2kxztgCotrt2G8VbAhapQ2ckLn5wAK5yM9dbFygu_opBjyqb30qsjW5Co5Q3G40SCVatoTxWEzWAKyZZ96br-v0G90nMJkusdQvzaCX1J8e9zMBCdOfNwoWpC5JBQ=s710"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf7aG2iS7UzUGZk25uJ6ox7so9RWQ0P7rNoGULmGNwA5E2306xtf0iMihksC7Dv2kxztgCotrt2G8VbAhapQ2ckLn5wAK5yM9dbFygu_opBjyqb30qsjW5Co5Q3G40SCVatoTxWEzWAKyZZ96br-v0G90nMJkusdQvzaCX1J8e9zMBCdOfNwoWpC5JBQ=s320" /></a></div><br />Old money brownstone houses are far more human-scaled than the new money palaces that overwhelm the inhabitants and their guests (which may be the point – to shock and awe). The van Rhijns life is smaller and they are cocooned in rich dark colors and the furniture of Belter in a style that was fashionable 30 years earlier. <br /><br />Like Herter, John Henry Belter came to America from Germany but earlier - in the 1830s. By the 1840’s he had a massively successful business on lower Broadway. With backs that resembled Victorian tortoise shell combs, his laminated rosewood technique was much copied and the style came to symbolize the era. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz88eLqyhF6c_WGRSu6XZqVTRt7IVGnK-o6Hu3gGkygeQD8Ple-fylvvMXzmURLlIqQJBTYYR3DM0BGywOy4TzakKkVNmA-IKYdYKBq5cK-CD1thHdrf40Wm23jmxPTk8kJg8kg4Fru4eYOXxscKxKqxDlHo4hFLmHw4WyF99wjfec1VnHaPq4jRqcYA=s2000"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz88eLqyhF6c_WGRSu6XZqVTRt7IVGnK-o6Hu3gGkygeQD8Ple-fylvvMXzmURLlIqQJBTYYR3DM0BGywOy4TzakKkVNmA-IKYdYKBq5cK-CD1thHdrf40Wm23jmxPTk8kJg8kg4Fru4eYOXxscKxKqxDlHo4hFLmHw4WyF99wjfec1VnHaPq4jRqcYA=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghTJqxd_C8I_Q6bPT119jvftKy3KO7UdK0OoAl4FSYMZ99BImor6XmuZO62BK90Q8kZH9SUev31FX8Y4Jwr7cORm8ICYbugmKmFhaZK6fKdb1M2SwzVGwvEISaUbdm2XU7hhdJX176s866PPZH8CYMSt77f_TOYD7uaarPk7VArTootC325EAkI9G-hA=s650"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghTJqxd_C8I_Q6bPT119jvftKy3KO7UdK0OoAl4FSYMZ99BImor6XmuZO62BK90Q8kZH9SUev31FX8Y4Jwr7cORm8ICYbugmKmFhaZK6fKdb1M2SwzVGwvEISaUbdm2XU7hhdJX176s866PPZH8CYMSt77f_TOYD7uaarPk7VArTootC325EAkI9G-hA=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgATP498bDVez_J-H41pqJoUU5MjCEMlaClNHTwFr-8Xs7M7_mTTMe9JFqpgmEtiKkDCKQLNUUNu3Dk6NH8FdsBWxvgLuKrRxnoqRoXy-jgox0ewP1Ne2dQf1RYyoI0yZeDY8rDsEdXa0r8z4_va3G6-xxygEFfcifMmhIQ1xgkU317xF86cIL5U5C1zg=s993"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgATP498bDVez_J-H41pqJoUU5MjCEMlaClNHTwFr-8Xs7M7_mTTMe9JFqpgmEtiKkDCKQLNUUNu3Dk6NH8FdsBWxvgLuKrRxnoqRoXy-jgox0ewP1Ne2dQf1RYyoI0yZeDY8rDsEdXa0r8z4_va3G6-xxygEFfcifMmhIQ1xgkU317xF86cIL5U5C1zg=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoiQBJUEUkZ975IKJ8GUQrH47IUdLzXvXOHFhNMWfYQp7h-vUbnD4RZ5T4iPbxlcA7upbMvlqKg1cze2pLu71KTltMKbwGGg4pDmA6FUd40EEr-6O8Gk7HYkh00JjPU-gWG4RDzIXN-5yVwIivmxp3etcuj96Mop3OL2FNXR29m2_02kn_7U277xXtJg=s743"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoiQBJUEUkZ975IKJ8GUQrH47IUdLzXvXOHFhNMWfYQp7h-vUbnD4RZ5T4iPbxlcA7upbMvlqKg1cze2pLu71KTltMKbwGGg4pDmA6FUd40EEr-6O8Gk7HYkh00JjPU-gWG4RDzIXN-5yVwIivmxp3etcuj96Mop3OL2FNXR29m2_02kn_7U277xXtJg=w149-h200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPekcj-R9MKAWiIvTdA-EbCC98cOYqWzdSqopITIRZULZm76NUmyZwo9mup7Cd0M_exiLoBQzQ0OwF6wvnVY5fP0cwRWhorCoxOx3FzySnF00W7vjR-R_6RuMTRDZ0qLjnekXGvt9CCAIgnSBmifXRykc3yOpDtZTpftrAbDVXeTZmj2jpqMkYg0dRdA=s1366"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPekcj-R9MKAWiIvTdA-EbCC98cOYqWzdSqopITIRZULZm76NUmyZwo9mup7Cd0M_exiLoBQzQ0OwF6wvnVY5fP0cwRWhorCoxOx3FzySnF00W7vjR-R_6RuMTRDZ0qLjnekXGvt9CCAIgnSBmifXRykc3yOpDtZTpftrAbDVXeTZmj2jpqMkYg0dRdA=w200-h200" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigj4pjmacqWOQvfIxyZ5TEFiQSXrXpmrl6U0Mw6mZVxZ0lRTYE8I4ND8_V7fzyqCfoNPT1z-T4NqHxDw4bTVtUAz69_ER54auFIsVuoGNmqC46PYpF2oMTQ05NE92yScOuQ-KH8Oh9KdRINUFi47fUPGQ15Xq03lwSDTeTwSTZ0H70WLohF3TRcQtY7g=s534"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigj4pjmacqWOQvfIxyZ5TEFiQSXrXpmrl6U0Mw6mZVxZ0lRTYE8I4ND8_V7fzyqCfoNPT1z-T4NqHxDw4bTVtUAz69_ER54auFIsVuoGNmqC46PYpF2oMTQ05NE92yScOuQ-KH8Oh9KdRINUFi47fUPGQ15Xq03lwSDTeTwSTZ0H70WLohF3TRcQtY7g=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2hPdVQfZTh3r0RYffeR1VkMrWYcQFgrFLLUGYHPXYTpRo2_nn3MnuBIDYx19Rz4yN_O4wcXxujzMH7TEi8mcyZA2eegRklwFBb45pIdHILPlcP111Rm8zLxqFXx7P0BZUpFpoc_96F9PWZuavLC1NEgObmVZG4eQtwzfEpOqvkcDCt6zC_mWOVFS3KA=s1200"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2hPdVQfZTh3r0RYffeR1VkMrWYcQFgrFLLUGYHPXYTpRo2_nn3MnuBIDYx19Rz4yN_O4wcXxujzMH7TEi8mcyZA2eegRklwFBb45pIdHILPlcP111Rm8zLxqFXx7P0BZUpFpoc_96F9PWZuavLC1NEgObmVZG4eQtwzfEpOqvkcDCt6zC_mWOVFS3KA=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvw2ZgpckViZy57CnTPJHXr5Jl-25c9S7CsKFWF8vVnclH9V89B_Bsvn7_KSSJBhCMxe3zxMc2tVyx2KJP-fsM_lCMFtD2x_-E0MBwxojN77SDMucjrYDox_VExMHKep-3wDCPF8isnRaQF3sHrB3LfU0yvA5ojqhZFlOKb2drOi61e56aVMoGt6tX5w=s3089"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvw2ZgpckViZy57CnTPJHXr5Jl-25c9S7CsKFWF8vVnclH9V89B_Bsvn7_KSSJBhCMxe3zxMc2tVyx2KJP-fsM_lCMFtD2x_-E0MBwxojN77SDMucjrYDox_VExMHKep-3wDCPF8isnRaQF3sHrB3LfU0yvA5ojqhZFlOKb2drOi61e56aVMoGt6tX5w=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Agnes Van Rhijn is no slave to fashion and what was beautiful 30 years ago is now more so with the patina of time and generations of servants polishing to remove any rough edges.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhthwFDXQVpOfD8uPidDKZmxAPFT7X9nuQpC7012zmOW8h2btDguW9CdLPWvg2GPTX1C5EIiXQOaBBKGtY9PiCoGI-5ATbSTAOJt9kKHQSBkJgAdOj4abxLYU6CfPsJH65KmZUHE1bT-daYLAn3PWxTB22dfY0ITwP7ogVdrQ0vJCJxSO9qrS-A4hvW5A=s1920"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhthwFDXQVpOfD8uPidDKZmxAPFT7X9nuQpC7012zmOW8h2btDguW9CdLPWvg2GPTX1C5EIiXQOaBBKGtY9PiCoGI-5ATbSTAOJt9kKHQSBkJgAdOj4abxLYU6CfPsJH65KmZUHE1bT-daYLAn3PWxTB22dfY0ITwP7ogVdrQ0vJCJxSO9qrS-A4hvW5A=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Van Rhijn Parlor</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnnlGe3VhzxG3PnHKTHq7mrWItRJk3TRNwtGgRjvR6w85S1z5hg7_8ZtSy2IjZbiaJQI7pzPMOiXVB1hzxMCWpY8J1siPYZVAZki3Q5eQmEDOOBAiZkyAvKv2zoK_YVYlEmHzQ8BZ0raE-39HlrurCShxFD1EQBrED12BhfqKMUz0yyjEj-t5PzQAkyw=s1014"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnnlGe3VhzxG3PnHKTHq7mrWItRJk3TRNwtGgRjvR6w85S1z5hg7_8ZtSy2IjZbiaJQI7pzPMOiXVB1hzxMCWpY8J1siPYZVAZki3Q5eQmEDOOBAiZkyAvKv2zoK_YVYlEmHzQ8BZ0raE-39HlrurCShxFD1EQBrED12BhfqKMUz0yyjEj-t5PzQAkyw=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Remember, women of her set used to buy <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Frederick Worth</a> gowns in Paris and put them in a trunk for a season or two. One was considered a gauche parvenu if they wore anything hot off the runway in Agnes’ world. Edith Wharton, in <u>The Age of Innocence</u>, said "it was considered vulgar to dress in the newest fashions; and Amy Sillerton has always told me that in Boston the rule was to put away one's Paris dresses for two years.”</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUrWWfFTj3OVRh1RuTEz2PiprEn-LM_qo5rdEKj8knmwaFi-YkXrf0YpwIeOgamKC2s4vXngf1GlNZDer7z8cYSzUCByeA-bvHas8Gf7mGx59NTBo8Zzj1vJ58AGNBOxwwrEm6jqfQkehOiYL30w7ktrtSVDG-Mcp5L2eqEoe3DF1MmOqtECh9MCpHgg=s576"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUrWWfFTj3OVRh1RuTEz2PiprEn-LM_qo5rdEKj8knmwaFi-YkXrf0YpwIeOgamKC2s4vXngf1GlNZDer7z8cYSzUCByeA-bvHas8Gf7mGx59NTBo8Zzj1vJ58AGNBOxwwrEm6jqfQkehOiYL30w7ktrtSVDG-Mcp5L2eqEoe3DF1MmOqtECh9MCpHgg=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Alice Vanderbilt in a Worth electric light costume 1883</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmMMzQ8bAHag7SEj2blCWQvSqkJP2VbgZyppAHn7fIcp1ua3hVrJ1fpERGhk6b7eR-AkHqCr8Rrjto6tVr0v4ySanBhebNiF32ULl9oSpmhZJ7cUIXwZ4cuDnBQ2MovpUDySlmOa5RsDJzYdxyLd_keTV_pH9vDjWNxM9TByvGd3YTji6pvAyzMBOnDA=s1200"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmMMzQ8bAHag7SEj2blCWQvSqkJP2VbgZyppAHn7fIcp1ua3hVrJ1fpERGhk6b7eR-AkHqCr8Rrjto6tVr0v4ySanBhebNiF32ULl9oSpmhZJ7cUIXwZ4cuDnBQ2MovpUDySlmOa5RsDJzYdxyLd_keTV_pH9vDjWNxM9TByvGd3YTji6pvAyzMBOnDA=s320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqcm-9LY125mrCeP9LvyFu_MiVH4Q4GeWsurSfcwxbB_-boDpKAVCXLc6L6DMxpcsi-Xt6zyeF-5QgXapkOgU4A2yg6bMGmPJdV914_rIEn23Okiu-ro2MHIhMmlaYd_CdMgEIs7UHk4-Z2T1F7p9IO07nzNOGLiSgqFLOH3suUUKSSmy0FU9V9eep6w=s252"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqcm-9LY125mrCeP9LvyFu_MiVH4Q4GeWsurSfcwxbB_-boDpKAVCXLc6L6DMxpcsi-Xt6zyeF-5QgXapkOgU4A2yg6bMGmPJdV914_rIEn23Okiu-ro2MHIhMmlaYd_CdMgEIs7UHk4-Z2T1F7p9IO07nzNOGLiSgqFLOH3suUUKSSmy0FU9V9eep6w" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtoj1PB1gnqoFZpCfE-raJLe77rnSYIxd1PVtL961xoXh8NyMW39jLsFyjsKmFqG9nh8k3ASoIyURiJ0b-xEvmD3sZ44jwLl6l4Kx7U0pmzcxKdPpa5bFnqjlfXXRW-EHH54tOHelJgAmXK60RWmL3x6MmBPLopqmQNfPdQXdn6xnsWHhjaAj1XUECTw=s1918"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtoj1PB1gnqoFZpCfE-raJLe77rnSYIxd1PVtL961xoXh8NyMW39jLsFyjsKmFqG9nh8k3ASoIyURiJ0b-xEvmD3sZ44jwLl6l4Kx7U0pmzcxKdPpa5bFnqjlfXXRW-EHH54tOHelJgAmXK60RWmL3x6MmBPLopqmQNfPdQXdn6xnsWHhjaAj1XUECTw=s320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisJiv-v6EU5hotlT7usgTu4l_SLX1Y7X1lXVmoGP0KyLFwaaPdedTy9tlmwfJ_mGsnOq4lPt0xFqph68-pgIyFCTUgV0SJSDqMbnVc9o5XWg52lEiar9rKZTS5sOt7UIKIxKJke_gYtZj2PvA0NenLGvctquD_dMdEFfVK5DJjUNTyVtWd3NeT0iGwpA=s585"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisJiv-v6EU5hotlT7usgTu4l_SLX1Y7X1lXVmoGP0KyLFwaaPdedTy9tlmwfJ_mGsnOq4lPt0xFqph68-pgIyFCTUgV0SJSDqMbnVc9o5XWg52lEiar9rKZTS5sOt7UIKIxKJke_gYtZj2PvA0NenLGvctquD_dMdEFfVK5DJjUNTyVtWd3NeT0iGwpA=s320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTXX4hvVtjlVA_Q__aTcqVzoWH6s3fSnnRnaThTC6RDObC_FgQQC5nEtj0SppndLZPwjXY5h1Oby7g9JlPFeDRVOlTepI6kC6OJ3iCLXlod1iLTuZ1VFTSznNCfFXZCm5cu_7c4td9rQy5mQwtsVxWwJ42Sv6B4y4JCA4IcgXC0UrBOP_298RWEGTh-w=s2000"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTXX4hvVtjlVA_Q__aTcqVzoWH6s3fSnnRnaThTC6RDObC_FgQQC5nEtj0SppndLZPwjXY5h1Oby7g9JlPFeDRVOlTepI6kC6OJ3iCLXlod1iLTuZ1VFTSznNCfFXZCm5cu_7c4td9rQy5mQwtsVxWwJ42Sv6B4y4JCA4IcgXC0UrBOP_298RWEGTh-w=s320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAaMZPjyrspg5vAnolEiuZcYlnsY31JaQb-KnzpSa_gxU582iPXY7POqO49qQatsXR2Xd5fbi9CtfwZUtxJBmOFvumtCk6_ZM9JHTOlp6tGroHvn7h-6jJIz9ISRtemau-22CMcdnR6KW5l6DGAdxMrNCzO7udGDyVIsqRgFJ8De5w9yNx0tqnARCwrw=s1417"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAaMZPjyrspg5vAnolEiuZcYlnsY31JaQb-KnzpSa_gxU582iPXY7POqO49qQatsXR2Xd5fbi9CtfwZUtxJBmOFvumtCk6_ZM9JHTOlp6tGroHvn7h-6jJIz9ISRtemau-22CMcdnR6KW5l6DGAdxMrNCzO7udGDyVIsqRgFJ8De5w9yNx0tqnARCwrw=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, we have our sets decorated in the styles of their owners and beautiful dresses to wear…</div><br />What shall we eat?? How about Election cake - a cake that’s as old as the Republic? Formerly called Muster cake, it’s a brandy-soaked cake that was made by local women to reward the militia who had traveled to train to fight in the Revolutionary War. After the war it became Election cake, and was made to encourage men to vote – making election day a celebration. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAXLNJXcXpyLM-BLnikzm2tvzRgMMbxvGf1mqD9m0ZNtmFZBjt40GS3Tq1LZ4oHJQhiAekA-GVLactMV37c4K5tiOtH1jDSTDGTatwI03xlhmaO9XC-pqTfrY6rToaWs9wmaMTV1SyDeFuGUsLHBqklGhYNVJXYgpsn1Hf5ty5nrmYqG-MBlg73fh7tg=s1730"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAXLNJXcXpyLM-BLnikzm2tvzRgMMbxvGf1mqD9m0ZNtmFZBjt40GS3Tq1LZ4oHJQhiAekA-GVLactMV37c4K5tiOtH1jDSTDGTatwI03xlhmaO9XC-pqTfrY6rToaWs9wmaMTV1SyDeFuGUsLHBqklGhYNVJXYgpsn1Hf5ty5nrmYqG-MBlg73fh7tg=w400-h169" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Van Rhijn dining room</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihPhbw93nTuRa6_PPjIUDDoT-3KigpKUr5uLtirDmcrEmoqHi93xSj4P5XPCLS1Ipg2H0gL6pzsVBs1Zr6dcMyGr3g_Y9YjUBldYte4oA9oTx-OIttNEijP0BNv57fyc7ZvIHJAkiN5t55t2tssPNXg5LcS4sQXGslv4iCBX9M5tf0ot0fieF3bFtXKw=s1098"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihPhbw93nTuRa6_PPjIUDDoT-3KigpKUr5uLtirDmcrEmoqHi93xSj4P5XPCLS1Ipg2H0gL6pzsVBs1Zr6dcMyGr3g_Y9YjUBldYte4oA9oTx-OIttNEijP0BNv57fyc7ZvIHJAkiN5t55t2tssPNXg5LcS4sQXGslv4iCBX9M5tf0ot0fieF3bFtXKw=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMJVIuHw4jZUWm1v_8p4_tU_JxJC4YedaNLenGRAJ0vdoob0sRE_VPZiURyEBblwgR2pZGfbDckOQ34LBlzW823rkCUtL6PKzeCIcleZq08hW2obq0xEoEU9Sv44pYXZcNBnGQRdBXy6Ywd2OU8Xtu4gEBcEupFYPGCCgzQjjY1tGe3sYWhwDnBeKSSw=s1000"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMJVIuHw4jZUWm1v_8p4_tU_JxJC4YedaNLenGRAJ0vdoob0sRE_VPZiURyEBblwgR2pZGfbDckOQ34LBlzW823rkCUtL6PKzeCIcleZq08hW2obq0xEoEU9Sv44pYXZcNBnGQRdBXy6Ywd2OU8Xtu4gEBcEupFYPGCCgzQjjY1tGe3sYWhwDnBeKSSw=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>It’s a cake that the van Rhijns would appreciate – but probably not appealing to the lavish tastes of the Russells at all.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrZoxEHS2F0nYFh2bLCO0LNQ3TfGUQNPAvlNlZ53sW0rqFciPckJwRM1e7V8d2UBXOpBRhwfpENI-aOVnz106ODUieUTmgD0ni4ASrlULAp9V0eqDJCwJDjq7MwBZdY6PKKD5_Jcr4-lPjy5np5xV95mM2zaVeirknIxJ0p1Id5Bq90BHoPTSOSVFRpA=s314"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrZoxEHS2F0nYFh2bLCO0LNQ3TfGUQNPAvlNlZ53sW0rqFciPckJwRM1e7V8d2UBXOpBRhwfpENI-aOVnz106ODUieUTmgD0ni4ASrlULAp9V0eqDJCwJDjq7MwBZdY6PKKD5_Jcr4-lPjy5np5xV95mM2zaVeirknIxJ0p1Id5Bq90BHoPTSOSVFRpA" /></a></div>An election cake recipe in Hartford Election Cake and Other Receipts by Ellen Wadsworth Johnson, 1889<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXigjEbVZtP4Z3EWZjjKoAmOLcKsk0zWocC0KinoYmkKEuNlQ4t7lkx1TZjCcetRWXdLUVRt3nc_cYs1Z2AnKz4fXgyVBDNyXaaSqK7HwFGpaiEx-sVoCwKWTGLcSP4L0COaHoqATuaE1VbNXh47c5oYQ7RMOAq68Qwc93vRYtnb420NthVJiUvATB3g=s2048"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXigjEbVZtP4Z3EWZjjKoAmOLcKsk0zWocC0KinoYmkKEuNlQ4t7lkx1TZjCcetRWXdLUVRt3nc_cYs1Z2AnKz4fXgyVBDNyXaaSqK7HwFGpaiEx-sVoCwKWTGLcSP4L0COaHoqATuaE1VbNXh47c5oYQ7RMOAq68Qwc93vRYtnb420NthVJiUvATB3g=s320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Emelia Simmons 1796 recipe</span></div><br />As you can imagine, there are as many recipes for this ancient cake as there are days in the year.<br /><br />But I chose the cake after getting Vincent Price’s <u>Come into the Kitchen Cook Book</u>. It’s an American cookbook that takes you from the earliest food of the colonies up to the 1960s and is chock full of pictures of ancient kitchens from all over the country which made my mouth water – an absolute treasure. Price’s <u>Great Recipes</u> is one of my favorite cook books, (I wrote about it <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">HERE</a> ).<u> Come into the Kitchen</u> doesn’t disappoint. A perfect book to curl up with on a cold and rainy afternoon. <br /><br />Election cake comes from the ante-bellum section. It’s simple to make – boozy and buttery and just perfect for tea parties or a snack or a perfect bread pudding base.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5FjpLcdoljJ16EMOrZej7SQOHoFUdzClMn9GYZmmSxrgavSMuAAW2yWV0uBE7qv8oxzo_nQGbVvrFk0B-2poOd9HE4tk2JVb9BcsMeuFZ2lrqKb-z-QPG_cYiLEmm2jpTfEvhOvRll6-iJ5GK-kNQsGKFrfoDCsgQGCLm8RyUaE_ZI4eF5rYtqsH-4g=s6016" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4016" data-original-width="6016" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5FjpLcdoljJ16EMOrZej7SQOHoFUdzClMn9GYZmmSxrgavSMuAAW2yWV0uBE7qv8oxzo_nQGbVvrFk0B-2poOd9HE4tk2JVb9BcsMeuFZ2lrqKb-z-QPG_cYiLEmm2jpTfEvhOvRll6-iJ5GK-kNQsGKFrfoDCsgQGCLm8RyUaE_ZI4eF5rYtqsH-4g=w400-h268" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #c00000;">Election Cake (Muster cake)</span><o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 pkg. dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp dry yeast)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"> ¼ c warm water<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 T sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 c flour<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">¼ c milk scalded<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c butter, softened<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 c sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">2 ½ c flour, ½ t salt<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 t nutmeg<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 egg, beaten<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c raisins<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c citron (my citron was missing so doubled the raisins)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c brandy<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">(you can get citron<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O6IUQ8/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=lostpastremem-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=b41881ed77ee19f5706a11051483374e&creativeASIN=B003O6IUQ8" target="_blank"> HERE</a> )</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Soften yeast in warm water – add 1T sugar and 1 c flour. let rise 1 hour, covered.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Add butter and sugar to milk and warm. Add flour salt, and nutmeg to bowl. Make a well and add the egg and the warm but not hot milk and brandy. Beat well and put into a greased and floured 9x5 pan – I used an old copper mold to make it instead. Let it rise at least an hour. Bake 350º for 45 min to 1 hour – check with a wooden skewer. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz0l_dk1Q7GIEBRyKF17JQ1JrvdeySc0so-XoLh7BaIjatZD-j9MvJGIWAFL0WX3Xe29cjjDDoxIbYAs7GoLrjcX3mabpsryDhC7e2jnYPBYuXuCfyUJ_AxIjeecTNcjV24suk4csCJtaZktlUPGPxQ9r5Ctu8qyjdswv9wZ-lgoBrPaRCm2fD5dUhfg=s648" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="648" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhz0l_dk1Q7GIEBRyKF17JQ1JrvdeySc0so-XoLh7BaIjatZD-j9MvJGIWAFL0WX3Xe29cjjDDoxIbYAs7GoLrjcX3mabpsryDhC7e2jnYPBYuXuCfyUJ_AxIjeecTNcjV24suk4csCJtaZktlUPGPxQ9r5Ctu8qyjdswv9wZ-lgoBrPaRCm2fD5dUhfg=w200-h174" width="200" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #aa77aa; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhCWy87CSl-FJl4LulqMnaVkCND8EOEaHGVwDNQffO7bGIjDQ3NMME1zzor_HcXGUaiaNRPq_ihLY8Kut26u7vTDgovw2vFWGFpTNeaVWt4I0vSWULjQ0_9pAVJ-6x0KNsQai5gQStAF5-ZUhiFSo902oy7gBPJv5XCS_cLV-h7eTCoyNAWzQ=" style="border: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 4px;" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0810934264&asins=0810934264&linkId=79e4def65f11747a5307d80f7ca3fc41&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B003UJNY2Y&asins=B003UJNY2Y&linkId=c84755ed340387a1bbc998a5bd654a36&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0970222203&asins=0970222203&linkId=952bf99a9da8e8d3badc9d15dd992397&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1606600974&asins=1606600974&linkId=b90471d1ccdd4480196d9a684acbf895&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0231133448&asins=0231133448&linkId=ad250296eae610c2a5b2f1d2d5f90ea5&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-12472827209258515712021-07-20T13:25:00.001-07:002021-07-20T17:22:40.449-07:00Robert Chanler's Magical Screens & Rooms and English Coffee Cake<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNR_QoXr5dFtZMjnL7H9-OkLH04Not40cRZvDVLgkbHDJd2vCdAobsRRgDAd7avibs5XTy0Nt8VgsMUuLA8vhhcRqYoBXHF_gp6j1op1E57sGTLHSc5MGXt2v6zKSQ0JqbJx0Ggph3XyQ2/s320/rokeby-fa-71.jpg+copy.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Robert Winthrop Chanler 1900 (photo from Rokeby Collection)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span>A few years ago, I came across a photo of a darkly enchanted, Audubon-with-an-<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Edward Gorey</a>-twist of a room at Rokeby House in upstate NY. Generations of a single family have called it home since 1688. I love the photo - the image haunts, gently but persistently. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIt9RFOqVDWt7Fi8P75KK6I67wnzyKp_J9lSowYElSbRdi-t1DLU8012kVrR38HlhZaX1x0Tj-IQoNVp6pRWHjX3hVQuWnsDWZIZ9ObcDMlEBWMJeLuxui9G4zYft8LiuYBAWGew9i2_dl/s320/5b9d189426000035007fbb12.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">NYT's photo</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4h9LemLr1NDcPO8XWUPX34HaaU6zmRoBly_ss_ac5IP19zJW1FTLW3CMG_aTsh1w5U-PA6gBpb8P0b0jl5SFqcVQ7NTPGV_7yIs8cRYuRcAmUE8PNnIg6jJmyMVI0Ool5f6JYbVWyqqW/s320/160917_Rokebyantiques+mag+11%253A18.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo from Antiques Magazine by Pieter Estersohn</span> </div></span><br />At first, I thought it had been painted by a traveling primitive artist, but it seems my beloved crow room was painted by a teenaged Rokeby inhabitant named Robert Winthrop Chanler (1872-1930) and it was quite revealing. The scarlet opium dream poppies in the foreground are a brilliant escape plane - set apart from the sere, colorless, background landscape. It feels like Chanler’s black-feathered harbingers are circling and swooping between the plane of the dull world and that of the bright fire of inspiration - at least that is what a teenaged me would say if I had done it. I think Chanler spent none of his life in the dull normal. He left Rokeby as a teen but returned to his childhood home often for the rest of his life - staying in his childhood bedroom with his crows.<br /><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Crows, ravens, flamingos and peacocks were to have a lifelong fascination for him, not just seasoned with, but often bathed in - scarlet.<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlkEa0V_eXWcZORzpjZi6U1fwNL9WHsTPz9O8JrgCyctVByd-ju2GqXN38Opys_eY5mX9QRPWCz3vNL7XVMeCvjoltIbXNsD6GUEI6-iYNh3hHybQPiWEFJyvJq4G0NuPZbh3-CjCgnHw/s400/9781580934572_l.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="339" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlkEa0V_eXWcZORzpjZi6U1fwNL9WHsTPz9O8JrgCyctVByd-ju2GqXN38Opys_eY5mX9QRPWCz3vNL7XVMeCvjoltIbXNsD6GUEI6-iYNh3hHybQPiWEFJyvJq4G0NuPZbh3-CjCgnHw/s320/9781580934572_l.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;">I ran into more of his work again a few weeks ago and it seemed like the world was telling me to start digging. To begin, I bought a great book on the subject, <u>Discovering the Fantastic.</u> It’s full of fine, passionate essays by a passel of experts from diverse fields. It is rich with illustrations of his work and his life. Aside from his youthful crow room creation, I discovered Chanler had painted, sculpted and carved himself a rather formidable catalogue of work from the 1890s to his death in 1930. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSR54C3HWuX-qWEcvlAUzktzmt5jemhGbwD5AbRI2LJj7IaMsjg0LZO9NSNm9hQuVLlBNen9ePQ18hSOhRVa2C0n_Gyn4_Hfyh6U1APPYJvXhySKrAub9mueVfA7AtNy2x4fi5A_VSXDB/s504/chaanler+portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSR54C3HWuX-qWEcvlAUzktzmt5jemhGbwD5AbRI2LJj7IaMsjg0LZO9NSNm9hQuVLlBNen9ePQ18hSOhRVa2C0n_Gyn4_Hfyh6U1APPYJvXhySKrAub9mueVfA7AtNy2x4fi5A_VSXDB/s320/chaanler+portrait.jpg" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">At 6’4”, Chanler was a giant of a man with giant appetites, work ethic and personality. Honestly his life would make quite a movie.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p>Poet <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Mercedes de Acosta</a> recalled of Chanler: "Bob was gargantuan. Everything about him--hands, feet, shoulders, head--were all enormous. And his hair, thick and tightly curled, stood out about five inches from his head, making him seem that much taller and his head that much bigger. His voice bellowed out like the roaring of ten bulls and it could be heard a block away.” <br /><br />Born in 1872, Chanler grew up at Rokeby as one of the 'Astor Orphans' – the ten children of John Chanler and Margaret Astor who both died of pneumonia a few years apart (Mary in 1875 and John in 1877). John’s will provided each child with $20,000 a year to see them through when they were young (more came later). They grew up without much supervision. <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIbOD26FG5uieKBE9N1DI3QoV06JJzqjpIUf0YyvIhJwo-D4VrOcsi6jF8uGmbakbzLoO4kITdzWZE6mVVHKvOlZo6sPoBbWQX9GF9cPswBIetl0aRs5GwlhMMbwC9jh_cwBd1Wvqux27/s560/chanlet+by+pene+du+bois.jpeg" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIbOD26FG5uieKBE9N1DI3QoV06JJzqjpIUf0YyvIhJwo-D4VrOcsi6jF8uGmbakbzLoO4kITdzWZE6mVVHKvOlZo6sPoBbWQX9GF9cPswBIetl0aRs5GwlhMMbwC9jh_cwBd1Wvqux27/s320/chanlet+by+pene+du+bois.jpeg" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small;">Chanler portrait by Pene du Bois</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">The money allowed Robert to marry and run to Paris in the 1890’s where he studied at the </span><i style="font-family: "Doves Type";">École des Beaux-Arts</i><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">. He was not suited to the structure of the school (or to marriage), saying he was, "disgusted with the sterile instruction of atelier and academy"and scampered to Italy where he pursued his own, far more satisfying course of study in art, culture and history. He devoured Italian murals, grottos, paintings, sculptures, buildings and books that resonated with him and which led him to thrive as an artist on his own terms.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dC7AKRdszRwHrt1SYHNr3XSEa8ff3T41CgRPrVST_PVXzZmq9h6RinUPqQwQH-ruFMPDv_bhvR-B2Pg8Hl8UoUe_zmG5zg2AQ_2U7HtpaqTS4FrhM9Y9-OBZes-aZmKVUxL5obfk-vkb/s1600/place+st+georges+Edmond+Georges+Grandjean+1844+1908.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dC7AKRdszRwHrt1SYHNr3XSEa8ff3T41CgRPrVST_PVXzZmq9h6RinUPqQwQH-ruFMPDv_bhvR-B2Pg8Hl8UoUe_zmG5zg2AQ_2U7HtpaqTS4FrhM9Y9-OBZes-aZmKVUxL5obfk-vkb/s320/place+st+georges+Edmond+Georges+Grandjean+1844+1908.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Place St. Georges</i><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">, Edmond Georges Granjean, 1879</span></span></div></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1NhlQM-pAmjbhRKqiI8uAdF-DVanNcZCm1o6xRo-bORmRsOquGThIKMm6dhKUDPwJTMwG4BWkAHGKyz8rRd59UGTs0ZZD3sq3W5sjw_Ue9BlXGL2HeJyzQQ1UZkrRtmdh0b9eAIb4O4e/s1280/17th-century+K%25E2%2580%2599ang+Hsi+screen+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO1NhlQM-pAmjbhRKqiI8uAdF-DVanNcZCm1o6xRo-bORmRsOquGThIKMm6dhKUDPwJTMwG4BWkAHGKyz8rRd59UGTs0ZZD3sq3W5sjw_Ue9BlXGL2HeJyzQQ1UZkrRtmdh0b9eAIb4O4e/s320/17th-century+K%25E2%2580%2599ang+Hsi+screen+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">A 17th-century </span><i style="font-family: "Doves Type";">K’ang Hsi</i><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> screen</span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">He was a sponge for learning about pretty much everything but a particular encounter would change his life course. “A major turning point in Chanler’s career occurred after he happened upon a 17th-century </span><i style="font-family: "Doves Type";">K’ang Hsi</i><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> screen in a little shop on the </span><i style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Place St-Georges</i><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> in Paris. The “richly lacquered surface” of this screen “awaken[ed] countless aesthetic atavisms” for the artist and suggested “fascinating possibilities for future development.” The screen inspired him for 25 years as he worked and re-worked it's secrets.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmWBZs1ei4aUu9hytR9QxtJKjLau4l8Zq7jIk3LkGWv00uZOpJB3-9Yi7z8IlMaBmY-_KpVe0GLVcxvwItcCyc-HzRvF6NRcrmW2tyjmTIqMivD6F4fFAMqOx1DdRC38CLKNkr5vjvXI6/s633/chanler_portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="470" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmWBZs1ei4aUu9hytR9QxtJKjLau4l8Zq7jIk3LkGWv00uZOpJB3-9Yi7z8IlMaBmY-_KpVe0GLVcxvwItcCyc-HzRvF6NRcrmW2tyjmTIqMivD6F4fFAMqOx1DdRC38CLKNkr5vjvXI6/s320/chanler_portrait.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small;">Chanler at Woodstock with Hervey White</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler’s great Woodstock friend and fellow non-conformist, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hervey_White">Hervey White</a></span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">, thought Chanler was “… probably the most imaginative artist America has produced.” White admired much about Chanler, fondly recalling, “That day he talked European history like the creator, though he had not slept and had been drinking all the night. He could correlate his subjects in any period, the politics, sociology and art. He could elaborate with the customs of the populace, he could give incidents for illustration of his points, then break off with a personal explanation… He was a man of great emotion and great mind.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler was nearly as famous for his bacchanalian proclivities as he was for his art. W</span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">ine, drugs and food were in abundance at h</span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">is all-night parties on multiple floors of his house. Yet that wasn't the whole picture. He worked as hard as he played and was a disciplined artist and an indefatigable researcher with an unquenchable curiosity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCYFJniiAeSgRQinC4EnEUgdDEGzwMUK0kACpyqOrgbZ2riLYVeK5Dgiy1iD1OaHWjwTtwZemqHnhaGVn9f2avBFCeK02G6cMY1zPT3FX57r4XZlAbZ1Kqgv9BqNzwDmohk5snvUJXZtP/s328/220px-Flamingoes%252C_by_Robert_Winthrop_Chanler.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCYFJniiAeSgRQinC4EnEUgdDEGzwMUK0kACpyqOrgbZ2riLYVeK5Dgiy1iD1OaHWjwTtwZemqHnhaGVn9f2avBFCeK02G6cMY1zPT3FX57r4XZlAbZ1Kqgv9BqNzwDmohk5snvUJXZtP/s320/220px-Flamingoes%252C_by_Robert_Winthrop_Chanler.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: times;">Flamingos</span></span></div><p></p>I think my favorite part of reading his story was discovering the way his books and research constantly refreshed and inspired his work. So often we think of artists as lonely engines of creativity when in fact they are often constantly reacting and renewing that energy – interacting with often disparate subjects to thrust them down new creative lanes - it's a method I identify with completely. Chanler’s Chinese screen discovery led to research on techniques like <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Vernis Martin</a> and investigation and experimentation into replicating antique styles and methods. He studied Gothic cathedrals, tapestries at the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Musée de Cluny</a>, Frescos at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Palazzo Medici Riccardi </a>, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Boboli garden’s grottos</a> in Florence and decorative arts at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">The Victoria and Albert Museum</a> in London while studying Audubon, Kipling, Zoology, ichthyology and history just to give you an tiny peak at the range of his panoply of interests and explorations. The enormous breadth of those interests often cross-cultivated – his study of flora and fauna inspired his plasterwork for the Gertrude Whitney Studio. </div><div><br /></div><div>Even his disastrous marriage to opera singer, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Lina Cavalieri</a>, led to a creative burst. After a wound-licking withdrawal, the marital misadventure begat a masterpiece of a screen with intimations of the Cluny tapestries (like a nightmare, the lady that was cradling the unicorn is transformed into a rapacious black beast attacking a defenseless white deer - meant to represent Chanler as the deer and Cavalieri as the ravening beast).<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIKDq3Tnt8aijBIOMNrwAF7LzfE4XdB_HEgIqhLyfOs6hD5zgxZdtXgCjelvNFdZYduNwbRBuyZKxsUXIgIc1iMO3EYnZTXYA1N01X6dyrJ32BvaiM7SMquBotUkvAyg0t9n1OuI4Af6t/s573/Lady_and_the_unicorn_Sight.jpg" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="573" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIKDq3Tnt8aijBIOMNrwAF7LzfE4XdB_HEgIqhLyfOs6hD5zgxZdtXgCjelvNFdZYduNwbRBuyZKxsUXIgIc1iMO3EYnZTXYA1N01X6dyrJ32BvaiM7SMquBotUkvAyg0t9n1OuI4Af6t/s320/Lady_and_the_unicorn_Sight.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">The lady and the unicorn Cluny tapestry</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gwpXI4PrasXZxLWprHvCm1dTjwmr_UVokwSe1mRRizClVqShN6GJCTlh4Weqgvrar70d5TVW3d_FriujhK_vnmIBzKMw59uzgBwWrCRh8WJw6yo5WJv-GEjvElvW_ahtJTXFR4GVAxrz/s970/Boldini_%2528Lina_Cavalieri%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="838" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gwpXI4PrasXZxLWprHvCm1dTjwmr_UVokwSe1mRRizClVqShN6GJCTlh4Weqgvrar70d5TVW3d_FriujhK_vnmIBzKMw59uzgBwWrCRh8WJw6yo5WJv-GEjvElvW_ahtJTXFR4GVAxrz/w173-h200/Boldini_%2528Lina_Cavalieri%2529.jpg" width="173" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">Lina Cavalieri by Boldini</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSxOMJZpA0WLFzPVDD9gQHAXqwC0Zf0v6TO7DArgZCoBOV5t5-PnzpqFfdz6McIw61lHYT5b0OkdSDBjne73_lBCkerMhYgPvvoXSY28C8sQP55V9cs5R5sxRuJuZvuMd484FfCJB4i6T/s1266/Robert_W._Chanler%252C_Leopard_and_Deer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="916" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSxOMJZpA0WLFzPVDD9gQHAXqwC0Zf0v6TO7DArgZCoBOV5t5-PnzpqFfdz6McIw61lHYT5b0OkdSDBjne73_lBCkerMhYgPvvoXSY28C8sQP55V9cs5R5sxRuJuZvuMd484FfCJB4i6T/s320/Robert_W._Chanler%252C_Leopard_and_Deer.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: xx-small;">Leopard and Deer or Death of the White Hart Screen by Chanler 1912</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">It wasn’t just what he had seen in his travels that fed his imagination – he owned a fabled library. In a marvelous<a href="http://www.crsculpture.com/in-depth/modern-and-strange-robert-winthrop-chanlers-stained-glass-windows-for-gertrude-vanderbilt-whitney-by-avis-berman"> article by Avis Berman</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> about Chanler and his work at Whitney’s studio, Berman noted: “While Chanler lived in Europe, he assembled a prodigious library that he productively scavenged for images. He owned hundreds of illustrated volumes on painting, sculpture, architecture, historical interiors, tapestries, screens, costume, natural history, voyages of discovery, flowers, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and mythological creatures. He also had several books on stained glass that were considered bibles within the profession, and monographs devoted to the cathedrals of Chartres and Bourges, both bywords for sublime stained glass.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">New York Times music critic, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olin_Downes">Olin Downes</a></span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">, spoke glowingly of Chanler’s library after a visit to The House of Fantasy. It resonated with me – your books tell a story of who you are:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">“You know, a library is just such a place to explore as the South Sea Islands or anything else. That is, if the man who owns the library has a mind with any room in it. I have seen libraries as pinched, prudish, narrow, afraid, as the people who owned them. But this library, like Chanler himself, was an adventure. Splendid adventuring books of all kinds. Not only the kind of books an artist would have to have, but poems and sciences and philosophies, history, travel books by explorers of realms seen and unseen; Le Tour du monde” (doesn’t that excite you?), and many books by learned savants about the bottom of the sea.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler generously gifted 500 volumes of his research library to Cooper Union that arrived with a note: “Mr. Chanler frequently consulted the exceptionally fine library of French, English, Italian, and German books on 18th century decorative arts, collected by Miss Sarah and Miss Eleanor G. Hewitt, and given by them to the Cooper Union Art Museum. Using and appreciating these books, as he did during his lifetime, he realized that his own library which had been so useful to him in his mural and screen work, would be of real and permanent value to the students of Cooper Union Art Classes, as well as to the many others coming to the museum.” (you can see the list of Chanler’s donated books and even read some of them <a href="https://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1CG1230119347.18408&profile=liball&uri=link=3100006~!1041451~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=subtab103&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!silibraries&term=Chanler%252C+Robert+Winthrop%252C+1872-1930%252C+donor.&index=PAUTH">HERE </a> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">to have your own tour of the Chanler adventure).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">From crow rooms at Rokeby to digs all over Europe, Britain, the American west and New York, Chanler finally settled on E. 19<sup>th</sup> street after his breakup with Cavelieri. <span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfNA8QvesRcNQgKY7s0GuJVD0oDQdcrNJuhhHs2IaheRBfdejOppVjX2RTjDXsWOapWlOTE2cJ6o05rmZwV6jiDnAdDjigF0LqDeG3DDmnKkNNkUnI-WJdZ9k6Gxtf7f-vrIlKiF1Clle/s810/17990454_1914134355536936_2222707055792342753_o.jpg" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGfNA8QvesRcNQgKY7s0GuJVD0oDQdcrNJuhhHs2IaheRBfdejOppVjX2RTjDXsWOapWlOTE2cJ6o05rmZwV6jiDnAdDjigF0LqDeG3DDmnKkNNkUnI-WJdZ9k6Gxtf7f-vrIlKiF1Clle/s320/17990454_1914134355536936_2222707055792342753_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">House of Fantasy – 1912-30</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn3NImslbqLhB03KXl8FZHrelbZD_mEdJQIx4nPn5h1ePbNcVKbYha_cxp8K4burqNMSanu6lMQ54gmeXIEVbV_6tI_i0nuqLvTi-hgnHJ3YUjJUKFDvNc-n2FsUNAmdkCckUH2810PEm/s2048/13340314_1036805953040667_6326380673391886352_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1331" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIn3NImslbqLhB03KXl8FZHrelbZD_mEdJQIx4nPn5h1ePbNcVKbYha_cxp8K4burqNMSanu6lMQ54gmeXIEVbV_6tI_i0nuqLvTi-hgnHJ3YUjJUKFDvNc-n2FsUNAmdkCckUH2810PEm/s320/13340314_1036805953040667_6326380673391886352_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AWQ7uNkYMyaHwsUQY05YkhhEPyNjcbj5WEcM_osG7-qIlcGfYjcAUVxtq_-wBfEqm4cj8tlq7Is77mEXUi7y2sE8LmWA3_7wywPQWWnbpVBH42t9jGC4f6ahC4ilT1gVmd9MgPqVQjBG/s267/images-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AWQ7uNkYMyaHwsUQY05YkhhEPyNjcbj5WEcM_osG7-qIlcGfYjcAUVxtq_-wBfEqm4cj8tlq7Is77mEXUi7y2sE8LmWA3_7wywPQWWnbpVBH42t9jGC4f6ahC4ilT1gVmd9MgPqVQjBG/s0/images-2.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwQogFriBTVJLZ819hLB83GFwEaZbGoSz1EYGSr8_xMWdJJhiG8O2l_2D57lNJGBRqBUbZv9BN8BOmIJnn4e9pUpbXw2c1goSzlAafFPzSgXfBIQXZ6LhTJBbUur_w03lzmv4WfQjy5SY/s2048/IMG_7682.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwQogFriBTVJLZ819hLB83GFwEaZbGoSz1EYGSr8_xMWdJJhiG8O2l_2D57lNJGBRqBUbZv9BN8BOmIJnn4e9pUpbXw2c1goSzlAafFPzSgXfBIQXZ6LhTJBbUur_w03lzmv4WfQjy5SY/s320/IMG_7682.heic" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU6qLm6wCvhrIN3oNYqdaksoczYWSJhGNXLPk461mbly2zu6NFtdIBuxKxyT5K-vJuqB3nSQGUbFmoMjeekl1yLpx3uQwsrtbgL2ApoBqrjcymT-gHnfCZLSl_2vcgb0_TixlqbVxNrfA/s1710/tumblr_n6x2pgVQyA1rk6l5wo1_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1710" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU6qLm6wCvhrIN3oNYqdaksoczYWSJhGNXLPk461mbly2zu6NFtdIBuxKxyT5K-vJuqB3nSQGUbFmoMjeekl1yLpx3uQwsrtbgL2ApoBqrjcymT-gHnfCZLSl_2vcgb0_TixlqbVxNrfA/s320/tumblr_n6x2pgVQyA1rk6l5wo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Most of the books resided in his amazing house/studio in the 2 buildings he combined at 147 East 19<sup>th</sup> Street that he called The House of Fantasy (he also had Rokeby and a farm in upstate NY). I could only find 2 interior pictures of 19th St., so what the interiors looked like is only left to us in contemporary descriptions (which <u>Discovering the Fantastic </u>provides so richly). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><span face="-webkit-standard">Painter </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">George Biddle</a><span face="-webkit-standard"> wryly observed, “here [House of Fantasy] one met much of the youthful eagerness, the post-bellum intellectual sexual emancipation, the esthetic curiosity, the Bohemianism and the promiscuity of the period.” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><span face="-webkit-standard"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><span face="-webkit-standard">It sounds like a glorious playground for a wild child like Chanler and the who's who of artists, writers, intellectuals and flaming youth of the period who joined his circus - dancing and drinking in the</span></span><span style="font-family: Doves Type;"> living room with curtained banquettes ‘like an opium den’ while, " baboons [were] chasing each other on the dado level". It was a place "where guests and regular members of the household... could lie at ease while they talked, argued or made love." There was also a dining room, the "setting for the Bacchanals [which] formed a major part of the Chanler legend, featured a frieze of chimpanzees that encircled the room." Entertaining spaces were bedizened with a zoo's worth of animal art that often echoed the antics of the guests.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Henry Tyrrell, in a piece entitled “Bob Chanler’s Creepy Art” described, "A personally conducted “run through” [of] Mr. Chanler’s studio-house in East Nineteenth street is the sensation of a lifetime. It is something like a moving picture film of the Tales of Hoffman and Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days” jumbled up “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” Only such a place as the bachelor’s apartment, atelier and zoo combined - could fully explain the man and his art."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler’s private retreat was kept locked and only special guests were invited into the <i>sanctum sanctorum</i>, which he called the “Gobi Desert”. Many of the elements of the famous <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/21/realestate/gertrude-whitney-art.html">Whitney studio</a> in Greenwich Village were first auditioned in Chanler’s room – including the fireplace, ceiling treatments and serpent-swirling stained glass windows with a bedroom that had a 7’ x 12’ bed that accommodated 8 and was made from Duchess County trees. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">A writer named Konrad Bercovici described his impression of the house “From the stairway to the studio in the garret, it is decorated and painted in the most fantastic way, with serpents and grotesque animals crawling over one another in the most vivid and subtle colors, red tongues hanging from leaping dragons, and porcupines embossed in gold jumping over one another – Naiads and sylphs and giraffes and elephants, pell-mell grouped only because of harmony of color and movement and not because of the natural proximity of their habitats. All that is weird is painted on that stairway.”</span></p><br />The house wasn’t just inhabited by Chanler’s painted animal creations, there was also an animal annex with live monkees, fish, lizards. snakes and toucans in residence, a pond for flamingos, vines with a lighting system for different effects, as well as a giant aquarium for fish. He used his menagerie as a living reference in his work.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He installed an ostentation of scarlet peacock panels in a guest room in his house that remained till 1924.</div><div><br /></div><div>Peacocks are a symbol for immortality.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoCkqYFEPqPe6H__kUXVvCMAFVHvNFCA8iPScs6XKeBapLljFNzmSTvevSCRtiBb0294gIHrvjFVas072vAqwKtXDwQFLtum3zmWl2_PyonZUzno_GLk39lUJEzIdOXrgLchkP6DsK7T4/s245/Chanler_Peacocks-277x199.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="245" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoCkqYFEPqPe6H__kUXVvCMAFVHvNFCA8iPScs6XKeBapLljFNzmSTvevSCRtiBb0294gIHrvjFVas072vAqwKtXDwQFLtum3zmWl2_PyonZUzno_GLk39lUJEzIdOXrgLchkP6DsK7T4/w320-h230/Chanler_Peacocks-277x199.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbawa2eNodr3i4YXgRNkwP1e69VjHetjA6_GhVG86MNsMWA7eVYSCAhE8e-iOz8JsEPptez6wQudWCBqCLiAROltyrmCDZtwUFbykMKw3g5oAn9N5YUyuZaFI3F9FukMDfGCMs7s_1mSAX/s548/peacock+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbawa2eNodr3i4YXgRNkwP1e69VjHetjA6_GhVG86MNsMWA7eVYSCAhE8e-iOz8JsEPptez6wQudWCBqCLiAROltyrmCDZtwUFbykMKw3g5oAn9N5YUyuZaFI3F9FukMDfGCMs7s_1mSAX/s320/peacock+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFY5dXDupQL7v9bGCu0v7M2cLlYNCZ20F0Bvdm4kWIJhSEWYHMfdmgCOE5sPPzOZzp4rZEzwbQ_UWSuM19LPmbKAEPOFIPNWKIwzU_wbaTPFgFNoy362Eu2IlpDgIAEvQcsGMRstfFVxA/s800/peacock+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFY5dXDupQL7v9bGCu0v7M2cLlYNCZ20F0Bvdm4kWIJhSEWYHMfdmgCOE5sPPzOZzp4rZEzwbQ_UWSuM19LPmbKAEPOFIPNWKIwzU_wbaTPFgFNoy362Eu2IlpDgIAEvQcsGMRstfFVxA/s320/peacock+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPSJjTpGbIIAaztzqeKePjYs51yr2BEB7Lcj5rFk8I7ASs6t3iMD0BXovdxHcE-lgqK3goaJLM1DjXYylgNaFBuvgj31BWss-AjA4odYvNPjml_qIHrxQ3eBKGG4rmmz6cjQ6HMjFWMb4/s800/peacock+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPSJjTpGbIIAaztzqeKePjYs51yr2BEB7Lcj5rFk8I7ASs6t3iMD0BXovdxHcE-lgqK3goaJLM1DjXYylgNaFBuvgj31BWss-AjA4odYvNPjml_qIHrxQ3eBKGG4rmmz6cjQ6HMjFWMb4/s320/peacock+5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQ0-jaZWBzy4cw2jC8VoxHg1mxWczLr5N1GC2qJP0TCJK8Xpf8G56y0Rm0OH8WJqyGuo6M6gbAwmHJGfDyIdUVZrZ-34Yzecne67E9nIErDl8IjNyp_SuaGGDjCchtqjrhO6vOz2E2DWi/s785/peacock+6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="785" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQ0-jaZWBzy4cw2jC8VoxHg1mxWczLr5N1GC2qJP0TCJK8Xpf8G56y0Rm0OH8WJqyGuo6M6gbAwmHJGfDyIdUVZrZ-34Yzecne67E9nIErDl8IjNyp_SuaGGDjCchtqjrhO6vOz2E2DWi/s320/peacock+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoPYBzPecLkIJhwiUNukefI-Y5STpQ1v6C9P6CzKIvAq9nH6brfjaM042RekC2WlfepSSe3iHZ2UMtuDrSx6pAdGYSAmt2ankznpIWCKeIkgESzisuJ95_YuId0xHonmie9j-iMzSiaBi/s800/peacock+centerpiece.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoPYBzPecLkIJhwiUNukefI-Y5STpQ1v6C9P6CzKIvAq9nH6brfjaM042RekC2WlfepSSe3iHZ2UMtuDrSx6pAdGYSAmt2ankznpIWCKeIkgESzisuJ95_YuId0xHonmie9j-iMzSiaBi/s320/peacock+centerpiece.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEPhN0P5EZvxqMFNgWz942JecxhU7Xpqe20JRMPm06p0qCqKuHbHaGYd3b6ORomFBIU9Z8Fcsy2Kb7j5WZF7kcBGcJLWX43klvdCFFNdbEuSHkjIh6s0wGM9XtcTUYSo5FmMeIwb-UZv3/s600/600px-The_Peacock_Room_%25282%2529.jpg" style="text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEPhN0P5EZvxqMFNgWz942JecxhU7Xpqe20JRMPm06p0qCqKuHbHaGYd3b6ORomFBIU9Z8Fcsy2Kb7j5WZF7kcBGcJLWX43klvdCFFNdbEuSHkjIh6s0wGM9XtcTUYSo5FmMeIwb-UZv3/s320/600px-The_Peacock_Room_%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">Whistler’s Peacock room, 1876-7</span></div></div><div><br />I can't help but feel Chanler's Peacock room was an homage to <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">James Whistler’s</a> famous blue/green <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Peacock Room</a>. Chanler was very fond of the immortal bird and painted it often but made it his own -- surrounded in RED.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhGW8HdTrOziN_c6IidcjrARbZZZ-rvsEXAqwj-0FegrPlPbwjmO95fynZi8TO58tx835hzqPz43-tTXBNiSDl1Q0NNz5_aCaUIaJ3u0WfXdwmZuOghCFuhrZIoJdTzIa_W2AC7JnqGYw/s1549/115f661299d4c3794586f014b5cfab16.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="1469" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhGW8HdTrOziN_c6IidcjrARbZZZ-rvsEXAqwj-0FegrPlPbwjmO95fynZi8TO58tx835hzqPz43-tTXBNiSDl1Q0NNz5_aCaUIaJ3u0WfXdwmZuOghCFuhrZIoJdTzIa_W2AC7JnqGYw/w231-h244/115f661299d4c3794586f014b5cfab16.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Diana Vreeland's Garden in Hell</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Just as Chandler was inspired by Whistler, I think his goddaughter, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Diana Vreeland</a>, was inspired by the divine red peacock room at 19th Street, when she created her famous, "garden in Hell" living room.</div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">But 19th Street wasn’t just his home. Chanler’s studio took up the width of both buildings and had skylights to illuminate the labors of the decorative workers who manufactured Chanler’s complicated pieces. Within it would be found, “every known and unknown bird, beast, fish or fowl” ensconced in a “paradise of gorgeous vegetation and design.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; position: relative; top: -6.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times; position: relative; top: -6.5pt;">It is here the stained glass, murals, plasterwork and the beguiling Chanler screens were made.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhxEZtBpYBTFWhaSv_F7FB4aujvXw_A3i1vjCzmtkRrsjSEcz6LgAl6FgJ-rrSxQLEZdS7srQjNH4HTTTYo_2tMk0ENYNOqV03CO-NFTptPH1YmJkDtC1yCFQ6LbqwOiVXERRMHrsRcBW/s2048/3890085_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhxEZtBpYBTFWhaSv_F7FB4aujvXw_A3i1vjCzmtkRrsjSEcz6LgAl6FgJ-rrSxQLEZdS7srQjNH4HTTTYo_2tMk0ENYNOqV03CO-NFTptPH1YmJkDtC1yCFQ6LbqwOiVXERRMHrsRcBW/s320/3890085_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><span style="text-align: start;">Panther screen with peacock reverse</span></span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsk_BCQLCGRV0vkbH5_1BLBstm4OJDrOGfv_iBZSsVpN_fAMEAojs5J3-8IxmpHfv6Sm3UQ_VZtsVKzQ0N4Z5itdFpruY4QpVprUF2xAO_3BbJISH9vNeentmnF6QbXA9snLzlLEtLv7xF/s1322/060A3917_master.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="1318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsk_BCQLCGRV0vkbH5_1BLBstm4OJDrOGfv_iBZSsVpN_fAMEAojs5J3-8IxmpHfv6Sm3UQ_VZtsVKzQ0N4Z5itdFpruY4QpVprUF2xAO_3BbJISH9vNeentmnF6QbXA9snLzlLEtLv7xF/s320/060A3917_master.jpg.webp" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6xKWJ6yd7E3KfoS0Bwpv_IQJ_GNmijEerPGnyOiRfBYgIu0oUHpRh1lybsiPOxd2fBe9o433Or2Zny_fL_IAjGJ9aCdC7InD9AQ1Sg0SAQTzq3mrcrJItEzl3yqLrdJF1yiplXFL94SN/s601/four-peacocks-b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6xKWJ6yd7E3KfoS0Bwpv_IQJ_GNmijEerPGnyOiRfBYgIu0oUHpRh1lybsiPOxd2fBe9o433Or2Zny_fL_IAjGJ9aCdC7InD9AQ1Sg0SAQTzq3mrcrJItEzl3yqLrdJF1yiplXFL94SN/s320/four-peacocks-b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4 peacocks</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-apvoXGLxzhFrqiteNL59XOoo9NqEe-DDGc7AA7dfGpU3SiifKNfgfl8rr94d3f6aUYjGcnaWoW0xDOgnbziAgOZzVsCKFfIaYzsfnHIsKSbjaCay_5U1glWbqImdXZqf3tahLlb4K_iz/s554/H19934-L87014189.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="514" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-apvoXGLxzhFrqiteNL59XOoo9NqEe-DDGc7AA7dfGpU3SiifKNfgfl8rr94d3f6aUYjGcnaWoW0xDOgnbziAgOZzVsCKFfIaYzsfnHIsKSbjaCay_5U1glWbqImdXZqf3tahLlb4K_iz/s320/H19934-L87014189.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcK_3mMdY2WokV86NSK3LfrkhYP9M32R8sWp_RxR06OCHV81nxt4jGzMIylwU1tSKNawxINsbrw9haGNLEVXCXvh7ko6TCeOf9d4UhKArxQGjNrGqR_0UuxiJe20yEGcKa4aCCJXLWfC1/s585/harriman+screen+1915.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="585" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcK_3mMdY2WokV86NSK3LfrkhYP9M32R8sWp_RxR06OCHV81nxt4jGzMIylwU1tSKNawxINsbrw9haGNLEVXCXvh7ko6TCeOf9d4UhKArxQGjNrGqR_0UuxiJe20yEGcKa4aCCJXLWfC1/s320/harriman+screen+1915.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Harriman Screens 1915</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rck4UQxEo_JcDv6W0xbPTdAVf1ChuI5UhIuuYNFxlsHlmaSlekIAdqQQkQnXX8zmihwb7bdbD8SWYNu81PM6TdhBXvGa0lgSti0bjjwn7TbIvTS3nAz5az1Q7zbp_-F7iEtuqnh0ruBi/s600/porcupines.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Rck4UQxEo_JcDv6W0xbPTdAVf1ChuI5UhIuuYNFxlsHlmaSlekIAdqQQkQnXX8zmihwb7bdbD8SWYNu81PM6TdhBXvGa0lgSti0bjjwn7TbIvTS3nAz5az1Q7zbp_-F7iEtuqnh0ruBi/s320/porcupines.jpeg" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Porcupines and flipside of screen, nightmare</span></div></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Doves Type; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpi-GtrlkwdGP1EuKrNuzBS5rfHWSOGiR-n556YYVQ2DTC04FGAf5lOC6Nwdke48681-iJHGja4Z4JjUVRk6fbQ9Cafdoz4S_cLwugR_U2xaxXllZDnlvr7PJAcPtx8s-PhOClmD1da72/s902/nightmare.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpi-GtrlkwdGP1EuKrNuzBS5rfHWSOGiR-n556YYVQ2DTC04FGAf5lOC6Nwdke48681-iJHGja4Z4JjUVRk6fbQ9Cafdoz4S_cLwugR_U2xaxXllZDnlvr7PJAcPtx8s-PhOClmD1da72/s320/nightmare.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfbNY2t9gb4WUM26EbNiPz_SqLbQIMwBxpx_dbXKNO7_syjpSqRZrcFFp4ds_xozigkreSTQv32kE2QEFKtY5loNE3GNdYEOJfTOhpnsPC9VQ-_4mhKZ_fvhjkACo44wkjB2lEEqIudSL/s759/screen1.jpg+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfbNY2t9gb4WUM26EbNiPz_SqLbQIMwBxpx_dbXKNO7_syjpSqRZrcFFp4ds_xozigkreSTQv32kE2QEFKtY5loNE3GNdYEOJfTOhpnsPC9VQ-_4mhKZ_fvhjkACo44wkjB2lEEqIudSL/s320/screen1.jpg+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">Deco screen with nudes </span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk6zUNzzSFWGHyi7Q3ul2tzc7_w_A7tK32nf902qDaQbcBHqPi5qnQwSdJEY9_Lr71lPTGa0-Hqv_bHdQhlWrrWjTIKjR8vFliZ9fJhJQkxpnuYKgVbKYVMUfFK4VqTI_BgO7X433Nlsm/s1344/tumblr_mi39snOzh11rk6l5wo1_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIk6zUNzzSFWGHyi7Q3ul2tzc7_w_A7tK32nf902qDaQbcBHqPi5qnQwSdJEY9_Lr71lPTGa0-Hqv_bHdQhlWrrWjTIKjR8vFliZ9fJhJQkxpnuYKgVbKYVMUfFK4VqTI_BgO7X433Nlsm/s320/tumblr_mi39snOzh11rk6l5wo1_1280.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Deco Zebras</span></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler’s friend and chronicler, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Narodny">Ivan Narodny</a> described the process of making the screens:<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br />“The screens are first made of white satinwood,<br /> exquisitely fine, to which is applied a certain kind of<br /> fine muslin. Then the process of painting the wood<br /> over the muslin for a background upon which to<br /> paint is begun. The foundation paint is carefully<br /> put on and then rubbed in with skill. Many coats of<br /> paint must be used to obtain the proper finish, which<br /> looks like enamel, before the real work of applying<br /> the design is begun. Two months are necessary for<br /> the first preparation to be made complete, for<br /> several coats of paint repeated at intervals must<br /> needs take long in drying. Then, when the artist<br /> begins his designs the time speeds on into months,<br /> even two years or more in some cases, before the<br /> eagerly sought for quality is obtained. Beginning<br /> with one color, the end is often quite a different<br /> tone. Even starting with one design, another of<br /> quite different form will be the complete work”.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;">Narodny recognized that in Chanler’s art, the artist danced with “various kinds of elemental picturesque beings – birds, octopi, fish, butterflies, magic flowers and monsters, ironic lines, primeval organic life that struggles for higher forms most violently” and believed that </span><span style="font-family: times;">“legendary, fairy, or allegorical themes become the best magic mediums in [Chanler’s] symbolism.” He was interested in “the spirit of nature”, where “emotional potentialities can be concealed and expressed in abstract art images and by defying every articulate description.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxV7e1D-CiYmtiYf7YYs_CoEbB_fO3ZcQ7y3AvnAb0_ivTf3cSIg9a3dIv9JIdR41AzaEF-4kOPTlptGK9NPdu38LYELV24EJRjIa__ptkVhglHjm1uzS8dAKAsgJUA0HD3-_anFZuoAa/s2048/IMG_7683.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxV7e1D-CiYmtiYf7YYs_CoEbB_fO3ZcQ7y3AvnAb0_ivTf3cSIg9a3dIv9JIdR41AzaEF-4kOPTlptGK9NPdu38LYELV24EJRjIa__ptkVhglHjm1uzS8dAKAsgJUA0HD3-_anFZuoAa/s320/IMG_7683.heic" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Battaille Soumarine/ Astrological Screen</span> </i></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>He </span><span>described Chanler's 1917 </span><span><i>Battaille Soumarine/ Astrological Screen </i>as "</span><span>symbolic fairy tale of the deep sea” that figures “those elemental life forces outside and within ourselves, which we both fear and love." I feel that when I see it and much of his other work. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TYcSAbHE0uV7SWBxSNiT9AWD4prbdi77Qkx6hU-mOot3dLUrbor-R22EF41xIvsNYtF6971Z3KuCyhiRyfvwg0vsh17SivZ26MeysO-TQ2o7RQpfJ9RBG9tSQUWsIY5TwPra2vVI-KgP/s950/stainedglass_combination2.jpg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="950" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TYcSAbHE0uV7SWBxSNiT9AWD4prbdi77Qkx6hU-mOot3dLUrbor-R22EF41xIvsNYtF6971Z3KuCyhiRyfvwg0vsh17SivZ26MeysO-TQ2o7RQpfJ9RBG9tSQUWsIY5TwPra2vVI-KgP/w400-h149/stainedglass_combination2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: xx-small;">Whitney Studio’s stained glass panels - now for sale in a NY antique store, Retro Modern</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler created a whole, immersive and visually interactive space in Gertrude Whitney's Studio with seven stained glass windows as well as the shimmering sea-and-stars emblazoned plasterwork ceiling and a fiery fireplace. The light from the stained glass and the fire in the fireplace would play on the metallic sheen on the plaster. It must have been a remarkable to experience the dancing light on the undersea cast of swirling creatures (<a href="https://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/article/pdfs/Chanler%20Fireplace%20Historic%20Report%20FINAL.pdf">Lauren Drapala’s essay</a> is fun to read if you want to dig deeper</span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler finished Whitney’s studio in 1923. B.H. Friedman, author of a 1978 biography of Whitney, described the room and its effect on the viewer, </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">“What’s new, startling, and unique is the decorative design of the mantelpiece and chimney. A huge fire, in molded plaster, painted mostly bright red and gold, blazes from the floor, twenty feet up the chimney, and across the ceiling where the sculptural forms flatten into low relief. Half hidden among the flames are nymphs, birds, fish, reptiles, dragons, gargoyles, a fantastic world of real and imagined animals.” Friedman also observed that Whitney had always enjoyed her studio and would relax there with her lover, </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Josh Hartwell</span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">, “while watching the lively flames in Bob Chanler’s exotic fireplace and sipping cocktails.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Working on the restoration of Whitney’s studio, Lizzie Frasco revealed, “The ceiling and fireplace were covered in a thick layer of white paint after Whitney’s death in 1945 to make it more amenable to future inhabitants. While the white paint certainly belies the sculpture’s original polychrome appearance, the twisting and curling flames molded in bronze at the base and the plaster moving up the chimney towards the ceiling suggest the work’s once-lively nature…. the original paint layers included a variety of pigments and glazes, mostly red, on top of bright copper leaf.”<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiaYRpiQ8pNawzfkO8p_K2-IQg3kmIs2r5va2uzEPWTRsru4egKHP7cBegxf3HgsENPL2R5SMJ4-7vjGJLU6H2DHzC3ee9MxaRJnsx0z1JI6YX9GolqFWy4gZwiX3LmMhWodkO8zh6Fzx/s2048/21STREETSCAPES-slide-3HJJ-superJumbo.jpg.webp" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJiaYRpiQ8pNawzfkO8p_K2-IQg3kmIs2r5va2uzEPWTRsru4egKHP7cBegxf3HgsENPL2R5SMJ4-7vjGJLU6H2DHzC3ee9MxaRJnsx0z1JI6YX9GolqFWy4gZwiX3LmMhWodkO8zh6Fzx/s320/21STREETSCAPES-slide-3HJJ-superJumbo.jpg.webp" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: times;">the Whitney studio as it is now.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqSLmqH6hVRoCVi0teOPOUD49LvEHbtAwjqQgvN3Np2tdAFMYtRyMSDDKCV92UIWw65qjJ7iqMdaZHYCWJxFJHmpwuIEGgytkh0Nhrgn-DWwsQLAQiDmqb5Mfvm-4rb8KQxwM6vfVG0hs/s600/17WHITNEY3-articleLarge.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqSLmqH6hVRoCVi0teOPOUD49LvEHbtAwjqQgvN3Np2tdAFMYtRyMSDDKCV92UIWw65qjJ7iqMdaZHYCWJxFJHmpwuIEGgytkh0Nhrgn-DWwsQLAQiDmqb5Mfvm-4rb8KQxwM6vfVG0hs/s320/17WHITNEY3-articleLarge.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">the Whitney studio ceiling now</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnS7DzOJ41q00HqQ1C3xQyBalp3FdiB4dxWCD9R8p4QkHUepqfMU_w-W7mNjUHokzzeqbcfHNV06D8_ycqYlTug9KHj65p7YGdbQlaFlNf-u88ZTO7us3LPNLl_ivD8bUUujb8r1U4PRgB/s2048/21STREETSCAPES-slide-7CO5-superJumbo.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnS7DzOJ41q00HqQ1C3xQyBalp3FdiB4dxWCD9R8p4QkHUepqfMU_w-W7mNjUHokzzeqbcfHNV06D8_ycqYlTug9KHj65p7YGdbQlaFlNf-u88ZTO7us3LPNLl_ivD8bUUujb8r1U4PRgB/s320/21STREETSCAPES-slide-7CO5-superJumbo.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">the Whitney studio ceiling now</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqnn4Fc1V4Hd69-sVfIqnCMP1JLAulGpeML9v4q5UFR_F90tXZdhWguLgIGwjkO1QPRF4Cv35PKVegWR1cRXC66IX2s5DwcYm5yxedsOWWwUcpZJ5rSMyAI6CPvra1hPVE_t_dYikqB5u/s1478/ceiling+%2528J.+Elliott+%2526+J.+Hinchman+2009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="1430" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqnn4Fc1V4Hd69-sVfIqnCMP1JLAulGpeML9v4q5UFR_F90tXZdhWguLgIGwjkO1QPRF4Cv35PKVegWR1cRXC66IX2s5DwcYm5yxedsOWWwUcpZJ5rSMyAI6CPvra1hPVE_t_dYikqB5u/s320/ceiling+%2528J.+Elliott+%2526+J.+Hinchman+2009.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">the Whitney studio ceiling now</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8UJHINDt4iJHc2YTAzr0OPPFqrUINIGJlNMQFDBnl8PQoTfjIIbWe5qSxHrymiXTqYkpCH8cymqWmbljGcck0jKbRR2HSDtQx5S4zR4AXGZw1oe23vNytLwclUiLZ85ZotpBLH3W8ZNn/s798/fp+white.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8UJHINDt4iJHc2YTAzr0OPPFqrUINIGJlNMQFDBnl8PQoTfjIIbWe5qSxHrymiXTqYkpCH8cymqWmbljGcck0jKbRR2HSDtQx5S4zR4AXGZw1oe23vNytLwclUiLZ85ZotpBLH3W8ZNn/s320/fp+white.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">the Whitney studio fireplace now</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdM8tvWbsisgVUOYUjBhAColLeyrDd6K_un-dWvg8mew-Wpvyj4OZR1CcA1_naVgzbj-bhhgAl5aay7jocKuPHlHVCtl9nRT6JRPcRUCgLJsGZqxsBr0geFhMVPl-Jklac6XUGhwgnlzCr/s1046/whitney+ceiling+color.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdM8tvWbsisgVUOYUjBhAColLeyrDd6K_un-dWvg8mew-Wpvyj4OZR1CcA1_naVgzbj-bhhgAl5aay7jocKuPHlHVCtl9nRT6JRPcRUCgLJsGZqxsBr0geFhMVPl-Jklac6XUGhwgnlzCr/s320/whitney+ceiling+color.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Colorized using information gathered with examining underlying paint.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Doves Type; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-H7eC5rFB8ilR8A7n5EPVgroEANTKkilWYgrllOUC_h-jP9YXmU952M6MIclqyEcQjautp-__dlIFDETl2nHGa0b8bAl3Lum-mS8mO7tTodRWseGjPocSdSMsnqVAxQsg0Vi9ZEfU_jnn/s2048/IMG_7678.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1956" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-H7eC5rFB8ilR8A7n5EPVgroEANTKkilWYgrllOUC_h-jP9YXmU952M6MIclqyEcQjautp-__dlIFDETl2nHGa0b8bAl3Lum-mS8mO7tTodRWseGjPocSdSMsnqVAxQsg0Vi9ZEfU_jnn/s320/IMG_7678.HEIC" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Colorized using information gathered with examining underlying paint.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Doves Type; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIqFMXcbawB_vIEKHcDO7_jnbavIz4lTSQ0sBk7V9O1KR5qw5iufzuWko2RxVg6F_PTqrrKgVWYLoz9kVESeAhJPp0ZHJQYVse2rgAy7Aa7zp8aSdlCYwf-XhutdWoyCPidDdie-zAOPU/s1628/whitney+fp+colorized.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="1628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIqFMXcbawB_vIEKHcDO7_jnbavIz4lTSQ0sBk7V9O1KR5qw5iufzuWko2RxVg6F_PTqrrKgVWYLoz9kVESeAhJPp0ZHJQYVse2rgAy7Aa7zp8aSdlCYwf-XhutdWoyCPidDdie-zAOPU/s320/whitney+fp+colorized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Colorized on the right</span></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnaV5irp6vMgvfYR3SoRJYTqM2u_BUMA7K43rmh-33zUKPvUca7zrVQrdyob6FEWfGuJMREq3cZToXRCf8fikEd9_pulZW6l9qztMPnV-i1PVqKfNXksZPnzsqFt6USZ3WAhDjNoR7Qeo/s2048/IMG_7685.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnaV5irp6vMgvfYR3SoRJYTqM2u_BUMA7K43rmh-33zUKPvUca7zrVQrdyob6FEWfGuJMREq3cZToXRCf8fikEd9_pulZW6l9qztMPnV-i1PVqKfNXksZPnzsqFt6USZ3WAhDjNoR7Qeo/s320/IMG_7685.heic" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Colorized using information gathered with examining underlying paint.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinICTF-saYUQUXd843PeF0YGvX7JHxWrc2CPJLxl75uBRc0VhFJ_HQEeBqlpqAQ966elKDdVDEugICkg893UzyeCXQPIN8F65uj3yIezaUgaLIODpgxqKtnisg60GO218ERx3Se9XodvOX/s2048/IMG_7684.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinICTF-saYUQUXd843PeF0YGvX7JHxWrc2CPJLxl75uBRc0VhFJ_HQEeBqlpqAQ966elKDdVDEugICkg893UzyeCXQPIN8F65uj3yIezaUgaLIODpgxqKtnisg60GO218ERx3Se9XodvOX/s320/IMG_7684.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">A 1928 photo of the fireplace that appears to be covered in a metallic sheen</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbKZSMjOlc-_lcpGRPMHWyaBQFu2WgCdieoonVbsQRVxD0lV09zxN6xGJuBBEJBVkC-jrLWml171yApFEDyiIJIFHY9YBO8tixO9bTNNSI76XUdCrEzKoTdFhhamV5JJOCG31uR_4iAFI/s1094/flaming+screen+1913.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1094" data-original-width="836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbKZSMjOlc-_lcpGRPMHWyaBQFu2WgCdieoonVbsQRVxD0lV09zxN6xGJuBBEJBVkC-jrLWml171yApFEDyiIJIFHY9YBO8tixO9bTNNSI76XUdCrEzKoTdFhhamV5JJOCG31uR_4iAFI/s320/flaming+screen+1913.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">inspirational screen – flames mural panel 1913</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Probably Chanler’s best known work is the ceiling of the pool at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizcaya_Museum_and_Gardens">Miami’s Villa Viscaya</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> that he did from 1916-24 <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">- work which took a good deal of inspiration from the work of a 16<sup>th</sup> century court ceramist and favorite of Catherine de Medici named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Palissy">Bernard Palissy</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Palissy’s work was rediscovered and copied when Chanler was young and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palissy_ware ">Palissy-ware</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">was very popular toward the Art Nouveau-end of the 19<sup>th</sup> century. A few pieces of it can be seen at Rokeby.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIzhn8zmBtjxO-3XdTHFFAHHrIcb9JIgad-3d8pPMS_Xk1hP6GWd8c4WLEttqbYt55eSIXeZ0ZfOCARy_OQgCru4YOYDVySoJnhY0ANp4MFqsJuqqkNRmBsbT61i3VjCBNgMwhMSj8cT-/s500/palissy.jpg" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIzhn8zmBtjxO-3XdTHFFAHHrIcb9JIgad-3d8pPMS_Xk1hP6GWd8c4WLEttqbYt55eSIXeZ0ZfOCARy_OQgCru4YOYDVySoJnhY0ANp4MFqsJuqqkNRmBsbT61i3VjCBNgMwhMSj8cT-/s320/palissy.jpg" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZ-4QX-xz1ViiQTSqXUs8glN0S7vEDkSmvKT15WOIwmBFpuKvhbzB1aZxmRZ1_UhTjdoeOrxzDXV6eRBeH5k8GRyCPaj_TJeW_1psQYV8JUQ8dynbysDJvdC4O8HQStHtDFkRTt7u_moS/s800/Palissy_rusticware_featuring_casts_of_sea_life_French_1550.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZ-4QX-xz1ViiQTSqXUs8glN0S7vEDkSmvKT15WOIwmBFpuKvhbzB1aZxmRZ1_UhTjdoeOrxzDXV6eRBeH5k8GRyCPaj_TJeW_1psQYV8JUQ8dynbysDJvdC4O8HQStHtDFkRTt7u_moS/s320/Palissy_rusticware_featuring_casts_of_sea_life_French_1550.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Original Palissy ceramics, 1550s</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB_BUyob1cCniZ1wkIo-SCMI36KXeTPAwS1JtT0fK3Ert79-wPohOM8PANCH-Exy9_Sw-_ni3pVDqn1LZfsNY4x-JnijFb0zrGAmrShcfRM5y0aO9cRx59d-5mhdjCjxWQI1TmbWO526M/s537/img-2-small480.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB_BUyob1cCniZ1wkIo-SCMI36KXeTPAwS1JtT0fK3Ert79-wPohOM8PANCH-Exy9_Sw-_ni3pVDqn1LZfsNY4x-JnijFb0zrGAmrShcfRM5y0aO9cRx59d-5mhdjCjxWQI1TmbWO526M/s320/img-2-small480.jpg" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">Original Palissy ceramics, 1550s</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSietSE1aUuW1ri3-w5ZwAXsx9gZ0h12g6aVPF2NR4Al5U1g9GPQEPygQqUmQ0vI1FOeHj5nWRwxW17PU8JoDlFen9hIJULeYHGLhVosFbmJJs80jSBt4qm0t_MLFdOJJ9p1xWPceuha4/s996/Palissy%252C+Bernard+1565-85.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="996" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSietSE1aUuW1ri3-w5ZwAXsx9gZ0h12g6aVPF2NR4Al5U1g9GPQEPygQqUmQ0vI1FOeHj5nWRwxW17PU8JoDlFen9hIJULeYHGLhVosFbmJJs80jSBt4qm0t_MLFdOJJ9p1xWPceuha4/s320/Palissy%252C+Bernard+1565-85.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">Original Palissy ceramics, 1550s</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioNjCpgfCy3PLkIV1yWzGtioR6dpN5j30tFhO7lJwD8wlYmOakbUuLuPgXYTqIkAzbWD8n-G16-AyVjIxhiMceh-BflCEmxbVdYy7QSsQEL1xEn96QJMhtWIdLC96wNdmgxY9ZPMRJG2t/s600/Bernard-Palissy-Plate-600x575.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioNjCpgfCy3PLkIV1yWzGtioR6dpN5j30tFhO7lJwD8wlYmOakbUuLuPgXYTqIkAzbWD8n-G16-AyVjIxhiMceh-BflCEmxbVdYy7QSsQEL1xEn96QJMhtWIdLC96wNdmgxY9ZPMRJG2t/s320/Bernard-Palissy-Plate-600x575.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">Original Palissy ceramics, 1550s</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnxhD9rd4tX-B4ue4YCiAQaFsVNoaoU7fV2TaGxiURM4GcsIJ9BXzu_PVEIr5rQLqWx5XOp-vMPUdYMOcNG4xm-1tjE3k7cwu6R50-0gZYJ1SLRlpkNKLYKxghXOJOWOh9Uohn_ZnYK98/s578/Caldas-da-rainha-2-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnxhD9rd4tX-B4ue4YCiAQaFsVNoaoU7fV2TaGxiURM4GcsIJ9BXzu_PVEIr5rQLqWx5XOp-vMPUdYMOcNG4xm-1tjE3k7cwu6R50-0gZYJ1SLRlpkNKLYKxghXOJOWOh9Uohn_ZnYK98/s320/Caldas-da-rainha-2-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">Palissy ware 1880s (Portuguese)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBYMv4zItiQ5Mp-Wgdpo4i9BQUM-ln04f9A7NtC7r4ejftMgTlyk3F7zcc-9imxCWEKZTTg0_4ew8GHPGrUVns917qmTgugH29F552Lwwcp5yzylgprRXH8jbYf-yMuH5-3COOaCKKMil/s550/palissy+ware++portugues+1880.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBYMv4zItiQ5Mp-Wgdpo4i9BQUM-ln04f9A7NtC7r4ejftMgTlyk3F7zcc-9imxCWEKZTTg0_4ew8GHPGrUVns917qmTgugH29F552Lwwcp5yzylgprRXH8jbYf-yMuH5-3COOaCKKMil/s320/palissy+ware++portugues+1880.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;">Palissy ware 1880s (Portuguese)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwPF3b7xiesQHfKLKMVK3k8HLJaJBCbeGFM7Zn2VnhRVGb1cSG45v7Ohf22MuWnUnDaCw3tisZlQHpY-kRk0v5aYtqcZJbLJJX7H-qTRht6dyv0GKQCt8ufH5JIAf-53x5tN56v_5RdJc/s725/3-Vizcaya-Ceiling_Historic-Photo-circa-1935.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwPF3b7xiesQHfKLKMVK3k8HLJaJBCbeGFM7Zn2VnhRVGb1cSG45v7Ohf22MuWnUnDaCw3tisZlQHpY-kRk0v5aYtqcZJbLJJX7H-qTRht6dyv0GKQCt8ufH5JIAf-53x5tN56v_5RdJc/s320/3-Vizcaya-Ceiling_Historic-Photo-circa-1935.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Viscaya</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>Paul Chalfin, Viscaya’s decorator, was very worried about Chanler’s reputation as a wild boy and tried to get Chanler off the project but John Deering, the owner of Viscaya, had the last word. Chalfin’s letter to Deering showed how distraught he was about working with Chanler:<br /><br />“I should still have much hesitancy in definitely fixing on the character of this room because of the participation of Mr. Chandlet [sic]. You know how fearful I am that in participating with a genius as wayward as Mr. Chandler [sic} something should be done down there which might get beyond me.”<br /><br />Chanler wanted to conjure a Renaissance grotto to impress his American patron using the Palissy techniques from the lost Montmorency grotto in a masterful new way and picked up the cost himself for the extra time it took to finish it (Palissy made molds of real items to add to his ceramics – shells, foliage as well as fish and creatures - it looks like Chanler did as well). The light and texture of the room, even with the deterioration, has a magic to it and I hope the recent restoration has restored the shimmering paints which have been lost over time. You can see the hints of their lustre in the closeups below.<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2-HjQzfClXdu1uBrvnD3WebCZ5Dw9SC7lcM_1mBIm9Y0JExC86Z-HWIgRdxbdwAaFJfysCCmp8_j3qgg6U5bH8IagCltA6oasLL7goR1041Cl5y7KyrjDwJ5GhWVjfB3kUnIhbmelcgv/s450/4b74be4ad49650e9fb7d2410b5927714.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2-HjQzfClXdu1uBrvnD3WebCZ5Dw9SC7lcM_1mBIm9Y0JExC86Z-HWIgRdxbdwAaFJfysCCmp8_j3qgg6U5bH8IagCltA6oasLL7goR1041Cl5y7KyrjDwJ5GhWVjfB3kUnIhbmelcgv/s320/4b74be4ad49650e9fb7d2410b5927714.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUxXv9Rm1R7IaQjwRL0CxQyOYTxJsJ50LKmO1mk5BEyoG2Spvbu3QVIh1MjWEoue8vNLKkRxVW14RDJHBcjqq9pnFj1Dp87XLn9rcE7Vj15J4M_8N_kA8cL5rFY1GP9GRX8L9vpnKQU99/s600/7becad0513fa168344c9f1efebd84e3f_XL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUxXv9Rm1R7IaQjwRL0CxQyOYTxJsJ50LKmO1mk5BEyoG2Spvbu3QVIh1MjWEoue8vNLKkRxVW14RDJHBcjqq9pnFj1Dp87XLn9rcE7Vj15J4M_8N_kA8cL5rFY1GP9GRX8L9vpnKQU99/s320/7becad0513fa168344c9f1efebd84e3f_XL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhau2-objZkc0QK2Qn1n8JKxQSkgpTeU4gcZnWL0kn6hLHZBpRiyXS70AduFHyDEKe8HamdGDeaYqNB52kHRshy9vadrYELsSUAoBQbYogocmghoqkeItKTGcfYjrUVbNEzt8LulKFWsg-b/s600/12SCAPESA-articleLarge.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhau2-objZkc0QK2Qn1n8JKxQSkgpTeU4gcZnWL0kn6hLHZBpRiyXS70AduFHyDEKe8HamdGDeaYqNB52kHRshy9vadrYELsSUAoBQbYogocmghoqkeItKTGcfYjrUVbNEzt8LulKFWsg-b/s320/12SCAPESA-articleLarge.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_wymtiiLzxw_yIlrSrp13vbRCj30zU3-Z5TdeuoD-opWbTKwSRfHddChih5VWYKhsQ8soybYNXxxtmYeOrGMHBY0ce5BMYweJIV7-EmYJTvpEZOh-jFTK14XQWcenvCRPUYoSkju8qAr/s236/bb73826adb67cbdc0a872c4c5cd5a68d--ceiling-murals-vizcaya.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_wymtiiLzxw_yIlrSrp13vbRCj30zU3-Z5TdeuoD-opWbTKwSRfHddChih5VWYKhsQ8soybYNXxxtmYeOrGMHBY0ce5BMYweJIV7-EmYJTvpEZOh-jFTK14XQWcenvCRPUYoSkju8qAr/s0/bb73826adb67cbdc0a872c4c5cd5a68d--ceiling-murals-vizcaya.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODUHj56Ee5cMYJtyLbHe8o6wWCOKQDCcABR8pZyRNTmKhK7T8jDYrGzpXHD-EzttTVmNyFLmJtJBGEfh0cPNRm3xiitrqaefMA9L0zM2MWHsJBuPqiukSTFFAtntVIGJ41UE0l0yUS8W1/s1024/Nov6_pool.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODUHj56Ee5cMYJtyLbHe8o6wWCOKQDCcABR8pZyRNTmKhK7T8jDYrGzpXHD-EzttTVmNyFLmJtJBGEfh0cPNRm3xiitrqaefMA9L0zM2MWHsJBuPqiukSTFFAtntVIGJ41UE0l0yUS8W1/s320/Nov6_pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Plc629cKs1NBstpSg6mm7KpWn_lYtHtOJpiD77dSQmyI_PDU81MEka-E8EqACcm6__uQBSigpcZWLH8lzqZoYUymsJMkMCecDI79KhTUYEr5X7INKxSui3k8fMwAW7L83W91XYN_Ta_9/s994/swimmingpool.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Plc629cKs1NBstpSg6mm7KpWn_lYtHtOJpiD77dSQmyI_PDU81MEka-E8EqACcm6__uQBSigpcZWLH8lzqZoYUymsJMkMCecDI79KhTUYEr5X7INKxSui3k8fMwAW7L83W91XYN_Ta_9/s320/swimmingpool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF5hVEGlxpAUNYlLLd4JNeohjEbdwHHwUcRxlFrKDlS4VA_cxmUUPvn0-R5wRzpPV97aBpgMRuajkTkJBOmRAu8txBwy_RB4L9B2c_XRto5zcQ1sOdx3jG9mdEAmg9MqUzJV5A8JTxxWT/s896/vizcaya+ceiling+detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpF5hVEGlxpAUNYlLLd4JNeohjEbdwHHwUcRxlFrKDlS4VA_cxmUUPvn0-R5wRzpPV97aBpgMRuajkTkJBOmRAu8txBwy_RB4L9B2c_XRto5zcQ1sOdx3jG9mdEAmg9MqUzJV5A8JTxxWT/s320/vizcaya+ceiling+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX8eV-v4enpnJGSvXB5jJ5luV9JH1msq3MamP6z9OyMmYH-5vwwUL6P2y1tYoUI0MxXJu96F3MVgBJekQNFJpjpU1GGcvuG3w_GhAqybw4rgS23LO0OBHt2RiqfwBtR7LMMu5t4D7hXPP/s800/vizcaya_swimming_pool_resized.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdX8eV-v4enpnJGSvXB5jJ5luV9JH1msq3MamP6z9OyMmYH-5vwwUL6P2y1tYoUI0MxXJu96F3MVgBJekQNFJpjpU1GGcvuG3w_GhAqybw4rgS23LO0OBHt2RiqfwBtR7LMMu5t4D7hXPP/s320/vizcaya_swimming_pool_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am looking forward to seeing the pictures of the restored ceiling with the renewed colors and metallic fish shimmering in the reflected pool light – looking alive. Chanler must have intended that it always would have that quality of magic that the sun, filtering through the arches, would create - his magic living on after his death. <br /><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></div><div>There are so many more screens and places (like the Colony club in NYC and the Coe house in Long Island) you should see or visit if you can. I have loved this Chanler excursion and sort of hate to leave. I doubt we will experience a man of his like again – more’s the pity.<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">So, what to eat? In perusing accounts of Chanler parties I read of lots of silver cocktail shakers -- found Chanler loved absinthe way too much and that what people remembered most about his parties wasn't the overindulgence but the quality of the guests. The parties were full of fascinating people and conversations - and that is the best kind of party food, isn't it? So, I imagine morning-after food instead -- with the menagerie fluttering about the breakfast banquette and bits of cake being fed under the table.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">I had been wanting to open <a href="https://d.lib.msu.edu/fa/4#page/1/mode/2up">Aunt Babette’s Cookbook, Foreign and Domestic Receipts for the Household 1889 </a></span><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> for a while - it was exceedingly popular back in the day. Although she Americanized the names of favorite Jewish dishes, the opening pages proudly displayed a Star of David. It also gave a remarkably empathic direction for dealing with staff which sets it apart from most of the books of the period that I’ve read. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">“No one serves from mere choice, therefore we should treat those serving us kindly, and not notice every frown or cloud stamped on their faces: they can not smile at all times. They have their secret sorrows, aches and pains as well as the mistress of the mansion, which alas they can not or will not confide to others…. How pleasant is a home where kindness reigns.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Chanler was known to have a hat full of $5 bills on a table by the door at his parties in Woodstock where fellow artists would put food on their own tables for a week or more thanks to those party favors. Generosity reigned in his homes indeed. Babette would approve.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Her recipes are mostly simple classics with no oven temperatures and very little direction for baking times.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">There were a few dishes that I was tempted by – like a cherry pudding and a kraut kugel but he dark, coffee enriched cake won the day – a gingerbread-like cake with raisins and citron that advises you to toss the fruit in flour before adding. I read somewhere it keeps the fruit from falling to the bottom so it’s a great, antique kitchen hack. I poured a touch of rum over my slice and loved it, then tried Madeira and loved that too - it has a lovely light texture. I imagine it would be great with a glaze as well. ENJOY!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaXqhLHudtPHxq2mfOIEXjc1QgQ0EINUkCcPmzVfVYkweG61EF-BvJkpZDR58-n5lu-Jk3tI6kInDPMRx46sUeC6TOlvH9E-DotUcir5t4EitXlCB-BDCxOWigJ4L9tnuTFvN7RHXbZKy/s891/english+coffee+cake+289++babette.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="743" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaXqhLHudtPHxq2mfOIEXjc1QgQ0EINUkCcPmzVfVYkweG61EF-BvJkpZDR58-n5lu-Jk3tI6kInDPMRx46sUeC6TOlvH9E-DotUcir5t4EitXlCB-BDCxOWigJ4L9tnuTFvN7RHXbZKy/s320/english+coffee+cake+289++babette.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQyyQ8fwk9MK9cIkbRtNu_rKUEvFb9dW0yIYpvUTePnLgqbq9whepBLc7tcCuEsmTnCk_VQZk86Hu9qvQnwQzVjgccuVA466fzVhz8Xb-6Hp4W05eijweiKrX3B1c_dA3H_9c4jJeVyuT/s719/DSC_2123.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQyyQ8fwk9MK9cIkbRtNu_rKUEvFb9dW0yIYpvUTePnLgqbq9whepBLc7tcCuEsmTnCk_VQZk86Hu9qvQnwQzVjgccuVA466fzVhz8Xb-6Hp4W05eijweiKrX3B1c_dA3H_9c4jJeVyuT/s320/DSC_2123.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">English Coffee Cake</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">1 c butter (creamed)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">2 cup dark brown sugar<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">4 eggs<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">1 c molasses<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">1 cup hot strong coffee<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">1 t soda<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">4 ½ c flour, sifted <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">2 t cream of tartar<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">½ t salt (optional)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">½ t each of nutmeg, mace, allspice and cloves<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">1 c raisins<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">½ c chipped citron<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Preheat oven to 350º Butter a large cake pan or 2 layer cake pans or loaf pan or 12 cupcake size, or 6 m molds (I halved the recipe and made 3-2c cakes)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Dredge raisins and citron in the flour. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Add the brown sugar to the butter and cream the mixture, add the eggs one at a time. Add 1 t of baking soda to the coffee, dissolve. Then add that to butter mixture. Add the molasses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Put the cream of tartar in ½ c of flour and mix with rest of flour. Add the spices and then sift, fold in the <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">raisins and citron and pour into the prepared pans (it was enough for 3 molds and rose quite a bit!). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt; position: relative; top: -6.5pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";">Bake for 35- 40 minutes for 2c molds - 50 for loaf pan or till tester comes out clean.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOEYFjH3lJaRZyrQHn-HqrL2Q_I5LY5gV1TQuejufcsrkTVLW7RCba4V3L0JCqhAZB4Vsy9xuKLyTNoNWBKaCbigj_yXw6HP_9SeR-qz7T7Bq3ECtDNY1Ehw5wvFI3xcpMELBmsWSHXFQ/s720/DSC_2111.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOEYFjH3lJaRZyrQHn-HqrL2Q_I5LY5gV1TQuejufcsrkTVLW7RCba4V3L0JCqhAZB4Vsy9xuKLyTNoNWBKaCbigj_yXw6HP_9SeR-qz7T7Bq3ECtDNY1Ehw5wvFI3xcpMELBmsWSHXFQ/s320/DSC_2111.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #aa77aa; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhCWy87CSl-FJl4LulqMnaVkCND8EOEaHGVwDNQffO7bGIjDQ3NMME1zzor_HcXGUaiaNRPq_ihLY8Kut26u7vTDgovw2vFWGFpTNeaVWt4I0vSWULjQ0_9pAVJ-6x0KNsQai5gQStAF5-ZUhiFSo902oy7gBPJv5XCS_cLV-h7eTCoyNAWzQ=" style="border: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 4px;" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Doves Type"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpassets-cdn.pinterest.com%2Fimages%2Ffollow-on-pinterest-button.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhCWy87CSl-FJl4LulqMnaVkCND8EOEaHGVwDNQffO7bGIjDQ3NMME1zzor_HcXGUaiaNRPq_ihLY8Kut26u7vTDgovw2vFWGFpTNeaVWt4I0vSWULjQ0_9pAVJ-6x0KNsQai5gQStAF5-ZUhiFSo902oy7gBPJv5XCS_cLV-h7eTCoyNAWzQ=" -->Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-46632536370006852432021-05-31T18:40:00.008-07:002021-06-08T08:26:21.841-07:00Gladys Deacon, Duchess of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace and Apple Meringue <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnisqQgDYRDpolxi7vVJlfGgK51lRdOlfGCkCyVS66Z7KjMBjJnbUIgvfb9K4cR-92M_prbMm_Mvhwig65T1_uNp11L-7yBvaxQtYcIXqlKnPec980Ty1lkSlI_fgi5aXx-LEdgIVsOrnD/s1012/Gladys_Deacon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnisqQgDYRDpolxi7vVJlfGgK51lRdOlfGCkCyVS66Z7KjMBjJnbUIgvfb9K4cR-92M_prbMm_Mvhwig65T1_uNp11L-7yBvaxQtYcIXqlKnPec980Ty1lkSlI_fgi5aXx-LEdgIVsOrnD/s320/Gladys_Deacon.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Gladys Deacon, 1908 by Giovani Boldini</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div> After 5 years of a teasing and tantalizing pregnancy, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Julian Fellowes </a> is finally birthing/filming his <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Gilded Age </a> series this year for HBO. Set in the Newport and New York of the 1870s and 80s, it’s a cakewalk through the America that gave us Cora of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Downton Abbey</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>-- an America of newly minted, Anglo-mad heiresses that have been beckoning to Lord Fellowes since he started down the Downton Abbey road over a dozen years ago - compelling him to investigate their spawning ground and spin his addictive, gilded-thread story webs. <br /><br />The French statesman <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">George Clemenceau</a> observed that, “America is the only nation in history which, miraculously, has gone directly from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilization.” In the late 19th and early 20th century, many highly pedigreed British families may have agreed with Clemenceau’s assessment but held their noses and took the new, before-the-ink-was-dry money for their titles. It will be a blast to see where Julian goes with it. I hope it encourages you to dig around on your own... it's an amazing time.<br /><br />Celebrating Gilded Age gives me an excuse to visit an eccentric American/Anglo connection very different from the one that bought British titles and saved ancient family piles from rack and ruin with infusions of massive amounts of nouveau riche American cash. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wwzyeJpkO9_OXBTFe_cn3rrrECPD6F3gNKy-TZUr0TY7K2C13lwzMWftmCKDI6lvZE48wx5xrxB_trsrOHs9DeUp8_jLDt_pBA8OQDdLyahNC2u404_oyPTGQtk-wZP8Cxwq4cgaRzVV/s1000/Duke_of_Marlborough_Family.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="733" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wwzyeJpkO9_OXBTFe_cn3rrrECPD6F3gNKy-TZUr0TY7K2C13lwzMWftmCKDI6lvZE48wx5xrxB_trsrOHs9DeUp8_jLDt_pBA8OQDdLyahNC2u404_oyPTGQtk-wZP8Cxwq4cgaRzVV/s320/Duke_of_Marlborough_Family.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">John Singer Sargent – Duke of Marlborough & Consuelo Vanderbilt 1905</span><br /><br />I’ve investigated a few American heiresses and the British aristocrats who benefited from their family’s largesse before, and have a passing familiarity with the landscape (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Here</a> and<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> Here</a>) Today, most of those “<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">dollar princesses</a> ” have been forgotten. For the most part, once-famous family names and the sources of their vast wealth have dissolved into the tarnished murk of history – Work (Wall Street), or Leiter (commerce and real estate) or Jerome (Finance) are only known to their descendants and a few history nerds. I’m going to go down a different, slightly less gilded, fork in that road. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam0p8SFn6Vxcz0c69BpEA-SRMh_azq59WX5AK47FTEwdiU72bslmIzMWuCQ4r8bTj22ppjP3GyemX45UggbqFPYQKNjEw8lBrynLRWXsKn8RuAxO0Evj0CWdxm5mzwIbtL0RK0uomj21j/s648/7997570abc02291d092c40f5d1e9a5a6.gif.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="420" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam0p8SFn6Vxcz0c69BpEA-SRMh_azq59WX5AK47FTEwdiU72bslmIzMWuCQ4r8bTj22ppjP3GyemX45UggbqFPYQKNjEw8lBrynLRWXsKn8RuAxO0Evj0CWdxm5mzwIbtL0RK0uomj21j/w176-h272/7997570abc02291d092c40f5d1e9a5a6.gif.jpeg" width="176" /></a><br /><br />A good friend has been pushing me to read about Gladys Deacon for years and I finally picked up the Hugo Vickers biography, <u>The Sphinx</u> (Vickers wrote the original biography in the 70s but went back and revised it a few years ago with new information and fewer objections from the now deceased characters – an opportunity few writers have). He was right, it was right up my alley and Gladys had quite a ride -- from minor heiress to Duchess. The quotes are all taken from Vickers’ book (links for all the books at the bottom).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqaxgkTXmUrYyTJmzEQ4H3d5WcTkmP3Cd9dqkL9_T7VKwZiYETDyiANqMMX9sLq3rYmcv8rY-_lZTGriLr6paFWBBVcTEhkJdmqbTRIru7cHHRZtHx0xqntGkWS0wm71tfqHb16iVoLZr/s876/046663c696c9d2f19014c91932c7f4e8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqaxgkTXmUrYyTJmzEQ4H3d5WcTkmP3Cd9dqkL9_T7VKwZiYETDyiANqMMX9sLq3rYmcv8rY-_lZTGriLr6paFWBBVcTEhkJdmqbTRIru7cHHRZtHx0xqntGkWS0wm71tfqHb16iVoLZr/s320/046663c696c9d2f19014c91932c7f4e8.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iKssLJJSwcktnKgxwW5BkWlFdIuFdlJlNtvubiCQGmR01xZ8lUZzLDdM7_2gZ2D3fgac8DsLyQIwsQH4cDkXRPSVRCkizRXyl435NkGPPWRwYcCqeelVj3mjnrread_FjCz74oQbyYF7/s258/gladys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iKssLJJSwcktnKgxwW5BkWlFdIuFdlJlNtvubiCQGmR01xZ8lUZzLDdM7_2gZ2D3fgac8DsLyQIwsQH4cDkXRPSVRCkizRXyl435NkGPPWRwYcCqeelVj3mjnrread_FjCz74oQbyYF7/s0/gladys.jpg" /></a></div><br />This American was not ridiculously rich - she was instead brilliant and beautiful. Gladys Deacon was to become the Duchess of Marlborough after <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Consuelo Vanderbilt</a> vacated the position. She was 40 by the time she became the duchess, although she had been the Duke of Marlborough - <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Charles Spencer-Churchill’s</a> on and off mistress for many years. <br /><div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM9lwTQFG4ewOYEWwFz7VF0vD5icPA2Bxm8PZjln1V3Qqq334bX2MWDLz9pwQJ8tfoSCqoG2r6Dfrx2Qig-79gtBL1keAQ2VOw3Lzvn8vYKZUaofJCRcmA78a3uDnwVVHccpCB4L34lYC/s586/consuelo+-boldini.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM9lwTQFG4ewOYEWwFz7VF0vD5icPA2Bxm8PZjln1V3Qqq334bX2MWDLz9pwQJ8tfoSCqoG2r6Dfrx2Qig-79gtBL1keAQ2VOw3Lzvn8vYKZUaofJCRcmA78a3uDnwVVHccpCB4L34lYC/s320/consuelo+-boldini.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"> Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough -Boldini</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBevFzwYDqRMN7L6nZ3bl25KZMmudV2oshYDSoj3Nnx2_9tl5a-s7SY6rzWoKcJkyonXJdBEt_ArvX1390wEiCRkd2M-YM7iKIljgGcIJPfIWkDHUhazxU_kGttEvbKRZvKu22Q4iyxYQ/s499/51GeLRTW9oL._SX324_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBevFzwYDqRMN7L6nZ3bl25KZMmudV2oshYDSoj3Nnx2_9tl5a-s7SY6rzWoKcJkyonXJdBEt_ArvX1390wEiCRkd2M-YM7iKIljgGcIJPfIWkDHUhazxU_kGttEvbKRZvKu22Q4iyxYQ/s320/51GeLRTW9oL._SX324_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><br /> Consuelo separated from the Duke in 1907. She disliked him, but waited to divorce him until she found a replacement –– and that took 14 years. Consuelo finally married a rich aviator – and wrote a popular book about her fabulous life – <u>The Glitter and the Gold</u>. It pilloried the Duke but a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">recently discovered letter</a> revealed that she lied about the multiple affairs she carried on during their marriage and neglected to mention the pained acquiescence of the Duke to those affairs. He was fully aware she was in love with another man when they married and at least one of his heirs wasn’t his child. He did it to rescue Blenheim. She did it because her mother forced her to do it.<div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39uFP1ROQEanqgWI8VSYBcrDn4s6Nx3_SdjX8-3MLTjUBlffL_3QhulERX2XaTTqDXXpL9AxzIKnsq3WBuTwHIYgTiKZ3YydFPC1ODgjrlPyyextHh38xX477nUBDEnB3Eu-UhzhZxgBD/s685/Charles_Richard_John_Spencer-Churchill_%25281871%25E2%2580%25931934%2529%252C_9th_Duke_of_Marlborough.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39uFP1ROQEanqgWI8VSYBcrDn4s6Nx3_SdjX8-3MLTjUBlffL_3QhulERX2XaTTqDXXpL9AxzIKnsq3WBuTwHIYgTiKZ3YydFPC1ODgjrlPyyextHh38xX477nUBDEnB3Eu-UhzhZxgBD/s320/Charles_Richard_John_Spencer-Churchill_%25281871%25E2%2580%25931934%2529%252C_9th_Duke_of_Marlborough.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL47Guj6t1QdeRQBcG80VEB79sRL2F3DuK92wBoEonmXiVARQceXvSGpfr4VS3Vmbx3ljHyOJSmuRI66k2iNZCuabb8UYUrVGcGiHyBccwNa8jYWWzzE65rY9j4rZ03uQaK1Mtj50n1BHa/s318/97663b389233de64ace253ebade7827d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL47Guj6t1QdeRQBcG80VEB79sRL2F3DuK92wBoEonmXiVARQceXvSGpfr4VS3Vmbx3ljHyOJSmuRI66k2iNZCuabb8UYUrVGcGiHyBccwNa8jYWWzzE65rY9j4rZ03uQaK1Mtj50n1BHa/s0/97663b389233de64ace253ebade7827d.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-ZCbEVFZiRFPtCYCYR4mPOVfenhA2Xrv-9yuVetrFi3CsmWiiAo9ys9DUUjoc153Sl8WQbONgCyGHFb84Wy3iChehhB9NCEgLu3gjMDnA7mx1Ait3J4QVdBwY5EQ_ESxoOGd4MScnbhK/s390/gladys+wedding+4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-ZCbEVFZiRFPtCYCYR4mPOVfenhA2Xrv-9yuVetrFi3CsmWiiAo9ys9DUUjoc153Sl8WQbONgCyGHFb84Wy3iChehhB9NCEgLu3gjMDnA7mx1Ait3J4QVdBwY5EQ_ESxoOGd4MScnbhK/s320/gladys+wedding+4.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxmz-wlInG7pAJGfA0XFci3w91oWExx56YbwLl5U1_5tSdZgxQZsVYJmT_sVGffjHmTgnH6YB_h6W2AsjeJezHWWhg7rM4FAds_1cYuM8Skjw7Z5x3wR6EZIVraFCeZO-fNm36zTqjA36/s253/gladys+wedding+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxmz-wlInG7pAJGfA0XFci3w91oWExx56YbwLl5U1_5tSdZgxQZsVYJmT_sVGffjHmTgnH6YB_h6W2AsjeJezHWWhg7rM4FAds_1cYuM8Skjw7Z5x3wR6EZIVraFCeZO-fNm36zTqjA36/s0/gladys+wedding+2.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqdYhyphenhyphens3gNwfcjjAj3veQzWghWfJLxswW7hSkbah1wc2vZH89_bWR8Sh0aW6AqPzKn7J2ZLpdc8hQLgvvWw_tWVLAt9euTB01LikDYJ2GN8GcapBL_axPxDN3zaFSfECvL-gLU6aeM_eo/s620/gladys+wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqdYhyphenhyphens3gNwfcjjAj3veQzWghWfJLxswW7hSkbah1wc2vZH89_bWR8Sh0aW6AqPzKn7J2ZLpdc8hQLgvvWw_tWVLAt9euTB01LikDYJ2GN8GcapBL_axPxDN3zaFSfECvL-gLU6aeM_eo/s320/gladys+wedding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">Gladys and her Duke (you can see them on film </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="text-align: left;">HERE</a><span style="text-align: left;">)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>Remaining married hadn’t been a requirement to keeping the marriage purse – the Vanderbilt fortune had rescued the Duke’s crumbling kingdom with an obscenely large dowry that included yearly payments no matter what happened to the Vanderbilt union. His family’s palace was secure, so his marriage to Gladys was for love and/or attraction. She had come into his life in 1901 and bewitched both the Duke and the Duchess. Sadly, it wasn’t happily-ever-after when the long-awaited marriage finally came to pass in 1921. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2EJcSKGipI4_zek0Gsu6zDqq7EAB7kaJkedCOu3qsF3d2-pztCjWbdrLN_5mU6kjwfdESz0uOKey3AphLroK7QEVIySVgfoOeoKuEkFoREGNmyLbisZjj67mOJ0tmlbCMMmVSMxVTFw-/s600/gladys.helleu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2EJcSKGipI4_zek0Gsu6zDqq7EAB7kaJkedCOu3qsF3d2-pztCjWbdrLN_5mU6kjwfdESz0uOKey3AphLroK7QEVIySVgfoOeoKuEkFoREGNmyLbisZjj67mOJ0tmlbCMMmVSMxVTFw-/s320/gladys.helleu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Helleu drawing</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Before that marriage, Gladys had enjoyed a very rich and interesting life. In a way, once she had achieved what had been foretold by a fortune teller when she was a child, it was downhill from there – it had literally been her life’s ambition. The means to fulfill the prophecy came soon after. “In October 1895, when she was fourteen, Gladys spotted an item in the newspapers that changed her life. She wrote to her mother: I suppose you have read about the engagement of the Duke of Marlborough. O dear me if I was only a little older I might ‘catch’ him yet! But Hélas! I am too young though mature in the ways of women’s witchcraft and what is the use of the one without the other? And I will have to give up all chance to ever get Marlborough.”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaB4G-YtaKjuh7XYlbP8V8evjoWMvLw-VbXK24iLqMXSYXKRrzDCHLdeNl6ZY6nNQ28hkkZTtiFiOVmQjizgUTeQ4cK3OhQ6bXX8vdfh1Xs18m7X1L1Uc44fM9NpxIDZtr06wQByC_kvPV/s1390/florence+baldwin+boldini+1906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="1014" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaB4G-YtaKjuh7XYlbP8V8evjoWMvLw-VbXK24iLqMXSYXKRrzDCHLdeNl6ZY6nNQ28hkkZTtiFiOVmQjizgUTeQ4cK3OhQ6bXX8vdfh1Xs18m7X1L1Uc44fM9NpxIDZtr06wQByC_kvPV/s320/florence+baldwin+boldini+1906.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Florence Baldwin Deacon, Boldini</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhK7SSHYWC-MGCo1VmKpo3G_o0utixrWthLCt-82aLg-OONiN0IBq2OQZUQnI6kZmR8VJIFMSRWctTWKl7LHoKPsSSfTDaLOlTBo0hBaHJn9BMjXnuEFfyPmvsjq3lPPjBUslqr2932zt/s1250/boldini+florence.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhK7SSHYWC-MGCo1VmKpo3G_o0utixrWthLCt-82aLg-OONiN0IBq2OQZUQnI6kZmR8VJIFMSRWctTWKl7LHoKPsSSfTDaLOlTBo0hBaHJn9BMjXnuEFfyPmvsjq3lPPjBUslqr2932zt/s320/boldini+florence.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Florence Baldwin Deacon, Boldini</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOSIBJnHIGsoJqRc2DhSMhCG9oyHAz4NlZ7ei-7yE0CeSxGkYTpFhTKdTHVHKrXXOAlkVn_fmhyZf-lbciUF7Cj31wRkUJYNYNiTW1iNDe2BMIKkfY4w1Fgquu-AWK-t77Ua9Uszvxd87/s1080/88e5a53404dbe0d0e988a85aa0743a1d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOSIBJnHIGsoJqRc2DhSMhCG9oyHAz4NlZ7ei-7yE0CeSxGkYTpFhTKdTHVHKrXXOAlkVn_fmhyZf-lbciUF7Cj31wRkUJYNYNiTW1iNDe2BMIKkfY4w1Fgquu-AWK-t77Ua9Uszvxd87/s320/88e5a53404dbe0d0e988a85aa0743a1d.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Florence Baldwin Deacon</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGqfCX1TBHH8Tkl2SXuMRIBLRbWlx13PXNkW9bvBGW-BfjMbPif-rdDSdq7L-1LneQEPP1SH1Mj9N2J7Lt_9r4Wpm1wbB1aLcplexwtcN7EzAsGdeC56sv_VnhoI_MXvPD38CNzk5YT5O/s653/gladys+child.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="643" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGqfCX1TBHH8Tkl2SXuMRIBLRbWlx13PXNkW9bvBGW-BfjMbPif-rdDSdq7L-1LneQEPP1SH1Mj9N2J7Lt_9r4Wpm1wbB1aLcplexwtcN7EzAsGdeC56sv_VnhoI_MXvPD38CNzk5YT5O/s320/gladys+child.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Young Gladys </span></span></div><div><br /></div>Gladys Deacon was born in 1881 in Paris to Edward Deacon and his wife, the former Florence Baldwin. Gladys was a supernally attractive creature with gigantic turquoise eyes and a lightning intellect - she spoke 5 languages and was fascinatingly conversant in art, music, history and literature. Consuelo Vanderbilt described her as, “… a beautiful girl endowed with a brilliant intellect. Possessed of exceptional powers of conversation, she could enlarge on any subject in an interesting and amusing manner.” Gladys knew EVERYONE ~ and mingled with the brilliant minds and talents of her day from an early age when her mother moved her around France, Italy and England. Nearly everyone that met her was bewitched – at least for a while. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7-llTRNe30nPBPQQZ3S3dJG7M8G2wIDUSrHZRvkukCUw_59CPF-CrDtORxkpKASdbmLl_4qSRxsoTq20i98wpRF_HOIeCG45W9mjpRdUBSvxj2v9_tHTdqdqVR1QFqNmi2EKnMmmTTIa/s1688/1918+boldini+drawing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1688" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7-llTRNe30nPBPQQZ3S3dJG7M8G2wIDUSrHZRvkukCUw_59CPF-CrDtORxkpKASdbmLl_4qSRxsoTq20i98wpRF_HOIeCG45W9mjpRdUBSvxj2v9_tHTdqdqVR1QFqNmi2EKnMmmTTIa/s320/1918+boldini+drawing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1918 Boldini Drawings of Gladys</span><br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Proust">Marcel Proust</a> wrote of her: "I never saw a girl with such beauty, such magnificent intelligence, such goodness and charm.” This was not a pretty vapid doll. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtegIZoIrgUxinywUgZx39xjzYUse3hb3NR6HjrRopXPdeqqxKTsxqTT01btQct_orOqDRk8S7zmFVQGe2vGeYgn8tFBcVkK-DFyhU3y0kaaFYPsHsraLePV_EZrmzYqarF4bU6NtRd8F/s1024/walter+berry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtegIZoIrgUxinywUgZx39xjzYUse3hb3NR6HjrRopXPdeqqxKTsxqTT01btQct_orOqDRk8S7zmFVQGe2vGeYgn8tFBcVkK-DFyhU3y0kaaFYPsHsraLePV_EZrmzYqarF4bU6NtRd8F/s320/walter+berry.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Walter Van Rensselaer Berry</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLesiTV6yrTQ_tLgyjhC4gkPlvy_SVxBz7NhbqyxLwHpbPAqSXlXfVes3zluZ0BlOmGR3cToMhSvzI5QVMP-bgArOR6lU4tEz7o0YHN7cbJm1h8sRatDBPDCvES2MrJrCj40ND-99PjcMS/s446/bernard-berenson-dae8c15f-beb9-4ca1-a5e2-afc904a84bf-resize-750.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLesiTV6yrTQ_tLgyjhC4gkPlvy_SVxBz7NhbqyxLwHpbPAqSXlXfVes3zluZ0BlOmGR3cToMhSvzI5QVMP-bgArOR6lU4tEz7o0YHN7cbJm1h8sRatDBPDCvES2MrJrCj40ND-99PjcMS/s320/bernard-berenson-dae8c15f-beb9-4ca1-a5e2-afc904a84bf-resize-750.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bernard Berenson</span> </span></div><div><br /></div>Among her closest friends were art historian <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Bernard Berenson</a> and statesman, art collector, litterateur and Edith Wharton’s great love, the tall and elegant <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Walter Berry</a> . <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivug4UypS4FNxRL_9uT3WxxCpUw-kv-YMJxydvmVtyyUeJs_nF9SyAIwd2udTHYWOkzibFwHzxyctCYpRKWrrKN_TctI8pT3Zx1pbZ2xud1kXZSTeAeRttEuswGuWeImrOnTMv0pQfG3lY/s512/villa+i+tatti.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivug4UypS4FNxRL_9uT3WxxCpUw-kv-YMJxydvmVtyyUeJs_nF9SyAIwd2udTHYWOkzibFwHzxyctCYpRKWrrKN_TctI8pT3Zx1pbZ2xud1kXZSTeAeRttEuswGuWeImrOnTMv0pQfG3lY/s320/villa+i+tatti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bernard Berenson at <i>Villa I Tatti</i> (he lived there for 60 years – until his death in 1959)</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1DcZDJg96dina8-IYNweZzxGUjbej9IrqH1KZaxVXGUYPkQwMvu5P6OG65tqdaEBTWHFGwZznR6c1i3do5jvXxggxuXVl-H4LUq_EYEgzZcsjb-Usi5PUe7EJDa6uxGkAa9-vmRLgkx2/s1500/on_the_future_of_i_tatti_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1DcZDJg96dina8-IYNweZzxGUjbej9IrqH1KZaxVXGUYPkQwMvu5P6OG65tqdaEBTWHFGwZznR6c1i3do5jvXxggxuXVl-H4LUq_EYEgzZcsjb-Usi5PUe7EJDa6uxGkAa9-vmRLgkx2/s320/on_the_future_of_i_tatti_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Villa I Tatti</i></span></div><div><br /></div>She felt very much at home at Berenson’s celebrated <i>Villa I Tatti</i> near Florence where an empyreal collection of intellectuals and artists of the age congregated. The teenaged Gladys was very fond of “Bibbins” and although he married someone else, he was in love with her. “At one point Gladys sent Berenson a thistle from Paris as ‘a tiny souvenir of my pleasant character’. She explained: ‘I fear alas that even the thistle is not enough to adequately express my prickly disposition. But search and you will find that within the spiky exterior there lies a heart capable of feelings of fondness and serenity.’ “When Gladys was in Paris, she missed him and longed to see him. ‘You are not a person to me,’ she declared, ‘you are a burst of soul and spirit.’ ”. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8wH5uxjsrtOlEb54LhELYU1nQenqZVQqUsKDuy05O3G5EfzpNd1ldgyulNhQre2okMqiuwu-I2JvpQLA-0ZZYX-r-prHmY4ywb15DpaVphhlDdPeX2SjoyQUgpztK9hfuRMYZbqF9YaR/s697/the-hamadryad-emile-bin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8wH5uxjsrtOlEb54LhELYU1nQenqZVQqUsKDuy05O3G5EfzpNd1ldgyulNhQre2okMqiuwu-I2JvpQLA-0ZZYX-r-prHmY4ywb15DpaVphhlDdPeX2SjoyQUgpztK9hfuRMYZbqF9YaR/s320/the-hamadryad-emile-bin.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hamadryad, Emile Bin</span><br /><br />She shared a dream of being a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Hamadryad </a> in a letter to Berenson – a term that had been used to describe her, “I wish I could die so as to be buried in the earth and return in the shape of a beautiful tree with a slender and glorious silhouette, or rather to emerge from its branch as a delicate and beautiful flower which, no sooner picked, would wilt in order to return the next year more beautiful still. Why can’t it be so?” This desire for perfection was to mar her beauty - there was a small dip in her nearly perfect Grecian profile and she tried an early plastic surgery treatment - injecting the dip with paraffin. Over the years it slowly leaked over her face causing red streaks and lumps which she disguised with makeup. It could be helped but never properly removed. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHDTIsDkrZxCJgr1tShdM0xu0hqurVm-YNYbULn8Bq9bQWY2lG39ctWSuhLAMa8F_LDf2-Ljj7XRinJsBLPvuZALC9x0UjvAQI0sQHros1RWGdhXGeZwJr8EfvcWT9L4prpmDJ3scyjxK/s450/1cb7d46737c615f99c37dad62db02364.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHDTIsDkrZxCJgr1tShdM0xu0hqurVm-YNYbULn8Bq9bQWY2lG39ctWSuhLAMa8F_LDf2-Ljj7XRinJsBLPvuZALC9x0UjvAQI0sQHros1RWGdhXGeZwJr8EfvcWT9L4prpmDJ3scyjxK/s320/1cb7d46737c615f99c37dad62db02364.jpg" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Berenson and his wife Mary</span><br /><br /></div><div>Bernard’s wife, Mary, made many sharp observations of young Gladys in letters, “…she is perfectly natural, and is a frightening mixture of extreme youth and very dangerous womanhood.” and, “Suddenly Gladys came . . . and she has been filling our time & thoughts. She is radiant and sphinx-like. Strange likenesses to her mother flit across her face. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Placci </a> has come to adore. She has been marvellous. Mary also wrote of her in her diary. “A wonderful creature, but too young to talk to as an equal, and so much of a born actress to take quite seriously. But so beautiful, so graceful, so changeful in a hundred moods, so brilliant that it is enough to turn anybody’s head. Part of her mysteriousness comes from her being, as it were, sexless. She has never changed physically from a child to a woman, and her doctor said she probably never will. She calls herself a ‘hermaphrodite’, but she isn’t that. Brought up by a mamma who thinks of nothing but Dress & Sex, her mind plays around all the problems of sex in a most alarming manner with an audacity and outspokenness that make your hair stand on end. She is positively impish. But she has never felt anything, so she dares. Her defects are bad form – for she is distinctly in bad form – and lying; but as Bernhard says, she is so wonderful she can afford the first, and she may outgrow the second.” She didn't.<br /><br />Sadly, she never saw Berenson again after a chance carriage meeting after WWI. After that meeting, Berenson wrote, “I decided to stop seeing Gladys Deacon when I convinced myself that in human relationships she offered nothing but an offensive arbitrariness pursuing people in a flattering and ensnaring fashion only so as to be able to break off with them noisily when the fancy struck her.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaZrYs_beMFOTnaL3pbaORDTBy7zrCr8xHQhuZJtKXAtYh8FyOpfn2aRWhd1ee2OaOevTTCfwwx1UuRsCxccOAxTtz0VtFCmYACpgrbcGtundg7LJWp0ru1d3e7CySa7ojxf2FmW2AwoB/s1024/Greffulhe_comtesse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="606" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaZrYs_beMFOTnaL3pbaORDTBy7zrCr8xHQhuZJtKXAtYh8FyOpfn2aRWhd1ee2OaOevTTCfwwx1UuRsCxccOAxTtz0VtFCmYACpgrbcGtundg7LJWp0ru1d3e7CySa7ojxf2FmW2AwoB/s320/Greffulhe_comtesse.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Comtess de Greffulhe</span><br /><br />She had female friends, but the relationships were often fraught. She was prickly and dropped and was dropped by many – she could be infuriating. The inspiration for Proust’s Duchesse de Guermantes, the inimitable and diabolically elegant <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Comtess de Greffulhe</a> was considering taking her under her wing, but first had her investigated to see what made her tick. “Dr Henri Favre, an astrologer and alchemist (a friend of George Sand and Alexandre Dumas fils. then aged eighty), found her deceptive, capable of moving others to sympathy with her eyes, and prepared to go to prolonged lengths to obtain what she wanted. He found her detached and thought she had never loved anyone. He suggested that she had the habit of doing malicious things, and a completely black spirit, the hands of a reptile with a long lifeline, revolving around instinct, a sensual mouth, a ‘voluntary’ chin, and seraphic eyes, and that her stated mission was: ‘I want to dominate, I want to drive, I dominate. I don’t care.’ She had no strong moral current. The handwriting analyst detected singularity of spirit, anxiety in her allure and in the manifestations of her mental state, both mysterious and cryptic. There was stability of thought, with both the need to express herself and equally to hold herself in. She had a feminine spirit, without the least masculinity in her instinct. She wanted to elevate herself in life, but lacked the necessary drive, so she tended to retreat into vague spaces. She sought grandeur without the means to obtain it.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinecv45RZMdU8Vl61avy6omlirGMh4fsDJ_1cm7xvuaNgSLHDO4sAAlp3kwCMurF98JXzV0iWWGClku_NAeq8jn87n-EZoprWibj4O1XL_f8FTu8lrMUuGk8qIH6T71Z_c1kEe_vMbCG-U/s1124/800px-Montesquiou%252C_Robert_de_-_Boldini.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinecv45RZMdU8Vl61avy6omlirGMh4fsDJ_1cm7xvuaNgSLHDO4sAAlp3kwCMurF98JXzV0iWWGClku_NAeq8jn87n-EZoprWibj4O1XL_f8FTu8lrMUuGk8qIH6T71Z_c1kEe_vMbCG-U/s320/800px-Montesquiou%252C_Robert_de_-_Boldini.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Comte Robert de Montesquiou by Boldini</span><br /><br />The Comtesse’s cousin, Robert de Montesquiou was the inspiration for Proust’s Baron Charlus in <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Remembrance of Things Past</a> and Huysmans’ des Esseintes in <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Against the Grain</a>. He was enchanted by the young Gladys and drew her into his perfumed orbit, “The count was no less impressed by Gladys, nicknaming her ‘The Marvel’. At dinner at one of his celebrated fêtes at Versailles he exclaimed: ‘And Gladys Deacon was truly beautiful. She had the absolute appearance of an archangel.’ ". They shared a love of ‘the externalized soul of Aubrey Beardsley’. He wrote a poem for her.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn6SusmoC-bZTSMVZ9ptffWq_ruaYaXJ18fqBnSt3JnDtoquZDJhwuBsNygwSFudnvVrYHxASoTJNwgSQe6uhaFFCzr1lsGuMB4UoqCVGLMfDsDvOFVl7F7nh0Q_CTqpDLkerKG_NX7Xq/s704/William%252C_German_Crown_Prince.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJn6SusmoC-bZTSMVZ9ptffWq_ruaYaXJ18fqBnSt3JnDtoquZDJhwuBsNygwSFudnvVrYHxASoTJNwgSQe6uhaFFCzr1lsGuMB4UoqCVGLMfDsDvOFVl7F7nh0Q_CTqpDLkerKG_NX7Xq/s320/William%252C_German_Crown_Prince.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Crown Prince Willhelm of Prussia</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_U2WfTbOgQ7FJ2jaNyD7uaD_iQYxgikEDz41Ked0BxaIU2N9AC-90NksmaePzElfDo4UlqCGZOqO2bUGByT_0hrpR8KHi1ugrE3LgOH0fQy2gPaDE_qbUCDbNmBoJi9OyBbp9P5E8z-9z/s430/161022166_1460856253.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_U2WfTbOgQ7FJ2jaNyD7uaD_iQYxgikEDz41Ked0BxaIU2N9AC-90NksmaePzElfDo4UlqCGZOqO2bUGByT_0hrpR8KHi1ugrE3LgOH0fQy2gPaDE_qbUCDbNmBoJi9OyBbp9P5E8z-9z/s320/161022166_1460856253.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Lily de Clermont-Tonnerre</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrWktZ9MhdYjLYc0Rw4S-tud69zcnsNImfsMOh-LfCdHjtfZdLW7Tgg-fXejIztWS8dcv5SyypwSVf9f6jIHfstULftZB1KhXVC4ehmWjBZyc1RrTBzKmcBUzn5EgP4Has-zpAsvEPFZu/s864/lim9788870967746_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="609" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrWktZ9MhdYjLYc0Rw4S-tud69zcnsNImfsMOh-LfCdHjtfZdLW7Tgg-fXejIztWS8dcv5SyypwSVf9f6jIHfstULftZB1KhXVC4ehmWjBZyc1RrTBzKmcBUzn5EgP4Has-zpAsvEPFZu/s320/lim9788870967746_1.jpg" /></a></div><div>There were many men that she drew in and then tossed aside, among them, the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Duke of Connaught</a>, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Robert Trevelyan </a> – who was particularly addled for love of her, Berenson and Berry, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia</a>, a middle-European philosopher <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Hermann von Keyserling</a>, composer and Prince, <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roffredo_Caetani">Roffredo Caetani</a> and a few women along the way (like <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Lily de Clermont-Tonnerre</a> ).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPDJ7FXIl5aMGbmG8YYqnH-02pad-yTd31kB5s28JGosP-LPVPGC0JHCB4IHWze3X4BkJNZrLmz-Yx-P1tkuSQ_YNjVYqQvezIqpiUFdC5zzp4nIknkTJS-HsczZ-sjtK_-ki2fpo-Mfo/s600/postcards202006200317_600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPDJ7FXIl5aMGbmG8YYqnH-02pad-yTd31kB5s28JGosP-LPVPGC0JHCB4IHWze3X4BkJNZrLmz-Yx-P1tkuSQ_YNjVYqQvezIqpiUFdC5zzp4nIknkTJS-HsczZ-sjtK_-ki2fpo-Mfo/w400-h280/postcards202006200317_600.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Villa Farnese, Caprarola built by Vignola in 1547 – NW of Rome</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GZ8K5U_0Sb2hjmqt2nwdbBK7_D5pHE3jhwmsx0ZZifoTNi-BfU6j_7o9UI_w5LVnjMMl7Hwtj1RzLT7_cTZbw8cYJBwgCJ0UzhK-UbQiKBRglk66UP1_9d7n09XRNQrzZ14_ZPkwdcBg/s300/Alfonso_Doria_Pamphili.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="222" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GZ8K5U_0Sb2hjmqt2nwdbBK7_D5pHE3jhwmsx0ZZifoTNi-BfU6j_7o9UI_w5LVnjMMl7Hwtj1RzLT7_cTZbw8cYJBwgCJ0UzhK-UbQiKBRglk66UP1_9d7n09XRNQrzZ14_ZPkwdcBg/w148-h200/Alfonso_Doria_Pamphili.gif" width="148" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Prince Alfonso Doria</span></span></div><br />One of her favorite places was her mother’s house, Villa Farnese, Caprarola – belonging to her mother’s friend and lover, Prince Alfonso Doria. Although the Prince died in 1915, he gave Florence a lifelong lease for 5,000 lire a year for a palace. Gladys loved to escape there and spend time in the garden which her mother restored. It was a haven to be sure, but she wanted more.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GaIh1DXy9YNlJ6ls8sxiujzQLShNlwXky4MtNSfQ1fvOs8ufhH3RwO9H-95gOMLZhismUAKxfv0Gx9uA3r5xOK-jSMkBOqZ4IPDaddEEUSQtwpms0BKBQbuXIVxeAiQJybAsODChxddU/s480/blenheimpalace2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="480" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GaIh1DXy9YNlJ6ls8sxiujzQLShNlwXky4MtNSfQ1fvOs8ufhH3RwO9H-95gOMLZhismUAKxfv0Gx9uA3r5xOK-jSMkBOqZ4IPDaddEEUSQtwpms0BKBQbuXIVxeAiQJybAsODChxddU/w400-h184/blenheimpalace2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Blenheim Palace</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The quest to become the Duchess of Marlborough had obsessed Gladys for most of her life, but Blenheim Palace was her home for only 10 years (you can take a virtual tour <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">HERE </a>). It was her very own 187 room fairytale palace.</div><div><br />It took nearly 20 years (1705-22) to complete the baroque gem – the only non-royal house to hold that title. It was a gift from a grateful Queen to the 1st Duke for his service to the country at the 1704 battle of Blenheim. The amateur architect, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">John Vanbrugh</a> with the help of Wren’s former assistant, architect <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Nicholas Hawksmore</a> got the commission -- over the1st Duchess’s favored Christopher Wren. Vanbrugh and the Duchess warred relentlessly and Vanbrugh left after the first year. The Duchess hired cheaper labor (my great favorite master wood carver, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Grinling Gibbons</a>, would not work for the low rates).<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCAtWptVVvgfdE-RUXddQsuIbqOaPLWGBDiYHoQoVIJ6Ho2AyMFPnSnMc6j-aG80CMTtkjbIFNZ_J7DGr0jZ2olPM_Ve43PSuJSYiohrCQ7eceSvCBknJ2dfr2JO1CFqTIe92rmdby_a6/s439/Blenheim_PalaceDE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="439" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCAtWptVVvgfdE-RUXddQsuIbqOaPLWGBDiYHoQoVIJ6Ho2AyMFPnSnMc6j-aG80CMTtkjbIFNZ_J7DGr0jZ2olPM_Ve43PSuJSYiohrCQ7eceSvCBknJ2dfr2JO1CFqTIe92rmdby_a6/s320/Blenheim_PalaceDE.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />The legendary landscape architect, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Capability Brown</a> did the garden in 1764. The house had been designed to interact with the landscape views and Brown did a brilliant job.<br /><br />The family squandered their limited resources and by the 19th century – the house’s treasured masterpieces and libraries were being sold off to keep the huge enterprise afloat.<br /> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNniyggXyw-eyy6E1pgXVhl4nrSW3Xn-9SXyrPsWuyEWyGCnIwtlKk8WjandF2eSBypjbusL5CQukRypNILQncJbfMIyM3a-QIZzdJGatU2y39eAzfNjU241EZE44fZTIgYM-KMY8Ku5C0/s400/Gladys+Deacon+painted+eyes+at+Blenheim+PalaceNorth+Portico+Ceiling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNniyggXyw-eyy6E1pgXVhl4nrSW3Xn-9SXyrPsWuyEWyGCnIwtlKk8WjandF2eSBypjbusL5CQukRypNILQncJbfMIyM3a-QIZzdJGatU2y39eAzfNjU241EZE44fZTIgYM-KMY8Ku5C0/s320/Gladys+Deacon+painted+eyes+at+Blenheim+PalaceNorth+Portico+Ceiling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF99A9Zo7fPx146I3OxI3ki0JP4qBBVFG1L8B32Ws8oIJm6EJxONG1rXTegYZUM33OykIYKRT9jLSLqtvsLSHHt66b_85yIZ9VJUdMx_yjOKoQyL1Q8ialUvcIoJfMquJ5q8RtkxdJab7G/s1600/Gladys+Deacon+painted+eyes+at+Blenheim+Palace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF99A9Zo7fPx146I3OxI3ki0JP4qBBVFG1L8B32Ws8oIJm6EJxONG1rXTegYZUM33OykIYKRT9jLSLqtvsLSHHt66b_85yIZ9VJUdMx_yjOKoQyL1Q8ialUvcIoJfMquJ5q8RtkxdJab7G/s320/Gladys+Deacon+painted+eyes+at+Blenheim+Palace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>By the time Gladys came in 25 years later, the Vanderbilt fortune had righted the sinking ship and restored it to its former glory. Still, a few things were added during her tenancy there. Most notably, Colin Gills’s painting on the North Portico ceiling that was based on Gladys’ famous turquois eyes in 1928.<br /><br />The sphinxes created by W. Ward Willis were based on Gladys’ face and were installed in 1930. They still stand guard today.</div><div><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwZImuMbRZjK7YzLvcV-SDChoHqEKw_5ZjBiGilcEKW98HxTdh61ZgcafI275zxvrT-MH0Z3G4TISY5AwsvmrO_yEDRtloT_E3X9iB2gkdGUJukIntS9wrCUwTugIoiBxc897PGvvsaLG/s276/w425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwZImuMbRZjK7YzLvcV-SDChoHqEKw_5ZjBiGilcEKW98HxTdh61ZgcafI275zxvrT-MH0Z3G4TISY5AwsvmrO_yEDRtloT_E3X9iB2gkdGUJukIntS9wrCUwTugIoiBxc897PGvvsaLG/s0/w425.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">W. Ward Willis Sphinx at Blenheim</a> </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbPqHJKeOzbqEfn5LM2y7CR9_ZBCi8b6YKj9wbZBUOxLZmlxMQPyKA3uYb8ShCTWB0CeX58VBR3IuHd36v8I02ftqgr5JH4FGyMAPxXbb79N2ZcS6SnmWcBHzOzkr_g-7wxvEX1Jya8Im/s355/epstein_jacob.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbPqHJKeOzbqEfn5LM2y7CR9_ZBCi8b6YKj9wbZBUOxLZmlxMQPyKA3uYb8ShCTWB0CeX58VBR3IuHd36v8I02ftqgr5JH4FGyMAPxXbb79N2ZcS6SnmWcBHzOzkr_g-7wxvEX1Jya8Im/s320/epstein_jacob.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Joseph Epstein</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ29WjdYsMSML759wwfMyaSeDKlutCh1wwVLOYUaIK8gXilCcAWq01s8b44JOn35Hwm4qIsEEG5l_lqxwXrqaMB2yIsaxpsnCEHWvVR77TjCo6UKAewMzZsdrp3_k5QvHZLFWEYJ4K0Tr/s1024/duke+epstein.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ29WjdYsMSML759wwfMyaSeDKlutCh1wwVLOYUaIK8gXilCcAWq01s8b44JOn35Hwm4qIsEEG5l_lqxwXrqaMB2yIsaxpsnCEHWvVR77TjCo6UKAewMzZsdrp3_k5QvHZLFWEYJ4K0Tr/s320/duke+epstein.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Joseph Epstein bust of 9th Duke</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Gladys’ friend, the wild sculptor <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Joseph Epstein’s</a> statue of the duke is still on display.<br /><br />This wasn’t the happily-ever-after dream Gladys had imagined. Far from it. It would not be long before she and the Duke avoided one another -- their meetings crackled with hostility.<br /><br />He left Blenheim first and then kicked her out – he was incensed with the way she was handling her hobby - breeding Blenheim spaniels. She let them have their run of the palace and they were not housetrained. They ruined irreplaceable carpets and furnishings and the house smelled of dog waste which infuriated the Duke. She started waving a pistol around, threatening the Duke (her father and her father’s mother had both ended in a madhouse—it was in the blood).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHUwjcvu_KYdkXaXiRF7p0V7Y4FoucL2YrBZHfq5x1lOQrUSApMZEiZhQWpVXQSDbvaAFGT-2xu_JzpJg42tI3fzGd8zQ8cyRUDC9phaAUhRCCmyPh846m8Q13FZw0aP8bi1MtSjxS_XL/s1402/-methode-times-prod-web-bin-aff3dcc2-316d-11ea-b8ef-1301adfca080.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="1402" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEHUwjcvu_KYdkXaXiRF7p0V7Y4FoucL2YrBZHfq5x1lOQrUSApMZEiZhQWpVXQSDbvaAFGT-2xu_JzpJg42tI3fzGd8zQ8cyRUDC9phaAUhRCCmyPh846m8Q13FZw0aP8bi1MtSjxS_XL/s320/-methode-times-prod-web-bin-aff3dcc2-316d-11ea-b8ef-1301adfca080.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gladys with the Blenheim spaniels</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysiuHlwQMAWttYWDwrJbA1TrZOUO_kYp6Rsz-exwxIHV_US_3Vq2vHB8D-EvBwislQv7Op_LF8_8vNEcGfoAVyuyhHWuEtAgCG1bWLEXGxrvUZXpRr9DtanIj3S4yhjg6Z9bqN6-uy7Mz/s367/Blenheim_Spaniel_1903.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysiuHlwQMAWttYWDwrJbA1TrZOUO_kYp6Rsz-exwxIHV_US_3Vq2vHB8D-EvBwislQv7Op_LF8_8vNEcGfoAVyuyhHWuEtAgCG1bWLEXGxrvUZXpRr9DtanIj3S4yhjg6Z9bqN6-uy7Mz/s320/Blenheim_Spaniel_1903.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Blenheim spaniel</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Gladys decamped to their place in London and the spiteful Duke cut off all the services and forced her out. Although they never divorced, the Duke’s early death in 1934 saw an end to the interactions between the Spencer-Churchill’s and Gladys save for ugly wrangling for the return of artwork that had belonged to her before the marriage (many given to her by the artists). She got most of them back eventually. It was an ugly end to her childish dream of her life as the Duke's beloved. <br /><br />After Blenheim Palace and London, Gladys moved to a cottage and dispensed with all the trappings of rank. She eschewed any invasion of her privacy and so abjured the intrusion of servants – only allowing a lone handyman access when necessary and slowly cutting herself off from human contact. As the years passed she became more and more a recluse.<br /><br />Her dog-breeding partner, Mrs. Agnes “Cherry” Grylls, left and her friend Ethel Boileau died. Boileau “… was convinced that Gladys had taught her ‘the greatest of all values in life – that of detachment, that sure and certain core in oneself which lifts one above the chances and bitterness of life’. She prayed that the cruelty Gladys had suffered at Marlborough’s hands would never result in her losing that detachment.” That detachment did not save her. Her eccentricities were her undoing.<br /><br />In the end, her relatives had her committed to the famous <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">St Andrews Asylum</a> that catered to the rich, famous and titled. She remained there for 15 years, till her death in 1977 at the age of 96. A sad end to a remarkable life that was chronicled by the 23-year-old Vickers. Vickers pressed to be allowed to interview her for a book and slowly won her trust. Over many visits in the final years of her life, he found her to be very intelligent, of excellent memory and quite funny. Her madness only bubbled to the surface intermittently and harmlessly. She never should have been forced into an asylum. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmKBQ9GBlsy9mm6GbmhoUSvg8Y9sNe2vpefYcYkvsBMRRFvOk53yKOTBy-US-ajSftx1DJDxJU0PQaY-fa3btLDUAsip-X6vdjWsmg0nuTYijLktgGZ6vebGiLprN7l23FiETB9DdDEyc/s606/seely.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="410" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmKBQ9GBlsy9mm6GbmhoUSvg8Y9sNe2vpefYcYkvsBMRRFvOk53yKOTBy-US-ajSftx1DJDxJU0PQaY-fa3btLDUAsip-X6vdjWsmg0nuTYijLktgGZ6vebGiLprN7l23FiETB9DdDEyc/w186-h274/seely.jpg" width="186" /></a><br />So, what to eat? I discovered a remarkable book, <a href="https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=qn4EAAAAYAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA3" style="text-decoration: underline;">Mrs. Seely's 1902 Cook Book, A Manual of French and American Cookery, with Chapters on Domestic Servants, Their Rights and Duties and Many Other Details of Household </a><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;">Management</span> with recipes and detailed rules and regulations for servants in houses large and small - the type of houses Gladys had grown up with and was used to. The servants were forever cleaning, polishing, airing and repairing and an anathema to the elder Gladys (I imagine rejecting servants was one of the reasons she was committed).Given Gladys’ history, I can understand her desire to be on her own and to keep her house without a large retinue of staff. If you suffer at all from apantrophy/misanthropy as Gladys did as she got older – servants were stifling. I, on the other hand, found Seeley's scrupulously detailed list of servants and their duties fascinating (addressing such issues as <u>Liability of a Servant to discharge under Differing Circumstances</u> or<u> Penalty for forging a reference by self or Proxy</u>) and the recipes were marvelous. You will be able to check your next period show for downstairs accuracy!</div><div><br />I had a hard time deciding on what to make even after deciding I wanted to do a dessert (Gladys had something of a sugar addiction so it seemed only right). I finally settled on Apple Meringue. It’s absolutely beguiling with enough sugar to aggravate incipient diabetes but the blushing apple with cream and meringue and strawberry surprise inside is worth it. Not something to have regularly but a great excuse to be naughty.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9c-C67CjgngZBl1PhnIH68fHLoTVsj2t7ROZZ-t_NDkydMAUaUkOQtvCJJAnkNmHaPCrAE-IML_fezdIYf2pAN1Dn-rCa2ksp5k-WwlQuawM1vJDiQG9gQX-4zUupkWOYfcET_IEx3WB/s1010/apple+meringues.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9c-C67CjgngZBl1PhnIH68fHLoTVsj2t7ROZZ-t_NDkydMAUaUkOQtvCJJAnkNmHaPCrAE-IML_fezdIYf2pAN1Dn-rCa2ksp5k-WwlQuawM1vJDiQG9gQX-4zUupkWOYfcET_IEx3WB/s320/apple+meringues.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGXpB7CVjrKe5J7ZVSlT6jwDJvNpPjJPlKVorjIN6TJjIq22Qgx30T6mO5tSOvTZKXe15FO7egCDQPmq1yXPyXJawnMVhAu-AwdREwUHKZniqbrgJbeGY8AXoQeRQPd9spZ3gNApi15Q8/s1230/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="1090" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGXpB7CVjrKe5J7ZVSlT6jwDJvNpPjJPlKVorjIN6TJjIq22Qgx30T6mO5tSOvTZKXe15FO7egCDQPmq1yXPyXJawnMVhAu-AwdREwUHKZniqbrgJbeGY8AXoQeRQPd9spZ3gNApi15Q8/s320/Untitled.jpg" /></a><br /><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">APPLE MERIGUE</span></i><br /><br />4-6 crisp apples, cored and peeled<br />2 c water <br />1 c sugar <br />2 cloves <br />½ stick cinnamon, <br />dash of nutmeg<br /><br />2 egg whites<br />1 c sugar<br />2 T powdered sugar<br /><br />1 c of chopped strawberries<br />2 T rose jelly* or powdered sugar<br /><br />1c Cream, whipped to a stiff consistency<br /><br /> <br />Boil liquid and spices. Put on low, add the apples and simmer for 10 minutes on the bottom and then flip to top and simmer a few more—don’t over-cook because they need to stay together. Cool the apples and strain the syrup to use for another purpose.<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 275º<br /><br />Whip the whites to a stiff consistency and add the sugar slowly and then the powdered sugar.<br /><br />Placed the apples in a buttered dish.<br /><br />Combine the strawberries and jelly/sugar and stuff the apples with them.<br /><br />Cover the apples with a lid of meringue (put any additional meringue in a buttered dish if you have any left and cook to use for another dish – like a little Eton Mess)<br /><br />Bake the apples for about 30 minutes till crisp but not too colored. Remove from oven and cool.<br /><br />Flip the apples over so they sit on the meringue like a pillow and cover the top with whipped cream. Add sliced berries on top with a bit more of the rose jelly<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_QbL_uEKj33YDba0b-kWj96OSuVaGILsPtdbL2IlcOk1Aas1NgV6FifjF1rryyuyTMFx_fhPtyA7nASYUiD9vCnY0LSC8Sfl6OXZd_ROmMJyPV6e-5B5ZyDscGnlcuA7Wrob64r9sh3Y/s576/DSC_2055.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="576" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_QbL_uEKj33YDba0b-kWj96OSuVaGILsPtdbL2IlcOk1Aas1NgV6FifjF1rryyuyTMFx_fhPtyA7nASYUiD9vCnY0LSC8Sfl6OXZd_ROmMJyPV6e-5B5ZyDscGnlcuA7Wrob64r9sh3Y/w200-h174/DSC_2055.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br /><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">*ROSE JELLY*</span></i><br /><br />2 c water<br />3 c red damask rose petals with bitter white cuticle/base cut off with scissors (***use only roses that haven’t been sprayed)</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-AKVqO086nPcTPJEkIMr1zOwdajn5F7pcji40qA8wgX1lqK2yjySp9SV8jyrzbO4yJgHW0YNhuuJybOf2eLLWm8mP-Dzi1ULCJQ8smKvvRbC6b0uXeZWpPelmXaWmhpQkhOr2ENFJ7L0/s151/red-rose-petals-on-black-miguel-sobreira.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="151" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-AKVqO086nPcTPJEkIMr1zOwdajn5F7pcji40qA8wgX1lqK2yjySp9SV8jyrzbO4yJgHW0YNhuuJybOf2eLLWm8mP-Dzi1ULCJQ8smKvvRbC6b0uXeZWpPelmXaWmhpQkhOr2ENFJ7L0/w110-h97/red-rose-petals-on-black-miguel-sobreira.jpg" width="110" /></a></div><div>2 ½ c sugar<br />¼ c lemon juice<br />3 oz liquid pectin<br />A few drops <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Aftelier Rose </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">essence </a>or 1 T rosewater <br /><br />Boil the water and then add the rose petals and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Discard the petals pushing on the solids and add sugar and lemon and boil 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Add pectin and make sure to blend it thoroughly, boil another 3 minutes. Turn off heat and add the rose. Pour into sterilized jars (I used 3- ½ c jars and 2-1c)</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #99aadd; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="26" src="https://passets-cdn.pinterest.com/images/follow-on-pinterest-button.png" style="border: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 4px;" width="156" /></a></div><br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1444730991&asins=1444730991&linkId=2c246642d9771e359f9d06c6b32e819c&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B084WQ715L&asins=B084WQ715L&linkId=52f13b09b8cc8f264eff4363f540ed92&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div>Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-68261902444881813862021-04-12T15:57:00.007-07:002021-04-29T13:16:51.296-07:00Cabinets of Curiosity and Sussex Pond Pudding<div class="separator" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> </span></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhJWWQpt3G0YpqjOkUey0PWzmJ8Mtj4O2XHmmgIhwZQeE1m5VY3jbSdSxfwDXTqfMNtZbjwn06-Cyp0c9CTKdq7En4qbDhtctZs-nenbZq0rICVGEjJV5eSh72nWhfwGgg0TkDOG7-cuJ/s1024/Cornelius+Gijsbrechts+1630-75.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="830" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhJWWQpt3G0YpqjOkUey0PWzmJ8Mtj4O2XHmmgIhwZQeE1m5VY3jbSdSxfwDXTqfMNtZbjwn06-Cyp0c9CTKdq7En4qbDhtctZs-nenbZq0rICVGEjJV5eSh72nWhfwGgg0TkDOG7-cuJ/s320/Cornelius+Gijsbrechts+1630-75.webp" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Cornelius Gijsbrechts 1630-75</div></span><br />I guess it should come as no shock that a person who choreographs objects for a living might be drawn to the art of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_(art)"><i>Assemblage</i></a> - 3D collages, 2D representations of them AND their spectacular antecedents, Cabinets of Curiosity or<i> wunderkammer </i>(wonder rooms). I’m mad about Cabinets of Curiosity.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7Cb21GcCbPiOd3z2pTSy-0gctwTWoIIgkqneu-Mnb2Zj5-isZiEr96ZfTHqeH2sVrXjkm_GTFXtgML_omcqnGokl-AWDi1uS9-gfOMsLDZKYhfFEELceM22l1mCcOp05vV0MNDwv7On2/s1200/Frans+Francken+the+Younger%252C+Chamber+of+Art+and+Curiosities%252C+1636.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7Cb21GcCbPiOd3z2pTSy-0gctwTWoIIgkqneu-Mnb2Zj5-isZiEr96ZfTHqeH2sVrXjkm_GTFXtgML_omcqnGokl-AWDi1uS9-gfOMsLDZKYhfFEELceM22l1mCcOp05vV0MNDwv7On2/s320/Frans+Francken+the+Younger%252C+Chamber+of+Art+and+Curiosities%252C+1636.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;"> Frans Francken the Younger, Chamber of Art and Curiosities, 1636</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGl4XF7Vn_jzbF_Amme2qDPaKvcDTeQl8WaHGbY6F8WN5cfi3hxrSLUFkAT95MUZtd_28z1YxAzjHfjlpIk2sdwJOYojeWcfLUyqr2gg7O0Ux_HBmAgAyvWc9vhHGa0HG3TOzHm0EdeMM/s1075/philipp-hainhofer2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGl4XF7Vn_jzbF_Amme2qDPaKvcDTeQl8WaHGbY6F8WN5cfi3hxrSLUFkAT95MUZtd_28z1YxAzjHfjlpIk2sdwJOYojeWcfLUyqr2gg7O0Ux_HBmAgAyvWc9vhHGa0HG3TOzHm0EdeMM/s320/philipp-hainhofer2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Kunstschrank of Gustavus Adolphus, 1631, Ulrich Baumgartner cabinet maker</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVTPPN5ztK1Sy7TuX_pSio4LqSxPylCRzOwKo8p3mi-XNA9UIzDvJi8qotZtauAH5zHVy-XxAjZ6-N2d3RRt8udUQjqqqYvwy_QfZ2nB0V53KCjAPVhtqErCSfvKub-lt-BSiwWKV5mBK/s1200/Dresden+Gru%25CC%2588nes+Gewo%25CC%2588lbe+%2528The+Green+Vault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVTPPN5ztK1Sy7TuX_pSio4LqSxPylCRzOwKo8p3mi-XNA9UIzDvJi8qotZtauAH5zHVy-XxAjZ6-N2d3RRt8udUQjqqqYvwy_QfZ2nB0V53KCjAPVhtqErCSfvKub-lt-BSiwWKV5mBK/s320/Dresden+Gru%25CC%2588nes+Gewo%25CC%2588lbe+%2528The+Green+Vault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dresden Grünes Gewölbe (The Green Vault).</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs57Jfn_vf5oZ44_bvx2KPVvIDGmX7DjG_g_7IYl8_BULCdT9FP3y9eRSItoDOM7nR0OTzrT_vvHLCWoouQvg199CgGaN-CyjXhWlZgUzYxWOvl9tqO93aSGxY2dX9x_uCYPsZ3OMP9DE/s1666/1200px-Neues_Gru%25CC%2588nes_Gewo%25CC%2588lbe_Dresden_Kugellaufuhr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1666" data-original-width="985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs57Jfn_vf5oZ44_bvx2KPVvIDGmX7DjG_g_7IYl8_BULCdT9FP3y9eRSItoDOM7nR0OTzrT_vvHLCWoouQvg199CgGaN-CyjXhWlZgUzYxWOvl9tqO93aSGxY2dX9x_uCYPsZ3OMP9DE/s320/1200px-Neues_Gru%25CC%2588nes_Gewo%25CC%2588lbe_Dresden_Kugellaufuhr.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">treasures of Dresden Grünes Gewölbe (The Green Vault).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_x9qsJtowARGe7Eb2JvUd6vOIhffGF0flgQNRwy-3AmUPw1h8KyZjD4N_Mr78os4LIqxTp4J21yUhaLEuBUy2Kv_TnwOEBZiNUTCcsP33VGMToSiAeI7EcwjXO9qwuq_LNXLwabOR-IE-/s2048/staatliche-kunstsammlungen-dresden-residenzschloss-neues-gruenes-gewoelbe-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1084" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_x9qsJtowARGe7Eb2JvUd6vOIhffGF0flgQNRwy-3AmUPw1h8KyZjD4N_Mr78os4LIqxTp4J21yUhaLEuBUy2Kv_TnwOEBZiNUTCcsP33VGMToSiAeI7EcwjXO9qwuq_LNXLwabOR-IE-/s320/staatliche-kunstsammlungen-dresden-residenzschloss-neues-gruenes-gewoelbe-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">treasures of Dresden Grünes Gewölbe (The Green Vault).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgnQWO6Bok9fap75EA6QdUdwgV3jS6KkmnljoYVrMWr9c0r-Q4gGOVgWHE35cHg3AlzAZQgLMQG1dEwUSUPiQrUuhpdhkknvlqWOAvXSy2YyhGAEAlifvb-lg0hvGM4XqN4dJZ2VRfSr_/s334/dresden-grunes-gewolbe-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="249" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgnQWO6Bok9fap75EA6QdUdwgV3jS6KkmnljoYVrMWr9c0r-Q4gGOVgWHE35cHg3AlzAZQgLMQG1dEwUSUPiQrUuhpdhkknvlqWOAvXSy2YyhGAEAlifvb-lg0hvGM4XqN4dJZ2VRfSr_/w149-h200/dresden-grunes-gewolbe-1.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">treasures of Dresden Grünes Gewölbe (The Green Vault).</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div>What are they? They are, more often than not, an obsessive collection of antiquities, wonders of craftsmanship and materials or naturalia gathered from exotic locations and housed in cases known as<i> kunstschrank</i> (art cabinets) or displayed so that they covered nearly every inch of space on walls, floors and ceilings of curiosity rooms or <i>wunderkammer</i>). Although there were collections curated by scholars, scientists and apothecaries whose aim was to educate more than impress and thrill, many were assembled to show the world where the owner had been or make it clear that they had enough money to harvest the plunder of those who had done the exploring. The collections could really be anything that appealed to the collector.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjt8lBgQfivEUFFQm4xmvdqCVTxcHlmVwY8YbQdGWYRlMspgvtxYRYh6gEijcequljhQKDYiY1FoG99xFu_l3bkO2OG_Its7e5TycrzMpeuxNFzFv2pVUB7ecAXf3fMcBnEbHM7vU3ZlXe/s1200/B8TSmtKCAAANKD_.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjt8lBgQfivEUFFQm4xmvdqCVTxcHlmVwY8YbQdGWYRlMspgvtxYRYh6gEijcequljhQKDYiY1FoG99xFu_l3bkO2OG_Its7e5TycrzMpeuxNFzFv2pVUB7ecAXf3fMcBnEbHM7vU3ZlXe/s320/B8TSmtKCAAANKD_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjt8lBgQfivEUFFQm4xmvdqCVTxcHlmVwY8YbQdGWYRlMspgvtxYRYh6gEijcequljhQKDYiY1FoG99xFu_l3bkO2OG_Its7e5TycrzMpeuxNFzFv2pVUB7ecAXf3fMcBnEbHM7vU3ZlXe/s1200/B8TSmtKCAAANKD_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"> Allegory of Sight Jan Brueghel the Younger 1660</div></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfEZK90Gnh9zNQci0diXyL8uL7vF9wvyFY2QSYPeHDcrm1Qw7MmOVpYe8ZoogsxP1ONs3i28bOoMA4BUlP0qNRa5oFr7epNz9aat5Cglc-XiSr_1DCCjTEUAwSLjoPFEBgFa8CfZMMFY-/s640/8741121922_0c8b4b07e1_z.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><br />Painting and sculpture of the day were often arrayed with the collections to enhance the immersive viewing experience. Monsters were frequent attractions.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8OoTB3s9WhnNkWQWfI1y2f36lPMYraCJyFDAPvlMSYmuibdMIbC7Fwn_eXuMjBCcHup8sho62IJRvcVxDyCMokt4MyhwE1QVPySTHeaJoZT46BYb45x_I71U9mWsv-LWOtyTsuwU_sGS/s1992/aldrovandi1640-420_watermark.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1992" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8OoTB3s9WhnNkWQWfI1y2f36lPMYraCJyFDAPvlMSYmuibdMIbC7Fwn_eXuMjBCcHup8sho62IJRvcVxDyCMokt4MyhwE1QVPySTHeaJoZT46BYb45x_I71U9mWsv-LWOtyTsuwU_sGS/s320/aldrovandi1640-420_watermark.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOSDf9iCc6BINNH1ZUWj41_LxjjBA_CbxBvxWEuderhLhsiN0A_K01DWOvsDCntl3PBeabTipCZ8vyoLokPCfR0qEq30Qu2hmeFAVmathK6f_3ajklfHA3bWGSwuRJ8hgOQRbc33BcmH4/s1024/1024px-Aldrovandi-0369-636x1024.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOSDf9iCc6BINNH1ZUWj41_LxjjBA_CbxBvxWEuderhLhsiN0A_K01DWOvsDCntl3PBeabTipCZ8vyoLokPCfR0qEq30Qu2hmeFAVmathK6f_3ajklfHA3bWGSwuRJ8hgOQRbc33BcmH4/s320/1024px-Aldrovandi-0369-636x1024.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=AiDXDm-BJHcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">MONSTRORUM HISTORIA</a> from Aldrovandi 1642</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwypgvBkgQBeTJUvSgOAwNo3EYE1VaPhmthEHDkq4G3jWXdbg0ZeSOT1RzS0YGbd9d_V5w1_-wBo-__kAy8h7wHMZfQaT3ilIYMDbzIg-eVxXx1aV9HGS_wz3dYLgmpYRm2CDXVEa7ULq/s640/aldrovandis-cabinet-of-curiosities.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="640" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwypgvBkgQBeTJUvSgOAwNo3EYE1VaPhmthEHDkq4G3jWXdbg0ZeSOT1RzS0YGbd9d_V5w1_-wBo-__kAy8h7wHMZfQaT3ilIYMDbzIg-eVxXx1aV9HGS_wz3dYLgmpYRm2CDXVEa7ULq/w400-h263/aldrovandis-cabinet-of-curiosities.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) (father of natural history</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOitKeRY89UoWxmeLyAbT_xRZNhiMnuGGh3Jj5KWvT0byFFqc92zj1BVjEiJ2y8h89E5qZhr0rCLcMnO4MLdlSHsQVakB-bRo5JAAbxPEJeD-W53-uAfrPNG84TXJgGHquF7huQsxKHQ9g/s232/1534+inventory+st+denis.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOitKeRY89UoWxmeLyAbT_xRZNhiMnuGGh3Jj5KWvT0byFFqc92zj1BVjEiJ2y8h89E5qZhr0rCLcMnO4MLdlSHsQVakB-bRo5JAAbxPEJeD-W53-uAfrPNG84TXJgGHquF7huQsxKHQ9g/s0/1534+inventory+st+denis.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From the 1534 Inventory of St Denis</div><br /></div></span></div>Although the cabinets had their genesis in medieval displays of religious reliquaries (the Treasury of the abbey of St Denis had one of the largest collections of these in Europe), cabinets became popular in the 16th century as a way for imaginative collectors to entertain guests with tall tales and dramatic show-off & tell presentations. Their cabinets were their worlds to reveal, control and explain - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_mermaid">Fiji Mermaids</a> and all. The created mythology of the collections created a sense of order and logic in a world that was suddenly very large, very confusing and full of dark chasms of the unknown. </div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve had Patrick Mauriès’ fabulous book, <u>Cabinets of Curiosities</u> for 20 years. In it, he explored the collector's weakness for outré theories when he observed, “Cabinets were perpetually susceptible to the passion for finding analogies, a theme that belongs as much to the realm of magic as to that of aesthetics, and which haunts the history of the cult of curiosities from the beginning.” Items related to alchemy, botany, geology, archeology, paleontology, zoology and many other disciplines had places in the cabinets. They could show the collector had 'figured it out'.<br /><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfEZK90Gnh9zNQci0diXyL8uL7vF9wvyFY2QSYPeHDcrm1Qw7MmOVpYe8ZoogsxP1ONs3i28bOoMA4BUlP0qNRa5oFr7epNz9aat5Cglc-XiSr_1DCCjTEUAwSLjoPFEBgFa8CfZMMFY-/s640/8741121922_0c8b4b07e1_z.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="493" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfEZK90Gnh9zNQci0diXyL8uL7vF9wvyFY2QSYPeHDcrm1Qw7MmOVpYe8ZoogsxP1ONs3i28bOoMA4BUlP0qNRa5oFr7epNz9aat5Cglc-XiSr_1DCCjTEUAwSLjoPFEBgFa8CfZMMFY-/s320/8741121922_0c8b4b07e1_z.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tradescant crypt</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHJdvIdnlOklWxUWWLkg4QblaJZfQJ-zEKR8bYKgQXs5y-ViQzT68uqcGJpmEv3Tx3tNUbNOUn4XvcL4SwpxV_vDwBf7CrL6oSayuG2lR0YyuqQF1sP3b0ifa-WUFUiC_RQ929zKAtPKQ/s233/RaritiesTrad-small.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="150" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCHJdvIdnlOklWxUWWLkg4QblaJZfQJ-zEKR8bYKgQXs5y-ViQzT68uqcGJpmEv3Tx3tNUbNOUn4XvcL4SwpxV_vDwBf7CrL6oSayuG2lR0YyuqQF1sP3b0ifa-WUFUiC_RQ929zKAtPKQ/w150-h233/RaritiesTrad-small.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Catalogue of the <a href="https://archive.org/details/musaeumtradescan00trad/mode/2up">Tradescant Collection</a></span> </div><br />Some collections moved from private homes to public spaces to profit from the wonderment of an audience – most famously the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Tradescant Collection</a> . Their “Ark” opened to paying customers in 1634. It had been collected over many years by the Tradescants as gardeners for lordly estates who traveled to collect botanical wonders for their masters. Their collection became the basis for the collection at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Ashmolean Museum</a> at Oxford in 1683 after <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Elias Ashmole’s</a> shady dealings with Tradescant’s widow to gain control of their treasures. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52pRf7hyphenhyphenbHx31_pBI-M4FVEKb8KNkssTpgJUEvC7EwRWNCcvJvN5LYyE-MfUUjGojLEyXnhkzkjzLM2VssSG7JMiMHWESvZjUYQN9474rFYgBZ4cgesqZUzNocjFUcDCjpktBrswz9tsW/s960/Sir+Ashton+Lever%2527s+Museum%252C+Leicester+Square%252C+London%252C+1785.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52pRf7hyphenhyphenbHx31_pBI-M4FVEKb8KNkssTpgJUEvC7EwRWNCcvJvN5LYyE-MfUUjGojLEyXnhkzkjzLM2VssSG7JMiMHWESvZjUYQN9474rFYgBZ4cgesqZUzNocjFUcDCjpktBrswz9tsW/s320/Sir+Ashton+Lever%2527s+Museum%252C+Leicester+Square%252C+London%252C+1785.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"> Sir Ashton Lever's Leverian Museum, Leicester Square, London, 1785</div></span><br />Thankfully, some of these collections were immortalized in engravings and paintings since few of them remain as physical collections. Some artists employed the Trompe l’oeil technique of fooling the eye so the objects were incredibly realistic. Often wooden doors, curtains and backgrounds made the viewer do a double-take to realize that the whole thing they were looking at was two dimensional!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcptNUaMFzdhz8cm_0mFgu0VUMgaeZXZgDGm6pqF0L7xl2e6rOg26kH5FiBGLX_FQyG94dTEjqodhyphenhyphene1FhsUngCjzbJQ0PoOXr1cT0h7In87T2cxrnxSSckUxNv4R0jVEdgsU_qfCGYJZN/s1268/Cabinet_of_Curiosities_1690s_Domenico_Remps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1268" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcptNUaMFzdhz8cm_0mFgu0VUMgaeZXZgDGm6pqF0L7xl2e6rOg26kH5FiBGLX_FQyG94dTEjqodhyphenhyphene1FhsUngCjzbJQ0PoOXr1cT0h7In87T2cxrnxSSckUxNv4R0jVEdgsU_qfCGYJZN/w400-h295/Cabinet_of_Curiosities_1690s_Domenico_Remps.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Andrea Domenico Remps 1690</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOT1MrbTrTFYdMps4IMxIaHjlMLdQBM06hHbzK1HkTFxuh0iDBAJL1KEYXWgXRGPdD5k04OV06aMTHhkZa-8zuK9UP2A8XsBWrlMgksGXGysFAGX6bKKfP9q_cuX6BNhZtqhVH8KaiTLg/s583/remps+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOT1MrbTrTFYdMps4IMxIaHjlMLdQBM06hHbzK1HkTFxuh0iDBAJL1KEYXWgXRGPdD5k04OV06aMTHhkZa-8zuK9UP2A8XsBWrlMgksGXGysFAGX6bKKfP9q_cuX6BNhZtqhVH8KaiTLg/s320/remps+.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andrea Domenico Remps</span><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"> </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5cP_u5HIR1QSBa28CP9dr0odhlj3spTj2AQXhqjK1p7I6KWtwJUuUXzHs5djF7-SbeOCdi1EakXIo-x9rbpwcPrDueaaB1rt35DGF2LB5a4rZ_wNctnmBYEeXSnNQuUbSIpoMuhOgZNa/s750/remos.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5cP_u5HIR1QSBa28CP9dr0odhlj3spTj2AQXhqjK1p7I6KWtwJUuUXzHs5djF7-SbeOCdi1EakXIo-x9rbpwcPrDueaaB1rt35DGF2LB5a4rZ_wNctnmBYEeXSnNQuUbSIpoMuhOgZNa/s320/remos.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Andrea Domenico Remps </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupB_CqYpQqeD4TgzdhFSatUoYrhrrD1bYvBKDsglnrE0uXUD-gKUQd3KmyVjJLVUqUhUE6YB5k0Eg2NJDHKmt_yT_zvCK87_ghqaii81qPisnlKYOrw44E0z9cKQkivemmbbeDCY0QHqD/s470/andrea-domenico-remps-a-trompe-loeil-of-a-print-of-a-shepherd%252C-a-score-and-other-papers-on-a-board.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupB_CqYpQqeD4TgzdhFSatUoYrhrrD1bYvBKDsglnrE0uXUD-gKUQd3KmyVjJLVUqUhUE6YB5k0Eg2NJDHKmt_yT_zvCK87_ghqaii81qPisnlKYOrw44E0z9cKQkivemmbbeDCY0QHqD/s320/andrea-domenico-remps-a-trompe-loeil-of-a-print-of-a-shepherd%252C-a-score-and-other-papers-on-a-board.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Andrea Domenico Remps </span></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">In the 17th century, Andrea Domenico Remps was a master of the form. He excelled at painting imaginary collections or simple arrangements of objects attached to a memory-board of plain wood – 3D became 2 dimensional yet startlingly realistic trompe l’oeil. All of them tell a story.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDbxAOzzLcPnc_lEynJ_SR6qrN9GJMndBTyzqvu4Qbp4CPmejkoDVUVspUFykh4gaF_IqKDJv-4gvGU8El3I7fyPNd8Ys5x8I41isRILC0XgpN1yYjr4GqXSrVvdPbQIhKOYK-0-9dfmC/s600/mandolin-1914.jpg%2521Large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDbxAOzzLcPnc_lEynJ_SR6qrN9GJMndBTyzqvu4Qbp4CPmejkoDVUVspUFykh4gaF_IqKDJv-4gvGU8El3I7fyPNd8Ys5x8I41isRILC0XgpN1yYjr4GqXSrVvdPbQIhKOYK-0-9dfmC/s320/mandolin-1914.jpg%2521Large.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">picasso</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7-L8vZxOqLDz7Yo_zOLRBXlH1sZ3YphRdVcZPpgMZSlHWwLBQBVp7VzOG4yySaEFx1FywfVHUAoApWLVno_0_Rd6ogXvqyVDJ3_2QWhwxKcP8pSERsZMWvyOQeFNo-iYLHkmbxJGxZFB/s582/picasso+1914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7-L8vZxOqLDz7Yo_zOLRBXlH1sZ3YphRdVcZPpgMZSlHWwLBQBVp7VzOG4yySaEFx1FywfVHUAoApWLVno_0_Rd6ogXvqyVDJ3_2QWhwxKcP8pSERsZMWvyOQeFNo-iYLHkmbxJGxZFB/s320/picasso+1914.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Picasso</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The form has never really gone out of fashion for long. It was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and Picasso (among others) started working in the 20th century with <i>assemblage</i> around 1914 - choreographed objects in 3D (and 2D still lifes of them on canvases).</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93WopjD9-GuJodSuhPTC5lU9T5s6P9p_TS8BpPlFblYIDI8xvO6ch_YSnpCx8d_F5WC06ZctzC0uWKlvRAT0WI3q_2YVVvI0KjDnAhKRD_3Z8jJPnJM_egFKmgF0AfvjeSXlojyZTK7zn/s1268/RitrattoMuseoFerranteImperato.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93WopjD9-GuJodSuhPTC5lU9T5s6P9p_TS8BpPlFblYIDI8xvO6ch_YSnpCx8d_F5WC06ZctzC0uWKlvRAT0WI3q_2YVVvI0KjDnAhKRD_3Z8jJPnJM_egFKmgF0AfvjeSXlojyZTK7zn/s320/RitrattoMuseoFerranteImperato.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Ritratto Museo Ferrante Imperato, 1599 (he was an apothecary)</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yUm8lkkMdA4c4TuPgg6LkojaALmTMBdr5EScNflOxrqxQV9S7x7hQPu1zE5R65hzVjCQEX6YF6JdclceRK-09qhmaaFUrUvwEwk0Wrm86CFbN-zv0opL20bmlAFl2yaDlqqDCQpd_h69/s1024/erik+desmaziere+1998.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="1024" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yUm8lkkMdA4c4TuPgg6LkojaALmTMBdr5EScNflOxrqxQV9S7x7hQPu1zE5R65hzVjCQEX6YF6JdclceRK-09qhmaaFUrUvwEwk0Wrm86CFbN-zv0opL20bmlAFl2yaDlqqDCQpd_h69/w400-h210/erik+desmaziere+1998.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Erik Desmazières</span></div>In the 21st century, we have <a href="https://www.warnockfinearts.com/erik-desmazieres">Erik Desmazières</a> – a genius printmaker who creates engravings of imaginary cabinets to rival the antique examples.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXV5KkRfVVKX6QmjknrGxGLx7wm5KVhyphenhyphenJJKuJHqsMhHhcZ1L-MjqrKDZbxWj9zFjZ0TmLPKgJDKLBem2KAzJwK3W62m1rrVvUJRfSiHrGraNebDulaRE-o5SEU5ez6hDaRZQogEjWBR3S/s1019/fa17dcc6-1873-43d8-b65f-077bc97f2d6b-1402x2040.jpeg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXV5KkRfVVKX6QmjknrGxGLx7wm5KVhyphenhyphenJJKuJHqsMhHhcZ1L-MjqrKDZbxWj9zFjZ0TmLPKgJDKLBem2KAzJwK3W62m1rrVvUJRfSiHrGraNebDulaRE-o5SEU5ez6hDaRZQogEjWBR3S/s320/fa17dcc6-1873-43d8-b65f-077bc97f2d6b-1402x2040.jpeg.webp" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Joseph Cornell</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJy3jtXlB7MtNBaRSCC75TDqXoPDKn3mLfoCdnVyJ-e7wPGlqoSy3XiCD_zF4G07Mqh2_A4-n__yVYKw62S9QlrQGNi1ih6dNREtuXJT0lM5nD4ybojQFrIoX-HatIIYFtig8XV13VHxh/s400/josephcornell2.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJy3jtXlB7MtNBaRSCC75TDqXoPDKn3mLfoCdnVyJ-e7wPGlqoSy3XiCD_zF4G07Mqh2_A4-n__yVYKw62S9QlrQGNi1ih6dNREtuXJT0lM5nD4ybojQFrIoX-HatIIYFtig8XV13VHxh/s320/josephcornell2.jpg.webp" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Joseph Cornell with Garbo Box</span></div><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cornell">Joseph Cornell’s</a> magical boxes were my introduction to the art form. They captivated me many years ago and got me started making my own collections – having a highly developed magpie nature and an affection for objects was not a hindrance for accumulation and display. I love things and their stories.<br /><br />What are these collections, but, “receptacles for personal mythology”? They are memories – whether purchased from explorers or earned tokens and talismans of personal experience. They really run a parallel course to an important element of film design, don’t they? Asking and answering the questions, why do you have that and what does it signify to you? What do you want it to say to others? Do you hide it or show it off – did you get it for yourself alone or to impress others?<br /><br />One of the most famous film memory boxes from <u>To Kill a Mockingbird</u> came to mind this winter when I was researching for a film project – but some potent memory objects on film are not enclosed in a box (a classic car under a tarp in a garage - ROSEBUD).<br /><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> </span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmvW1cGIItZ2PHopDkcez8MKv-mdhY4QjHqBITyxzy3Y7N14y2LZChlFz1nILE4D4Jn8z433CnE5M_2GZt-msvR5g_meb8Gohc2_hd2w8c7-M30yDSzGuOJ2uGBEBtMUIhl2lle0ZgK92/s358/0e60bfe70d4266c3c4621af632e10a43.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmvW1cGIItZ2PHopDkcez8MKv-mdhY4QjHqBITyxzy3Y7N14y2LZChlFz1nILE4D4Jn8z433CnE5M_2GZt-msvR5g_meb8Gohc2_hd2w8c7-M30yDSzGuOJ2uGBEBtMUIhl2lle0ZgK92/s320/0e60bfe70d4266c3c4621af632e10a43.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s cigar box of treasures</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Yet what drove me to write about them at last was seeing a listing for a house for sale in Newport RI that’s full of murals by someone named Martin Battersby. His work is magical. I fell in love with the idea of memory boards and cabinets of curiosity all over again.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi3KvuUOLt0JhXxViQvIX7ibiW3hikJ9zxTuk-RlsN5ERfFGfc0ha4zurbRDhJKDJbna4Cnk33AwJTCBSoowTWb2a1YE-IUYSW5SBAX-GmsbVNJuS2EdHzixAmZLqXHxQGif9rj0vc3zM/s1062/IMG_5591-800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi3KvuUOLt0JhXxViQvIX7ibiW3hikJ9zxTuk-RlsN5ERfFGfc0ha4zurbRDhJKDJbna4Cnk33AwJTCBSoowTWb2a1YE-IUYSW5SBAX-GmsbVNJuS2EdHzixAmZLqXHxQGif9rj0vc3zM/s320/IMG_5591-800.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZVg29AybCURzj3h655uQ5S3J20gco4Ac3-_P6GmzfJpeq3Ris0ob2gO80nLZKc4rs2JO36KtY0DpYYrBZSN_ZJ5FKxDG4G65kRqTeFPGIUZ3u46pHU6IByO0rNRey5VitOqjCeO15R2I/s1101/IMG_5588-800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZVg29AybCURzj3h655uQ5S3J20gco4Ac3-_P6GmzfJpeq3Ris0ob2gO80nLZKc4rs2JO36KtY0DpYYrBZSN_ZJ5FKxDG4G65kRqTeFPGIUZ3u46pHU6IByO0rNRey5VitOqjCeO15R2I/s320/IMG_5588-800.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd-keT058IThlbBvAf_fj3f1zVT792mu8BaZ3GRFf88PCHGlb7jZ36RjlTrFGd7WvwIo_lcgwv3Batmmc0pcv1UHXu23HDtX9i-K4ezW8MfJeUd6c7hNnoBKaE5VdLyA27hnnvySV9syg/s768/c1cedc0a48bf5658e73fb66d0d002dff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd-keT058IThlbBvAf_fj3f1zVT792mu8BaZ3GRFf88PCHGlb7jZ36RjlTrFGd7WvwIo_lcgwv3Batmmc0pcv1UHXu23HDtX9i-K4ezW8MfJeUd6c7hNnoBKaE5VdLyA27hnnvySV9syg/s320/c1cedc0a48bf5658e73fb66d0d002dff.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IH9tTK1Y_BANeLFXMdc7dCjzuiljBIuhRCs2U7hD7MB6q34wie3mluEvHCqYTQd4Fr_GdGPy-STW2K1VYioKAK2ZBcvWLjUG3cP1tfztOncy8J8LRdOVyF8co40-QAcisZ7_SxbTQp4O/s1866/3+Battersby%2527s+Murals+of+Bois+Dore%25CC%2581%252C+Newport+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1866" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7IH9tTK1Y_BANeLFXMdc7dCjzuiljBIuhRCs2U7hD7MB6q34wie3mluEvHCqYTQd4Fr_GdGPy-STW2K1VYioKAK2ZBcvWLjUG3cP1tfztOncy8J8LRdOVyF8co40-QAcisZ7_SxbTQp4O/w400-h203/3+Battersby%2527s+Murals+of+Bois+Dore%25CC%2581%252C+Newport+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Bois Doré, Newport RI</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT49vEZse5uHE6t5DpsHpFviA8LGs5HBuPhVddFmds2TUzmx3NdZ9VJ7Qkdlf-8zHxIIgP6p15XhncIwKY5lP0NzJdkIiTd5MArYGOIN_G9WeDjZtkQlS2slNavlk-csE5CH8Jp1GzPOzs/s300/battersbyweb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT49vEZse5uHE6t5DpsHpFviA8LGs5HBuPhVddFmds2TUzmx3NdZ9VJ7Qkdlf-8zHxIIgP6p15XhncIwKY5lP0NzJdkIiTd5MArYGOIN_G9WeDjZtkQlS2slNavlk-csE5CH8Jp1GzPOzs/s0/battersbyweb.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Martin Battersby</span></div><br />Martin Battersby was an artist, decorator, set designer and former assistant of Cecil Beaton. He wrote books on Art Nouveau and Art Deco (I have had the Art Nouveau book since I was a kid!). He was a modern master of the style that Remps perfected and he created shadow boxes, memory boards and <i>trompe l’oeil</i> still lifes. He painted them for clients all over the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>To grace the Newport house’s dining room walls, Battersby conjured up a dozen notables of 17th and 18th century French culture from Voltaire to Madame de Pompadour. The imminent ladies and gentlemen's cartouches were accompanied by ephemera and witty representations of their accomplishments. </div><div><br />For <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Diana_Cooper ">Lady Diana Cooper</a>, Battersby created panels that reflected, somewhat ruefully, parts of her life. I wonder how much was her idea and how much was his interpretation of her spirit and times?<br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFO31S_n6ZmoxtiohL5-1Veqf34PrchqgTOqkLHCZYoIb-tSIAcje7SdWcWCT9xkieNxZq6MlIe0Tho0h-IYC5U8GEtA4W_Is5qhc-hn464n0LIa9Wrbaew2uWiqnKIQzSL64xQoL2XppU/s1430/martin-battersby-1914-1982-the-paris-embassy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="780" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFO31S_n6ZmoxtiohL5-1Veqf34PrchqgTOqkLHCZYoIb-tSIAcje7SdWcWCT9xkieNxZq6MlIe0Tho0h-IYC5U8GEtA4W_Is5qhc-hn464n0LIa9Wrbaew2uWiqnKIQzSL64xQoL2XppU/s320/martin-battersby-1914-1982-the-paris-embassy.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrLlAJ_zaX-GbWjaMoMlTpjhcvxhOJdVy1v-TuZT1qEPmsqrE4bBv6DOQpwbm4SHtDhulANRXk36gZx5XJydbcgjwZ0kTNE4JzmweEKckTPf72d147NZhspPSaLBHBNON-suH3uU6c-Gf/s841/martin-battersby-1914-1982-the-miracle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrLlAJ_zaX-GbWjaMoMlTpjhcvxhOJdVy1v-TuZT1qEPmsqrE4bBv6DOQpwbm4SHtDhulANRXk36gZx5XJydbcgjwZ0kTNE4JzmweEKckTPf72d147NZhspPSaLBHBNON-suH3uU6c-Gf/s320/martin-battersby-1914-1982-the-miracle.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiqtC0z_YStwYd_AqSPUMSFabZKxavgLVRKsVh6abeLdCaFysBKKqRQKtzXdvsUqFSbCyAx7DhZ-1ohas03bYhUxDBWWHWk_0MISbAIZL5E3Wmq6Cln6x5Y7AP7KzpNu5v_ivVYzuL0ou/s886/martin-battersby-1914-1982-the-admiralty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="380" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiqtC0z_YStwYd_AqSPUMSFabZKxavgLVRKsVh6abeLdCaFysBKKqRQKtzXdvsUqFSbCyAx7DhZ-1ohas03bYhUxDBWWHWk_0MISbAIZL5E3Wmq6Cln6x5Y7AP7KzpNu5v_ivVYzuL0ou/s320/martin-battersby-1914-1982-the-admiralty.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3S0lwRbBze5LNtDXXMl98QrK7KWmPuR8RZ5SAaDino5dO42aB-jOQAwOzPZ2MUTsQ4j8jK22LCjfv-76F0wn1TqONIQAGurAFh4CmzCBypMXF4BFTl-iAcQbDkwuZ9G3ZagzVhEp3VXj/s1478/martin+battersby+6+panels+duff+cooper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="618" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3S0lwRbBze5LNtDXXMl98QrK7KWmPuR8RZ5SAaDino5dO42aB-jOQAwOzPZ2MUTsQ4j8jK22LCjfv-76F0wn1TqONIQAGurAFh4CmzCBypMXF4BFTl-iAcQbDkwuZ9G3ZagzVhEp3VXj/s320/martin+battersby+6+panels+duff+cooper.jpg" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lady Diana Cooper Murals</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div>Like Cornell’s boards, Battersby sometimes played with cultural icons – capturing Brando with boots and chains from T<u>he Wild One</u> and Garbo with<u> Camille</u>’s camellias and playing cards. Playing cards seem to be rather an <i>Idée fixe</i> with the artist – they appear in many of his creations (lately, I seem to be drawn to watches, Daguerreotype frames and ancient adornments for some reason –– I can relate).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFPQvA2C1lwwQlmizUVsEFzi7hTTGo8p1EzzNFQUNvNYNTusSzTqcrrh7hXnA7ntuOJD0QUVacSMzr7FErnzirAaEnB2aNp0BLeqel2J2PrD-qHV3BMC2JDrvYFHPVC1_S4I3omN4x7gf/s338/3bd2e073-5954-4e44-8e9f-1f83c064bc99_338.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFPQvA2C1lwwQlmizUVsEFzi7hTTGo8p1EzzNFQUNvNYNTusSzTqcrrh7hXnA7ntuOJD0QUVacSMzr7FErnzirAaEnB2aNp0BLeqel2J2PrD-qHV3BMC2JDrvYFHPVC1_S4I3omN4x7gf/s320/3bd2e073-5954-4e44-8e9f-1f83c064bc99_338.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0jBKvg9PTB5LwY4xFmTq9HGrHNKhnQwbxnkJ-Zl77zjY2fVPrLsedCWgYw8qygrrtNDD1gHB9fdaJbRLYjIVSjUngQX2tSrfTZ4LjFSoLjahGK0G5azu71fONhQdD4tQmalaEtfgfpqm/s1572/garbo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExtoP_QCEro6MbNCuvJnCRAenaiaY_9N5SzimDYI7tYwXoPIvYBFNeLK6GDQPGH3C3BQb_7zFz01Noi7NC0jZqbkC9iqnKOMSM9lapRk5r9N5vme8rH0JNAiwh9zH3EZpdgy5F2NVKK3V/s624/es_brhm_bns_088_013a_624x544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExtoP_QCEro6MbNCuvJnCRAenaiaY_9N5SzimDYI7tYwXoPIvYBFNeLK6GDQPGH3C3BQb_7zFz01Noi7NC0jZqbkC9iqnKOMSM9lapRk5r9N5vme8rH0JNAiwh9zH3EZpdgy5F2NVKK3V/s320/es_brhm_bns_088_013a_624x544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEzk85kt8u9synJ6D0OsULdYZScaP5EkG8h6QglWPqm-VsRgpHeWMp0qfPsKYWNq_s7dV2cLigv9EWh-O-XJqh4dgABt_KJ08fK6nfZLatqGBxRZ0Pj98gWmi3nZ-9rvFFivjCh9AWfUr/s750/H0046-L00303235.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S5uITncSgJ0juJzZcUQvE4hl4mWVIQixruaps2m7GJ_rF38MNR9ZjgD5yVaYUWyo0eHnX-pQFcgQ-C68dfGEcg0a-JxCXD8yCiJGG7fc2ZCSnI7H3heibGpxaKGYEjOCBHcwODykeai0/s2048/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S5uITncSgJ0juJzZcUQvE4hl4mWVIQixruaps2m7GJ_rF38MNR9ZjgD5yVaYUWyo0eHnX-pQFcgQ-C68dfGEcg0a-JxCXD8yCiJGG7fc2ZCSnI7H3heibGpxaKGYEjOCBHcwODykeai0/s320/image.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Battersby appeals to me because he takes our human inclination to collect memories and injects it with dream imagery. A rather natural paring when you think about it – because memories and dreams exist in your mind – where they can frolic together and commingle effortlessly, rapturously or nightmarishly.<br /><br />When they meet – the creative mind can even over-write memory. A scent or a tune or a taste can draw you back to an event as if it just happened.<br /><br />What memory boxes, walls, refrigerator doors or mirror frames can afford you is a special place to arrange important personal objects. It can be a wormhole back to the time you harvested the memorabilia and give you that feeling you can get from re-reading a favorite book or seeing a favorite movie again after many years. It's nostalgia at it's best. You won’t be surprised when I tell you that I have a wall at my place – objects, pictures of places, people and animals that I hold dear. I love to look at it. I also have a leather phone chain decorated with medieval and Roman rings and fibula. I use it like prayer beads when the nearly constant parade of stupidity drops another mess on the world and repeat to myself “this too shall pass” like Dorothy’s “there’s no place like home” to calm me down with the feel of a 1000 years of old metal. I figure they've come through and so will I.<br /></div><div><br />Do you have a place for displaying things? Perhaps these cabinets and boards will inspire you to make something for yourself after this year of Covid and loss. Start over and treasure your time. Remember who you are.<br /><br />So, what to eat?? This post has covered a lot of ground so why not a recipe with its feet in multiple centuries that’s perfect for cool early spring meals. Sussex Pond Pudding. </div><div><br />The earliest reference to Sussex Pudding is in the 1672 in <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbc0001.2013pennell78367/?st=gallery">Queen-like Closet</a> by Hannah Woolley<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJkNavyuh_0ZI0DjyITL2xTWAqGFBaOB9SUlesx_50t9oiDwxS2Sk_sGILZe1uyzhPkkwc2xZzMN6Ad28HfnHJANYFUB_pdYA9Zywg_M76dmRIqNFLowNJiojTPPYRRIKvA_SfhK1HOIB/s568/the+queen-like+closet+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJkNavyuh_0ZI0DjyITL2xTWAqGFBaOB9SUlesx_50t9oiDwxS2Sk_sGILZe1uyzhPkkwc2xZzMN6Ad28HfnHJANYFUB_pdYA9Zywg_M76dmRIqNFLowNJiojTPPYRRIKvA_SfhK1HOIB/s320/the+queen-like+closet+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFJCQRr9igKX4EylfMwCm-QMUFniQNUtjJOJTkO0MeEazQpr-68f_IOjoBAc0yDsiatVldMdECAHeULh3aB6m-n9ZX-07gXx6W6nw9rft72wT805E6n_HwY5vxenFsSgC0p7WOsEoPAcX/s568/queen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFJCQRr9igKX4EylfMwCm-QMUFniQNUtjJOJTkO0MeEazQpr-68f_IOjoBAc0yDsiatVldMdECAHeULh3aB6m-n9ZX-07gXx6W6nw9rft72wT805E6n_HwY5vxenFsSgC0p7WOsEoPAcX/s320/queen.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />The recipe calls for a ball of dough to be stuffed with butter, tied in cloth and then boiled. It’s opened when done and rosewater and sugar poured into the buttery interior. Another option was to wrap a whole apple in the dough or fill the pastry mold with green gooseberries, cover and boil till done. Either way they were finished with rosewater and sugar poured into the contents. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nearly 300 years later, Jane Grigson came up with the inspired idea to fill it with a lemon and use suet in the crust like a classic boiled pudding. If you haven’t had enough richness with just the pudding – some like to serve it with Crème Anglaise. Vanilla ice cream would work in a pinch as well. . </div><div><br /></div><div>Sussex Pond Pudding is serious comfort food to soothe as you contemplate your memories – or make new ones. ENJOY!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t0eSvqSnBxrAzKaULHQ-u1LQfDs9KCIDlHd_SFTxhii38qhJXSb7yqjypn9PiABRtuXJmUZDzmAyCgcyDuFKnCBfqhKF4x5yT2DXVfhOJCHmHIP6MyJ4lbTuv_282dMA4uLh2_dXYh3K/s648/DSC_2005.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t0eSvqSnBxrAzKaULHQ-u1LQfDs9KCIDlHd_SFTxhii38qhJXSb7yqjypn9PiABRtuXJmUZDzmAyCgcyDuFKnCBfqhKF4x5yT2DXVfhOJCHmHIP6MyJ4lbTuv_282dMA4uLh2_dXYh3K/s320/DSC_2005.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div>SUSSEX POND PUDDING from Jane Grigson (1974 English Food)<br />220 g (7.8oz) self-raising flour<br />110 g (3.9oz) chopped fresh beef suet [or equal amount of butter, chopped]<br />150 ml (5 3/4 oz) milk<br />150 ml (5 3/4 oz) water<br />110 g (3.9oz) unsalted or lightly salted butter, plus extra for greasing, cut into small cubes<br />110 g 3.9oz) demerara sugar [light brown sugar will work]<br />1 lemon (organic, or at least unwaxed) [perhaps add another 1/2 lemon to it?]<br /><br />1. Mix the flour and suet together in a bowl. Combine the milk and water in a measuring jug.<br />2. Pour the milk and water mixture into the flour to make a dough - you may not need to use all the liquid. The dough should be soft, but not too soft to roll out.<br />3. Roll into a large circle and cut a quarter out, to be used later as the lid of the pudding. Butter a 1-1.5 litre pudding basin lavishly. Place the three-quarter circle of pastry into it and press the cut sides together to make a perfect join.<br />4. Put half the butter into the pudding basin, with half the sugar. Prick the lemon all over with a skewer, so that the juices will be able to escape, then put it on top of the butter and sugar. Add the remaining butter and sugar.<br />5. Roll out the pastry which was set aside to make a lid. Lay it on top of the filling, and press the edges together so that the pudding is sealed in completely.<br />6. Lay a piece of foil, pleated in the centre over the pudding [this allows for steam]. Tie it in place with string and make a string handle over the top so that the pudding can be lifted about easily.<br />7. Put a large pan of water on to boil and lower the pudding into it; the water must be boiling and it should come halfway or a little further, up the basin. Cover and leave to boil for 3-4 hours. If the water gets low, replenish it with boiling water [I did this about 3 times -- adding 5 c or so]<br />8. To serve, ease the pudding from the sides of the basin with a knife, put a deep dish over the basin after removing the foil lid, and quickly turn the whole thing upside down. Serve immediately.<br />Notes:<br />The sugar and butter should be in equal proportions, although the total amount may vary.</div><div><br /></div><div>**And a note from Lost past: It didn't need that much liquid -- I'd say 3/4 -2/3 of the amount would be fine. I threw it all in a food processor and gave it a few pulses and added the water a bit at a time. Also -- the dough is soft and the lemon lost its shape -- I might say put in another 1/2 lemon sliced in half -- the dough was very soft so it collapsed when I took it out of the pudding basin (which was about 1 liter size).</div><div>I also might try doing it with chopped lemon if you like that hit of bitter with the sweet in every bite.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVgRywSV32ym5dPN3MUHn3ml0VjJsajYQ8vPML86OBZ8_ZXNXH119TjUvMpIfRV1Vv_yjWuKVcs2Of2gPHP0bYkm_vIQDZUnPCl7qV4-GCylyKC0KN5ZMjQMQcqXJOpWnE6lkmbq0fBM5/s648/DSC_2026.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVgRywSV32ym5dPN3MUHn3ml0VjJsajYQ8vPML86OBZ8_ZXNXH119TjUvMpIfRV1Vv_yjWuKVcs2Of2gPHP0bYkm_vIQDZUnPCl7qV4-GCylyKC0KN5ZMjQMQcqXJOpWnE6lkmbq0fBM5/s320/DSC_2026.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #99aadd; 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text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0500515948&asins=0500515948&linkId=f8131c5ec082949d6de708d56c91a12f&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div></div><br />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-62256506207003828692021-01-04T09:56:00.003-08:002021-04-29T13:26:02.983-07:00Lord Dunsany, Fantasy and Chocolate Magic<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXnB5NI0r9GQZ9OwgV5h3d4mMlp_RaNEpUuJHedC-3QRL0306aweu4Ctl5ERjgjEBk-Bbu5LvTmy-8u48VVT1nWLsd_KNaDBKe2Lh0Kks4EnRskHzntPs7k-pbtcHtGzUDxqZtOT9rVrj/s1208/Untitled+3fairy+feller.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="866" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXnB5NI0r9GQZ9OwgV5h3d4mMlp_RaNEpUuJHedC-3QRL0306aweu4Ctl5ERjgjEBk-Bbu5LvTmy-8u48VVT1nWLsd_KNaDBKe2Lh0Kks4EnRskHzntPs7k-pbtcHtGzUDxqZtOT9rVrj/s320/Untitled+3fairy+feller.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: left;">The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke, Richard Dadd painted from 1855-64</span></div></div><div><br /><div> It’s over. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I reflect on the wreckage of 2020, I think of a world devoid of heroism and greatness run by venal, cowardly men -- a world teeming with hollow sociopaths who could care less that hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens will die needlessly because they won’t wear a damn mask.
How did we get here? </div><div><br /></div><div> In this dark, I reach toward the light of fantasy to disenthrall me from the waking nightmare of 2020.
</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAuvIz712rIhEu5RbBoDCGtd5oVR_hjqBDZJ8qcwAzfudMl7eIZM0FxQTD6hgdBncR87hzWckIBjgz20z0VU2GR-rhfGqqILf9jARCb9lY0qfDuQyACL0-wxACWeKxCZ0KYPm2rYMHN1V/s600/42355-1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAuvIz712rIhEu5RbBoDCGtd5oVR_hjqBDZJ8qcwAzfudMl7eIZM0FxQTD6hgdBncR87hzWckIBjgz20z0VU2GR-rhfGqqILf9jARCb9lY0qfDuQyACL0-wxACWeKxCZ0KYPm2rYMHN1V/s320/42355-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Alan Moore</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">A few months ago I read a piece by the graphic novelist, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore " style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Alan Moore </a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">(who also wrote </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_%28Moore_novel%29%20." style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Jerusalem</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">a Brobdingnagian, multidimensional, thoroughly vertiginous novel I am crazy about).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In it, Moore was bemoaning the current craze for superheroes, “Several years ago I said I thought it was a really worrying sign, that hundreds of thousands of adults were queuing up to see characters that were created 50 years ago to entertain 12 year old boys. That seemed to speak to some kind of longing to escape from the complexities of the modern world, and go back to a nostalgic, remembered childhood. That seemed dangerous, it was infantilizing the population. Our biggest blockbusters are based on last century's cartoons written for adolescents .... It </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">suggests some kind of deliberate, self-imposed state of emotional arrest, combined with an numbing condition of cultural stasis that can be witnessed in comics, movies, popular music and, indeed, right across the cultural spectrum”.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Moore felt the current leaders of the UK and US came out of that foetid, immature stew of the past decade.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">He called Trump a "National Socialist satsuma" and continued, "</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Not to say that one causes the other but I think they’re both symptoms of the same thing – a denial of reality and an urge for simplistic and sensational solutions.”</span></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I get the superhero conundrum, but I wonder, is fantasy infantilizing? Are fairytales only for children? Am I wrong to turn to fantasy? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">No. I do it regularly for sanity. It recharges my batteries more often than not and these days, fantasy makes more sense that our reality which has become a big ball of delusions held together with a sticky-tape web of alternative facts.</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEPZfm0ky51cj5MGuVkmfJ_TaDh_cVh8qSq8SXajHeqV544O4sH1Txpl2m1guGCGhOlpzN6DHE39c1l0W3C2OVekDEJW3IYlr20uajIqBWETyNBjC9WUR082ezQKE8g55uZUxaaFXaMMS/s585/440px-Kyle-cassidy-neil-gaiman-April-2013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEPZfm0ky51cj5MGuVkmfJ_TaDh_cVh8qSq8SXajHeqV544O4sH1Txpl2m1guGCGhOlpzN6DHE39c1l0W3C2OVekDEJW3IYlr20uajIqBWETyNBjC9WUR082ezQKE8g55uZUxaaFXaMMS/w151-h200/440px-Kyle-cassidy-neil-gaiman-April-2013.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Neil Gaiman</span></span></div><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;">In a piece for The Guardian a few years back, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman ">Neil Gaiman</a> (who I wrote about <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2019/07/good-omens-and-duck-breast-with.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> ) said, “Once upon a time, back when animals spoke and rivers sang and every quest was worth going on, back when dragons still roared and maidens were beautiful and an honest young man with a good heart and a great deal of luck could always wind up with a princess and half the kingdom - back then, fairytales were for adults.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">“Children listened to them and enjoyed them, but children were not the primary audience, no more than they were the intended audience of Beowulf, or The Odyssey. JRR Tolkien said, in a robust and fusty analogy, that fairytales were like the furniture in the nursery - it was not that the furniture had originally been made for children: it had once been for adults and was consigned to the nursery only when the adults grew tired of it and it became unfashionable…. The stories that people had told each other to pass the long nights had become children's tales. And there, many people obviously thought, they needed to stay.”<span style="color: #121212;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #121212;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sV-7kjULFcCPbVIiVHRMqeyQKA5A39hRuK1ykrG1fCEfdvvieaTeTgk-9OdXQUWOFVBRE9_AM5DmyUuOesUNZdTP7Kk2_z6QT_rKW7c4_Xt0AWlgktZ1znU7CzrlRZBs0aJYJpDR0p-H/s2048/Ursula_Le_Guin_%25283551195631%2529_%2528cropped%2529.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1721" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sV-7kjULFcCPbVIiVHRMqeyQKA5A39hRuK1ykrG1fCEfdvvieaTeTgk-9OdXQUWOFVBRE9_AM5DmyUuOesUNZdTP7Kk2_z6QT_rKW7c4_Xt0AWlgktZ1znU7CzrlRZBs0aJYJpDR0p-H/w168-h200/Ursula_Le_Guin_%25283551195631%2529_%2528cropped%2529.jpg" width="168" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ursula Le Guin</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Thankfully, they don't stay there and are often a grownup antidote for our invertebrate-infested, slime trailed times.Ursula Le Guin, in her essay, "FromElfland to Poughkeepsie", said, "Let us consider Elfland as a great national park, a vast beautiful place where a person goes by himself, on foot, to get in touch with reality in a special, private, profound fashion ... It is a different approach to reality, an alternative technique for apprehending and coping with existence."</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Fantasy is a coping mechanism in troubled times -- the writing of it, the painting of it, the filming of it and the reading and watching of it. And maybe superheroes have their place if they help you to deal with a reality that is gorged with villains but starved for heroes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06V6lacJ8TJZ8Y9Q_lFynC3aKEWV1mf4C4I9pDwXkyc_c-p7Ddj_0oWAYTLue4dHNuT90UQc9EYObihmVYIhkLC3FQDP0pG2I7GlWVvaEGUpDvdkVMo6I6civEL6Px59WdLtvXiTjMzsn/s1200/dadd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1200" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06V6lacJ8TJZ8Y9Q_lFynC3aKEWV1mf4C4I9pDwXkyc_c-p7Ddj_0oWAYTLue4dHNuT90UQc9EYObihmVYIhkLC3FQDP0pG2I7GlWVvaEGUpDvdkVMo6I6civEL6Px59WdLtvXiTjMzsn/w200-h192/dadd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Richard Dadd 1817-86</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">A rather dramatic illustration of this mechanism can be seen in the life and work of Richard Dadd who has been treasured by generations for his fantasy paintings done during his 40 years in madhouses (Bethlehem/Bedlam and Broadmoor) for killing his father. He was quite mad and violent at the beginning and probably paranoid/schizophrenic – but that violence abated over time. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0tl8zi1wKr6RWUb4zYjvVOnmgtAJA9__2UXWXG3I2Rhi8Vf8zOiN63rnnljQKazP4SeoBlbOD_A5LtabZZhIcVV-iI2T1tujrPc_IjvIHelgi6jEiK014uNips0lIKObeJ0T4ml-1HG1/s1200/+Come+unto+These+Yellow+Sands%252C+1842.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0tl8zi1wKr6RWUb4zYjvVOnmgtAJA9__2UXWXG3I2Rhi8Vf8zOiN63rnnljQKazP4SeoBlbOD_A5LtabZZhIcVV-iI2T1tujrPc_IjvIHelgi6jEiK014uNips0lIKObeJ0T4ml-1HG1/s320/+Come+unto+These+Yellow+Sands%252C+1842.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBeLyPjHOpNUOGIk6nWkOTmI2Z1f-CcB5qb9bLgxvm8Q0TVxUdKnFZK1_PW6Q3mIRsM8oeRszFkPigf0drfD3wEtKhahuRKD9aY9cBQG7KlsQAVueMY3XJybAulsY3kbUAWQX0MS5OSuU/s1570/dadd+crown.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBeLyPjHOpNUOGIk6nWkOTmI2Z1f-CcB5qb9bLgxvm8Q0TVxUdKnFZK1_PW6Q3mIRsM8oeRszFkPigf0drfD3wEtKhahuRKD9aY9cBQG7KlsQAVueMY3XJybAulsY3kbUAWQX0MS5OSuU/s320/dadd+crown.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl0YrEqYyStJHDfNkC5kRQ2vVtQb_dQr68lexqfyMeHMkuZN7TDlAFMETgv5nTYyxVvolh0xvdU3DgteOSjxTAQnIVycq32UELwiMtZXl2f7ZLtse_sbF7ZeN4wrQ5D8AFgaiAuPfjTGC/s246/Unknown.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="246" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl0YrEqYyStJHDfNkC5kRQ2vVtQb_dQr68lexqfyMeHMkuZN7TDlAFMETgv5nTYyxVvolh0xvdU3DgteOSjxTAQnIVycq32UELwiMtZXl2f7ZLtse_sbF7ZeN4wrQ5D8AFgaiAuPfjTGC/w320-h267/Unknown.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span>Small, insanely intricate canvases of fairy worlds were his salvation behind bars. I can imagine he escaped from his nightmares into his beautiful canvas cosmos that often featured an oculus or portal to lead you into his world. The in-person viewing of </span></span><span style="background-color: black; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;"> </span><u style="background-color: black; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;">The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke</u><span style="background-color: black; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span> at the <a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate" target="_blank">Tate Gallery</a> is supposed to be remarkable (the painting is at the top of the page). It took Dadd 10 years to do the painting.</span> It’s is only 21” x 15” and has layers and layers of subtle detail but was never finished. It really is world creation. I hope it brought him some peace and a few moments surcease of the torments of his madness.<span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Where did I go to escape?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUUrqf3Qk1VdFD2aWNkBLfQOaC5m4Rtbt_ZeakOAK0TpFcIVhBfVimeu00EKrTwIZi_DxUD2osd3yAZgOxWdxz5419OAym1WoHoFRx0KMH40MSTfitwyIeWMWSqUyDsL5-vGGAHMRWHXc/s500/518i%252BP2dcSL._SL500_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUUrqf3Qk1VdFD2aWNkBLfQOaC5m4Rtbt_ZeakOAK0TpFcIVhBfVimeu00EKrTwIZi_DxUD2osd3yAZgOxWdxz5419OAym1WoHoFRx0KMH40MSTfitwyIeWMWSqUyDsL5-vGGAHMRWHXc/w129-h200/518i%252BP2dcSL._SL500_.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span>After watching ALL the Harry Potter movies over the week before Xmas, I journeyed into youthful fiction and read <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Cooper" target="_blank">Susan Cooper</a></span><span>’s 5 book, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Is_Rising_Sequence" target="_blank">Dark is Rising</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> series of fantasy and adventure that Brit friends of a certain vintage remember fondly (she wrote the first in the series in ’73). Her books surely inspired Rowling’s Harry Potter but I found them, well, juvenile fiction. Nicely done but not richly satisfying. I wanted more.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKc5GjF18Xu36KCMgDiRrEjX96QzR0eJ9KGkVZWL7h06kHq80ey8Cnorbiwj0-RGzK_6eR3DoBgQ_MhAJYldHor20-yEKdyiEsaBQnTeC0Gr0mIDUAjcJjHCgmvp9Vd5z_mr-AKmNQcPs/s604/H._P._Lovecraft%252C_1930.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKc5GjF18Xu36KCMgDiRrEjX96QzR0eJ9KGkVZWL7h06kHq80ey8Cnorbiwj0-RGzK_6eR3DoBgQ_MhAJYldHor20-yEKdyiEsaBQnTeC0Gr0mIDUAjcJjHCgmvp9Vd5z_mr-AKmNQcPs/s320/H._P._Lovecraft%252C_1930.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">H.P. Lovecraft</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">Still searching, I chanced upon an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft">H.P. Lovecraft</a></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft" style="background-color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"> </a><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"> documentary (Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown). Although I wasn’t quite ready to dive into the fathomless end of the fantasy pool and read Lovecraft’s </span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">nightmares, I discovered Lord Dunsany [</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10.5pt; text-align: left;">accent on 2<sup>nd</sup> syllable – rhymes with ‘rainy’</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10.5pt; text-align: left;">]</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"> had an enormous influence on Lovecraft. H.P. wrote of him, “No amount of mere description can convey more than a fraction of Lord Dunsany’s pervasive charm.” Dunsany is “unexcelled in the sorcery of crystalline singing prose, and supreme in the creation of a gorgeous and languorous world or iridescently exotic vision … Lord Dunsany stands dedicated to a strange world of fantastic beauty…”</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Neil Gaiman wrote about his style an introduction to a new edition of Lord Dunsany’s work. He said, “…his words sing, like those of a poet who got drunk on the prose of the King James Bible, and who has still not become sober. Listen to Dunsany on the wonders of ink “…How it can mark a dead man's thoughts for the wonder of later years, and tell of happenings that are gone clean away, and be a voice for us out of the dark of time, and save many a fragile thing from the pounding of heavy ages; or carry to us, over the rolling centuries, even a song from lips long dead on forgotten hills.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It was time to visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ ">Project Gutenberg</a> (which has much of early Dunsany for free if you don’t mind missing the feeling of a book in your hand). It is shocking that Dunsany, a man whose work influenced so many and was so productive as a novelist, story writer, poet and playwright has quietly evanesced from the memory of all but his staunchest disciples and their followers in the rarest firmament of fantasy fiction. Ensorcelled, I wanted to meet him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9oTMF70TuW3bDB1myYVByq7GzYEPjUJAU-CS8U3LH8WlsPXnSEPpkbw88DMUDPP95dGnnQJDvqiieMAXClnFhrQuH_BKjX055qMFa8cmVxePFD4SVVh44O3CAsG7AeU99Ae0VgCs3qbf/s1080/dunsany+1904.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="1080" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9oTMF70TuW3bDB1myYVByq7GzYEPjUJAU-CS8U3LH8WlsPXnSEPpkbw88DMUDPP95dGnnQJDvqiieMAXClnFhrQuH_BKjX055qMFa8cmVxePFD4SVVh44O3CAsG7AeU99Ae0VgCs3qbf/w400-h199/dunsany+1904.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN92YprjDxLO5Soczi3dwQsxvlEPjgPsNdqSU8nniYmNGepnQkIClWDi-GxJBzwcjMjdWp80f88UBOSaNLOkSy5KNRJ9br6hrAIRyIkbcg0Qfegn3xd1soVdy3k98ybxKOVU-DcvLiCZLv/s620/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN92YprjDxLO5Soczi3dwQsxvlEPjgPsNdqSU8nniYmNGepnQkIClWDi-GxJBzwcjMjdWp80f88UBOSaNLOkSy5KNRJ9br6hrAIRyIkbcg0Qfegn3xd1soVdy3k98ybxKOVU-DcvLiCZLv/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">I read about the life of Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18<sup>th</sup> Baron of Dunsany (1878-1957) to see what in his life drew him to fantasy aside from, well, living in a medieval castle built by his ancestors in 1180.</span><o:p style="background-color: white;"></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6wEJZ4lyt4u315KYsyIDfY4N_ZPQPhBd2SBJrYRmSVz_fnApdKuj5z9OM3zgTTTaMtrirVpgdCrJp9F6WBEM3LbSv4Bmuvgex9IHfpBoQHH_5hbDvAkYwJ5cZ_gesqDVQHFQd0rz1HyE/s529/20a72dd6937ea8380aa1fa7214c561f1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6wEJZ4lyt4u315KYsyIDfY4N_ZPQPhBd2SBJrYRmSVz_fnApdKuj5z9OM3zgTTTaMtrirVpgdCrJp9F6WBEM3LbSv4Bmuvgex9IHfpBoQHH_5hbDvAkYwJ5cZ_gesqDVQHFQd0rz1HyE/s320/20a72dd6937ea8380aa1fa7214c561f1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFjTijdgNessu1E5BIu6KhNWsKY2-jqxNSj8Tvy0VUtUrBs2S0_yRjR3HeDMWr1wOxa4L7krOojZ5q-ZG_e79oPx2e8RsGBpz-XXrbI75pH0HFLz3Exk_8vGYz4ZUVkuk23XXsRKo6-zF/s570/Edward_Plunkett%252C_18th_Baron_Dunsany.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="449" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFjTijdgNessu1E5BIu6KhNWsKY2-jqxNSj8Tvy0VUtUrBs2S0_yRjR3HeDMWr1wOxa4L7krOojZ5q-ZG_e79oPx2e8RsGBpz-XXrbI75pH0HFLz3Exk_8vGYz4ZUVkuk23XXsRKo6-zF/s320/Edward_Plunkett%252C_18th_Baron_Dunsany.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IntwbJve2wJjRwTyb0XLOn6ks8cjXTUSXvVXThENYyWUAf9PZft7kO_MRdSKqfBLbt_yZ9azBn8IwohpxQZrwAzQeHFmy-4KO7BkjfOJNNrkd3uY9VCfnP9Rt7dZL9oTPQCOdl8YRpIK/s496/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IntwbJve2wJjRwTyb0XLOn6ks8cjXTUSXvVXThENYyWUAf9PZft7kO_MRdSKqfBLbt_yZ9azBn8IwohpxQZrwAzQeHFmy-4KO7BkjfOJNNrkd3uY9VCfnP9Rt7dZL9oTPQCOdl8YRpIK/s320/unnamed.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFAFjPSR1n9EsjlBypowHBlX7yDjAgsM_SepzKzVrSmY_bajQpbSxjBbkIixBoa6yxP1kHTazUVbjlG95LvEB3Lvjaf5EhyphenhyphenKX6aw5bkVtOC-kSy_XPXLTaCOtRLrc5PmL50oo8VVO2w74/s1363/du+f.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="882" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFAFjPSR1n9EsjlBypowHBlX7yDjAgsM_SepzKzVrSmY_bajQpbSxjBbkIixBoa6yxP1kHTazUVbjlG95LvEB3Lvjaf5EhyphenhyphenKX6aw5bkVtOC-kSy_XPXLTaCOtRLrc5PmL50oo8VVO2w74/s320/du+f.jpeg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">He was as a giant at 6’4” and educated at Eton and Sandhurst. He went into the military like his ancestors before him - first joining the Coldstream Guards to fight in Boer War (1899-1902), and again with the Innis-Killing Fusiliers in WWI (1914-18). He wrote his first play in an afternoon and it was performed at the <a href=" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Theatre">Abbey Theatre </a> in Dublin in 1909 (he almost never re-wrote anything which his friend, the poet William Butler Yeats, felt limited his artistry as he plowed full speed ahead). At one point he had 5 plays going on Broadway – he was known as ‘America’s favorite peer’. He was a champion shot, an avid hunter but also a believer in animal rights and a chess master - Dunsany’s asymmetric chess game is still played – one side is only played with pawns. I imagine his adeptness at anticipating moves in chess was a valuable asset in worldbuilding. He saw the whole board and you felt the logic of the world he made.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBbUahm0fmd2usBN7JF_Xa5VWzN-tGQNwLWKYPosmtNbkB9fogNsjeLk-eKgcAevtoD7uoJRTZKbI2K2TVN1jxSb8hDlQ5n4pppldJDAiZFZQk0zUsyBFF-KEWQnu4pkg9v1p50FRRX1W/s325/mw216102.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBbUahm0fmd2usBN7JF_Xa5VWzN-tGQNwLWKYPosmtNbkB9fogNsjeLk-eKgcAevtoD7uoJRTZKbI2K2TVN1jxSb8hDlQ5n4pppldJDAiZFZQk0zUsyBFF-KEWQnu4pkg9v1p50FRRX1W/s320/mw216102.jpg" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">He was also a huge inspiration to many writers who followed him. Edward Power in <u>The Irish Times</u> believed, “His elaborate, whimsical tales inspired writers as diverse as pulp horror maestro H.P. Lovecraft, swords and sorcery doyen Robert E Howard…. Dunsany was among the first novelists to indulge in ‘world building” plucking vast romanticized universes from the furthest recesses of his subconscious. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, CS Lewis’ Narnia – even Terry Pratchett’s farcical Discworld owe a little to his feverish imaginings.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Not all who read Dunsany are touched by the magic. Laura Miller at The New Yorker thought him shallow, “Dunsany … seemed to regard his own life as a most amusing game, made of equal parts theatrics and sharpshooting. He wrote with a quill pen in the tower of the castle that his family had occupied since 1190, and carried a gold-handled walking stick given to him by the Nabob of Rampur during a visit to India. He pursued big game in Africa, at a time when an ambitious expedition into the bush required having seventy-two African bearers and hiring a guide who, he wrote Beatrice, was sought “by the police of so many countries.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“The war precipitated a vast project of self-examination among European and British artists and intellectuals. The old ways of life, everyone felt, had vanished. Even those writers who preferred, like Dunsany, to set their fiction in wholly imaginary worlds—Tolkien is the best-known example—felt their work shaped by the war’s horrors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">“In 1919 Dunsany took out a new notebook in which he intended to answer the challenge of the day and pasted into it a line clipped from a newspaper: “It is a great responsibility to have survived the war.” The book remained blank.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyMu4TKrWdhDGxUdHwgqmcHTSjgsKvpF2C38PW-leyLvyQcAWF37KsJ0Tz9fILkSvGV5kw9UWBk25ST2RcH_bjzPtblMErnwmI-dEXGF4YDqDrMLLxD4yQT0g8QyJq9H2KMoDx2S-bS1l/s760/portrait-of-lord-dunsany-on-ship-bettmann.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyMu4TKrWdhDGxUdHwgqmcHTSjgsKvpF2C38PW-leyLvyQcAWF37KsJ0Tz9fILkSvGV5kw9UWBk25ST2RcH_bjzPtblMErnwmI-dEXGF4YDqDrMLLxD4yQT0g8QyJq9H2KMoDx2S-bS1l/s320/portrait-of-lord-dunsany-on-ship-bettmann.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span>I don’t believe Dunsany was an empty vessel untouched by war. His time in 2 wars had an effect on his writing and his deep well of imagination - I think his dreams kept him sane, </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">“</span><span>As I write it in August 1916, I am at Ebrington Barracks, Londonderry, recovering from a slight wound. But it does not greatly matter where I am; my dreams are here before you amongst the following pages; and writing in a day when life is cheap, dreams seem to me all the dearer, the only things that survive.… And now I will write nothing further about our war, but offer you these books of dreams from Europe as one throws things of value, if only to oneself, at the last moment out of a burning house.” It seems to me that is the writing inspired by that clipping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CgZ9lyqhyphenhyphenE9sKZJkxwO13wdVaXAt5jOgOO0l0yodQpmR9O3LMCy28Lq8wYwnl4r0iKdK4P5xHBZQvvwjLAlJkTKEVh-Paud4gyy4CNfwrgrCf6yrBnUEEENrzqIPnHMwJJjG8O2HzHF1/s261/_dunsany.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CgZ9lyqhyphenhyphenE9sKZJkxwO13wdVaXAt5jOgOO0l0yodQpmR9O3LMCy28Lq8wYwnl4r0iKdK4P5xHBZQvvwjLAlJkTKEVh-Paud4gyy4CNfwrgrCf6yrBnUEEENrzqIPnHMwJJjG8O2HzHF1/s0/_dunsany.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span>Dunsany opened his mind palace – revealing imaginary worlds and inventions but also sharing times and places past -- things he absorbed from the treasures of his centuries-old library and extravagant world travel. Then he brought it to life for his readers in that voluptuous prose of his, "When I learned Greek at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheam_School">Cheam</a> </span><span> and heard of other gods a great pity came on me for those beautiful marble people that had become forsaken and this mood has never quite left me." The forsaken gods, “the beautiful marble people”, were revivified and immortalized in his books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Without Dunsany's quill scratching out his dreams and inner worlds, all would have been lost from that burning house that is our life on earth. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_d8FfTm9CeGgxjNb34YnpLd5RJhNkb4XwaMD8AnVaDXQlGe-5qqYoOKvVIUQNey_LTKuXjXKZdgxh-T05MZS0jzJ19lptTbO9b0Zvg8dQOfs4z1HVjkT6wAbkugTOkYlhKnTSoEKZmhr/s1174/383483.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="815" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_d8FfTm9CeGgxjNb34YnpLd5RJhNkb4XwaMD8AnVaDXQlGe-5qqYoOKvVIUQNey_LTKuXjXKZdgxh-T05MZS0jzJ19lptTbO9b0Zvg8dQOfs4z1HVjkT6wAbkugTOkYlhKnTSoEKZmhr/s320/383483.JPG" /></span></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQtFJhGJQYxfGNSOfdjy6uzmA1TFTC5I8wxl8su4U5H2Nla5RlX7taOu6d05d3wwBAa2yJPeSWECtpzRhUfJwIUymtzyt4Byg9v0iuCTtBQ9rZtqZxoF0hTcQ4Yq_FhqN8BWF427lMtIw/s1600/slid-by-sidney-sime.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1148" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQtFJhGJQYxfGNSOfdjy6uzmA1TFTC5I8wxl8su4U5H2Nla5RlX7taOu6d05d3wwBAa2yJPeSWECtpzRhUfJwIUymtzyt4Byg9v0iuCTtBQ9rZtqZxoF0hTcQ4Yq_FhqN8BWF427lMtIw/s320/slid-by-sidney-sime.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtlfIAO-0zEYWlHm6a4eDhDD54gAkJsNHa0Rc7Ujczhenx8mmf8LHO2m96oltv_zCDPlNVTLBtet8j4C7AvcnATfae9yFKUawUhyphenhyphen6etYtqeRd3dD7WZwp0t-_0I4Ng-jKaPPetS-sDzEk/s542/99df186ccd76aa3f9b4e4d7e036add3a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtlfIAO-0zEYWlHm6a4eDhDD54gAkJsNHa0Rc7Ujczhenx8mmf8LHO2m96oltv_zCDPlNVTLBtet8j4C7AvcnATfae9yFKUawUhyphenhyphen6etYtqeRd3dD7WZwp0t-_0I4Ng-jKaPPetS-sDzEk/s320/99df186ccd76aa3f9b4e4d7e036add3a.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDbzRen2_6I652DRMs79f_3zpxK1MSRSB9Sj8K1qEP3Qrq79XrpOAoU0IimP4k6SEDRZxVJAeU_hmIAmsi94e6P-h2yXuQf9BHkSG4-tAeBqwyRgC2V_NF47T4Lz-s5OTtxlEvuFa8tN2/s251/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglDbzRen2_6I652DRMs79f_3zpxK1MSRSB9Sj8K1qEP3Qrq79XrpOAoU0IimP4k6SEDRZxVJAeU_hmIAmsi94e6P-h2yXuQf9BHkSG4-tAeBqwyRgC2V_NF47T4Lz-s5OTtxlEvuFa8tN2/s0/images.jpeg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Illustrator <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;">Sidney Sime (1867-1941)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span>That was enough to make me crack his oeuvre. It was time to whisper ‘Dunsany’ to the gatekeeper and walk through, beginning with the mad, complex, other-world fabrication of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_of_Pegāna"><u>The</u> <u>Gods of Pegana</u></a></span><span> (1905) – the fantasy that started it all (with magnificent illustrations by Sidney Sime (1867-1941). It was dense – a crowded pantheon of gods that was utterly and completely exotic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZYoe-Qtpm54HoMFjUz8CG2VvCQIMDb-i54rB232nKHeyhvnHJtxwjajae-qukyBO729_vtwm1rVcXVIRl_Vht1gXNvNNEh5MeBOJkhAaknMzWccNrtQJDT-4CfNYXdilgjUZxNT3EISB/s1144/book+of+wonder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="794" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZYoe-Qtpm54HoMFjUz8CG2VvCQIMDb-i54rB232nKHeyhvnHJtxwjajae-qukyBO729_vtwm1rVcXVIRl_Vht1gXNvNNEh5MeBOJkhAaknMzWccNrtQJDT-4CfNYXdilgjUZxNT3EISB/s320/book+of+wonder.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kjW5Vzw-6IpIVIEeD-CwnLeXW2RpRBREAyYBUgytQSnMBfjisq03BbSfY_GHPb730juLZ1o2YeqkVDkTojscjD5QheJKGhDB-klR0AW5iIVz77pUAZWV0z8afyOe54LjMQmwLNsCA4zg/s794/book+of+wonder++s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kjW5Vzw-6IpIVIEeD-CwnLeXW2RpRBREAyYBUgytQSnMBfjisq03BbSfY_GHPb730juLZ1o2YeqkVDkTojscjD5QheJKGhDB-klR0AW5iIVz77pUAZWV0z8afyOe54LjMQmwLNsCA4zg/s320/book+of+wonder++s.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3dLF-OoPruxb5UhHxW8k5ZX1mmJdCDZTl8HEPUr6k8JdYGKuLBzZ-PY07c2Vq5CS5ucx0-q3iSO9H-aEeAxF6nER33XO9Lc0_dBVrLbWDh_iw-6i30meO-ejr-51isg-ML93CDi8Llnj/s640/e63e826646c2e83b9685fb6d0b0f841a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3dLF-OoPruxb5UhHxW8k5ZX1mmJdCDZTl8HEPUr6k8JdYGKuLBzZ-PY07c2Vq5CS5ucx0-q3iSO9H-aEeAxF6nER33XO9Lc0_dBVrLbWDh_iw-6i30meO-ejr-51isg-ML93CDi8Llnj/s320/e63e826646c2e83b9685fb6d0b0f841a.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">sidney sime illustration</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Then I read a few wonderful collections – his <u>Book of Wonder</u> and <u>Tales of Wonder, </u>again with Simes illustrations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">From his preface to his The Book of Wonder, “Come with me, ladies and gentlemen who are in any wise weary of London: come with me: and those that tire at all of the world we know: for we have new worlds here.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkp88JG0jOD-CZsmsly8l_YQ1mVJwU4EJoD6JXIskFXbTeWn9yVGDHq-tg48bA9J_syTGkKrpGv-AyqeXbFeAvPcivbOUo96Oi04TcIjwJcO7BYC5YdeIK6lOCe0Xcpufr53de7pkw5zd0/s1600/286502_0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkp88JG0jOD-CZsmsly8l_YQ1mVJwU4EJoD6JXIskFXbTeWn9yVGDHq-tg48bA9J_syTGkKrpGv-AyqeXbFeAvPcivbOUo96Oi04TcIjwJcO7BYC5YdeIK6lOCe0Xcpufr53de7pkw5zd0/s320/286502_0.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgyWWB76nLxaraS2r53-7dnJzD2uuhAusjoRNNCPRKfGd4s6CGWxLsqKcLCP6QXXIr24i5HAxEmM_f6-AhxAK2Ajt8pxKG_oFTcCZy3OHxlK3G3FoqHiHMvRi7iIvPmGxOeXQENdZM5Hg/s421/80461456c8e036ad5ec358c5ac4aae3f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHgyWWB76nLxaraS2r53-7dnJzD2uuhAusjoRNNCPRKfGd4s6CGWxLsqKcLCP6QXXIr24i5HAxEmM_f6-AhxAK2Ajt8pxKG_oFTcCZy3OHxlK3G3FoqHiHMvRi7iIvPmGxOeXQENdZM5Hg/s320/80461456c8e036ad5ec358c5ac4aae3f.jpg" /></span></a></div><o:p style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Finally, I read the book everyone talks about (written in 1924 with his collaborator Sidney Sime’s divine illustrations), <u>The Elf King’s Daughter</u>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span>It is a tale from the man who said this</span><span>, “Of pure poetry there are two kinds, that which mirrors the beauty of the world in which our bodies are, and that which builds the more mysterious kingdoms where geography ends and fairyland begins, with gods and heroes at war, and the sirens singing still, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubla_Khan" target="_blank">Alph</a> going down to the darkness from Xanadu . </span><u><span>The Elf King’s Daughter</span></u><span> plays in both of them.</span><b><span><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span><span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFOA3_aZ-SvA4eGxLq9pU27_x8DJDe-c6_lOF41SCUuAhl19u3idNffoHe1iQvvpAcxO5mgneqbPbuKJeYEvT49m_C3ADxCp1oh6y9nqa1exZfcGQiF-ginN_aghm4RNwtEoS1kpTZGL-/s622/f7d84f6de66402bf3d3806516ed54655.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFOA3_aZ-SvA4eGxLq9pU27_x8DJDe-c6_lOF41SCUuAhl19u3idNffoHe1iQvvpAcxO5mgneqbPbuKJeYEvT49m_C3ADxCp1oh6y9nqa1exZfcGQiF-ginN_aghm4RNwtEoS1kpTZGL-/s320/f7d84f6de66402bf3d3806516ed54655.jpg" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: white;"><o:p style="background-color: black;"> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">What is the story??? <u>The Elf King’s Daughter </u>is about a dull little kingdom that wants magic. Their prince Alveric goes to get the Elf King’s daughter Lirazel. He woos and weds her and takes her back to his kingdom of Erl. She has a son, but her Elf King father misses her and lures her back to him. Alveric goes after her and searches for many years – but the king of Elfland has rolled back the boundaries of his kingdom through a magic rune so it can’t be found. “The fields we know” are as far as he can go (Dunsany uses the phrase ‘the fields we know’ to mean the world of men throughout the book). In the end, the son Orion brings Elfland closer and the membrane between the 2 worlds becomes thinner. Dwarves and unicorns pass through. Then, the people who wanted magic are afraid and want it gone. But the genie can’t go back into the bottle and the two worlds are joined. In the end enchantment wins and the kingdom is protected by the light save for the darkness around a freer(friar) who would have no magic. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCEX1cps_iSoYi7dmjB7Kd1q4HuG8rVIhzIk_Z1FNTmPekQfSom3NEblvocURaRirwEdNqRgp217ib349Ie7wqTEn-2M0vISJlVi94kTAOgNcu10OZ9YYveELX_79J_Bum4I6Ky5XMDeY/s1081/728f51407041604155dd04b942be89e1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCEX1cps_iSoYi7dmjB7Kd1q4HuG8rVIhzIk_Z1FNTmPekQfSom3NEblvocURaRirwEdNqRgp217ib349Ie7wqTEn-2M0vISJlVi94kTAOgNcu10OZ9YYveELX_79J_Bum4I6Ky5XMDeY/s320/728f51407041604155dd04b942be89e1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sime illustrations for Dunsany</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMF3LH-v0AdjR9EccAhZe5L2tVlkFTzyH_oYiG0MaowiithW1jCqqbqOWYaThiAqiKYsuDkUWrjkNWaFddGbjPf-fIL1IXEUVgz-NhaWLHncHv2fKxBSQxXy7_LUaL2q-2JJjwpGYiOUS/s1182/5a29c91800604c849b3c22624dba53a7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="749" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMF3LH-v0AdjR9EccAhZe5L2tVlkFTzyH_oYiG0MaowiithW1jCqqbqOWYaThiAqiKYsuDkUWrjkNWaFddGbjPf-fIL1IXEUVgz-NhaWLHncHv2fKxBSQxXy7_LUaL2q-2JJjwpGYiOUS/s320/5a29c91800604c849b3c22624dba53a7.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sime illustrations for Dunsany</span></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">It is the poetry of the words that fill the pages with magic and animate the story which is at once sensual and dreamlike .<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">If anything captured for me the best of Dusany, it would be a passage from the witch, Ziroonderel, who was asked to spell away magic from the stodgy little town. It is a Cri de Coeur for the need for magic to make life bearable. It keeps the darkness at bay, the darkness that comes upon men as they age and turns them into no better than animated corpses. A consummation devoutly to be avoided by a man like Dunsany who advocated for magic for most of his life.</span><o:p style="background-color: white;"></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">"No spell indeed!" she hissed. "No spell indeed! By broom and stars and night-riding! Would you rob Earth of her heirloom that has come from the olden time? Would you take her treasure and leave her bare to the scorn of her comrade planets? Poor indeed were we without magic, whereof we are well stored to the envy of darkness and Space." She leaned forward from where she sat and stamped her stick, looking up in Narl's face with her fierce unwavering eyes. "I would sooner," she said, "give you a spell against water, that all the world should thirst, than give you a spell against the song of streams that evening hears faintly over the ridge of a hill, too dim for wakeful ears, a song threading through dreams, whereby we learn of old wars and lost loves of the Spirits of rivers. I would sooner give you a spell against bread, that all the world should starve, than give you a spell against the magic of wheat that haunts the golden hollows in moonlight in July, through which in the warm short nights wander how many of whom man knows nothing. I would make you spells against comfort and clothing, food, shelter and warmth, aye and will do it, sooner than tear from these poor fields of Earth that magic that is to them an ample cloak against the chill of Space, and a gay raiment against the sneers of nothingness.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">"Go hence. To your village go. And you that sought for magic in your youth but desire it not in your age, know that there is a blindness of spirit which comes from age, more black than the blindness of eye, making a darkness about you across which nothing may be seen, or felt, or known, or in any way apprehended. And no voice out of that darkness shall conjure me to grant a spell against magic. Hence!" XX<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ46X-Hwe6oFZiIYmbr2kaT1joESUIlXwqhzuyViYek31Ys5iFGmzYXsAbHVLSFrxUlSBu-NCyvIwPO4LZtrcBcK9aEx-3E4Jxa80fDMPS1cE4z9qfiMrYk2lJAWFcIjJFhEs4C3q7oOK/s276/Unknown.jpeg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ46X-Hwe6oFZiIYmbr2kaT1joESUIlXwqhzuyViYek31Ys5iFGmzYXsAbHVLSFrxUlSBu-NCyvIwPO4LZtrcBcK9aEx-3E4Jxa80fDMPS1cE4z9qfiMrYk2lJAWFcIjJFhEs4C3q7oOK/s0/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sidney Sime illustration</span></div><p style="margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: justify;"></p><p style="margin: 9pt 0in; text-align: justify;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">"A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"> </span><em style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">– <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11283/pg11283.html ">The Laughter of the Gods</a> (1917)</span></em><em style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: left;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"> </span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK3qHTUKprlDAG5eInkKXzuBCxMe9gwygFqWgjmKCZXm0aVvTa433-5a2qpkqZHFXb-_AHEQCGhMBCB4zGrDYL4MQsnamR4fnT9MBmoeGBilrj7zII7KVBxORW7DTAQ_fkTJAUNgwJVeq/s1933/310011_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1933" data-original-width="1656" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK3qHTUKprlDAG5eInkKXzuBCxMe9gwygFqWgjmKCZXm0aVvTa433-5a2qpkqZHFXb-_AHEQCGhMBCB4zGrDYL4MQsnamR4fnT9MBmoeGBilrj7zII7KVBxORW7DTAQ_fkTJAUNgwJVeq/s320/310011_1.jpg" /></a></em></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="background-color: black; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", serif; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">Do visit Dunsany’s many worlds and enjoy the journey. </span></em><span style="background-color: black; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: black; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: white;">I wonder now if we after so much death this year we will have a renaissance of fantasy to heal our hearts? I hope so, w</span><em><span style="background-color: black; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", serif; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">e need magic now more than ever.</span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;"><br /></span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><em></em></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivY1AaPcP_3ZzB9wUynN_fQtFN9cxdSHc6hdLQqINyrKfRp-rgGgyUvxVg4EuMYUdhcW0xcUGiScqgD6FOEIfrfKC3un_myw9C255pnfA1QXTkX26C7yG9kVZiVqQJ822zeNXXuou91emJ/s1046/2008_CSK_05316_0099_000%2528050112%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="729" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivY1AaPcP_3ZzB9wUynN_fQtFN9cxdSHc6hdLQqINyrKfRp-rgGgyUvxVg4EuMYUdhcW0xcUGiScqgD6FOEIfrfKC3un_myw9C255pnfA1QXTkX26C7yG9kVZiVqQJ822zeNXXuou91emJ/s320/2008_CSK_05316_0099_000%2528050112%2529.jpg" /></a></em></div><em><br /></em><p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">SO, what to eat? I give you 2 things that have taken me though the dark times of 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">They may not be elvish but they are magical. Chocolate cookies and chocolate coffee beans - not my normal exotic fair -- but what is normal these days? Medieval cakes can wait till another day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I often make a sandwich of the beans in the cookie for the perfect dish. I force myself to eat only one a day in a few pieces – save for baking day – they are amazing right out of the oven.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">The beans are creamy and truffle-like – they need to be refrigerated or they melt when they get too warm. Use less cream if you want them to travel better.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif">I hope that 2021 brings you and yours, peace, hope, joy, fulfillment and prosperity. May the veil of enchantment become a little finer this year – and may magic flow to and through us once again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"><span face="-webkit-standard, serif"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 9pt 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct8pqj28RGVGsV2m2cUCApltGOemqX6iYSBhMvBtNdaNqMCvFwiBgQF7p0YNU_fQN8qUEXuYb0lqZCD3xmbSCe_LA4fBtBNjq1edaY0VaPox_4u2ynkMalSX1PiS6gKPwfUNCONtV49zz/s648/DSC_1982b.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct8pqj28RGVGsV2m2cUCApltGOemqX6iYSBhMvBtNdaNqMCvFwiBgQF7p0YNU_fQN8qUEXuYb0lqZCD3xmbSCe_LA4fBtBNjq1edaY0VaPox_4u2ynkMalSX1PiS6gKPwfUNCONtV49zz/s320/DSC_1982b.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Chocolate Cookies for Dark Nights 12</i></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c plus 2 T flour<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c cocoa<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ t baking soda<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1/8 t baking powder<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1/8 t salt<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ to 1 t chipotle chili powder, to taste<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">5T softened butter<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ egg<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 T espresso<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ c chopped <a href="https://www.raakachocolate.com/products/cacao-nibs?_pos=1&_sid=3b50643d0&_ss=r" target="_blank">Raaka Cacao Nibs</a> or more to taste (I love the variety from Raaka in Brooklyn – they are not roasted but fermented and add a compelling tang to the mix - I got a giant chunk of their chocolate from a show and have been using it up and loving it.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Demerara sugar <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Preheat oven to 375º<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Sift the dry ingredients together and add the wet.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Make into 12 balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press the balls to flatten somewhat (I usually moisten the back of a measuring cup and smush them down).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Sprinkle the top with chocolate nibs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Bake for 10-12 minutes – turning once. Sprinkle with the Demerara.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdljIv75lXlMBVDef2hWHUfmoXbE6IYEfuNnKIHHXpBu25VHAEJ7xGPGEt91UK42pt6MKUjoUWSKjlRDdAY_vUqcCv1BvL0YyvpwLnBDrHcvQS3P6OE8lwJgEFRou6qM4SBLLIvI-RKBA0/s720/DSC_1993b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdljIv75lXlMBVDef2hWHUfmoXbE6IYEfuNnKIHHXpBu25VHAEJ7xGPGEt91UK42pt6MKUjoUWSKjlRDdAY_vUqcCv1BvL0YyvpwLnBDrHcvQS3P6OE8lwJgEFRou6qM4SBLLIvI-RKBA0/s320/DSC_1993b.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Chocolate Coffee Beans</i></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">2 T sugar<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">¼ water<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">2 T-1/4c cream<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">¾ c chopped chocolate<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">2 T maple syrup<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">½ t chipotle chili<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">A few drops of <a href="https://www.aftelier.com/Rose-Chef-s-Essence-p/chefs-rose.htm" target="_blank">Aftelier rose</a> or <a href="https://www.aftelier.com/Jasmine-Chef-s-Essence-p/chefs-jasmine.htm" target="_blank">jasmine essence </a> (optional but recommended)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">1 c Espresso beans<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Dissolve the sugar in the water over M heat. Add the cream – the more cream, the softer and the more melty the chocolate. Add the Chocolate and stir continuously. It might clump if the mixture is too hot when you put it in. Add the maple syrup and it will smooth out with whisking or a mixer. Add the chili and the flower essence. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spread the beans around the surface and pour the chocolate over the beans – stir to blend and let cool. Then refrigerate. Store on the paper in a plastic bag.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered">https://www.pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered</a>/</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #99aadd; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="26" src="https://passets-cdn.pinterest.com/images/follow-on-pinterest-button.png" style="border: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 4px;" width="156" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&placement=B0892B9TQ6&asins=B0892B9TQ6&linkId=456d23518f2651eef6056c10344d424e&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff"> </iframe>"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0892B9TQ6&asins=B0892B9TQ6&linkId=456d23518f2651eef6056c10344d424e&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;">&lt;iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=lostpastremem-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;amp;region=US&amp;placement=B0892B9TQ6&amp;asins=B0892B9TQ6&amp;linkId=456d23518f2651eef6056c10344d424e&amp;show_border=false&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=false&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff"&gt; &lt;/iframe&gt;</iframe></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-50526752277074047282020-05-02T17:34:00.000-07:002020-07-18T10:01:48.101-07:00The Black Plague, Decameron, Wise Advice and Salmon Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80ZUdw4aDSyTuDRIuRiW4akyFBnYncG7v5Ird53IKLmEjF4b4-0kXMEBxrJjOYLXV4aHJUFwh3sT9mZ_XgJCMcevOLa0HPY93937az5PnQUmkxwbVKdrgbCoSDAhah-tk72wtMO9nRwQr/s1600/1349+black+death+in+belgium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1191" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80ZUdw4aDSyTuDRIuRiW4akyFBnYncG7v5Ird53IKLmEjF4b4-0kXMEBxrJjOYLXV4aHJUFwh3sT9mZ_XgJCMcevOLa0HPY93937az5PnQUmkxwbVKdrgbCoSDAhah-tk72wtMO9nRwQr/s320/1349+black+death+in+belgium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1349 Plague scene from Tournai</span></div>
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Legend has it that the first pandemic, The Black Plague (also known as the Bubonic Plague or <i>Yersinia pestis</i>), came west from Egypt in a basket of grain in 541 AD.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1V5Vwr0vYJq73ZQ-lYNdgH5Cimyxygw1VgvsharIXoxzMtqA8h7UIFSzHEc0wTSIYkiqRx1N2TzfKtSV9sO97HKyzbIPR0-RmyOePEVX1W8WwrwAPPwoKjXMflG53tf1huspBfr7-0xz1/s1600/Bizansist_touchup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1600" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1V5Vwr0vYJq73ZQ-lYNdgH5Cimyxygw1VgvsharIXoxzMtqA8h7UIFSzHEc0wTSIYkiqRx1N2TzfKtSV9sO97HKyzbIPR0-RmyOePEVX1W8WwrwAPPwoKjXMflG53tf1huspBfr7-0xz1/s320/Bizansist_touchup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "village plain"; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Byzantine Constantinople - modern interpretation</span></span></div>
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Constantinople, the capitol of the Byzantine Empire (now Istanbul in Turkey), saw the first explosion of the disease. With a population of half a million in 500AD, It killed 5,000 a day till 40% of the population of the city was dead. </div>
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From there it spread ferociously. It wiped out 50% of Europe’s population by 700AD. It came to be named The Plague of Justinian after the tyrannical, bellicose Byzantine Emperor. (I wrote about Justinian <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2011/12/murri-and-original-merguez-mirkas.html">HERE</a>).</div>
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You may not want to know, but plagues employ diabolical stratagems. They slumber - you think it's over, you relax. Then, without warning, WHAM - it's resurrected and comes back like a monster from nightmares and horror films.</div>
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After a 600-year nap, only interrupted by small outbreaks over the intervening centuries, the Black Plague roared back at full strength into the world in 1331 where, in 6 years, it efficiently scythed through twenty to thirty million people in Europe. There were 100 outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century and together these visits killed 75 to 200 million people.<br />
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Did you know the first use of the word quarantine came during the 14th c plague? It comes from the Italian for 40 days, <i>quaranta giorni</i> to <i>quarantena</i> to quarantine. It was the length of time a ship had to keep its crew onboard and offshore before being allowed to debark to keep the plague from spreading. Quarantines helped a little. On land, victims were boarded up in their houses to keep them from infecting others, but, as one contemporary observer noted during the 17th century outbreak, “I think the only reason why the plague is somewhat slackened is because the place is dead already, and no bodie left in it worth the killing.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Guy de Chauliac (1300-68)</span></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_de_Chauliac">Guy de Chauliac</a>, a wise French physician who tended to plague victims and urged his fellows to rely on science and not superstition, wrote of the plague:<br />
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“The great mortality appeared at Avignon in January 1348, when I was in the service of Pope Clement VI. It was of two kinds. The first lasted two months, with continued fever and spitting of blood, and people died of it in three days. The second was all the rest of the time, also with continuous fever and with tumors in the external parts, chiefly the armpits and groin: and people died in five days. It was so contagious, especially that accompanied by spitting of blood, that not only by staying together, but even by looking at one another, people caught it, with the result that men died without attendants and were buried without priests. The father did not visit his son, nor the son his father. Charity was dead and hope crushed.”<br />
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It was Chauliac who advised Pope Clement IV to protect himself in a novel way. Deciding that fires purified, Chauliac told the Pope to sit between 2 large fires that were never allowed to go out till the contagion passed through Avignon. One third of the Cardinals died, but Clement was spared.<br />
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Millions were not so lucky, but a good many souls that lived through the plague benefitted from it. The plague changed the way the world worked. Scholar Charles Creighton observed, “Nothing marks so definitely the emergence of Europe from the Middle Ages as the depopulation and social upheaval made by the plague. The great benefit from the carnage was that wages went up and land wealth was spread out to the underclasses at last. A more robust middle class arose from the ashes. There was enough food to feed the people. The remaining populace was fed up with the tyranny of the church and turned away from slavish obedience and the wealth and greed and hypocrisy that the institution had come to symbolize. The church lost some of its power and a lot of its clergy. The changes brought on the Renaissance - and a new, observable 3-dimensional world less rooted in superstition. But it got very, very dark before the light.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Giovanni Boccaccio 1310-74</span></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Boccaccio">Giovanni Bocaccio’s</a> <u>The Decameron</u> (1348-53) is one of the few works describing this plague that is familiar today – in fact it is a best seller again during these plague times. It’s a magnificent group of tales that surely inspired Chaucer to write his own <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales">Canterbury Tales</a> (Chaucer most likely read The <u>Decameron</u> on his trip to Italy in 1372 – like Boccaccio and Dante before him, Chaucer chose not to write in Latin but in the common language of the day). <br />
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The title, decameron, means 10-day period which is the time allotted for the telling of the stories of the 3 men and 7 women escaping the black death of Florence and taking up residence in a country villa. They tell stories – 100 stories in all about real people – not just the ruling class but people from all walks of life like farmers, weavers, maids and clergy. Then as now, people loved them because the telling of the stories, the singing and dancing the <i>carola</i> [watch it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMmoGThyRfM">Here</a> ] transported the travelers from the horror of <i>Pestilencia Magna</i> or The Great Mortality as our streaming does for us today with Covid 19.</div>
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Thanks to Patrick Lane at <a href="https://www.medievaldeathtrip.com/mdt-ep-80-concerning-boccaccios-description-of-the-plague/">Medieval Death Trip</a>, I discovered an essay by Martin Marafioti about the theory of “narrative prophylaxis” – the healing power of a story to fight disease – inspired by Decameron. A medical manual, <i>Regime du corps</i>, advocated “literary pleasures in the times of plague” (it also advocated fresh air, nutritious food, salubrious wines and regular bathing as well as not getting angry, fearful sad or anguished – wise words then and now). It is not a cure but it helps – then as now.<br />
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People would gather in public spaces or in the country to read <u>The Decameron</u> out loud. As it was in Italian and not Latin, there was a small, newly literate merchant class who could read it themselves – but everyone could understand it when it was read out loud and they loved it. <br />
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Expanded, the idea of Boccaccio’s <i>‘lieta brigata</i>’ -- a cheerful company of friends sharing stories that were joyful, uplifting, pleasurable and interesting … became a thing!<br />
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According to Tommaso del Garbo [author of <i>Consiglio contro a pistolenza</i>, professor of medicine and friend of Petrarch, 1305-70], “Diversion and entertainment are beneficial so that the bitter reality of the plague can be forgotten: Use songs and games and other pleasant novella that do not exhaust the body, and all those delightful things that bring comfort”. Another intellectual, Cardo of Milan advises in the <i>Regimen in pestilencia</i> (1378), to ‘remain in good spirits and to avoid negative affective states”. He also noticed a relationship between ‘grave sadness and physical ailments …. One should choose moderate joy and make it a habit of listening with loved ones to soothing speeches and joyful and soft songs in supreme harmony.”<br />
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It’s as if the physicians of the day learned the lessons of <u>The Decameron</u>. The character Pampinea warns that people shouldn’t think about the plague that killed 60% of Florence – the reflection on the plague corrupts the sanctuary— -- let it go!<br />
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Nicolo de Burgo, a Florentine physician agreed:<br />
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According to one’s possibility, one should abstain from sadness, anguish, superfluous thoughts, superfluous duties, anger and from contemplated fear and suspicion, especially from every report and conversation of the pestilence and death and from the mention of ill people and people who have dies from the epidemic, unless they be of those who have recovered, or who are going to recover.” He also recommended softly sung songs <i>(in voce remissa – cantilena</i> like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev3O_pX5JkI%20or%20https://www.youtube.com/watch?">this</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR923G2MQn0&list=RDev3O_pX5JkI&index=2">this</a>), play, clean clothes and good friends – in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.<br />
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Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) believed it was best to avoid the news of the plague but also believed in the power of words and song – ‘the most powerful imitator of all things’ has the ability to relieve pain and cure illness. His theory is based on the idea that words and song can alter a person’s well-being especially when the content is inspired by one’s heart and imagination.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Botticelli’s Banquet of the Pine Forest from </span><u>The Decameron</u><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (1482)</span></div>
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Yes, <u>The Decameron</u> was an escape from the Great Mortality. Still, it began with a bleak description of what they were escaping from – written contemporaneously. Think of it as the black and white of Kansas and the hurricane before the world of Oz. Boccaccio didn’t flinch from painting a horrific sketch of the reason the band of storytellers were escaping the city. Enjoy a few passages from the <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/23700/23700-h/23700-h.htm">Payne translation</a> and be grateful that we live in 2020, not 1350.<br />
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“And there against no wisdom availing nor human foresight (whereby the city was purged of many impurities by officers deputed to that end and it was forbidden unto any sick person to enter therein and many were the counsels given for the preservation of health) nor yet humble supplications, not once but many times both in ordered processions and on other wise made unto God by devout persons,—about the coming in of the Spring of the aforesaid year, it began on horrible and miraculous wise to show forth its dolorous effects. Yet not as it had done in the East, where, if any bled at the nose, it was a manifest sign of inevitable death; nay, but in men and women alike there appeared, at the beginning of the malady, certain swellings, either on the groin or under the armpits, whereof some waxed of the bigness of a common apple, others like unto an egg, some more and some less, and these the vulgar named plague-boils. From these two parts the aforesaid death-bearing plague-boils proceeded, in brief space, to appear and come indifferently in every part of the body; wherefrom, after awhile, the fashion of the contagion began to change into black or livid blotches, which showed themselves in many [first] on the arms and about the thighs and [after spread to] every other part of the person, in some large and sparse and in others small and thick-sown; and like as the plague-boils had been first (and yet were) a very certain token of coming death, even so were these for everyone to whom they came.” 2</div>
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“To the cure of these maladies nor counsel of physician nor virtue of any medicine appeared to avail or profit aught; on the contrary,—whether it was that the nature of the infection suffered it not or that the ignorance of the physicians (of whom, over and above the men of art, the number, both men and women, who had never had any teaching of medicine, was become exceeding great,) availed not to know whence it arose and consequently took not due measures there against,—not only did few recover thereof, but well-nigh all died within the third day from the appearance of the aforesaid signs, this sooner and that later, and for the most part without fever or other accident. And this pestilence was the more virulent for that, by communication with those who were sick thereof, it gat hold upon the sound, no otherwise than fire upon things dry or greasy, when as they are brought very near thereunto Nay, the mischief was yet greater; for that not only did converse and consortion with the sick give to the sound infection of cause of common death, but the mere touching of the clothes or of whatsoever other thing had been touched or used of the sick appeared of itself to communicate the malady to the toucher. A marvellous thing to hear is that which I have to tell and one which, had it not been seen of many men's eyes and of mine own, I had scarce dared credit, much less set down in writing, though I had heard it from one worthy of belief. I say, then, that of such efficience was the nature of the pestilence in question in communicating itself from one to another, that, not only did it pass from man to man, but this, which is much more, it many times visibly did;—to wit, a thing which had pertained to a man sick or dead of the aforesaid sickness, being touched by an animal foreign to the human species, not only3 infected this latter with the plague, but in a very brief space of time killed it. Of this mine own eyes (as hath a little before been said) had one day, among others, experience on this wise; to wit, that the rags of a poor man, who had died of the plague, being cast out into the public way, two hogs came up to them and having first, after their wont, rooted amain among them with their snouts, took them in their mouths and tossed them about their jaws; then, in a little while, after turning round and round, they both, as if they had taken poison, fell down dead upon the rags with which they had in an ill hour intermeddled”3</div>
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“The condition of the common people (and belike, in great part, of the middle class also) was yet more pitiable to behold, for that these, for the most part retained by hope or poverty in their houses and abiding in their own quarters, sickened by the thousand daily and being altogether untended and unsuccoured, died well-nigh all without recourse. Many breathed their last in the open street, whilst other many, for all they died in their houses, made it known to the neighbors that they were dead rather by the stench of their rotting bodies than otherwise; and of these and others who died all about the whole city was full”. 6<br />
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Seven gentle women (Emilia, Elisa, Lauretta, Neifile, Pampinea Fiammeta Filomena) and 3 gentlemen (Pamfilo, Filostrato, Dioneo), decided to get out of Florence and left the next morning for their new Eden… “nor had they gone more than two short miles from the city, when they came to the place fore-appointed of them, which was situate on a little hill, somewhat withdrawn on every side from the high way and full of various shrubs and plants, all green of leafage and pleasant to behold. On the summit of this hill was a palace, with a goodly and great courtyard in its midst and galleries and saloons and bedchambers, each in itself most fair and adorned and notable with jocund paintings, with lawns and grassplots round about and wonder-goodly gardens and wells of very cold water and cellars full of wines of price, things more apt unto curious drinkers than unto sober and modest ladies. The new comers, to their no little pleasure, found the place all swept and the beds made in the chambers and everything full of such flowers as might be had at that season and strewn with rushes.”</div>
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They decide to pick a new chief for each day to decide what the subject of their entertainments will be. They broke off and returned at the appointed time to find …”entering a saloon on the ground floor, they saw there the tables laid with the whitest of cloths and beakers that seemed of silver and everything covered with the flowers of the broom; whereupon, having washed their hands, they all, by command of the queen, seated themselves according to Parmeno's [Dioneo’s manservant] ordinance. Then came viands delicately drest and choicest wines were proffered and the three serving-men, without more, quietly tended the tables. All, being gladdened by these things, for that they were fair and orderly done, ate joyously and with store of merry talk, and the tables being cleared away, the queen bade bring instruments of music, for that all the ladies knew how to dance, as also the young men, and some of them could both play and sing excellent well.” 15<br />
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After this they retired to the grass and the plan was settled. “Here is the sojourn fair and cool, and here, as you see, are chess and tables, and each can divert himself as is most to his mind. But, an my counsel be followed in this, we shall pass away this sultry part of the day, not in gaming,—wherein the mind of one of the players must of necessity be troubled, without any great pleasure of the other or of those who look on,—but in telling stories, which, one telling, may afford diversion to all the company who hearken; nor shall we have made an end of telling each his story but the sun will have declined and the heat be abated, and we can then go a-pleasuring whereas it may be most agreeable to us. Wherefore, if this that I say please you, (for I am disposed to follow your pleasure therein,) let us do it; and if it please you not, let each until the hour of vespers do what most liketh him." Ladies and men alike all approved the story-telling, whereupon, "Then," said the queen, "since this pleaseth you, I will that this first day each be free to tell of such matters as are most to his liking. Then, turning to Pamfilo, who sat on her right hand, she smilingly bade him give beginning to the story-telling with one of his; and he, hearing the commandment, forthright began thus, whilst all gave ear to him.” 15</div>
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And so the tales begin. The hundred tales are not strung together by anything other than the direction of the chief of the day. They are very bawdy, funny, sad, exciting, provoking and terribly entertaining. They are human and they are meant to take one’s mind off the world around you for a while – the perfect book for today, yes?</div>
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Also, PLEASE listen to those very wise men of medicine from the 14th century. Don’t let the crazy make you sick. Our president is a force of chaos and division. Don’t pay him attention – he thrives on chaos and hurting others while he screams ME ME ME. Change the conversation. TURN AWAY from the toxic and toward great friends and great art, literature, drama and music. Let it feed you and heal you.<br />
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Take a break. Let some light in. Cook something, take it to a shut-in – do good and be well. We will get through this. <br />
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And on a personal note, 2,500,000 people have visited Lost Past Remembered in the last 10 years -- thanks so much for joining me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Lutrell Salter 1330</span></div>
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So what did they eat?<br />
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Needless to say. They dined well at this castle. I had originally thought I was going to write about the plague in England, but then Bocaccio won the day with the excellent advice of the famous Italian physicians that I felt compelled to share. I had already decided to go with something from an English cookbook of the period and was pleased when I made the dish, so The Forme of Cury it is!! It came from Richard II’s kitchen around 1390 and its recipes have fed me well many times (I wrote about it <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2013/01/ye-very-olde-sauce-madame-for-duck.html">HERE</a> ). I have already made a 1420 Savoyard tuna pie by Chiquart, chef to the Duke of Savoy (I wrote about it<a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-lion-and-rose-love-intrigue-and.html"> here</a>) which had similar ingredients but also rice flour, almond milk and orange. I thought I would try something a little different and slightly earlier. Looking at Bartolomeo Scappi’s cookbook (1570), I don’t think my pie would have been alien to Florentines in the 14thcentury.<br />
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Yes, it is not your idea of a fish pie. It has raisins, dates, figs, apples, pears and prunes so it is more like a dessert before you pop the fish in – but it is delicious. Also, for those of you who are vegetarians, it is dessert again if you skip the fish – it is delicious either way.<br />
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Just a note- I didn’t cook the fish beforehand since I don’t like heavily cooked fish and I only used salmon because, in these quarantine shopping days – it’s what I had. I didn’t have fresh plums so just used prunes – I think the ‘damsyns’ would be delicious – next time<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <a href="https://archive.org/stream/theformeofcury08102gut/7cury10.txt" style="text-align: center;">Forme of Cury</a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></span><br />
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<i>TART DE BRYMLENT [1]. XX.VIII. VII.<br /><br /><br />Take Fyges & Raysouns. & waisshe hem in Wyne and grinde hem smalewith apples & peres clene ypikede (picked). take hem up and cast hem in a pot wiþ wyne and sugur. take salwar Salmoun [2] ysode (boil). oþer codlyng (cod), oþer haddok, & bray hem smal. & do þerto white powdours & hool spices. &salt. and seeþ (boil-reduce) it. and whanne it is sode ynowgh. take it up and do it in a vessel and lat it kele (cool). make a Coffyn an ynche depe & do þe fars þerin (stuff). Plaunt it aboue [3] with prunes and damysyns. take þe stoneout, and wiþ dates quartereded [4] and piked clene. and couere the coffyn, and bake it well, and serve it forth</i>.<br />
{FYI, þ (upper case <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C3%9E#Translingual">Þ</a>), is the letter <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thorn">thorn</a>. it was gradually replaced by "th". so pronounce wiþ - with}<br />
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<i>Tart de Brymlent</i>. Take figs & raisins, & wash them in wine, and grind them small with apples & pears clean picked. Take them up and put them in a pot with wine and sugar. Take very fresh salmon boiled, or cod or haddock, and mince them small, & do there-to white powders & whole spices & salt, & boil it. And when it is cooked enough, take it up and do it in a vessel, and let it cool. Make a pie shell an inch deep & do the filling there-in. Place on top of this damson prunes: take the stones out; and with dates quartered and picked clean. And cover the pie, and bake it well, and serve it forth.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Tart de Brymlent</span></i> serves 2 - 4 (thanks to <a href="http://www.godecookery.com/mtrans/mtrans41.htm">Gode Cookery</a> for the translations and help with the recipe )<br />
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2 figs, minced<br />
¼ c Raisins<br />
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped<br />
1 pear peeled, cored and chopped<br />
½ c White wine<br />
2 T Sugar<br />
½ Lb fresh Salmon in small pieces<br />
½ t White Pepper (I used a ground blend of black pepper, grains of paradise, cubeb and long pepper)<br />
Whole spices – 1 Cinnamon Stick, 5 Cloves, 1 quarter size piece Ginger, etc. - wrapped up in cheesecloth or ½ t of cinnamon, ¼ t cloves ½ t ginger - do it to taste before you put the fish in -- I like a little more spice)<br />
1 t Salt<br />
Pastry for a double crust lid<br />
6 Pitted Prunes sliced in half<br />
2 plums sliced in quarters (I didn’t have them so didn’t use them)<br />
6 Dates, pitted and halved<br />
1 T butter<br />
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Heat oven to 425º<br />
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Put the figs, raisins, apples and pears with the wine and sugar into a pot. Add spices, & salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Cook until it has reduced and thickened (if it seems too liquid after fruits have cooked thoroughly, remove them and reduce the liquid a little. Remove the whole spices if used. Let the mixture cool. <br />
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Roll out the bottom crust and place in pan (I used a copper pan with a 4 ½ “bottom - 6” top- so smaller than a regular pie pan – a small, oven-proof skillet would do well). Add the salmon to the pie filling and put in pie crust. Put the prunes and dates on top and dot with butter. Cover with the reserve pastry and seal. Add holes for steam. Bake about 40 minutes - checking that the top doesn’t get too brown (put foil or a silicone pie rim on it if it is getting too brown). Take it out of the oven and cool a few minutes and serve. It’s good hot or at room temperature.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "village plain";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">William Shakespeare, Chandos portrait 1610</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind.” <b><u>King Lear</u></b></span><br />
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In the time of plague, let me share with you some things you may not know-- about a life-long love - Shakespeare, a newer, decade old passion –Tudor painted walls, and my latest discovery of painted wall-cloths (<a href="https://www.yourdictionary.com/waterwork">waterwork</a>). All of them intersect with an added treat of a 17th century recipe here at Lost Past, Plague Version!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bGXKg0iG8l3Cf-obii9jGYG4Ip9DMM39MZ9Rvwgi8NKUVC7YcTkY4wpPCImNL1cU7vn0Dj13rDCrGr4Ew37Ogab0xAOKHQD7KfrHlQi7ghsKlVrcam0aQ3DnTpQOAAZCg3sC7Tys11QQ/s1600/images.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bGXKg0iG8l3Cf-obii9jGYG4Ip9DMM39MZ9Rvwgi8NKUVC7YcTkY4wpPCImNL1cU7vn0Dj13rDCrGr4Ew37Ogab0xAOKHQD7KfrHlQi7ghsKlVrcam0aQ3DnTpQOAAZCg3sC7Tys11QQ/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
Shakespeare was born 26 April 1564 only a few months into an outbreak of the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague"> bubonic plague</a> that took a quarter of the population of his hometown and his own sister. The plague-hound would breath down his neck for most of his life.<br />
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He was born and grew up on Henley Street in Stratford on Avon. Two of the rooms are seen below with modern wall-cloths painted by the fabulously talented <a href="https://www.melissawhite.co.uk/">Melissa White</a> - I learned a lot from her site. The black and white room is in the style of period wall paintings from Glouster Folk Museum and Harvington Hall and a Sandwich inn, the second room uses researched millefleurs decoration as inspiration (I felt immediately connected to White – I painted Tudor designs on my closet doors in my first apartment and loved their undulating patterns - do visit her site and see her other work). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTieS1Dt1TW819C4H2j2wJ1x1GDV8vIhz604ddGqyU_SuLQryiPBVPDFjOlONPqykKM-YGaKMaW6W2waQBbbJ-dHLtPX6hTqKpJ0QLoDGJM9ed7XuIsz4oJHlmVIY8NZF7CWtuKQcr6gGa/s1600/SH12912.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTieS1Dt1TW819C4H2j2wJ1x1GDV8vIhz604ddGqyU_SuLQryiPBVPDFjOlONPqykKM-YGaKMaW6W2waQBbbJ-dHLtPX6hTqKpJ0QLoDGJM9ed7XuIsz4oJHlmVIY8NZF7CWtuKQcr6gGa/s320/SH12912.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stratford Bedroom</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOJubg_-Vj3FKRCW5fzvxPOpcbKqVxerruJazG3gJkY3lpBPx0gjfotkbKrdXqKpO-0grW20t6iC0ZV_NzaXn7XUqiUY33wNRxqqz7TiBTHz0W-OvqzLh5AVMVxupVIXpDZ5NYYk_OJ0H/s1600/867baf8b510e406a5ca66ee5f6514a64.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOJubg_-Vj3FKRCW5fzvxPOpcbKqVxerruJazG3gJkY3lpBPx0gjfotkbKrdXqKpO-0grW20t6iC0ZV_NzaXn7XUqiUY33wNRxqqz7TiBTHz0W-OvqzLh5AVMVxupVIXpDZ5NYYk_OJ0H/s320/867baf8b510e406a5ca66ee5f6514a64.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stratford Bedroom</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvp_k3XkL600bPziRYpMUA-oo1F4hZwmSiLX83T1k_biT4dg4zyixTxLBC9sLTTu5xFV4WxD0ybt4e6Y-ByZQ5Dv40U7V4RyAkMOcCoWaITxORsSFr4QrtcL5_HdyhgRKFtW-xwIYRQOtm/s1600/+Gloucester+Folk+Museum.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvp_k3XkL600bPziRYpMUA-oo1F4hZwmSiLX83T1k_biT4dg4zyixTxLBC9sLTTu5xFV4WxD0ybt4e6Y-ByZQ5Dv40U7V4RyAkMOcCoWaITxORsSFr4QrtcL5_HdyhgRKFtW-xwIYRQOtm/s320/+Gloucester+Folk+Museum.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Glouster Folk Museum </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBArkwefkiymo7yf6hgzfwKZZ67fmzBc7kHtoJ5KLTyzX_t208A2h8oS_LrIwcxQod-idDy6p2GELAbUCr_gcMT49c7fNXPWl7AGhgb1-qdf7jZ6a7izq95lz7S_qonYPUgFdoD1Ls_54/s1600/Harvington_Hall_wall_painting.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBArkwefkiymo7yf6hgzfwKZZ67fmzBc7kHtoJ5KLTyzX_t208A2h8oS_LrIwcxQod-idDy6p2GELAbUCr_gcMT49c7fNXPWl7AGhgb1-qdf7jZ6a7izq95lz7S_qonYPUgFdoD1Ls_54/s320/Harvington_Hall_wall_painting.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Harvington Hall. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEtjuYnl_FGPDhMwnANrrO9gLsohD0MwtTrpp6iu0MOvOWJEAnZeYkEMTUOGH1koKUqMObTsEOxoISvD8zUREBIR6PnD1OJPHamUo2FXETaa1cX3cjsMjsnPU02_pgQld8t-mxjcDqIsq/s1600/Golden-Cross---original-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="1000" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEtjuYnl_FGPDhMwnANrrO9gLsohD0MwtTrpp6iu0MOvOWJEAnZeYkEMTUOGH1koKUqMObTsEOxoISvD8zUREBIR6PnD1OJPHamUo2FXETaa1cX3cjsMjsnPU02_pgQld8t-mxjcDqIsq/s320/Golden-Cross---original-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://fairlyte.blogspot.com/2010/10/"> Sandwich inn</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZrtH4XHcMVu9TY1C7BmASH40VWtdU4F0uT0bu-PPePoeDde2rMdwKRQkxNZB_nLoDzVQmFu8h1Ao6rMsimXedWP9pHj0J0H-B0xO_KzJFr04_OQQA34_8zzdG-r6Glo-IOPyU3IrgAW_/s1600/Golden-Cross-original-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZrtH4XHcMVu9TY1C7BmASH40VWtdU4F0uT0bu-PPePoeDde2rMdwKRQkxNZB_nLoDzVQmFu8h1Ao6rMsimXedWP9pHj0J0H-B0xO_KzJFr04_OQQA34_8zzdG-r6Glo-IOPyU3IrgAW_/s320/Golden-Cross-original-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://fairlyte.blogspot.com/2010/10/"> Sandwich inn</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBxnDFDYLQaSA0cQC5tuyz_2FyGG5qj5JuKon1K2nE6ruN4pbE_TQ4jaoeEFd86raIQqZ0RMPutuCgmDy68eaLBKmL97MfqgYDctjRV3ri_lwuRrNNroUikrVAM5xMnHXmgdDvmCyJkpL/s1600/Stratford-Upon-Avon-shakespeare-birthplace-bedroom.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBxnDFDYLQaSA0cQC5tuyz_2FyGG5qj5JuKon1K2nE6ruN4pbE_TQ4jaoeEFd86raIQqZ0RMPutuCgmDy68eaLBKmL97MfqgYDctjRV3ri_lwuRrNNroUikrVAM5xMnHXmgdDvmCyJkpL/s320/Stratford-Upon-Avon-shakespeare-birthplace-bedroom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stratford Bedroom</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4t3mFUyyqZ6i958sFJhPdErg8N1DKsmJV88VbryPq6fmbqhofn3XGkvRevruGA_dXWefplPuztrvlKN7i7Xw9D_wHvq_UowOekxkIOtWMwfvIF-S7c5HDjom3T0hybSqOikIMk7zJnWs7/s1600/IMGP2401.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4t3mFUyyqZ6i958sFJhPdErg8N1DKsmJV88VbryPq6fmbqhofn3XGkvRevruGA_dXWefplPuztrvlKN7i7Xw9D_wHvq_UowOekxkIOtWMwfvIF-S7c5HDjom3T0hybSqOikIMk7zJnWs7/s320/IMGP2401.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stratford Bedroom</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNymEmW4h6kOHglv38V3fKI9Gt2Ve-4j8d3JKI3oSEUdS25YavKDYcRBKB9hOGCEbTY2yMBDK3W2AsPJfz0AUjfmgWvnU1CHKgX8b836QXyuHIFhV-LDNJNynHPXqxaaTX_gZJoyi81_U/s1600/oxford+originals+millefleurs.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNymEmW4h6kOHglv38V3fKI9Gt2Ve-4j8d3JKI3oSEUdS25YavKDYcRBKB9hOGCEbTY2yMBDK3W2AsPJfz0AUjfmgWvnU1CHKgX8b836QXyuHIFhV-LDNJNynHPXqxaaTX_gZJoyi81_U/s320/oxford+originals+millefleurs.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Original Oxford Millefleur from collection of Melissa White</span> </div>
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The water-work paintings were aspirational and meant to reflect the ruling classes’ rich and costly tapestries but affordable for the homes of the middle classes. We know Shakeseare’s grandfather had 11 of them, as they were listed in his possessions (it was the custom for valuables to be recorded in the estate of the deceased and the water-work was valuable). Shakespeare even wrote of them through Falstaff in Henry IV, part 2:<br />
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“And for thy walls, a pretty slight drollery, or the story of the Prodigal or the German hunting in waterwork is worth a thousand of these bed-hangers and these fly-bitten tapestries.”<br />
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These water-works and wall paintings were mostly done by members of a painter’s guild. Centered in London, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Painter-Stainers">Painter’s and Stainer’s Guild </a> members would often have their own pattern books which might explain the similarity of designs. They would mix dry pigment with animal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glue-size">glue-size</a> and apply it to lime-washed walls directly or to linen cloths (the lime in the walls limited the colors that could be used as the lime changed any plant-based colors – lamp black from soot was very popular because it was very stable). The art could be geometric, done in knots or grids or free-flowing with grotesque work, vines and flowers. Some were portraits, or told a story or illustrated a moral with visual fables, written phrases and elaborate borders.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQruC-EZTTt2K0oOFzkMB4nBUPAo5SFQgXHooeRHbcKJhkyvBO8Qdpogq0TqLD-4OrWfx4G1Djbe6dOM3rww0Umfld6zPA_qL9Jec9J9c63vJhlW2QAwbjT1IUOTT7pyWXKuEGtUTpzVS/s1600/IMG_0048.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQruC-EZTTt2K0oOFzkMB4nBUPAo5SFQgXHooeRHbcKJhkyvBO8Qdpogq0TqLD-4OrWfx4G1Djbe6dOM3rww0Umfld6zPA_qL9Jec9J9c63vJhlW2QAwbjT1IUOTT7pyWXKuEGtUTpzVS/s320/IMG_0048.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.weststowhall.com/images/Hall/wall%20paintings/IMG_0048.jpg"><span style="font-size: x-small;">West Stow Hall</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwuI0FgGENOFFwdI-Nh7g3We0pMBwhJ1ThWuoOA_WAq5fHBXbMcqwlgOemg2xgtvRhFAR6BknMd7lAXjiW1nnDZ3sZVkyjLNdBDZZFAEVUoNwE79W0IrUOGtAuN7QDoy2gRFH3sUEGWlB/s1600/bramall+hall+tudor-wall-paintings.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwuI0FgGENOFFwdI-Nh7g3We0pMBwhJ1ThWuoOA_WAq5fHBXbMcqwlgOemg2xgtvRhFAR6BknMd7lAXjiW1nnDZ3sZVkyjLNdBDZZFAEVUoNwE79W0IrUOGtAuN7QDoy2gRFH3sUEGWlB/s320/bramall+hall+tudor-wall-paintings.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g1809219-d12454747-i248873302-Bramall_Hall_Park-Bramhall_Stockport_Greater_Manchester_England.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bramall Hall</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVv-yn3uu6W_R0D9JMg0fw4ACyt2sPEHWL_0ZaulVxHyNOnD45TF2-FSMuUA-xJjWA_6hdC_wEEn23e3sus3cuBr7xsDMd5nLgQrhhRJy8kx-G9b4PPToMQMakXJOPCRmA1F0zyaegH8X/s1600/CLPaintedCloths+waterwork.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVv-yn3uu6W_R0D9JMg0fw4ACyt2sPEHWL_0ZaulVxHyNOnD45TF2-FSMuUA-xJjWA_6hdC_wEEn23e3sus3cuBr7xsDMd5nLgQrhhRJy8kx-G9b4PPToMQMakXJOPCRmA1F0zyaegH8X/s320/CLPaintedCloths+waterwork.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.owlpen.com/manor/painted-cloths">Olpen Manor wall cloths 1700</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzte3wqjI1i4gdMV2Py-HXIuK5-5V0-PXHrWlCFxYJbLnRBcVoHJrueISts5Tp_yYIA9YN7uyPJrjXBlrTc-RsdQprwR0AUa6zuI5XRqbavNaIXYFrlpWYPAh9_WRGR9r6zxJeQW_qOJF/s1600/owlpen+cloth.-waterworkjpg.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzte3wqjI1i4gdMV2Py-HXIuK5-5V0-PXHrWlCFxYJbLnRBcVoHJrueISts5Tp_yYIA9YN7uyPJrjXBlrTc-RsdQprwR0AUa6zuI5XRqbavNaIXYFrlpWYPAh9_WRGR9r6zxJeQW_qOJF/s320/owlpen+cloth.-waterworkjpg.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.owlpen.com/manor/painted-cloths">Olpen Manor wall cloths 1700</a></span></div>
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Sadly, few originals of these cloths have survived (the finest examples are in Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire). Many of the painted walls have survived, having had the good fortune to be hidden beneath new walls in renovations to modernize the ancient rooms or merely painted over and only recently discovered and painstakingly restored. Although they fell out of fashion, the techniques for making wall cloths translated well to the new idea of stage backdrops (the stage in Shakespeare’s day had no scenery – only relevant furniture and props).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeBa2c3EU_CITM93UC1xklW4nL3dZwULOd7S5pXqoyS-4P21w7r3a4UICgFfGvrS-yVHUh05ZBuWjkP545fJOcR3HtFcJdb193pqEQ80lMdScQ0j8pdPn_NSR4IQYeQT_41peHQ1i_ZJw/s1600/canons+ashby+16th+c+.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeBa2c3EU_CITM93UC1xklW4nL3dZwULOd7S5pXqoyS-4P21w7r3a4UICgFfGvrS-yVHUh05ZBuWjkP545fJOcR3HtFcJdb193pqEQ80lMdScQ0j8pdPn_NSR4IQYeQT_41peHQ1i_ZJw/s320/canons+ashby+16th+c+.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lists/interior-design-through-the-ages"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Canons Ashby</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_Rd2VQYx5hWZvdhgaEauWlD1GjpHez9vC1jBZpu6nUAwltmi-E0bf-E9yRsaoCsth4m7m8QozuK3gOU3NfHWGW9onrdm8tsfW76qNUjWGZ22o_ZUkOR7Dd-BHGbyb-V3skSEdzcEuaiJ/s1600/DSC_4034_5_6_tonemapped.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_Rd2VQYx5hWZvdhgaEauWlD1GjpHez9vC1jBZpu6nUAwltmi-E0bf-E9yRsaoCsth4m7m8QozuK3gOU3NfHWGW9onrdm8tsfW76qNUjWGZ22o_ZUkOR7Dd-BHGbyb-V3skSEdzcEuaiJ/s320/DSC_4034_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Little Moreton</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnE-dix1hP3ICLJIeSqZttw-MmeEh0RR-aQSP7wENBWmtYtMiko_Ln8b8dUJEev0jF2qnm7DVIggqKjxbfwLxTzxmcvEsBWhrmLcBACPUHcyLU5UpL7mcj4WzEzAiA3iY438hMKjBJkAn/s1600/Ledbury+painted+room+1.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnE-dix1hP3ICLJIeSqZttw-MmeEh0RR-aQSP7wENBWmtYtMiko_Ln8b8dUJEev0jF2qnm7DVIggqKjxbfwLxTzxmcvEsBWhrmLcBACPUHcyLU5UpL7mcj4WzEzAiA3iY438hMKjBJkAn/s320/Ledbury+painted+room+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ledbury Painted room</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RbQLqMqPudJl5E2-u9Q22shyphenhyphenwXTH25jDEuQewkC8-cYAkDS6ZnipTp2drxzk3RBxCVAsKOEHtxZpog5cLb7K9Fy91VIn9FGIk_z6JcTb4pG4KMYiJc3aGjjR3CxWEUDy006Un7Dlfclf/s1600/43dc39175c01cc69790d9b5c22262079.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RbQLqMqPudJl5E2-u9Q22shyphenhyphenwXTH25jDEuQewkC8-cYAkDS6ZnipTp2drxzk3RBxCVAsKOEHtxZpog5cLb7K9Fy91VIn9FGIk_z6JcTb4pG4KMYiJc3aGjjR3CxWEUDy006Un7Dlfclf/s320/43dc39175c01cc69790d9b5c22262079.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/81106/images/CILIAU+HALL+HOUSE,+ERWOOD/?show=all"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">CILIAU HALL HOUSE, ERWOOD</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-hlymFDQkoZsB71mS0zkfiJiH15Xf8lM_ZzhdqZ-xvoE5_A67zgjfPz_9VMBJYWRY-d7YIzGDGboPjctUUNWOKyaMOI36-GNC-Haud9oa2mhjwUuX34v1FY-uhDsWE89PTqYHJVW9k3h/s1600/County-Museum-medieval-wall-painting.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-hlymFDQkoZsB71mS0zkfiJiH15Xf8lM_ZzhdqZ-xvoE5_A67zgjfPz_9VMBJYWRY-d7YIzGDGboPjctUUNWOKyaMOI36-GNC-Haud9oa2mhjwUuX34v1FY-uhDsWE89PTqYHJVW9k3h/s320/County-Museum-medieval-wall-painting.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/444237950724990095/">Bucks County Museum, Aylesbury</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaIWc4V-qLTd34X7O2lxy3G333JWZ6D55FUuI6Wg-Aj4B6gy4R23ZhQwiMjy2vgUIW23t9nPdAFLUu6_dUTdSNoPR0WEAiPOruToyAz0gu0caJ1dcS4A35eaBwmwxJxQ-kXohxxKSDTQJ/s1600/Huntingtower_plafond_17062009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="700" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaIWc4V-qLTd34X7O2lxy3G333JWZ6D55FUuI6Wg-Aj4B6gy4R23ZhQwiMjy2vgUIW23t9nPdAFLUu6_dUTdSNoPR0WEAiPOruToyAz0gu0caJ1dcS4A35eaBwmwxJxQ-kXohxxKSDTQJ/s320/Huntingtower_plafond_17062009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntingtower_Castle#/media/File:Huntingtower_plafond_17062009.jpg">Huntingtower Castle</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c66dCjSYcX5P_3yFUBJd1iIMAAbBP2zOMJMVWKs36ejNL4nAglOpGd1riIbD6TEwp-9a5JhpSR3Jemlv4swRGn03YKTs8mPfaZ2-nZoTbfMJBcwa7ZpDfuX-Og7ZCnqBIMYfX0GKFKaj/s1600/Tudor+room+at+3+Cornmarket%252C+Oxford.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c66dCjSYcX5P_3yFUBJd1iIMAAbBP2zOMJMVWKs36ejNL4nAglOpGd1riIbD6TEwp-9a5JhpSR3Jemlv4swRGn03YKTs8mPfaZ2-nZoTbfMJBcwa7ZpDfuX-Og7ZCnqBIMYfX0GKFKaj/s320/Tudor+room+at+3+Cornmarket%252C+Oxford.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/literary-history/art432585"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tudor Room at Cornmarket, Oxford</span></a></div>
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<b><u>A Description of England</u></b>, written by William Harrison in 1577 described the fashion,<br />
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“The walls of our houses on the inner sides in like sort be either hanged with tapestry, arras work, or painted cloths, wherein either divers histories, or herbs, beasts, knots, and such like are stained, or else they are ceiled with oak of our own, or wainscot brought hither out of the east countries, whereby the rooms are not a little commended, made warm, and much more close than otherwise they would be.” <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7ey-Tip6jKHCPXP3AsHv5kBwrh2mD_w331QPuHx_UE1749tbCzE7jm9mnyBxPcUXmPh24HopraIr8PfE50SqAN6KsjDtIgwnG-m55Gj859K-tWCkOkBT_Xj0JZ2vpEE8Vsbwad6ZCMpG/s1600/Gloves.width-770.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7ey-Tip6jKHCPXP3AsHv5kBwrh2mD_w331QPuHx_UE1749tbCzE7jm9mnyBxPcUXmPh24HopraIr8PfE50SqAN6KsjDtIgwnG-m55Gj859K-tWCkOkBT_Xj0JZ2vpEE8Vsbwad6ZCMpG/s320/Gloves.width-770.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Elizabethan Gloves</span></span></div>
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Shakespeare’s father would have had a wetwork or 2. He was a prosperous glove maker to wealthy clients in Stratford on Avon with a shop next door to the house where his father conducted his business – a common practice in the 16th century that gave young William an intimate view of the upper stratosphere of society as he saw them or heard the gossip about them. His observations of their world would not be wasted – they were fodder for the playwright’s keen eye and ear. He noticed everything.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLE0zymKiyiUPrLoUw0tR6-goTrNvv_FfvzrZlz5-MecJnkeTG7S8xlw2btK6c5NNwPHstClV0lUg3LJhWbXwr0mYObQUxabZ1IxQNIypy1jmov5VggocNd7Te57wyRhjebWqrpthNdU6/s1600/Shakespeares_Birthplace.1769.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLE0zymKiyiUPrLoUw0tR6-goTrNvv_FfvzrZlz5-MecJnkeTG7S8xlw2btK6c5NNwPHstClV0lUg3LJhWbXwr0mYObQUxabZ1IxQNIypy1jmov5VggocNd7Te57wyRhjebWqrpthNdU6/s320/Shakespeares_Birthplace.1769.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1708 drawing of the John Shakespeare’s house and shop</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Yqj4tv_Ar9lpE6byz_3dm9g1BCfWPHzQ6KAz0tCY7wOAqCcdftDS2VPXk6e7HRY_c7KpR86bkmkBQzLZOg2-ajFopyBW3jv1YFflbkBxLN7dqUEO7ADos7UClmt4D1cmuzOdLinbEQLi/s1600/7673-0-885x596.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Yqj4tv_Ar9lpE6byz_3dm9g1BCfWPHzQ6KAz0tCY7wOAqCcdftDS2VPXk6e7HRY_c7KpR86bkmkBQzLZOg2-ajFopyBW3jv1YFflbkBxLN7dqUEO7ADos7UClmt4D1cmuzOdLinbEQLi/s320/7673-0-885x596.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/restoration-shakespeares-birthplace/"></a><a href="https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/restoration-shakespeares-birthplace/">The house before restoration</a> (brick work was added on the inn to the right of the house where </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shakespeare’s shop</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> had been, Shakespeare’s house had become a butcher shop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8n0_cfmRN-spADdaUI3CB8FdgzSeUqou7jb_XQCZIIh3Rq01ACKI1Zi44eWAXfwLg9539tD8T1CQpUSs-zIZwj0DT4nk-TwxCOoT-hTLtEu4jw2o6qqQKDLcy1uDpWHlcUZQG00tsQTm/s1600/6407-0.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8n0_cfmRN-spADdaUI3CB8FdgzSeUqou7jb_XQCZIIh3Rq01ACKI1Zi44eWAXfwLg9539tD8T1CQpUSs-zIZwj0DT4nk-TwxCOoT-hTLtEu4jw2o6qqQKDLcy1uDpWHlcUZQG00tsQTm/s320/6407-0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A<a href="https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/blogs/restoration-shakespeares-birthplace/">fter the 1858 restoratio</a>n, buildings were removed on either side to prevent fires </span></div>
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Shakespeare left the family house and got married to Anne Hathaway in 1582, had 3 children (His son, Hamnet, died in 1596 at age 11 - there's a lovely new book out called <u>Hamnet</u> byMaggie O'Farrell.) and then disappeared from the records from 1585 – 1592. He showed up on the London theater scene by way of a decidedly bad review for writing above his poorly educated station and talent level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7CgXSFS60av-QJFi1HVT5Gu-pquVuvvDueRV6rkGHW8IJ_dlFu3db7lvP4zXCaNGvIMvdMQHG8EQJ9T42KPk5eMhxR3WNTg4xkSkdx_lFLgGWGoE-gtISBSSvTDCCkftq7VVPGhipSgm/s1600/New_place_house.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7CgXSFS60av-QJFi1HVT5Gu-pquVuvvDueRV6rkGHW8IJ_dlFu3db7lvP4zXCaNGvIMvdMQHG8EQJ9T42KPk5eMhxR3WNTg4xkSkdx_lFLgGWGoE-gtISBSSvTDCCkftq7VVPGhipSgm/s320/New_place_house.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">New Place, Shakespeare’s capacious family house in Stratford </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzssMA1S-zEiGFQFE9fIayesK1Zgisx8_oWzdzoAIoMTTwMmv2IKvAUZeMBz6IYJH6qyJfge1xkZgiGRlxpjJtMw2hhXRZ0I_ZeFWdLhgvT4M7LLUConPt7Cmu4_IOR4A5jq1qQ4Zpbo7/s1600/Hollar_Globe.gif"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzssMA1S-zEiGFQFE9fIayesK1Zgisx8_oWzdzoAIoMTTwMmv2IKvAUZeMBz6IYJH6qyJfge1xkZgiGRlxpjJtMw2hhXRZ0I_ZeFWdLhgvT4M7LLUConPt7Cmu4_IOR4A5jq1qQ4Zpbo7/s400/Hollar_Globe.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hollar Drawing of Globe, 1647</span></span></div>
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His theater, the Globe on Maiden Lane, existed from 1599 to 1642 (although it burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII and had to be rebuilt).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7itTP6wChPSE_A_onYrZuVciJQNg7Od8dvuef64aBQZEMdIGw5zm1T2fAwbzRprFXpM_VHUoqgz_DWkRyA7GWXJoXBXRWdKgrLC6Mrt0ewCVnnbB6CBZSFAR1yCMSYL_m5Oi-fMQK8cqe/s1600/unnamed.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7itTP6wChPSE_A_onYrZuVciJQNg7Od8dvuef64aBQZEMdIGw5zm1T2fAwbzRprFXpM_VHUoqgz_DWkRyA7GWXJoXBXRWdKgrLC6Mrt0ewCVnnbB6CBZSFAR1yCMSYL_m5Oi-fMQK8cqe/s320/unnamed.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is the Swan Theatre – drawn while Shakespeare was alive and showing</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">the probable interior conformation of the Globe</span></div>
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Shakespeare continued to write and thrive as an artist through the plague years. Soon he had the Globe Theater and a theatre company (The Lord Chamberlain’s Men) and commuted to his family and their home in Stratford during off season come July, (Shakespeare probably spent summers in Stratford at New Place, a trek of 100 miles from London or on tour in the provinces when courts were closed in the city and the royals went to the country – the summer season ended on Michaelmas (Sept 29th ) and the new theater season began in October). <br />
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We know that he rented rooms in various areas around his theater in London during this period (first Bishopsgate in 1596, then Liberty of the Clink) , but he spent a good deal of his time in London in a household on Silver Street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg812Sd_fudcM83M4iELMQuf3j40qN1ZSTmhOzubui6evlRbllA5NbsR0jpvkmiYTfEiJVyM8xQr5bVbrRz6c9PP1EHIE1k1YzKySmtLJvSg38UIbRUxQ9VIYSr4St2fVdb0DhkQwSFlmi2/s1600/f4b7bc0c-c21f-441a-b2da-173b1be67d24-bestSizeAvailable.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg812Sd_fudcM83M4iELMQuf3j40qN1ZSTmhOzubui6evlRbllA5NbsR0jpvkmiYTfEiJVyM8xQr5bVbrRz6c9PP1EHIE1k1YzKySmtLJvSg38UIbRUxQ9VIYSr4St2fVdb0DhkQwSFlmi2/s320/f4b7bc0c-c21f-441a-b2da-173b1be67d24-bestSizeAvailable.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Silver Street and Muggle</span></span><br />
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The house on Silver Street must have felt familiar to him. The merchant landlords had their shop on the street level – living above the store. It was not unlike Shakespeare’s own household growing up with his father the glovemaker – catering to wealthy clients that made the Shakespeare’s well-to-do themselves (Silver Street was a good neighborhood with prosperous tradespeople living and working there).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LHKNHOSkVwBzysyDTy0D1msiZUYxS-V7v3NPtEsI8btCpUBsCA8c8hC6QnEvoRFaTrOJyByglIuf9Nh2tfgH43838YO-khbw26NHXayS5vPuaAO4MRuwzjO4_gK-o_YM1qmUTpaD2ndO/s1600/fig600.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LHKNHOSkVwBzysyDTy0D1msiZUYxS-V7v3NPtEsI8btCpUBsCA8c8hC6QnEvoRFaTrOJyByglIuf9Nh2tfgH43838YO-khbw26NHXayS5vPuaAO4MRuwzjO4_gK-o_YM1qmUTpaD2ndO/s320/fig600.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">St Olaf's church</span></div>
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The French Huguenot Montjoy household worked in <a href="https://erenow.net/biographies/the-lodger-shakespeare-his-life-on-silver-street/14.php">tiremaking</a> – making wigs and fancy hairpieces, tire short for attire. Shakespear even mentioned the profession in Winter’s Tale. “Any silk, any thread, Any toys for your head."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGLvJjMTdYUtTeA41zREUz0RwJGXH6L13UpMCkSI0aL8EoowF-6jKp-FiHf7pQ7quTbKvS3-FppSRxURxkaWc_uyMNtMc2T8XHtoeykYX6jck4LHxvTNJmiiu6D8OvDtTQefhjcBOLND6/s1600/image028.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGLvJjMTdYUtTeA41zREUz0RwJGXH6L13UpMCkSI0aL8EoowF-6jKp-FiHf7pQ7quTbKvS3-FppSRxURxkaWc_uyMNtMc2T8XHtoeykYX6jck4LHxvTNJmiiu6D8OvDtTQefhjcBOLND6/s320/image028.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hair-tires of the period </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgPKL6_No2W9gSUMYGNnTwaQzMvhd6Z_8jwue2zagb-PbXpfiPs25VFFi00gtg-9jrUlDIUfpChTkkEoU4YxS9cwbO-xnJbpIlSbAFFMyWvGVAC9HkYMNrJx0u4hYib1wmdJMZZYrznGU/s1600/image029.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgPKL6_No2W9gSUMYGNnTwaQzMvhd6Z_8jwue2zagb-PbXpfiPs25VFFi00gtg-9jrUlDIUfpChTkkEoU4YxS9cwbO-xnJbpIlSbAFFMyWvGVAC9HkYMNrJx0u4hYib1wmdJMZZYrznGU/s320/image029.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hair-tires of the period </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_yWcBYm4l-kf6eV_g0a7H3HTn1fSl_qdYvLMajtgcFEy11TMUnBE2eRJg_aS7MIybDtYTKkV_-InBah_CaNxSNJvTNAvoBZGsq67t9BFmoSA7xYhjsd7bBf_gEV_hWBKTs3KVkir44Ac/s1600/image032.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_yWcBYm4l-kf6eV_g0a7H3HTn1fSl_qdYvLMajtgcFEy11TMUnBE2eRJg_aS7MIybDtYTKkV_-InBah_CaNxSNJvTNAvoBZGsq67t9BFmoSA7xYhjsd7bBf_gEV_hWBKTs3KVkir44Ac/s320/image032.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hair-tires of the period </span></div>
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He rented a room there from around 1602 till perhaps 1606. He never stayed there there continuously – it was a pied-á-terre (foot on the ground). <br />
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In 1606 Shakespeare, with supernatural good fortune, once again eluded the plague that killed his landlady while he was living on Silver Street and Muggle in the Cripplegate Ward by St Olafs church (the house disappeared during the fire of 1666 along with 13,000 other buildings – a German air raid in 1940 destroyed the rest of Silver Street).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yVdct0N227_BUUw2gvdT67vG1HuYe82dPWDgpN-qBD0R6z40tW0jr1BxZtePecXzGOOYnuFONKF7s4dQiSgFyoFZyhzLYnF0eF_Ov5TfI4g4gLEkrCXn3I0LLhNgM9OKoFtSXAAhCZ8x/s1600/51SC0BTDzKL._SL500_.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yVdct0N227_BUUw2gvdT67vG1HuYe82dPWDgpN-qBD0R6z40tW0jr1BxZtePecXzGOOYnuFONKF7s4dQiSgFyoFZyhzLYnF0eF_Ov5TfI4g4gLEkrCXn3I0LLhNgM9OKoFtSXAAhCZ8x/s320/51SC0BTDzKL._SL500_.jpg" /></a></div>
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A charming book, <b><u>The Lodger Shakespeare</u></b>, by master researcher Charles Nicholl, chronicles Shakespeare’s time in London on Silver street with the Mountjoy family (he left after landlady Marie Mountjoy died of the plague). It is rich with period details from documents, letters and literature of the day (including a discovery in the 1920's of a court case involving his landlord Mountjoy in 1612 that gave us the only transcription of Shakespeare's own voice we know of - he testified for Montjoy).<br />
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During the age of Shakespeare’s creative explosion in the late 16th and early 17th century, the plague was not idle – it erupted in 1593- early in Shakespeare’s time in London and it throttled his livelihood with great frequency thereafter. <br />
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When the plague came, theatres were shut down since they were judged prime breeding grounds for the disease. Whenever the disease killed thirty people or more a week, the theatres were closed by the King’s Privy Council. Between 1603-13, theaters were closed 60% of the time with the largest outbreaks in 1601, 1603-4, 1606 and 1609-10 (the plague's last hurrah of 1666 which killed 100,000 in London is said to have been started in a basket of flea-infested laundry brought from the country).<br />
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An outbreak of the plague in 1601 claimed the lives of 30,000 Londoners. For many years Silver Street had escaped the contagion until the plague of 1603 killed 125 of Shakespeare’s neighbors in St Olaf’s parish and the death bells tolled relentlessly. Shakespeare had dodged the bullet so many times with the plague but was surrounded by death and dying.<br />
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So what occupied Shakespeare when the plague kept him from work? Many people these days are looking at what has been written during times like ours – in a world of death and contagion and fear. <br />
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Sometimes, Shakespeare wrote poems instead of plays. <b><u>Venus and Adonis</u></b> and <b><u>The Rape of Lucrece</u></b> were done when the theater’s closed in 1593. <b><u>Shakespeare’s Sonnets</u></b> were published in 1609 (but had probably been written over a dozen years). <br />
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There is a theory going around that Shakespeare wrote <b><u>King Lear</u></b> during the London plague of 1606 -- great art made in times of great pain. The work is dark and unrelenting, and plague is an ugly thread in the tapestry of the play – it does reflect the bitter air of the time.<br />
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To be honest, we can never know why he wrote <b><u>King Lear </u></b>or any other play because there are no diaries – no letters to help divine Shakespeare’s state of mind. He wrote and wrote and wrote some more and he wrote very well. Perhaps it eased the pain of all the death and suffering around him (he lost his own son in 1596 when he wrote <u><b>Midsummer Night’s Dream</b></u> –a charming idyll to ease the painful loss?). What is true is that the greatest plays of all time were written during this decade of the plague – from <b style="text-decoration: underline;">Hamlet </b>to <b style="text-decoration: underline;">Macbeth</b>,<b><u> The Tempest, Othello, Anthony and Cleopatra</u></b> – and <b><u>King Lear</u></b>. Whether they happened precisely during plague breaks in the theater season we cannot know. Shakespeare the artist survived and soared. What he left behind can get us through our own plague years. I know his words have soothed and strengthened me so very many times.<br />
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I will share with you one of my favorite lines of poetry cut from a magazine - through 4 homes and 30 years it has always been with me, displayed quietly where I can see it – now on my bedroom mirror. It is by William Carlos Williams.<br />
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“It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.”<br />
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We will come out of this stronger than before if we feed our hearts, I believe that. Feast on some Shakespeare or what you will.<br />
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Here is a fine short monologue from a play about being brave during the 17thc plague read by Robert Lindsay - <u>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=205&v=lOym6OYsy5o&feature=emb_logo">Roses of Eyam </a></u><br />
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How about that 17th century meal I promised you?? Was there comfort food for Shakespeare? <br />
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Well, they loved meat and sugar and spice for sure and the combination is comforting. For the right food I looked to a cookbook of the day,<u><b><i> Country Contentments, OR The approued Booke called the English Hous-wi</i>f</b></u><b>e,</b> by Gervase Markam. It was written in 1615 but would have had food Shakespeare was familiar with.<br />
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I chose to make Oleopotrige, an English version of a Spanish stew -- Olla podrida (it means rotten pot). I believe the reason for the name is that you cook it for a long time and the vegetables dissolve into the liquid as do the meats. It is unusual if you think of it as an English stew. Consider it more like something from the Middle East and India and it makes more sense with the prunes and raisins and oranges and lemons and tons of spices. It’s quite delicious.<br />
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I browned the meat and didn’t cook the greens or the chicken to death but did cook the root vegetables well and let them dissolve to thicken the broth. The violet, marigold and strawberry leaves are odd but worth hunting down – they are a wonderous delicacy - lightly flavored and mildly fragrant. The stew is delicious the next day, too -- I made papadam with the leftovers - excellent on the side).<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />Oleopotrige – 17th Century meat stew with Fruit</span></i><br />
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1-pound top sirloin (you can add pieces of pork, veal and or lamb as well – ¼ lb each or so -it scales up easily)<br />
1 -2 T oil<br />
10 prunes, soaked in warm water<br />
¼ c raisins, soaked in warm water <br />
¼ c currants, soaked in warm water<br />
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed<br />
1 turnip peeled and cubed<br />
1 rutabaga or 2 parsnips peeled and cubed<br />
1 russet potato cubed<br />
1 t cinnamon<br />
1 t nutmeg<br />
½ t cloves<br />
1 t mace<br />
1 t ginger<br />
1 T sugar (demerara or sugar-in-the-raw is good for this) <br />
Mixed greens (lettuce, endive, spinach, dandelion, marigold, violet leaves, strawberry leaves, marigold leaves and flowers<br />
2 chicken breasts or 4 boneless thighs<br />
2 T verjuice (optional – add 1TWhite Wine vinegar and 1 T White Wine or better still, 1 T green grape juice)<br />
4-6 slices Toasted bread<br />
Thinly sliced orange and lemon<br />
¼ c sliced almonds<br />
1 T sugar<br />
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Brown the meat. Cover with water and cook on a very low temperature for 1 hour ( I would imagine a crock pot would be great for this).<br />
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Peel the vegetables and cut into cubes. Add to the stock and cook for 1/2 hour at a low temperature. Add the spices (I used more - this is a starting off point – taste and decide)<br />
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Brown the chicken and add to the pot, cook another ½ hour at a very low simmer.<br />
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Place the toasted bread on the platter. Remove the meat from the pot. Slice and keep warm on the platter. Put the greens into the liquid for a few moments until softened slightly, remove and keep warm (in the original recipe – they are cooked till they disintegrate – I choose a more modern light touch to keep texture and color). Mash the vegetables a little and reduce the liquid. Add the verjuice<br />
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Strain the vegetables and put on the platter. Sprinkle with the drained prunes, raisins and currants. Place the green vegetables over the root vegetables and pour the liquid over the dish - sprinkle with sugar and almonds.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><u>Cabinet of Dr. Caligari</u> - </b>Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover</span></div>
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World War I ended on November 11, 1918. In that time there were over 40 million military and civilian casualties, and 20 million deaths –influenza finished the job that man’s wars had started.<br />
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The “Spanish” flu was a murderous rage of a disease and the most deadly EVER.<br />
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Spanish Influenza weakened and killed the German army before surrender and the virulent flu conflagration flamed on, attacking the rest of the German population. (it is thought four million Germans died through war and contagion). Weakened and devastated by 4 years of war, they were ripe victims for disease – 436,600 Germans died in 1918-19 of influenza (in the end, the Spanish Flu killed many more people than WWI. Horrifically, it targeted 15-34 year-olds with healthy immune systems, perversely triggering a<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_release_syndrome"> cytokine storm</a> of white blood cells that ended up killing instead of curing.<br />
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There were 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide from 2 waves of the disease (there were later waves but they were much less lethal). The first in the spring was much less severe than the second which came in the fall of 1918. Young soldiers were perfect subjects and they were all returning home – spreading the disease everywhere they traveled.<br />
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675,000 were killed in the United States, the disease spread by returning soldiers (the US life expectancy was lowered 12 years as a result - the cities and towns that did best were the ones that told their citizens the truth and enforced the ban on going out in public).<br />
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In Germany, food was in short supply. People were already malnourished and returning soldiers were wounded and ill. There wasn’t enough housing available for them as much had been destroyed in the bombings. Many soldiers who had been spared during the battle, died from the flu on their return home.<br />
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To protest the conditions, Rosa Luxemburg’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartacus_League">Spartacist League </a> rose up against the new government in 1919 and there were riots. It was called the Spartacist Uprising (for the roman slave, Spartacus).<br />
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During this time Germany became a republic and there was a tectonic shift in their world – their national identity was changed with the new order and Expressionism was the ideal visual language for the day-- manifesting the internal conflicts of the German people in art and film. The carpe diem spirit of the young had a decidedly darker interpretation in Germany as seen in a popular song of the day, Fox Macabre:<br />
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Fox Macabre ( <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDLWFePUBrw">Listen</a>) </div>
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Berlin - your dancer is death!<br />
Berlin - stop, you are in need!<br />
From strike to strike, from rip to rip<br />
With murder and naked dance and with the step<br />
You have to keep enjoying yourself! (full lyrics <a href="https://lyrics.fandom.com/wiki/Ulrich_Tukur_%26_Die_Rhythmus_Boys:Fox_Macabre">HERE</a>)<br />
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The artists of 1919 Germany were exhausted by war and death and struck out through their art – tormented and polluted by the horrors they had witnessed.<br />
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I thought of one of my favorite works of Goya as I read various manifestos of the day-- full of anxiety over the state of things (there was even a film called <u>Nerves</u> - <i><u>Nerven </u></i>about the condition). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ6M45VwjT12sSgK2b-9FjL5rqQ-reKiYTtkAyDxiF_litht1ZdB8HUGPngI0Pe6HBbC9jfZnXTRdCIGhjileJ9mIaspM0BRe8EyfEkXMs8dTg3prE4f6jUEfUc2tYY9FjwmRTOMSQIhI/s1600/MV5BMzdhYzFhNjQtZDQ1NS00ODVkLTgzYzEtNzRlYTAzNTA4MGMxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzg1ODEwNQ%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ6M45VwjT12sSgK2b-9FjL5rqQ-reKiYTtkAyDxiF_litht1ZdB8HUGPngI0Pe6HBbC9jfZnXTRdCIGhjileJ9mIaspM0BRe8EyfEkXMs8dTg3prE4f6jUEfUc2tYY9FjwmRTOMSQIhI/s320/MV5BMzdhYzFhNjQtZDQ1NS00ODVkLTgzYzEtNzRlYTAzNTA4MGMxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzg1ODEwNQ%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Goya’s Capricho No. 43 reads; “The sleep/dream of reason produces monsters", but this was distilled from his original thought, "Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: united with her (reason), she (fantasy) is the mother of the arts and the origin of their marvels."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJnzm62WEvWPqX_PIA0aE82P0cAIJuVzRsynxL9yE6RapU6RDOnM0dwEzL1ucGVf8QHO23R4powvfRDyNq3XW3XdUnF74Ukm8In6DB04VrcD9nj7BqYUMpn19BAFuRwqwJCYT7PYGzK0w/s1600/main-image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJnzm62WEvWPqX_PIA0aE82P0cAIJuVzRsynxL9yE6RapU6RDOnM0dwEzL1ucGVf8QHO23R4powvfRDyNq3XW3XdUnF74Ukm8In6DB04VrcD9nj7BqYUMpn19BAFuRwqwJCYT7PYGzK0w/s320/main-image.jpeg" width="218" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">–– monsters release creativity.</span></div>
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It was not a surprise that the artists of the day would stew up quite a brew from the crucible of death, destruction and disease they had just been through. It was an eruption – a vomit of anti-realism that was the stuff of nightmares. – an emotional interpretation of reality from both distorted and disorienting psychic and physical structures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qImVtl5xT4mHoMM_jkmVirHq-WNnJLyrvdiI_aIeFigN1x9TpOYn026xBKZTrmWX6yjw45fQxWBhTx0yrocXcFj6dZgeupav954Py4n-XiwxQFXmw6bz_dvkyKYwHvUcDbechKCtl164/s1600/6a00e55378e88988340133f57c6301970b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qImVtl5xT4mHoMM_jkmVirHq-WNnJLyrvdiI_aIeFigN1x9TpOYn026xBKZTrmWX6yjw45fQxWBhTx0yrocXcFj6dZgeupav954Py4n-XiwxQFXmw6bz_dvkyKYwHvUcDbechKCtl164/s320/6a00e55378e88988340133f57c6301970b.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Living sculptures</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">sebastian droste/ anita berber</span></div>
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The cinematic results of these 1919 dreams were bold, febrile, new and brilliant.<br />
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My favorite German Expressionist films are the earliest – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari"><b>The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari</b> </a>, the lost classic, <i><u><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algol_(film)">Algol. Tragödie der Macht</a>,</b></u></i> <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Morning_to_Midnight)">From Morn to Midnigh</a>t</b> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genuine_(film)"><b>Genuine, Tragedy of the Vampire</b></a> – all from 1920. (Criterion Channel has a diabolical collection of first-rate prints of many German Expressionist classics– it’s the first time I’ve seen such a gorgeous version of<u> Caligari</u> and it is divine (the rest on the list are not on Criterion but are online in varying quality).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApIaDXSQuhrECPZNitFnk1J3nGL4TJlH6bOB7KsDpGSzFFHAqsRbVJP7te8itgMvJcDT5rIIOF5bUspQ9HDudB8GtwINc_BxoblTBXWtwVfou2BU-_44G90EhRQoxjzJYQZJPNmIxwSFh/s1600/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1188" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApIaDXSQuhrECPZNitFnk1J3nGL4TJlH6bOB7KsDpGSzFFHAqsRbVJP7te8itgMvJcDT5rIIOF5bUspQ9HDudB8GtwINc_BxoblTBXWtwVfou2BU-_44G90EhRQoxjzJYQZJPNmIxwSFh/s320/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari_poster.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> brilliant poster by</span><a href="https://www.deutsche-kinemathek.de/en/collections-archives/digital-collection/collection-josef-fenneker"> Josef Fenneker</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Marmorhaus theater in Berlin – </span></div>
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With little money for expensive sets, legendary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Sturm">Der Sturm</a> Magazine's alumnus became Caligari’s art directors. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfikj0G48t14x-bLqhLoBRqxuPgcPSVvOu91uPeFa9qooJhGyndehI5YWXwpGLHP0VXfP_Cg1LEZuAAluAMEcRZQWTWzgiiGJ_xtY-MGF8dyxMF3AGexy35JFKlAGsGbaNNUIjiN-ZJJpV/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="512" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfikj0G48t14x-bLqhLoBRqxuPgcPSVvOu91uPeFa9qooJhGyndehI5YWXwpGLHP0VXfP_Cg1LEZuAAluAMEcRZQWTWzgiiGJ_xtY-MGF8dyxMF3AGexy35JFKlAGsGbaNNUIjiN-ZJJpV/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Der Sturm 1919 </span></div>
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<u>Cabinet of Dr. Caligari</u> is the tale of a hypnotist and a murderous somnambulist the doctor kept in his thrall. It was directed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wiene">Robert Wiene</a> who hired the team (judging from his oeuvre, Weine was not the visual master behind the form his artists created). The artists, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Warm">Hermann Warm</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Reimann">Walter Reimann</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_R%C3%B6hrig">Walter Röhrig</a>, went to work creating their own elaborately crafted reality with paint, plaster and a divine, malevolent architectural geometry with no right angles. It is the stuff of nightmares uncoupled from familiar physical reality of rooms and roads.<br />
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Just after doing <b><u>Caligari</u></b>, art director Walter Reimann began <i><u><b>Algol. Tragödie der Macht </b></u></i>in 1920 – the story of an unlimited power source from an alien civilization and the invention of a dead scientist who found a way to harness the power. The film was lost for nearly 100 years but now is available– alas only with poor prints. Stefan Drössler of Filmmuseum which is working on restoring the film said Reimann was responsible for, “the entire artistic and decorative aspects of the film” through “the supervision and finalizing of the décor”, all the way to “the setting up of the studio sets” and “the creation of the titles”. The film isn’t saturated with expressionism as Caligari so the effect isn’t as disturbing – but the techniques are used effectively – creating the mad world of unlimited power contrasted with the provincial earthy reality of the worker’s world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">the magical machine that translated alien energy</span></div>
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Wiene also directed <b><u>Genuine, Tragedy of a Vampire</u></b> and enlisted another group of artists as art directors led by artist and designer César Klein, a founder of the November Group (<i>Novembergruppe</i>) of Expressionists– named after the month the German revolution occured. Klein was also a member of the <i>Arbeitsrat für Kunst</i> - the worker’s art’s council. Bernhard Klein worked with his brother César and helped to paint the sets (and later became an early animator).<br />
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<b><u>From Morn to Midnight</u></b> was the first film for expressionist theatre director, Karl Heinz Martin. It had art direction by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0626136/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr5">Robert Neppach</a>, a brilliant architect who ended up killing himself and his Jewish wife as WWII began. It used the same, full immersion into a mad, graphic, expressionist world as seen in Caligari but used to illustrate a fairly pedestrian story of obsession, theft, greed and redemption – the visuals make the story more compelling and unnerving. Like <u>Caligari</u>, <u>From Morn to Midnight</u> was an immersive visual experience from beginning to end.<br />
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This divine madness burned itself out in a single year, after its cathartic first burst of expressionism. The films that followed owed a debt to these first films but took their own path into a different, but equally disturbing realism with limited harrowing visits into unstable visual madness – but not the full immersion of 1920 (save in a few horror films). It was such a short and glorious blaze.</div>
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This time in history has been much on my mind as we wait for Covid-19 to stampede through our hospital system. Although we are not already reeling from ‘the war to end all wars’, we are afraid and angry. Will we create a new art from the ashes of our pain and discontent?<br />
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I hope you enjoyed my dark tour -- now, more than ever, we need a break. Isolation is easier with great films and comfort food.</div>
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One of my favorite comfort foods these days isn’t my usual style – it’s modern for one –– a chili, chicken and cheese Korean/American hybrid dish from a blogger named Maangchi that I found in Sam Sifton’s NYTs Cooking section (you can watch Maangchi’s video<a href="https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/buldak"> HERE</a>).<br />
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I am over the moon about it and have made it relentlessly. The sweet hot chicken with gooey cheese is perfect comfort food. Put it over rice or pasta or dunk into it with bread or crackers. I skipped the rice cake addition and changed proportions a bit to my taste. I imagine if you are vegetarian, just make it the sauce or use seitan. Try it. Feel better.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cheese Buldak</span></i><br />
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¼ cup gochujang (Korean red-pepper paste)<br />
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)<br />
1 tablespoon light brown sugar<br />
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)<br />
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)<br />
1 tablespoon soy sauce<br />
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />
1-pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ¾” cubes<br />
2 tablespoons neutral oil<br />
6 to 8 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced<br />
2 scallions, sliced, for garnish if you like<br />
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Combine the gochugaru, gochujang, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy<br />
sauce and black pepper in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the<br />
chicken and stir until it is well coated.<br />
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Add the chicken mixture to the pan along with ¼ cup water. Cover<br />
and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the<br />
chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the broiler in your oven.<br />
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Remove the chicken from the heat. Cover the pan with the sliced<br />
mozzarella, then slide the pan under the broiler. Cook until the cheese<br />
has melted and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Remove from the<br />
oven, and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately, with rice, pasta or bread.<br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #aa77aa; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhCWy87CSl-FJl4LulqMnaVkCND8EOEaHGVwDNQffO7bGIjDQ3NMME1zzor_HcXGUaiaNRPq_ihLY8Kut26u7vTDgovw2vFWGFpTNeaVWt4I0vSWULjQ0_9pAVJ-6x0KNsQai5gQStAF5-ZUhiFSo902oy7gBPJv5XCS_cLV-h7eTCoyNAWzQ=" style="border: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 4px;" /></a><br />
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When I was young, I listened to critics and ended up missing films I should have seen and seeing films that were a complete waste of celluloid. <br />
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Bad idea –– criticism is terribly subjective. Two critics can tear into the same film and, if not for the shared names and places in the review, you cannot conceive how they could be writing about the same thing. Criticism is a point of view – not a wax-sealed edict. In the end, one man’s misbegotten flop is another man’s lost masterpiece.<br />
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One film I avoided for years was <u>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</u>. <br />
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I discovered the film again on a list of unfairly maligned British films over the Christmas holiday and was totally shocked at the passionate defense of <u>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</u> both in the article and, with a little digging, from many other sources. Why had I listened to the’ nattering nabobs of negativity’? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxCGclfvVkHVDj1le0kG33w-LdOuhJleJZ-0DYY7DO5Cyr_0PY4tf0lAxcYv8aKO3f9dLb4bezo7U2kCnwNO835x6J0-NrEuvEYpTvGlIDU5WUtEWpb7Ou84oMOhyphenhyphenSeTJ59yKVMJ4AcRO/s1600/billy_wilder_and_miklos_rozsa_backstage_london_coliseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxCGclfvVkHVDj1le0kG33w-LdOuhJleJZ-0DYY7DO5Cyr_0PY4tf0lAxcYv8aKO3f9dLb4bezo7U2kCnwNO835x6J0-NrEuvEYpTvGlIDU5WUtEWpb7Ou84oMOhyphenhyphenSeTJ59yKVMJ4AcRO/s320/billy_wilder_and_miklos_rozsa_backstage_london_coliseum.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Billy Wilder & Miklos Rozsa</span></div>
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The film had such a great pedigree. To begin with, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wilder">Billy Wilder</a> wrote and directed it. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jascha Heifitz & Miklos Rozsa</span></div>
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Wilder had loved the Holmes tales from childhood, but it wasn’t until the 50’s, after hearing a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jascha_Heifetz">Jascha Heifitz</a> performance of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikl%C3%B3s_R%C3%B3zsa">Miklos Rozsa</a>’s sublime <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TC6kQvRgy4">Violin Concerto, Op. 24</a> that a Holmes' project started simmering on his creative back-burner. Wilder found the heart and soul of his Holmes in the soaring music, and resolved to make a movie one day with a novel, Wilderian interpretation of the great detective (his first concept of the tale was actually a musical!). It took perfectionist Wilder nearly 20 years (7 of which were spent working on the concept with his writing partner, A.L. Diamond), but he finally made his Sherlock passion-project in 1970 (Rozsa ended up doing the delicious score for the film and Concerto Op.24 was the glorious<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitmotif"> leitmotif</a> and soul of the film).</div>
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The actors were nonpareil. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_National_Theatre">National Theatre</a> stars, Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely played Sherlock and Watson. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Christopher Lee & Robert Stephens</span></div>
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Christopher Lee did a stellar turn as Mycroft Holmes, breaking out of his horror mode with great success (and a balding wig!). </div>
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All of the actors agreed –– Wilder was the best director they ever worked with – even if he was incredibly demanding. Poor Stephens, who was in virtually every scene, had a bit of a breakdown over Wilder's relentless perfectionism. It required dozens of takes to get every line delivery and movement the way Wilder wanted it –– down to the last comma and eye roll. Stephens did not give up and he came back full throttle after a few week's break and turned in a grand performance (Jack Lemmon commiserated with Stephen's on Wilder's directing -- saying he loved and hated him for it and that it drove him crazy too).<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Geneviève Page</span></span></div>
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Geneviève Page portrayed the beautiful Gabrielle Valladon (a composite character surely inspired by the woman of whom <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle">Conan Doyle</a> wrote “And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Adler">Irene Adler</a>, of dubious and questionable memory…. to Sherlock Holmes she is always theWoman.” <br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> Basil Rathbone</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3uCdrlglpV-YH1MRutsZ4gu0t58mTdz8b-GuhZE3e-Ew_GUjP3_7IYIIseyKxMY7BMDQ9Nb3dmZLwjjghRCe9bt8Z9P4-4HAkxuqhtdNcLeB0s75tpEcspa4i5Js2cf3u12izkf3zJd-/s1600/Paget.Sherlock_Holmes_Portrait_Paget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3uCdrlglpV-YH1MRutsZ4gu0t58mTdz8b-GuhZE3e-Ew_GUjP3_7IYIIseyKxMY7BMDQ9Nb3dmZLwjjghRCe9bt8Z9P4-4HAkxuqhtdNcLeB0s75tpEcspa4i5Js2cf3u12izkf3zJd-/s200/Paget.Sherlock_Holmes_Portrait_Paget.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sidney Paget illustration of Original Doyle Stories</span> </div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Arthur Conan Doyle</span></span></div>
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I have loved Sherlock since I was a kid and saw the Basil Rathbone version of the 1930’s - 40’s which inspired me to read all the Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories (56 stories from 1886-1927). <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeremy Brett</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTVyVVIBqW7CLS_n_uFQ3suYNB3aBxR-D07GSQCgOpTrpQ7C77k0Bhd7eKiBXwBsPaxGqgMrqNj5ZXHgrVyod_1UFpY8iu5ZN66KKRIlmqLbi1y9Ig3Pwe5BGige0iMQKjPX6DBapOBcz/s1600/IMG_5811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="576" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTVyVVIBqW7CLS_n_uFQ3suYNB3aBxR-D07GSQCgOpTrpQ7C77k0Bhd7eKiBXwBsPaxGqgMrqNj5ZXHgrVyod_1UFpY8iu5ZN66KKRIlmqLbi1y9Ig3Pwe5BGige0iMQKjPX6DBapOBcz/s200/IMG_5811.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mycroft shot by Amy Hobby</span></div>
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I named my beloved St. Bernard – Mycroft (Sherlock’s older brother), after watching Jeremy Brett’s masterful <u>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</u> series from the 80’s and 90’s. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Billy Wilder, Colin Blakeley and Robert Stephens</span></div>
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Given all this, I still passed on the Wilder version because I heard it was wrong-headed and not up to Wilder’s standards. Shame on me. It’s fabulous.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Martin Freeman & </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Benedict Cumberbatch</span></div>
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Mark Gatiss, who wrote the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Cumberbatch">Benedict Cumberbatch </a>version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series)">Sherlock </a> (as well as some of the best <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who">Dr. Who</a> episodes from 2005 – 2017 and 2020’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_(2020_TV_series)">Dracula </a>), said, “The magic of this film, I think, comes down to the writing of the dialogue by Wilder and his writing partner, Izzy Diamond. There are a number of conversations between Robert Stephens (Sherlock) and Colin Blakely (Watson) that are just like tiny symphonies…. There's an amazing scene where, to get out of a situation where a Russian ballerina wants Sherlock to father her child, he claims Watson and he are gay. Watson is outraged and, when he calms down, speaks of the women all over the world who could attest to his sexuality. He says to Sherlock, "You do too, don't you?" Holmes is silent, and Watson says, "Am I being presumptuous? There have been women, haven't there?" Holmes says, "The answer is yes – you are being presumptuous." Sensational.”<br />
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Yes, it is sensational, and the delivery of the lines is divine (just listen to the perfectly timed pause between ‘yes’ and ‘you are’). You see, there is a reason Robert Stephens was called to do the part a full year before the film started filming. <br />
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The gorgeous delivery was not an accident, Wilder had asked that Stephens send recordings of his voice, then, “he tailored the part listening to the cadences I used.” Sherlock's lines were actually written with Stephens’ voice in mind. Wilder didn’t lock in the dialogue until he cast the actor to play the part.<br />
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The actor was also told to learn how to play a violin (music really is a shimmering presence in the film). However, Stephen’s recalled that his violin teacher told him that the violin concerto he had to play had been written, “for one of the greatest violinists in the world" [Heifitz]. It was impossible for an amateur to master it, "so, we had to fake it all.”<br />
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Wilder made a brave choice in Stephens, but he didn’t want an international star an audience would associate with another character and wanted Stephens because “he looks as if he could be hurt” and because he was an amazing, classically trained actor (if this piques your interest - Stephens did a turn as the blind Victorian detective, Max Carados, in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QAqk6yLC4k">The Rivals of Sherlock Holme</a>s!). This wasn’t your mother’s Sherlock (my only criticism is Wilder’s look for Holmes – the short, awkward jackets, heavy eye makeup, raised hairline and bushy brows were odd choices).<br />
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As for Wilder's direction to the actor on playing Holmes? Stephens’ remembered a particular exchange in an interview with Michael Pointer, “How do you want me to play it for the movie,” I asked Billy [Wilder]. “You must play it like Hamlet.” <br />
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Stephens’ Holmes not just a cold and calculating computer of a man, but a man like Hamlet, often trapped inside his own head, as Lewis observes ‘He does not want courage, skill, will, or opportunity; but every incident sets him thinking…his senses are in a train of trance, and he looks upon external things as hieroglyphics which is how Coleridge described the Prince of Denmark, Elsinore his Baker Street; a palace of puzzles."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib16-hOBmaoqWwYiaLWPtB_-kbHqq9tQA-wuMco8CwaxMH4KYw-8RsXfjfnaAxWoSkXg73VPQMHLj0Qn0bNeTPRAZaNlrThyphenhyphenkSrSVtn-aEqA9Grk3PIodZgecYW-rQuWWAmrN1BBPB8PGN/s1600/51tkgf031mL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib16-hOBmaoqWwYiaLWPtB_-kbHqq9tQA-wuMco8CwaxMH4KYw-8RsXfjfnaAxWoSkXg73VPQMHLj0Qn0bNeTPRAZaNlrThyphenhyphenkSrSVtn-aEqA9Grk3PIodZgecYW-rQuWWAmrN1BBPB8PGN/s320/51tkgf031mL.jpg" width="256" /></a><br />
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Stephens said “When I did it, it was more melancholic, more disillusioned. In the film I did, what Billy Wilder wanted to explore was why Holmes had this disdain for women, why he took drugs, why he lived with Dr. Watson – was it homosexual or not (Stephens decided not)? <br />
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This Holmes is not a misogynist, but he has been damaged by women – he doesn’t trust them and has been disappointed by them. A flashback of Holmes’ college infatuation with a young girl who turned out to be a prostitute was cut from the final version. (1 hour of film containing 2 cases and that college flashback was cut when the producers became afraid of the length of the film.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx89vfp9jD-njrfvt2fmo2PLZUP7R-Q6wRfETOA5OS9wRUojJJuFT0fdp8_JGVbVGwHoFW1Sm4XkcSJXLPjmJygMqI_QhSPVRIUMrPsXrb24JTzAGDeohl50bpZFE8OEho9RSVaO-bdNoc/s1600/IMG_5793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx89vfp9jD-njrfvt2fmo2PLZUP7R-Q6wRfETOA5OS9wRUojJJuFT0fdp8_JGVbVGwHoFW1Sm4XkcSJXLPjmJygMqI_QhSPVRIUMrPsXrb24JTzAGDeohl50bpZFE8OEho9RSVaO-bdNoc/s320/IMG_5793.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As it is, all that remains of a romantic backstory is delivered in a scene in a sleeping car with Gabrielle Valladon. The late night confession, with Holmes in an upper birth and Valladon in the lower, is strangely intimate and reveals the existence of a fiancé (the daughter of his violin teacher), who died of influenza before their wedding, along with a litany of acts of female mendacity ("nymphomaniacs, pyromaniacs, kleptomaniacs") that explain his mistrust of women –– proving that women are unreliable (although dying before a wedding IS a fairly unjust reason for mistrust of womankind). You do get the feeling he is leaving the most important thing out in this uncharacteristic unbosoming to a lady (after all, even Watson doesn’t know Holmes sexual history).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeC4qPHRtyYeEeAEsjjLwkcJLiB2MnnahwVXElDjFB0697nEDi_MnucHD1zcQP6yBI8SSiLpLEEr-4ZULVyZgCIK3HfYLPB7KBRiZd1nQP872LATImkVccwslBJ0PnNtHmYZXdugI9e3s/s1600/colin-blakely-and-robert-stephens-in-the-private-life-of-sherlock-holmes-1970--album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeC4qPHRtyYeEeAEsjjLwkcJLiB2MnnahwVXElDjFB0697nEDi_MnucHD1zcQP6yBI8SSiLpLEEr-4ZULVyZgCIK3HfYLPB7KBRiZd1nQP872LATImkVccwslBJ0PnNtHmYZXdugI9e3s/s320/colin-blakely-and-robert-stephens-in-the-private-life-of-sherlock-holmes-1970--album.jpg" width="256" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01n8CCU-lFC8hM0zLzA7XUA69uAJFFwrdOlsNSOEfAD_zL23qjchD2KbLMmLPjADzTG7VtzcxxgMOCGSTiNPO52cXMZlwUMhPJM1Ksr18gt3pJ0GGjfhPPA-Wzi8F7a-XTrHWc0HQswYc/s1600/MV5BOTliMWEwMjYtYmEzZS00NThhLWFjYmItZGFkMjYxNWYyNWU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0%252C0%252C801%252C1000_AL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01n8CCU-lFC8hM0zLzA7XUA69uAJFFwrdOlsNSOEfAD_zL23qjchD2KbLMmLPjADzTG7VtzcxxgMOCGSTiNPO52cXMZlwUMhPJM1Ksr18gt3pJ0GGjfhPPA-Wzi8F7a-XTrHWc0HQswYc/s320/MV5BOTliMWEwMjYtYmEzZS00NThhLWFjYmItZGFkMjYxNWYyNWU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_SY1000_CR0%252C0%252C801%252C1000_AL_.jpg" width="256" /></a><br />
His true friendship with Watson is the center of his life –– however he may jest and spar and disappoint him with his use of cocaine. The mutual affection is palpable, as is the director's fascination and affection for Holmes. </div>
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There is more to the production than the script, the music and the performances –– and that 'more' is what brings Holmes' world to life.<br />
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Wilder's direction was masterful and precise and the film was beautifully filmed by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005666/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Christopher Challis</a> who operated for the monumental DP, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002153/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Jack Cardiff</a> on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040725/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast">Red Shoes</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039192/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_22">Black Narcissus</a>.</div>
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The sets were designed by the prodigiously talented <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0871202/">Alexander Trauner </a><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0871202/"> </a>who worked with all the greats in Europe like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4533759/?ref_=nmbio_mbio">Prevert</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0138893/?ref_=nmbio_mbio">Carné</a> and then landed with Billy Wilder in Hollywood. Many directors (like Orson Welles) thought he was the best in the business.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Alexander Trauner</span></div>
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He built a spectacular London street for the film – that you only see for a few moments.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Trauner Sketch of Victorian street</span></div>
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Authentic Victorian London:</div>
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Trauner’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_Club">Diogenes Club</a> lair for brother Mycroft Holmes is based on the great Victorian men’s clubs like the Reform Club I wrote about <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2015/08/londons-reform-club-and-soyers-famous.html">HERE</a>.</div>
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The original Reform Club - </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reform Club</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reform Club</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reform Club</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sidney Paget illustration for original stories- Mycroft in Diogenes Club</span></div>
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221 B Baker Street is a wonder of Holmesian lore and artifacts. It is here Watson writes, Holmes catalogues tobacco ash or sulks with his cocaine or plays his violin and they take their meals, prepared and served by the indomitable Mrs. Hudson.<br />
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So, what did they eat??</div>
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Unfortunately, not much. The only meal you saw regularly in the film was breakfast… and they ate porridge. Well, why not. I love oatmeal – why not make some of that for a simple recipe for you.<br />
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I remember I had a an oatmeal dessert with Scotch in it that was divine. Since this is for Sherlock, I added the Madeira which makes it unbelievably rich and mysterious –– appropriate for Mr. Holmes and this film since there is a big Madeira scene at the Diogenes Club with Mycroft (sadly they made the wine red -- which madeira is not - it's brown). The porridge is great for breakfast but could be a dessert as well!<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Sherlock's Madeira Porridge (1 serving)</span></i></div>
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1/3 c steel-cut oats</div>
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1/2 c milk</div>
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1/2 c water</div>
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1 T butter</div>
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1/4 t salt</div>
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pinch of nutmeg</div>
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1 bay leaf (optional)</div>
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1-2 T Madeira (I used Rare Wine Company Boston Bual)</div>
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1/3 c blueberries</div>
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2 -3 T maple syrup </div>
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1/4 t cardamom</div>
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Combine the first 6-7 ingredients and cook over very low flame for about 15-20 minutes until creamy - stirring occasionally.</div>
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While this is cooking, put the blueberries, maple syrup and cardamom in a pan and cook till slightly softened and syrupy over lower heat.</div>
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Add the Madeira to the oatmeal, remove bay leaf if you added it and spoon the blueberries over the top.</div>
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-76700993323260014912019-12-17T15:10:00.000-08:002020-01-02T10:15:03.541-08:00John Barrymore, Svengali, Bohemia and Squab with Chestnuts and Sausage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jAO3CgFDzwgZ8GrQzmrsvnTAze5DAKfXxUhCl7n2ZFch5gvE1kEOefr57AyUk_nfbr2UXOVvYv_llM3zEpPXVVkGvZqWe2bPzvTFhA-vhtz7ctBpTblB0iHvjZlZEkoCqzPb8rutn0FV/s1600/svengali-cecil-beaton+-john-barrymore-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="712" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jAO3CgFDzwgZ8GrQzmrsvnTAze5DAKfXxUhCl7n2ZFch5gvE1kEOefr57AyUk_nfbr2UXOVvYv_llM3zEpPXVVkGvZqWe2bPzvTFhA-vhtz7ctBpTblB0iHvjZlZEkoCqzPb8rutn0FV/s320/svengali-cecil-beaton+-john-barrymore-.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Barrymore as Svengali by Beaton</span></span></div>
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Well, it's the end of the year and I decided I would pull out all the stops since it's been months since I've written here. What I thought would be a quick post ended up taking weeks of research spent reading volumes, looking at a zillion pictures and having a fabulous time learning about a remarkable moment in history –– editing was painful.<br />
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It all started with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barrymore">John Barrymore</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy1ND9Hzlh3fdgveegd5yP1ysxalbAItorst1tiKWVUqUOTl3CZNP1_UX30wbbEPbeTpIUgwQn0p9VU4D_vF0Q96KA3kn_WWJIql1zYCyzL6X2TcRivbLcDmtTH4OcKZbbNNkYnWxZhUF/s1600/barry.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="1276" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy1ND9Hzlh3fdgveegd5yP1ysxalbAItorst1tiKWVUqUOTl3CZNP1_UX30wbbEPbeTpIUgwQn0p9VU4D_vF0Q96KA3kn_WWJIql1zYCyzL6X2TcRivbLcDmtTH4OcKZbbNNkYnWxZhUF/s400/barry.png" width="400" /></a><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: xx-small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Dr. Jekyll Hamlet Richard III Mr. Hyde</span></div>
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I fell in love with John Barrymore all over again this fall (I wrote about him <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2010/06/san-francisco-earthquake-john-barrymore.html">here</a> nearly 10 years ago!). What an actor. What a face. Critic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heywood_Broun">Heywood Broun </a> said of Barrymore’s profile, “it slides into a scene like an exquisite paper knife.” Women gasped at his beauty when he walked on stage -- yet Mr. Barrymore was always happier hiding beneath ghastly disguises.</div>
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When I first discovered him as a kid, John Barrymore’s silent films were nearly impossible to see. Now, <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Slsd-Y3G0">Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde</a></u> and <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DArqbUSmw0&t=3542s">Sherlock Holmes</a></u>, <u><a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23gjkr">The Sea Beast</a></u> and <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upyERnhmVz8">Don Juan</a></u> are available on YouTube or Amazon on demand. Let the bingeing begin.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Sea Beast Don Juan</span><br />
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I segued from his silent films to sound and watched him in one of my favorites –– his classic 1931 film, <u><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Svengali-John-Barrymore/dp/B07GHX24Z5/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=svengali&qid=1576601812&sr=8-2">Svengali</a></u>. In it, he is a force of nature as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_du_Maurier">George du Maurier</a>'s master <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/mesmerist">mesmerist</a>. John Barrymore was drawn to the brilliant fiend and threw himself into the part with the volcanic energy he always summoned when a part inspired him (he had an affinity for du Maurier characters –– he had triumphed on Broadway in 1917 as a tragic <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Adonis">Adonis</a> in his transcendently romantic work, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ibbetson_(play)">Peter Ibbetson</a>). In the end, his performance shattered the perception that Svengali was merely a 2-dimensional villain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOqTGa9_Er9ssZel1JL_bsrJ5rxECedBeaqlf-wEylBBcfHKUcw08vBg2H6Iu7gl_VqJb5RQhBM8CEUPGLOYgyY1_uISTD18VdaAqS2Bmd5ze9rXKWkXTa1ZXPCV5AfQbRVAqRsEgGmB9/s1600/72d658c2199e2fba1c5be9084ef2a96a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOqTGa9_Er9ssZel1JL_bsrJ5rxECedBeaqlf-wEylBBcfHKUcw08vBg2H6Iu7gl_VqJb5RQhBM8CEUPGLOYgyY1_uISTD18VdaAqS2Bmd5ze9rXKWkXTa1ZXPCV5AfQbRVAqRsEgGmB9/s200/72d658c2199e2fba1c5be9084ef2a96a.jpg" width="142" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Kk69NrhkoI8UqaD4g8DH_24Y6IsrqkRfzZC-ooejwVLT8gq6goWKoPR5jNqBm08AKzTTngW5FXhMU9703av1KgVLEibKiJD0GDo9y_g3mthX1i6J5ZtwVOhbJ0MJ7Nd1xj05M1xjaYGI/s1600/svengali4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="235" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Kk69NrhkoI8UqaD4g8DH_24Y6IsrqkRfzZC-ooejwVLT8gq6goWKoPR5jNqBm08AKzTTngW5FXhMU9703av1KgVLEibKiJD0GDo9y_g3mthX1i6J5ZtwVOhbJ0MJ7Nd1xj05M1xjaYGI/s200/svengali4.jpg" width="156" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Peter Ibbetson Svengali</span><br />
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There is a something of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast">Beauty and the Beast</a> legend in Svengali – he is in love with his victim. It is not reciprocated. This love has no happy ending. Svengali pays for his mad, tormented love for Trilby with his life. It is a classic fairytale with Bohemian Paris as the enchanted kingdom.<br />
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After watching it this time, it suddenly occurred to me that I had never read the 1890’s book that inspired the film or really explored <i>La Vie Bohème</i>, and decided that needed to be remedied. As it turned out – the book is quite different from the film and, weeks of research later, I can tell you the Parisian Bohemia of the mid-19th century was a storied place indeed. It was as much a character in the story as any person.</div>
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To begin with, Svengali was born in a novel called<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/39858/39858-h/39858-h.htm"> Trilby</a> which in turn was born in Bohemian Paris.</div>
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Originally, he was only a small but brilliantly conceived character in the 1850’s Bohemian-artist-firmament of the story. The ‘three musketeers of the brush’ -- the Laird, Taffy and little Billee were the stars of the show. There were many rollicking adventures for the 3 comrades and their very colorful friends and lots of charm to engage the reader. Little Billee’s forbidden love for the artist model Trilby provided the pathos for the story (his mother would not approve of a model for her son – they were considered little more than prostitutes during that time). Svengali contributed drama and a dark humor (qualities that Barrymore sharpened and heightened - he wanted acid to cut the tale's sweetness).</div>
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The book was dramatized almost immediately after it was published. It was in the play that Svengali became a main attraction. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9Z17DO0N76GvlPMMEANjyKccIo7ulbR9pNoZzIcIPni9vkmFmYIBhSMzCq_XJmy_u7Kc5YsLA7980-Dc7_gnq_S2O-tdIoBr38951n6clHmTC2I7p_Gawh5ogUmTGY2auZo2h2uecgbX/s1600/trill+by118-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="490" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9Z17DO0N76GvlPMMEANjyKccIo7ulbR9pNoZzIcIPni9vkmFmYIBhSMzCq_XJmy_u7Kc5YsLA7980-Dc7_gnq_S2O-tdIoBr38951n6clHmTC2I7p_Gawh5ogUmTGY2auZo2h2uecgbX/s200/trill+by118-1.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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The original stars of the novel now provided color and context but the real drama comes from the mad musician Svengali and his control over the beautiful model, Trilby. Barrymore’s Svengali controls the film. <br />
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Physically, Svengali was described in the book as rather grotesquely NOT English. He was, “… well-featured but sinister. He was very shabby and dirty, and wore a red béret and a large velveteen cloak, with a big metal clasp at the collar. His thick, heavy, languid, lustreless black hair fell down behind his ears on to his shoulders, in that musician like way that is so offensive to the normal Englishman. He had bold, brilliant black eyes, with long, heavy lids, a thin, sallow face, and a beard of burnt-up black which grew almost from his under eyelids; and over it his mustache, a shade lighter, fell in two long spiral twists.” <br />
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The name Svengali has become synonymous with evil manipulation, but the character was also a musical genius who could hypnotize an audience with his music. “Then Svengali and Gecko made music together, divinely. Little fragmentary things, sometimes consisting but of a few bars, but these bars of such beauty and meaning! Scraps, snatches, short melodies, meant to fetch, to charm immediately, or to melt or sadden or madden just for a moment, and that knew just when to leave off—<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op7GsUAiRnM">czardas</a>, gypsy dances, Hungarian love-plaints, things little known out of eastern Europe in the fifties of this century, till the Laird and Taffy were almost as wild in their enthusiasm as Little Billee --a silent enthusiasm too deep for speech. And when these two great artists left off to smoke, the three Britishers were too much moved even for that, and there was a stillness...”</div>
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In a crazy way, Trilby was a musical instrument for him – he played her as brilliantly as he played his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flageolet">flageolet</a>. His assistant, Gecko explained how Svengali transformed tone-deaf Trilby, " We took her voice note by note—there was no end to her notes, each more beautiful than the other—velvet and gold, beautiful flowers, pearls, diamonds, rubies—drops of dew and honey; peaches, oranges, and lemons! en veux-tu en voilà!—all the perfumes and spices of the Garden of Eden! Svengali with his little flexible flageolet, I with my violin—that is how we taught her to make the sounds—and then how to use them. She was a phénomène, monsieur! She could keep on one note and make it go through all the colors in the rainbow—according to the way Svengali looked at her. It would make you laugh—it would make you cry—but, cry or laugh, it was the sweetest, the most touching, the most beautiful note you ever heard—except all her others! and each had as many overtones as the bells in the Carillon de Notre Dame."<br />
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I won't give away the whole story or the endings of the book or the film –– </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEr60zkYYyEHtFFKy_Lb8eV02EVhV40F-cTWrwWMYkrHjmB7fhQFUUSCx8hhtu7_9t2ww4l0oDWd0BrjpZWs_y45YFj3GIrHToKFnUVofuvk39ymRcVt-if-HHXvRx0P0PdN4cWCXsUe8/s1600/b-sv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="1482" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEr60zkYYyEHtFFKy_Lb8eV02EVhV40F-cTWrwWMYkrHjmB7fhQFUUSCx8hhtu7_9t2ww4l0oDWd0BrjpZWs_y45YFj3GIrHToKFnUVofuvk39ymRcVt-if-HHXvRx0P0PdN4cWCXsUe8/s400/b-sv.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Svengali captured the public imagination almost immediately…but then, so did the whole story by the transplanted French <a href="https://punch.photoshelter.com/gallery/George-du-Maurier-Cartoons/G0000TU9ZzpotCGc/">Punch </a>cartoonist, George du Maurier. His humor and astute observational skills would serve him well in telling his story and he provided the many delightful illustrations for the book.<br />
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No one expected what happened next –– poor Mr. du Maurier hated it and died in 1896.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ6pGYypcxbL76f_mdxYdvIhvEBLK7WDkO6pjuq4C52NHmQJ9N0BJ9ITJRJxQyM0LEWqjDKr5jgdwafUtguoh-Lopb7iq3uxOf8KEGKEWWjVylBcDCpeaD7BIWTosDHurJrSYh6A8vpkV/s1600/book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="402" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZ6pGYypcxbL76f_mdxYdvIhvEBLK7WDkO6pjuq4C52NHmQJ9N0BJ9ITJRJxQyM0LEWqjDKr5jgdwafUtguoh-Lopb7iq3uxOf8KEGKEWWjVylBcDCpeaD7BIWTosDHurJrSYh6A8vpkV/s200/book.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
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You see, du Maurier’s 1894 book, <u>Trilby</u>, was the first run-away best seller in publishing. It first appeared as a monthly serial and was a phenomenon from the start. It flew off the shelves. Libraries couldn’t stock enough of them and there were lines around the block wanting copies to devour. Fans hounded the author.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6mOYaewtaORh2ijTXBLlto7j9CdOKIwn59TMLGzCQfkzLsPhZpJVclZHAiZs5itUN3Xnfn2p_vnd7Iag4E-zgrbN8pujgRcrmoSNJ9_vr2Haj40tvNz9GTwBy7QHbVBcLXTI18FycGyA/s1600/a.s.+boyd+1895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6mOYaewtaORh2ijTXBLlto7j9CdOKIwn59TMLGzCQfkzLsPhZpJVclZHAiZs5itUN3Xnfn2p_vnd7Iag4E-zgrbN8pujgRcrmoSNJ9_vr2Haj40tvNz9GTwBy7QHbVBcLXTI18FycGyA/s200/a.s.+boyd+1895.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> drawing by A.S. Boyd</span></div>
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A reviewer at the time wrote, "There are people not a few who will remember the first half of 1894 not for the hard times, not for the strikes, nor any other thing of public interest or private concern, so much as for the pleasure they had in in reading 'Trilby.' Never before did the month intervening between installments seem so long nor did so many readers anxiously await the next development in a novel..."<br />
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By 1895, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_M._Potter">Paul M. Potter’s</a> play version of <u>Trilby</u> opened all over the US and UK – there were dozens of companies that played to sold out houses in cities big and small.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96AFNcRR7gpmF01xCHEPugiyStkT5W2dWV7kSp6bEGQwgtNBhhoPDSrEkpKJ39mw76fs3wnKNIB4NTmiOdzuucD3uxu0A47IYoT0zu2_uurdZd_Jml5ehuT10SblXrqojuoH73ZvDW2k6/s1600/tril+series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="1378" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96AFNcRR7gpmF01xCHEPugiyStkT5W2dWV7kSp6bEGQwgtNBhhoPDSrEkpKJ39mw76fs3wnKNIB4NTmiOdzuucD3uxu0A47IYoT0zu2_uurdZd_Jml5ehuT10SblXrqojuoH73ZvDW2k6/s400/tril+series.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Actors in the original 1895 NY production</span></div>
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The fad was called Trilbyana.<br />
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People couldn’t get enough of <u>Trilby</u>. They would have Cosplay <u>Trilby</u> parties in their homes -- dressing up and playing their favorite scenes “to dissolve the boundaries between life and art” as they imagined living <i>la vie Boheme</i>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7ObJe7CpFhwxgjjabN29gyGWoEItGDJlxsKkfOVeSHdgOusdy09f8MArsUmAFiebsbbLeNZAxwu7ywsN0ujcGJnycezMQ2J3mwOYBKXaxUu9Yh_BNVBavNLVKIjPA2xggqZj5Gk82A2z/s1600/trilby+118-024-000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="751" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7ObJe7CpFhwxgjjabN29gyGWoEItGDJlxsKkfOVeSHdgOusdy09f8MArsUmAFiebsbbLeNZAxwu7ywsN0ujcGJnycezMQ2J3mwOYBKXaxUu9Yh_BNVBavNLVKIjPA2xggqZj5Gk82A2z/s200/trilby+118-024-000.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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<u>Trilby</u>’s famous song, the 1848 <u>Ben Bolt</u>, became a huge hit all over again in the 1890s – the sheet music was sold as ‘The <u>Trilby</u> Edition’. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjpNKRsxtZx69iQ0HDEOIKDN2A0bz9PTpR3RGPDpTsW_LShBgcxVIPmmhe_Q1YeTo-sWQFM93I2qa3P4cTUKymA2E6PyfJVVq9-pJatOZkC1PkDgX5Q5RzhtZKYNp4GrbJV10OoQ5fNQI/s1600/tril+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="876" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjpNKRsxtZx69iQ0HDEOIKDN2A0bz9PTpR3RGPDpTsW_LShBgcxVIPmmhe_Q1YeTo-sWQFM93I2qa3P4cTUKymA2E6PyfJVVq9-pJatOZkC1PkDgX5Q5RzhtZKYNp4GrbJV10OoQ5fNQI/s320/tril+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo44gPTzpWhAPHNse9DDFjJx-o1nO_x7EEzUxnyccDqaOMUmGlbTalzMu0dfjwCI94aX82mM-uAngiLyBF7eYnAbkxFFAT4nJ28WK1uFYY3S14gnLDLnX8xnAQIkEtx6rdEo5FNZ7eDj0/s1600/tril+stuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Actors in original NY production</span></div>
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One of the most enduring <u>Trilby</u> contributions was not in the book - the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilby">“Trilby”</a> hat. The hat was first seen in the play and then in the film and is still on the hipster head today (short brim and low crown— a Trilby).</div>
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<u>Trilby</u> was a marketing machine. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo44gPTzpWhAPHNse9DDFjJx-o1nO_x7EEzUxnyccDqaOMUmGlbTalzMu0dfjwCI94aX82mM-uAngiLyBF7eYnAbkxFFAT4nJ28WK1uFYY3S14gnLDLnX8xnAQIkEtx6rdEo5FNZ7eDj0/s1600/tril+stuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="1600" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMo44gPTzpWhAPHNse9DDFjJx-o1nO_x7EEzUxnyccDqaOMUmGlbTalzMu0dfjwCI94aX82mM-uAngiLyBF7eYnAbkxFFAT4nJ28WK1uFYY3S14gnLDLnX8xnAQIkEtx6rdEo5FNZ7eDj0/s400/tril+stuff.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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I read in ‘Trilby-Mania’ by Erica Haugtvedt, that a man named Sewell wrote a popular song about the mania:<br />
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‘For we’ve got Trilby jugs and Trilby mugs and Trilby chairs and lamps <br />
We’ve all got Trilby plates of meat, and carry Trilby gamps [umbrella]— <br />
This Trilby craze will end my days—at home we’re all insane <br />
We’ve Trilby, Trilby, Trilby, Trilby on the brain’ <br />
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All of that <u>Trilby</u> memorabilia/ephemera gave fans a physical attachment to their beloved story (a lesson that Disney learned?). What made it so beloved? I think it’s because it reflected a longing for youthful passions when art, creativity and divine madness was what mattered. The characters were full of life and adventure. You either missed it or mourned that you never had lived that life. Longing for a fairytale Paris of your own – that was at the heart of the phenomenon (especially if you lived in a small town in the mid-west).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ffcg71458aAI8Je_ij-zkcQ80y-jb9hvT5iBpE00QgfHoir8YynQLHuFqefcjoPedEaM3bOnQ5tePgzc_27A4wQ5by2u_C43Zu77DPc4dmEP4vjS7OTZsjlrutnBZbb3_on12g4jHh9j/s1600/george-du-maurier-1-sized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="256" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Ffcg71458aAI8Je_ij-zkcQ80y-jb9hvT5iBpE00QgfHoir8YynQLHuFqefcjoPedEaM3bOnQ5tePgzc_27A4wQ5by2u_C43Zu77DPc4dmEP4vjS7OTZsjlrutnBZbb3_on12g4jHh9j/s200/george-du-maurier-1-sized.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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<u>Trilby</u> was based on du Maurier’s own adventures as a young artist in 1850’s Paris with some of the tone and structure of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Murger">Henry Murger’s</a> famous 1851 novel, <i><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18445/18445-h/18445-h.htm">Scènes de la vie de Bohème</a></i>. Murger had enjoyed the same Bohemian lifestyle but unlike du Maurier, Murger wrote about it contemporaneously as a young man. A 60-year-old Du Maurier wrote of a distant past in <u>Trilby</u>.<br />
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Du Maurier, like Murger, employed the camaraderie of artistic vagabonds as the glue of the story. But because of his distance from the time, du Maurier added to that the feeling of <a href="https://www.portugalist.com/what-is-saudade/"><i>saudades</i></a> for those lost times, colored with the patina of decades of fond reflection on his Parisian youth. The right story at the right moment and the powerful force of Svengali reignited the passion for the cult of Bohemia<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkYY0Tip0OT87k6Ez3xWFvooYY5VctM1uWYkKCVv_KplgG3AiDCwpoXTqoWsn2ke1Zp20wZG0-Y1zMDvB63MgL9E6ezZuS4oje2SZQyUAiY_w3WDZUm9yyPnrHK32RxOZ_VkmQTMISb_G/s1600/cafe+momus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkYY0Tip0OT87k6Ez3xWFvooYY5VctM1uWYkKCVv_KplgG3AiDCwpoXTqoWsn2ke1Zp20wZG0-Y1zMDvB63MgL9E6ezZuS4oje2SZQyUAiY_w3WDZUm9yyPnrHK32RxOZ_VkmQTMISb_G/s320/cafe+momus.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Café Momus – where the Bohemian’s convened</span></div>
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For over one hundred years, artists have been drawn to the lifestyle that Murger and du Maurier evoked so vividly – a life of poverty and passion, incredible friendships and adventures. Bohemia never really died but it did move around the city as Paris reinvented itself.<br />
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There were even floods of new habitués in the 1890’s after <u>Trilby</u> came out, and again in the 1920’s when another golden age flowered with Hemingway, Fitzgerald and the rest of the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Generation"> Lost Generation</a> partaking in the Parisian<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Moveable_Feast"> moveable feast</a> after WWI. All of this came from the rare atmosphere for artists in Paris – of specific areas of Paris.<br />
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Paris was not the only city with a Bohemian culture. There were enclaves in Moscow, London, Berlin and New York among others. Bohemian Greenwich Village was a magnet for artists, writers and actors –– like John Barrymore. From 1917 to the early twenties, his happiest and most creative years were spent in a Greenwich Village Bohemian garret that he dubbed The Alchemist’s Corner. It was much like the garrets described by Murger and du Maurier. Barrymore took great pains to dress his aerie with a devil-may-care, Bohemian aesthetic -- a jungle of plants, blue glass from Italy and dozens of hand-picked antique treasures with gilded walls and a medieval inclination. A few generations later, I remember my own student days in Greenwich Village with madcap friends, adventures, all night talks about art and lots of drinking – you leave it but it never leaves you. My arsenic green walls and old garnet-colored damask curtains are still remembered very fondly – but I digress – back to Paris where it all began.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-8_pTdauelfRQLtkup__o0vH2U5VoqNJ4HOciXyTYZGSor2qMF_7utAphVxMyIOjK7hL6qOQXj-2MqyYqdDRLwyqqjtElBzQ0QlHjYPmLU_8SsG9ThBTaO9_-AMOcEkNCnAzsjcmpg9e/s1600/The%25CC%2581ophile_Gautier_by_Nadar_c1856-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-8_pTdauelfRQLtkup__o0vH2U5VoqNJ4HOciXyTYZGSor2qMF_7utAphVxMyIOjK7hL6qOQXj-2MqyYqdDRLwyqqjtElBzQ0QlHjYPmLU_8SsG9ThBTaO9_-AMOcEkNCnAzsjcmpg9e/s200/The%25CC%2581ophile_Gautier_by_Nadar_c1856-1.jpg" width="160" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Theophile Gautier 1856 Nadar photo</span><br />
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The original Parisian Bohemians of the 1820s and 30’s were men like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9ophile_Gautier">Theophile Gautier</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac">Balzac</a> , <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_de_Musset">Alfred de Musse</a>t and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A9rard_de_Nerval">Gérard de Nerval</a> who lived in the Carrousel district on the Impasse du Doyenné. Here they held what was termed the first <i>cenácle</i> – a gathering for men of arts, letters, philosophy.<br />
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Of this time Gaultier reflected, “yes, we believed, we loved, we admired, we were drunk with beauty, we had the magnificent mania of art! As you so well express it, after Anacreon, we have the little mark upon our heart, and by it we shall recognize each other, in whatever oblivion the age may leave the fine things which so rightly impassioned us”.<br />
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But this original paradise for youth and genius would not last. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haussmann%27s_renovation_of_Paris">Baron Haussmann’s</a> modernization of Paris would soon be devouring the first Bohemia. How it blazed before it disappeared!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGkp2cJ1pNSrDxzKNUcApjiWF8lon9ti0STwJVspFZCU7ocfyre76cmYq78wKJwu2phQF7nE_82CFH1Ds2mZEbBihtxQvujb1rZ9Lu3dvZD5RjOgXS2wKn70RcRal25qexDTS8eU1DZzB/s1600/ill_168_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGkp2cJ1pNSrDxzKNUcApjiWF8lon9ti0STwJVspFZCU7ocfyre76cmYq78wKJwu2phQF7nE_82CFH1Ds2mZEbBihtxQvujb1rZ9Lu3dvZD5RjOgXS2wKn70RcRal25qexDTS8eU1DZzB/s320/ill_168_lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Orlo Williams in his 1913 book, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40293/40293-h/40293-h.htm"><i>Vie de Bohème</i></a> said Bohemia was for the young, “What stood out in retrospect, in the special case of <i>la vie de Bohème</i>, was the happiness of youth that would never return, its insouciance, its untrammelled companionships, the poetry of its first love, its gaiety and irresponsible humour, its courage, its ready makeshifts in adversity.”<br />
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He continued, "Bohemia must be young; it must be continually renewed. If the Bohemian were more than thirty, he might be confused with the rogue." “We Englishmen can hardly understand the magic of this joyous phrase,<i> vingt ans</i>; through French prose and poetry it sounds again and again like a tinkling silver bell calling those who have lived and loved in youth to hark back for a moment in passionate regret, in an ecstasy of remembrance”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_EWpGlaQ7JR6gKXRWfi8L-R6HNxfQAgJgjbdLKfkGt_qld-Atq3ysgYYUhw5CYOBX3EFe6uFpvl__oyA_TSVKeBW0F8H5zHQMN4p2K4keyOm5av5uxfx-9UZ6NW2TtuSmvw_IaVCF9hJ/s1600/ill_294a_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_EWpGlaQ7JR6gKXRWfi8L-R6HNxfQAgJgjbdLKfkGt_qld-Atq3ysgYYUhw5CYOBX3EFe6uFpvl__oyA_TSVKeBW0F8H5zHQMN4p2K4keyOm5av5uxfx-9UZ6NW2TtuSmvw_IaVCF9hJ/s320/ill_294a_lg.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<i><u>La Vie Boheme</u></i> wrote of an <i>Age d’Or</i> - a love song to young men their 20s and the way they burned hot and devoured life. Murger also believed Bohemia was for the young and voiced sadness at the loss of that youth and enthusiasm which could not be recaptured, “Ah, do not boast of having driven him away, this enthusiasm, it was both the rose and the song on the brink of your sorry twenty years, it was the proud opulence of your age, it was your grace, your genius, your pride, O youth -- all your youth…”<br />
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The Bohemian fables of Murger and du Maurier portray a life before the sad metamorphosis that most of us go through. You begin your adulthood as wild and colorful creatures but end in a cocoon of staid middle-class life or die young from flying too close to the sun (or never seeing the sun or feeling the pulse of talent that could sustain you). <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Illustration from Trilby of the painters in a cafe</span></div>
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Williams also reflected sadly on those gray men for whom those days were painful reminders as well as beautiful memories, “The ex-Bohemian had, what the Bohemian had not, a contrast by which to measure his regrets—the cares of domesticity, the wearisome demands of society upon its members, the responsibilities and cares of an assured position, howsoever humble, the dulling of pleasure's edge, joints stiffening, hair bleaching.” <br />
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The old disorder and the individuality of the neighborhoods were lost when demolition commenced on the romantic tangle of ancient buildings in preparation for Haussmann’s ‘regularization’. Gone were the crooked floors, walls and streets. Even <u>Trilby</u>’s Taffy felt that the Bohemia of his day wasn’t as vibrant as that of the 1830’s. He called his present, “this ghastly thin-faced time of ours….” But before it was all destroyed, it was a mad paradise for the artist – you can see why the terroir of the place was a perfect medium to grow the spirit of the young artist – chaotic and exploding with energy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqIADsFGxZlaFbbUeZPeci0V45z3_Dwki-QJGSV5bF6ivGVvLMVtdrm9K3S9qmdfGkVEGk2LVZNOuu6I0h3jGTYrsm2h7Zcf0Cnm5PZ19mv2g7U15nYYfJOw39FB9AxmbXeurzK1rGhoN/s1600/talbot+carrousel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1000" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqIADsFGxZlaFbbUeZPeci0V45z3_Dwki-QJGSV5bF6ivGVvLMVtdrm9K3S9qmdfGkVEGk2LVZNOuu6I0h3jGTYrsm2h7Zcf0Cnm5PZ19mv2g7U15nYYfJOw39FB9AxmbXeurzK1rGhoN/s320/talbot+carrousel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Place du Carrousel Fox Talbott photo,1843</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLalRcmg0GEjfpkOKAtKe3wMOLeGwVush6b8396MRvq4tfnyO7pqdXqc_fewCbGCOuk_zuDpcXCpUCuUrKizt8MOKyu7WSbfWCOe81OY06Lji-kSOfFKSd6ExgES_qnvocfe_fiviEK7tu/s1600/henri+le+secq+-+demolition.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1442" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLalRcmg0GEjfpkOKAtKe3wMOLeGwVush6b8396MRvq4tfnyO7pqdXqc_fewCbGCOuk_zuDpcXCpUCuUrKizt8MOKyu7WSbfWCOe81OY06Lji-kSOfFKSd6ExgES_qnvocfe_fiviEK7tu/s320/henri+le+secq+-+demolition.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Place du Carrousel Henri Le Secq </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> demolished, 1851 </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Vue des Ruines de la chapelle du Doyenné before it was destroyed</span></div>
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It was here in the Carrousel district that Gerard de Nerval discovered a perfect location for a clubhouse for the first Bohemians:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPF4I8wrlKtQX_Ng64RO5ouL_INHgyzE2xJBVti-w_YnbaJG9nrpJJymtRIjrN3Hf890vc7JJVMOvKziZN9Ongww3tiXKrWjcynbMaND6SExjnKs33j_AA35j6o0UoCWxjCRGDF9ZKRpGb/s1600/mvr33472-13_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="342" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPF4I8wrlKtQX_Ng64RO5ouL_INHgyzE2xJBVti-w_YnbaJG9nrpJJymtRIjrN3Hf890vc7JJVMOvKziZN9Ongww3tiXKrWjcynbMaND6SExjnKs33j_AA35j6o0UoCWxjCRGDF9ZKRpGb/s200/mvr33472-13_1.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
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“However, he did more than find a quiet, romantic corner hidden away in the busy heart of Paris with a ruined priory to give distinction to its prospect; he also found an appropriate dwelling. In one of the old houses of the <i>Impasse du Doyenné</i> there was a set of rooms remarkable for its salon. It was a huge room, decorated in the old-fashioned Pompadour style with grooved panellings, pier-glasses, and a fantastically moulded ceiling. This decoration had for a long time been the despair of its owner and had driven away all prospective tenants, the taste for curiosities being at that time undeveloped. In vain had the landlord parcelled it out with party walls; it was still mouldering on his hands when Gérard came thither on one of his swallow-flights. He at once persuaded the good-natured Camille Rogier to transfer his household gods from the Rue des Beaux-Arts, the party walls were knocked down, and Bohemia entered on its ideal home…” <br />
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And what a clubhouse it was – mad revels were the norm and Williams shared Theophile Gautier’s memories of one such festivity:<br />
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“Ladders were quickly erected, panels and piers were parcelled out, and the work began. It is a scene on which to dwell in envious imagination. They were perched on ladders, the merry band, smoking cigarettes, singing Musset's songs or declaiming Victor Hugo, with roses behind their ears—a counsel of Gérard's, who, contenting himself with a general survey of operations, recommended a return to the classic festal usage of garlanding the head with flowers. Camille Rogier, smiling through his beard, was painting Oriental or fantastically <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._T._A._Hoffmann">Hoffmannesque</a> scenes; the burly Gautier executed a picnic in the style of Watteau, a tantalizing subject for thirsty dancers; Nanteuil, with his long golden hair, limned a Naiad; and Adolphe Leleux produced topers crowned with ivy in the manner of Velasquez. Other friends were pressed into service, Wattier, Châtillon, and Rousseau; Chassériau contributed a bathing Diana, Lorentz some revellers in Turkish costume, and Corot on two narrow panels placed two exquisite Italian landscapes. Any comrade might lend a hand, and it was on this occasion that Gautier first made the acquaintance of Marilhat, the Oriental painter, whom a friend brought in and who drew on a vacant space some palm-trees over a minaret in white chalk. It is to this acquaintance that we owe Théo's recollections of this remarkable day. If that room, decorated thus because a few louis d'or for refreshments were not forthcoming, were now existing, only a millionaire could buy, and only a great gallery worthily house, it. Yet regrets are misplaced, for it served its day, and it is well that the salon of Doyenné, with its furniture and its painted panels, in which the happy, money-scorning Bohemians danced at their culminating festival, should vanish before mercenary dealings could soil its freshness.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8-Vf0IFx7d49tyXDDA4jRTFc8fgm4fi9he2ekF5VCnilE1wAkHZF20nR3om9V9muKBLsUO_hSX1eJM54-O9n1Zy2RUgwaEI00Y5oNt9yJkXTsAadFOgqiIo8SX_MQ7dIDkp98LecB9Iq/s1600/Interiors-Benjamin-Walter-Spiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8-Vf0IFx7d49tyXDDA4jRTFc8fgm4fi9he2ekF5VCnilE1wAkHZF20nR3om9V9muKBLsUO_hSX1eJM54-O9n1Zy2RUgwaEI00Y5oNt9yJkXTsAadFOgqiIo8SX_MQ7dIDkp98LecB9Iq/s400/Interiors-Benjamin-Walter-Spiers.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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One of my favorite characters is a denizen of Murger’s Bohemia - the antiquities dealer, Medici. Medici would feed starving artists in exchange for a poem or a sketch or buy furniture to pay a bill – only to sell it back during flush times, “His shop on Place du Carrousel was a magic spot where one could find anything he might desire. All the products of nature, all the creations of art, everything that issues from the bowels of the earth and from the genius of man, was an object of sale or exchange with Me'dicis. His business included everything, absolutely everything that exists — indeed he dealt in the ideal. He purchased IDEAS, to put them in practice himself, or to sell again. Known to all men of letters and all artists, an intimate friend of the palette and familiar with the writing-desk, he was the Asmodeus of the arts. He would sell you cigars for the rough draft of a novel, slippers for a sonnet, fresh fish for paradoxes; he talked by the hour at so much the hour with writers paid to retail society scandal in the newspapers; he would procure tickets for you to the galleries of the chambers of Parliament and invitations to private parties; he let lodgings by the night or week or month to homeless embryo artists, who paid him in copies of the great masters at the Louvre.”<br />
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Oh that there were such fairy god-fathers today! It’s a lost breed to be sure but at home and indeed cultivated in the ancient streets the Bohemian’s traveled -- where kindness and generosity was part of the lifestyle in that one-for-all-and-all-for-one way they had. I understand the fascination completely. I would love to have spent a few years there – I would love to think that it such a place existed.<br />
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I discovered some remarkable photographs of this golden age of Bohemia by <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/charles-marville/m0280kt8?hl=en">Charles Marville</a> (the official Paris photographer), <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m02q53zh?categoryid=artist">Henri le Secq</a> and the <a href="http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/mission-heliographique-the-patrimony-of-paris-in-photos">Societé Heliographic</a> .<br />
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These men were assigned the job of capturing the world that was quickly receding as the Haussmannization of Paris was taking place (one of Marville’s jobs was making the old city look sad and rotten by putting water on the streets as if it were sewage but which ended up making a better photo with the ‘wet-down’).There are hundreds of them. They might help you get a sense of the landscape of old Paris – the urban canvas for <u>Trilby</u>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqPwawYOkaKJS75V8IKcXJQglcCIGZQfxpPGBq-9qtVI2UU_YbWv2_MnVMqAm01Edj10rwIAZnLQukGtbLl8iT0du6dDTim6mcvBIKolWjyixLzSTmQH7YG7MHu3_Cqdj3MUdKgZhpLNU/s1600/Charles_Marville_Rue_St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqPwawYOkaKJS75V8IKcXJQglcCIGZQfxpPGBq-9qtVI2UU_YbWv2_MnVMqAm01Edj10rwIAZnLQukGtbLl8iT0du6dDTim6mcvBIKolWjyixLzSTmQH7YG7MHu3_Cqdj3MUdKgZhpLNU/s320/Charles_Marville_Rue_St.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rue St. Nicolas du Charonnet</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rue du Marché-aux-fleurs</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaPXX0890gNdZDhu0PXZK-2Ykf8xK8IBG5e3jr0IzHnKV7z6qOaHJDxhWG4mD1IxXWA1Dq7TpjYnzJ6c4-T5zcbNsQIoJ_7rgO46tqwkjGYunKRWbdQPkNZMhNlR9giBqR7ApUK7uhiN0/s1600/Charles_Marville%252C_Tourelle_de_la_rue_des_Pre%25CC%2582tres-Saint-Germain-l%2527Auxerrois%252C_ca._1853%25E2%2580%259370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaPXX0890gNdZDhu0PXZK-2Ykf8xK8IBG5e3jr0IzHnKV7z6qOaHJDxhWG4mD1IxXWA1Dq7TpjYnzJ6c4-T5zcbNsQIoJ_7rgO46tqwkjGYunKRWbdQPkNZMhNlR9giBqR7ApUK7uhiN0/s320/Charles_Marville%252C_Tourelle_de_la_rue_des_Pre%25CC%2582tres-Saint-Germain-l%2527Auxerrois%252C_ca._1853%25E2%2580%259370.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tourelle de la rue des Prêtr</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Charles Marville, 1853</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d3Xyzn6VA9KeyDTKPkkSQy4uuDHnH1QBOpCQw-TSJG7qkUgp0RitjaFBlySZ7xXBOuWPaYg0xgULG8jSc9gHekTSmSdMneMb6mOiSXJz7v8HjjYtE-APrPr6TfDWnmtm6rBiYtP8jAb-/s1600/Rue+de+Venise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d3Xyzn6VA9KeyDTKPkkSQy4uuDHnH1QBOpCQw-TSJG7qkUgp0RitjaFBlySZ7xXBOuWPaYg0xgULG8jSc9gHekTSmSdMneMb6mOiSXJz7v8HjjYtE-APrPr6TfDWnmtm6rBiYtP8jAb-/s320/Rue+de+Venise.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Rue de Venise</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RuULKD7_I-8ztUEkV4lJ2nSEg2rkJbFvN1Er8bihf5Q04UCxB48cprl0Wpp2hmItg_BlGN2p87pfAVc41jYjkdiW8YH8RMju9NxwRsCZuKGe47_tHb8RVaLHeHyBIBR0iwiKaJ-LH5Oc/s1600/cour_du_Dragon_%2528Paris_VIe%2529_par_Euge%25CC%2580ne_Atget_%25281913%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="356" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RuULKD7_I-8ztUEkV4lJ2nSEg2rkJbFvN1Er8bihf5Q04UCxB48cprl0Wpp2hmItg_BlGN2p87pfAVc41jYjkdiW8YH8RMju9NxwRsCZuKGe47_tHb8RVaLHeHyBIBR0iwiKaJ-LH5Oc/s320/cour_du_Dragon_%2528Paris_VIe%2529_par_Euge%25CC%2580ne_Atget_%25281913%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Atget Cour du Dragon </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRchHoXyC0HvlI6PtQhHwU1q9MREyvLIYbueqq1AM28LrF5soPo5_qlZXw2qyC_-rK0qmtfg2JqOaEZZWrKWBarxP6GzSx0dbbyVZGOYSQe_rI8giXtTRpZLSx4iajR5fprX9CAGEc5AsC/s1600/cour+Charles_Marville%252C_Passage_du_Dragon%252C_ca._1853%25E2%2580%259370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRchHoXyC0HvlI6PtQhHwU1q9MREyvLIYbueqq1AM28LrF5soPo5_qlZXw2qyC_-rK0qmtfg2JqOaEZZWrKWBarxP6GzSx0dbbyVZGOYSQe_rI8giXtTRpZLSx4iajR5fprX9CAGEc5AsC/s320/cour+Charles_Marville%252C_Passage_du_Dragon%252C_ca._1853%25E2%2580%259370.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Passage du dragon 1853</span></div>
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The original Bohemians were already looking back with longing as they saw what changes were looming. Alfred de Musset said in 1836, “We live on debris, as if the end of the world was coming.” The original Bohemians of Gautier’s youth saw the Doyenne Quartier (the Carrousel in Paris between the Tuileries and the Louvre), razed in 1852 during Haussmann’s reconstruction of Paris – Medici’s shop was now only a legend. By the late 1840s, Murger’s Bohemia had begun moving to the Latin Quarter in the 5th and 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank (called Latin because of the abundance of universities in the area – thus Latin being read and even uttered on the streets from time to time). <br />
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The Latin Quarter was du Maurier’s Bohemia as well -- the first Bohemia was now being cleared of rubble to prepare for the clean, straight rows of uniform houses being built where the Doyenne quarter used to be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCVf8T_ofMSwZBrw0BFyG21ZzmDvyUP5qnjhtgL5QMwAfclIDI638FDEUqMaPm9JoVac2B1M5EbT61u5o2Sgch1vSAUq1H-sOcG7R8aSpOGEILlUk0wmoQ0925kwK5_6g3PYcpY0p9YAG/s1600/rue+pirouette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCVf8T_ofMSwZBrw0BFyG21ZzmDvyUP5qnjhtgL5QMwAfclIDI638FDEUqMaPm9JoVac2B1M5EbT61u5o2Sgch1vSAUq1H-sOcG7R8aSpOGEILlUk0wmoQ0925kwK5_6g3PYcpY0p9YAG/s320/rue+pirouette.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rue Pirouette 1860 </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bievre River – Rue Gobelins 1862</span></div>
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What of the interiors?</div>
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Williams described the poor, barely furnished artist’s lodgings we have come to expect in Bohemia: “There was no question of bare attics on a sixth story, their tiny windows looking on a dreary sea of roofs, of rickety chairs and peeling wall-paper. In spite of its bare floors, its faded colours, its chipped corners, and the incongruous presence of plain easels among its ancient splendours, its riches were princely. Bohemian disorder might reign among paints and palette-knives, ends of paper inscribed with scraps of verse might dot its unswept floor, the débris of eating and drinking might litter the seats on which fastidious cavaliers once delicately sat, but no realities of a careless existence could spoil its romantic atmosphere. Without its merry clan of inhabitants, no doubt, it would have seemed odd and ghostly; yet if they brought back to it the necessary colour of youth, it tinged, in turn, their life with a patina of old gold that never faded from their reminiscences.”</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oscar-nominated Svegali sets 1931 – German expressionist inspired – a rejection of sterile modernity or bourgeois cleanliness.</span></div>
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One of the most famous artists gathering places of the old Bohemia was <a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehan_Du_Seigneur&prev=search">Jehan du Seigneur</a>’s studio where the first <i>cenácle</i> took place: "In a little chamber," wrote an older Gautier, "which had not seats enough for all its occupants, gathered the young men, really young and different in that respect from the young men of to-day, who are all more or less quinquagenarians. The hammock in which the master of the dwelling took his siesta, the narrow couchlet in which the dawn often surprised him at the last page of a book of verses, eked out the insufficiency of conveniences for conversation. One really talked better standing up, and the gestures of the orator or declaimer only gained a more ample scope. Still, it was extremely unwise to make too free with your arms for fear of knocking your knuckles against the sloping ceiling." It was a poor man's room, but not without ornament, for it contained sketches by the two Dévérias, a head after Titian or Giorgione by Boulanger, two earthenware vases full of flowers on the chimneypiece, the inevitable death's-head instead of a clock, a looking-glass, and a small shelf of books. On either side of the glass and in the embrasures of the windows were hung the portrait medallions which Jehan made of his friends. They had no money to get them cast in bronze, so the world has lost in them a valuable appendix to the well-known busts of his contemporaries executed by the more distinguished Romantic sculptor, David d'Angers.” Here they would all gather of an evening.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Du Maurier’s drawing of the artist space from Trilby</span></div>
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Du Maurier described an artist’s garret in <u>Trilby</u> –– The Laird, Billee and Taffy reside in a multi-cultural, unconventional paradise: <br />
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“The big studio window was open at the top, and let in a pleasant breeze from the northwest…the big piano…on the wall opposite was a panoply of foils, masks, and boxing-gloves.<br />
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“A trapeze, a knotted rope, and two parallel cords, supporting each a ring, depended from a huge beam in the ceiling. The walls were of the usual dull red, relieved by plaster casts of arms and legs and hands and feet; and Dante's mask, and Michael Angelo's altorilievo of Leda and the swan, and a centaur and Lapith from the Elgin marbles—on none of these had the dust as yet had time to settle.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">19th c artist space</span></div>
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“There were also studies in oil from the nude; copies of Titian, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Rubens, Tintoretto, Leonardo da Vinci—none of the school of Botticelli, Mantegna, and Co.—a firm whose merits had not as yet been revealed to the many.<br />
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“Along the walls, at a great height, ran a broad shelf, on which were other casts in plaster, terra-cotta, imitation bronze; a little Theseus, a little Venus of Milo, a little discobolus; …<br />
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“Near the stove hung a gridiron, a frying-pan, a toasting-fork, and a pair of bellows. In an adjoining glazed corner cupboard were plates and glasses, black-handled knives, pewter spoons, and three-pronged steel forks; a salad-bowl, vinegar cruets, an oil-flask, two mustard-pots (English and French), and such like things—all scrupulously clean. On the floor, which had been stained and waxed at considerable cost, lay two chetah-skins and a large Persian praying-rug. <br />
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“And there were alcoves, recesses, irregularities, odd little nooks and corners, to be filled up as time wore on with endless personal knick-knacks, bibelots, private properties and acquisitions—things that make a place genial, homelike, and good to remember, and sweet to muse upon (with fond regret) in after-years.” <br />
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Their home was filled with souvenirs of their life in Paris, exotic pieces from their travels and with their own art. These objects were freighted with meaning and memories that would remain with them even as they moved away. And they did move away.<br />
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Later Bohemians would eschew cheap, new furnishings and crockery to furnish their garrets and acquire old broken things to copy authentic Bohemian style – but they were amateurs – that’s what Williams thought: “We will mention one other singular variety of Bohemians, who may be called amateurs. They are not the least interesting. They find life in Bohemia an existence full of charm : not to dine every day, to sleep in the open air under the tears of rainy nights, and to dress in nankeen in the month of December seem to them the paradise of earthly felicity, and to enter therein they abandon, one the family hearth, another the studies that lead to a certain result. They turn their backs abruptly on an honorable future in order to run the risks of a hand-to-mouth existence. But as the more robust do not take kindly to a diet that would make Hercules consumptive, they soon abandon the game, ride back at full speed to the paternal roast beef, to marry their second cousins and set up as notaries in a town of twenty or thirty thousand souls ; and in the evening, sitting in the chimney corner, they have the satisfaction of describing their poverty when they were artists, with all the gusto of a traveller describing a tiger hunt.” <br />
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Were the Englishmen in <u>Trilby</u> amateurs or the real deal? The original Bohemian, Theophile Gautier, reflected that even for the real Bohemian there was an expiration date on the experience if not on the memory "No doubt such joy could not last. To be young and intelligent, to love one another, to understand and commune in every realm of art—a more beautiful manner of life could not be conceived, and from the eyes of all those who followed it its dazzling splendour has never been obliterated." <br />
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Williams, admittedly writing 50 years after the Bohemia he was describing, was not so positive, “It may safely be said that in the real Bohème there was no such goodly company of industrious, gifted, morally austere, intellectually gay, unselfish young men, and that there never will be in any society till the coming of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/coquecigrue">Coquecigrues</a> ”.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Coquecigrue</span></span><br />
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Who’s to say if their idyllic Paris was only a Coquecigrue??<br />
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So, what did they eat in this artist’s aerie with a gridiron, a fork and a frying pan?<br />
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They drank a great deal, went out when they could and complained of hunger when they couldn’t -- but the Englishmen weren’t poor. They seemed to be able to eat regularly and drink well at their favorite neighborhood eateries. “Good distending soups, omelets that were only too savory, lentils, red and white beans, meat so dressed and sauced and seasoned that you didn't know whether it were beef or mutton—flesh, fowl, or good red herring—or even bad, for that matter—nor very greatly care. And just the same lettuce, radishes, and cheese of Gruyère or Brie as you got at the Trois Frères Provençaux (but not the same butter!). And to wash it all down, generous wine in wooden "brocs"—that stained a lovely æsthetic blue everything it was spilled over.” <br />
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For 3 francs, Little Billee, “would dive into back streets and buy a yard or so of crusty new bread, well burned on the flat side, a fillet of beef, a litre of wine, potatoes and onions, butter, a little cylindrical cheese called "bondon de Neufchâtel," tender curly lettuce, with chervil, parsley, spring onions, and other fine herbs, and a pod of garlic, which would be rubbed on a crust of bread to flavor things with.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Trilby cooking for the Musketeers of the brush</span></div>
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For Christmas, no expense was spared to feed everyone and the spread is quite luxurious. It was brought in already prepared – not much cooking necessary.<br />
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“Wines and spirits and English beers were procured at great cost from M. E. Delevingne's, in the Rue St. Honoré, and liqueurs of every description—chartreuse, curaçoa, ratafia de cassis, and anisette; no expense was spared.<br />
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“Also, truffled galantines of turkey, tongues, hams, rillettes de Tours, pâtés de foie gras, "fromage d'Italie" (which has nothing to do with cheese [it’s like spam or bologna]), saucissons d'Arles et de Lyon, with and without garlic, cold jellies peppery and salty—everything that French charcutiers and their wives can make out of French pigs, or any other animal whatever, beast, bird, or fowl (even cats and rats), for the supper; and sweet jellies, and cakes, and sweetmeats, and confections of all kinds, from the famous pastry-cook at the corner of the Rue Castiglione”<br />
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I decided I would make something from the period and found a book by Louis-Eustache Audot from the 1840s,<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=SnoEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA293&dq=intitle:french+intitle:cookery+intitle:adapted&ie=ISO-8859-1#v=onepage&q&f=false"> French Domestic Cookery</a> full of things they might have enjoyed. Partridges a la Chipolata (chipolata are thin sausages - á<i> la chipolata</i> usually means there are onions, sausages, chestnuts and bacon). I despair of boiled meats so I brown them a little before adding them together. It’s a marvelous ragoût that you can easily up-scale to as many as you need. It serves 2 as an appetizer and one as a substantial main course. I would say you could use a cornish hen or a small chicken but double the rest of the recipe.</div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;"> Partridges(or squab or chicken) a la Chipolata (recipe per each bird - </span></i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><i>serves 1-2)</i></span></span></div>
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1 squab, cut into 6 serving pieces (I used the leftover bits to make stock) seasoned with s&p<br />
1/2 c pork sausage (I added extra sage, marjoram, nutmeg and allspice) into patties<br />
1 strip of bacon diced large<br />
2 T butter<br />
5 pearl onions<br />
3 mushrooms, sliced<br />
5 chestnuts roasted (cook for 20 -30 minutes at 425º after scoring the bottom- they split when done)<br />
1 T butter<br />
2 T flour<br />
1 c stock (with extra if needed)<br />
1/2 c white wine<br />
1 T madeira<br />
pinch of sage<br />
Herbs for garnish<br />
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Put sausage in paddies and then saute till lightly browned. Set on paper towels and toss the fat.<br />
Sauté and remove the bacon. Brown the cut-up bird in the fat and remove.<br />
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Add 2 T Butter, Sauté 5 onions, chestnuts and mushrooms until golden<br />
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Make a roux of flour and 1T more butter<br />
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Add stock and White wine and madeira and stir to mix.<br />
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Return the squab to the liquid (I balanced the breast on the other pieces so it could stay medium rare).<br />
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Cook till squab done - about 10 minutes covered (more if you are using Cornish hen or chicken) and serve on toast or with toast.<br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-82788061898855295752019-07-04T07:34:00.000-07:002019-08-09T11:37:41.126-07:00Good Omens and Duck Breast with Lavender and Blackberries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I positively shivered with delight last fall when I discovered a much-loved book, Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett's <b><i><u>Good Omens,</u></i></b> was being made into a series for Amazon -- then mourned the desolate months that lay between me and the premiere on May 31st. When the waiting was taking its toll on my patience, I watched the trailer – multiple times, then I re-read the book. The inconceivably delicious idea of an angel and demon working together to save our miserable planet resonated mightily for me because, frankly, I am sick to death of the internecine political war that is shredding our world – so much pettiness and venality. The book offers something much needed today, a friendly peace between adversaries, love, courage and hope (although I am not sure we deserve it), served with generous lashings of wit and sly humor.<br />
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Yes, I needed it. I realized recently that I hadn’t read a book for fun or escape in ages. Everything was work related. I actually felt guilty when I binged <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner">The Prisoner</a>, and guilty when started on a reading spree – but no more. I've come around to Neil Gaiman's point of view – it's good for you, “If you were trapped in an impossible situation, in an unpleasant place, with people who meant you ill, and someone offered you a temporary escape, why wouldn't you take it? And escapist fiction is just that: fiction that opens a door, shows the sunlight outside, gives you a place to go where you are in control, are with people you want to be with(and books are real places, make no mistake about that); and more importantly, during your escape, books can also give you knowledge about the world and your predicament, give you weapons, give you armour: real things you can take back into your prison. Skills and knowledge and tools you can use to escape for real.” Read to escape, refresh your creative muscles and move outside your work box -- a box that can become a prison so stealthily you don't notice you are it and it is you!<br />
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Happily, Neil Gaiman's series <b><i><u>Good Omens</u></i></b> was everything I had hoped (the book was co-written in 1990 by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett who sadly died in 2015 - Gaiman wrote the series on his own). I binged all 6 episodes in one deep, delicious gulp opening night with David Tennant and Michael Sheen playing the demon and the angel -- ooh la la – and no guilt at all!<br />
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A few weeks later, to my enormous delight, I met the author, Neil Gaiman, at a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directors_Guild_of_America">DGA</a> showing of the first episode. HE was everything I imagined he would be and he stayed and spoke with everyone for hours.<br />
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However brilliantly captivating he may be with words and stories – he is equally eloquent in the silent language of listening. He had a way of listening that made you feel as if what you were saying was the most important thing in the world – a very rare quality to be sure. I got to thank him for the curious side-effect that reading <b><i><u>Good Omens</u></i></b> had on the constantly churning <b><i><u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Exit">No Exit</a></u></i></b> dreams that were feeding my insomnia years ago (scenarios of inescapable, hellish situations – trapped with ever-changing casts of horrible people turning me into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheherazade">Scheherazade</a> of nightmares). Read before bedtime, his angel and demon-made detour from Armageddon was just the weapon I needed to banish <b style="font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline;">No Exit</b> from my dreamscapes -- no idea why it worked but it did. One of my favorite Gaiman quotes seemed apt, “People tend to find books when they are ready for them.” I might add they sometimes find them when they <u>need</u> them. I believe many people have been touched by <b><i><u>Good Omens</u> </i></b>– for a million different reasons and often for different reasons at different times through the decades of their lives from youth to middle age when it is revisited – I most certainly saw it with different eyes when I read it again this winter (he said some people read it every year!).<br />
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We chatted about the production design and about the opening titles which delighted me. I asked if <a href="https://www.polygon.com/tv/2019/6/12/18659708/good-omens-opening-titles-making-of-details-amazon-prime">Peter Anderson Studios</a> had done anything like it before and he said no – they were told to let their imagination run wild and they did. I told him the great story about Orson Welles and his camera man for <b><i><u>Citizen Kane</u></i></b>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Toland">Gregg Toland</a>. Welles had never made films before and didn’t know what he couldn’t do so asked Toland ‘how about…?’ – and Toland said why not? Toland had asked to work on it because he was tired of studio directors and wanted a brilliant amateur who could push his envelope. The result of the collaboration is legendary. Mr. Gaiman was amused with the connection.<br />
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I couldn’t get over how genuinely kind he seemed. This is a man that loves what he does and it shows, “I’m an author. We don’t want to lead. We don’t need to follow. We stay home and make stuff up and write it down and send it out into the world, and get inside people’s heads. Perhaps we change the world and perhaps we don’t. We never know. We just make stuff up.” <br />
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So, what made me love the book and then the Amazon series??? Probably the <u>im</u>probable friendship of the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley who have grown too fond of their earthly secondments to let the planet be destroyed by a duel between Heaven and Hell. David Tennant and Michael Sheen add such depth to the relationship between friends with a 6,000 year history -- it's a wonder to watch the affectionate badinage -- these actors are at the top of their game.<br />
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In <b><i><u>Good Omens, </u></i></b>Heaven is as dull as dishwater – empty whiteness, with a smug, handsome, impeccably dressed, violet-eyed angel Gabriel (John Hamm) and the halls are alive with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_(film)">Sound of Music</a> because all the great composers are in’ the other place’.</div>
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Hell is a dreary gray basement office that has leaky plumbing, endless damp paperwork to be shuffled and catchy motivational signs. The Lord of the underworld <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beelzebub">Beelzebub</a> is surrounded by flies and covered in suppurating sores. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xUZkcDNaHZIx0dXfPxP1gJ_6rh7l3qCwSw12wxf7ME2SvO27xrgV7RIsj6iUUzRkmUQWcp9HM_YMxgaqPMnnvNAK9aO3zqfzzrYu8qfBWzzMeoBAVNZHQ9mYc7gTlAM8DnFXujngo9KM/s1600/tumblr_pshphpHYr71rku96h_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xUZkcDNaHZIx0dXfPxP1gJ_6rh7l3qCwSw12wxf7ME2SvO27xrgV7RIsj6iUUzRkmUQWcp9HM_YMxgaqPMnnvNAK9aO3zqfzzrYu8qfBWzzMeoBAVNZHQ9mYc7gTlAM8DnFXujngo9KM/s200/tumblr_pshphpHYr71rku96h_500.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cfmn4L_kkTzw_43Pk2lZwbFRrUFY13OLMlEX91EeXzJJn-GHifE_7vJ4Nj5KO8Qwz88zC3D1qYxEIjBQ34RuU5-rSnsaP0HV2vVrd4YAiQ78E8UujQsELJYHP3ea39bNOPyIAsXPiBUr/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0cfmn4L_kkTzw_43Pk2lZwbFRrUFY13OLMlEX91EeXzJJn-GHifE_7vJ4Nj5KO8Qwz88zC3D1qYxEIjBQ34RuU5-rSnsaP0HV2vVrd4YAiQ78E8UujQsELJYHP3ea39bNOPyIAsXPiBUr/s200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR41c5qfP4paPkGpu7BL6Ps6K_c-s5LswCQDP8TqywT-6OBdGRVNKX9LQhG5uAgcTHhVuhyphenhyphenGN_EPtQ5SO7vtBQsjMAsEckmHPkNfkw3rFzhCplmaETPbGWsT410dpyLxHc3Fg6JDjBDAJU/s1600/Hell-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="576" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR41c5qfP4paPkGpu7BL6Ps6K_c-s5LswCQDP8TqywT-6OBdGRVNKX9LQhG5uAgcTHhVuhyphenhyphenGN_EPtQ5SO7vtBQsjMAsEckmHPkNfkw3rFzhCplmaETPbGWsT410dpyLxHc3Fg6JDjBDAJU/s200/Hell-04.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHZGtn77QZ6_y-kHinEdfk1FpJGY-tXiyXGyHenqUkBE2LNDhWYEe8f6oc9ESqWMFmzOi-5p6-37w3baNQ3_6iUmzjj5X6yi_OXldwvjHWcAomzzddKUVxmhBwIjJk6RO1Kb1-ZmNVA1X/s1600/Hell-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="602" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHZGtn77QZ6_y-kHinEdfk1FpJGY-tXiyXGyHenqUkBE2LNDhWYEe8f6oc9ESqWMFmzOi-5p6-37w3baNQ3_6iUmzjj5X6yi_OXldwvjHWcAomzzddKUVxmhBwIjJk6RO1Kb1-ZmNVA1X/s200/Hell-01.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Neither the demon Crowley (dressed like a rock star with an insanely divine 1934 Bentley and a fondness for 80’s Queen tapes) OR the angel Aziraphale (dressed like a Dickens’ character, owner of an antique bookstore and very partial to fine food), have any business in either of their respective home offices above and below - they are solidly earth-centric now. Banking on the plodding bureaucracy of Heaven and Hell (no one notices their lacklustre commitment to their missions), they perform enough miracles for better or worse to keep their side happy but actually cancel one another out and, in fact, begin working together – taking turns with assignments. Over the centuries, they have softened one another’s hard edges. The demon often questions the hardness of heavenly punishments. Most of what he gets up to could be described more as naughty than evil (screwing up phone service all over London?). The angel is overly fond of art and possessions and comfort – not quite up to the 7 deadlies but not purely spiritual any longer and that’s a GOOD thing. You can see why they don’t want their earthly assignments to end - - and neither do we!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kpQ1K4FRkAXXaNSHRhoomsnw76-eweTlI2sksAHbTX6ur37Vfe4lJ8LxisyXhW3BzBmrgSTYyjK0NE4thdXk80iGrsmh1gfoM-Zc5QlXKp3I_MWjPvDTA0uRyiNYsVDJdk9eFj8i5GH8/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kpQ1K4FRkAXXaNSHRhoomsnw76-eweTlI2sksAHbTX6ur37Vfe4lJ8LxisyXhW3BzBmrgSTYyjK0NE4thdXk80iGrsmh1gfoM-Zc5QlXKp3I_MWjPvDTA0uRyiNYsVDJdk9eFj8i5GH8/s320/image.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvRHopCr4sryrGzH-nMRKxhbBS1gOkYn6dtp_IEg7TfRusrlbk6vdwb4Ps8asuDUHlnAWv3WK_GX84ibGYrBmcojp1ku_KIzEMICWzm8ROYEN-tYRVSDFCmk_JEzNzc3q-NntCbumrbhT/s1600/GoodOmens_102_17790_RT_Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvRHopCr4sryrGzH-nMRKxhbBS1gOkYn6dtp_IEg7TfRusrlbk6vdwb4Ps8asuDUHlnAWv3WK_GX84ibGYrBmcojp1ku_KIzEMICWzm8ROYEN-tYRVSDFCmk_JEzNzc3q-NntCbumrbhT/s320/GoodOmens_102_17790_RT_Final.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWICDEzmE6zj3aF6lmBT86hetjSA0q66DT-xlX_vpktFp6EGBtni-Qo0vjKlCe6ItFCErBUm8vBAP1bCsK-KuupXYPP0YGxJPeEPAIP7zPanuPztcMeJLABM8bTb08sEo_N2FPFgTTNvNs/s1600/tumblr_oyxvf6JYkN1r3rsfmo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWICDEzmE6zj3aF6lmBT86hetjSA0q66DT-xlX_vpktFp6EGBtni-Qo0vjKlCe6ItFCErBUm8vBAP1bCsK-KuupXYPP0YGxJPeEPAIP7zPanuPztcMeJLABM8bTb08sEo_N2FPFgTTNvNs/s320/tumblr_oyxvf6JYkN1r3rsfmo1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The story involves quite an unconventional cast of humans beginning with the 17th century witch who wrote <i><b><u>The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter</u></b></i> (full of gems like ‘buy Apple stock in 1980' and 'don’t buy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax">Betamax </a>in 1972’). Her prophecies are still saving the day in the 21st century. Her story and descendants are also connected to some down-in-the-heel witchfinders (not the most successful plot-line) and a psychic dominatrix. Next are a group of young friends of the Anti-Christ named Adam who is set to begin the countdown for Armageddon on his 11th birthday after a hell-hound is released (a hell-hound who turns from a snarling red-eyed great dane monster into a sweet little terrier that Adam names Dog, thereby avoiding detection and endearing himself to the normal-boy-appearing Anti-Christ). There's also a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken">Kraken</a> to exact revenge on whale hunters, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis">Atlantis</a> reappearing, kindly aliens arriving and nuclear power plants operating without reactors – well basically anything the newly empowered Anti-Christ gets into his head after reading conspiracy theory magazines – although he has no idea that his wishes are coming true. Oh and let's not forget the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse"> 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse</a> who are the guests of honor for the Armageddon party.<br />
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In the end, love, friendship and some pretty slick tricks conquer all and the world remains for a while longer –until the next time at least.<br />
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The locations are real or really well made. With all that needed to happen, a London street wasn’t going to be easy to requisition so they built one! You can see what the film constructed and what is computer generated – lovely work.</div>
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The charming village of Tadfield may have never existed – but it is beautifully played by Hambleden in Buckinghamshire -- midway between London and Oxford.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mWwdCIKsaOfemwWUWtduBZqQxSIp89nCtIR1pdEwpWl__Q47-SoZq2Dt55ReuPJoqNhpn3D0SrDiBbIz442N8jra63ouC66o9BFZtyex93Bdo1xEcJKJbaO-yi-_fs-IXEnHxEpZgzEh/s1600/47986344706_915c526617_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="793" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mWwdCIKsaOfemwWUWtduBZqQxSIp89nCtIR1pdEwpWl__Q47-SoZq2Dt55ReuPJoqNhpn3D0SrDiBbIz442N8jra63ouC66o9BFZtyex93Bdo1xEcJKJbaO-yi-_fs-IXEnHxEpZgzEh/s320/47986344706_915c526617_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The show is full of many <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(media)">Easter eggs</a> . One of the sweetest is co-author Terry Pratchett’s famous black fedora and scarf in Aziraphal’s bookshop on a coat rack, favorite books are also placed on the shelves in a subtle way. There are mentions of Dr. Who – kids threaten <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek">“exterminate ”</a> and license plates tease clues (SID RAT is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS">TARDIS</a> backwards).<br />
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What about food in an Armageddon scenario??I know you are wondering by this point how am I going to get the customary recipe from this? Not to fear, contrary to everything you have ever imagined about angels and demons – in <b><i><u>Good Omens</u></i></b>, these otherworldly creatures eat and drink and enjoy it! Starting with Aziraphal swooning over sushi at the beginning, running to Paris for decent crepes during the French Revolution (in a tone-deaf but delightful <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aristo">Aristo</a> outfit for which he nearly loses his non-<i>citoyen</i> head), and meeting to celebrate the earth’s reprieve at the Ritz where the story concludes – food has a role in the story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aNq94LPVSKOFF79hN3nGOle3KiNhZWLyrc8TkOAPDGBIPjwqmMsOO99qyaZKJ5MWdcZWK6iZ1tgp5pUToyCSyFl-kqROBU5pAobkzw1dKz_cgZQ13CPbESRlK4cSccU7Yz4NOKG4-sly/s1600/IMG_5344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="487" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aNq94LPVSKOFF79hN3nGOle3KiNhZWLyrc8TkOAPDGBIPjwqmMsOO99qyaZKJ5MWdcZWK6iZ1tgp5pUToyCSyFl-kqROBU5pAobkzw1dKz_cgZQ13CPbESRlK4cSccU7Yz4NOKG4-sly/s320/IMG_5344.jpg" width="309" /></a></div>
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That brings us to another Easter egg which is a substitution. Although the script says the Ritz, Aziraphale and Crowley meet at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criterion_Restaurant">Criterion</a>, built in 1873, and famous for the fact that Dr. Watson meets a friend who arranges an introduction with Sherlock Holmes as a possible roommate in 1881 in Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock story, <i><b><u>Study in Scarlet</u></b></i>. The director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533559/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1">Douglas McKinnon </a>had wanted to shoot there since he worked on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series)">Sherlock </a>series and finally got his wish . Basically, the Criterion played the Ritz in <b><i><u>Good Omens</u></i></b>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> The Criterion</span></div>
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<br />
The real Ritz Restaurant – much… Ritzier!</div>
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<br />
HAY-AGED BRESSE DUCK Beetroot, Pickled Blackberry and Lavender £90 <br />
<br />
CRÊPES SUZETTE £36 <br />
<br />
Although Crowley and Aziraphale go to the Ritz to have their crepes (they are famous for their Crêpes Suzette), I have already written about those Crêpes Suzette <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2012/01/downton-abbey-upstairs-downstairs-and.html">HERE</a> (I include the original recipe) and thought – well they probably didn’t just have dessert – and they have a table of sweets before them on the table, giving you the feeling they dined richly. You aren’t just going to have a sweet and a glass of wine when you are celebrating saving the world are you?<br />
<br />
Since they don’t mention a main course – I felt I had carte blanche to choose something for them. I looked on the Ritz menu and found a lovely dish -- duck with Beetroot, Pickled Blackberry and Lavender. It feels a little related to the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleven_Madison_Park">11 Madison Park Restaurant</a>'s duck. I used Madison Park’s honey/spice rub, and found recipes for lavender beets and pickled blackberries. I made a little blackberry sauce for a dessert and found it brought the whole thing together when used with the duck. Grilling the duck is simple as could be and it gives that lovely smoke to the meat. It can be done in the pan and the oven if you don’t have a grill handy. <br />
<br />
I served it with a wild rice salad with dried cherries, pomegranate, pecans, parsley and green onions and an orange vinaigrette<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Grilled Duck with Lavender Beets, Pickled Blackberry and Blackberry Sauce serves 2-4 depending on appetite</i></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIppdS8_mkDgPlMUhZNk7tX7M8Hrodjwi8Zb85hF_uj4WW0Eu2quxBj7WxoZRSabCyH99gsOuEws5g47crUtOFCLxJF79aM-108UoZmobnput4s8lB5ARxgtNo9pIsPCIAQ4yjj2ySdJxE/s1600/DSC_1754.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIppdS8_mkDgPlMUhZNk7tX7M8Hrodjwi8Zb85hF_uj4WW0Eu2quxBj7WxoZRSabCyH99gsOuEws5g47crUtOFCLxJF79aM-108UoZmobnput4s8lB5ARxgtNo9pIsPCIAQ4yjj2ySdJxE/s320/DSC_1754.jpeg" width="288" /></a><br />
<br />
2 Moulard duck breasts from <a href="https://www.dartagnan.com/moulard-magret-duck-breast/product/FDUMA006-1.html?dwvar_FDUMA006-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FDUMA006">D'Artagnan</a> (about a pound each)<br />
2 T honey (a single source honey is great – pine or lavender or heather)<br />
2 T Szechwan peppercorns<br />
2 T coriander seeds<br />
1 T cumin seeds<br />
2 T lavender<br />
<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
<br />
Pickled blackberries* these should be done a few days in advance<br />
Lavender beets<br />
Blackberry sauce<br />
<br />
Score the duck skin in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut through to the flesh. Rub all over with the honey. Put the spices and lavender in a spice grinder and grind a few times – still leaving a rough texture. Sprinkle liberally over the duck - leaving a little of the spice mix for grilling, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let sit, uncovered, in the fridge for a few hours or the night before.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, prepare the lavender beets and the blackberry sauce.<br />
<br />
Heat a cast-iron skillet. Place the duck skin side down and let cook on medium for a minute until it renders some fat, then increase to medium high for 4 minutes or so. Save the duck fat for other things.<br />
<br />
The meat is still fairly raw at this point and the skin not fully cooked – this cooking in a pan is just to render off some of the fat so it doesn't get lost in the grill.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3ueYplDLd8zuWzsv_4eibYT-ijdVkpYm8TOVrAVpPVEEZswXcz4LyczwT8-WqLB0lAlovcXtl_NU6yySsizXQWvYMBnDX0O85w4V9SgkGIWcnwtCwBSRwJPWO8INDM7_SRCvUHm0M1bV/s1600/DSC_1727.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="576" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3ueYplDLd8zuWzsv_4eibYT-ijdVkpYm8TOVrAVpPVEEZswXcz4LyczwT8-WqLB0lAlovcXtl_NU6yySsizXQWvYMBnDX0O85w4V9SgkGIWcnwtCwBSRwJPWO8INDM7_SRCvUHm0M1bV/s320/DSC_1727.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
Remove to a platter and cover with foil. Let rest a few hours un-refrigerated. Sprinkle on the rest of the spice mix to make up for what was lost in the pan frying.<br />
<br />
Heat the grill. I like to use wood chips for extra flavor. Remember the duck is still quite fatty and will still cause flares so grill with care if you like to eat the skin. It’s safest to put it slightly away from the center, skin side down. I didn’t and the skin blackened quite a bit but the duck meat was still perfect. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiqWFL6L5PO-3QIpb2PYu4CvzhPKvtNwLp7DZJpPS5bgOwM5gg9stggZrHeXs1lLV5A4U0AJIooFH2a1L-I3IZcwI13Bf-T3wpHo9_sigLbyv1znFm3wy4dOhaecl_Vxdg8N2zPbA8OzG/s1600/DSC_1735.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="576" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiqWFL6L5PO-3QIpb2PYu4CvzhPKvtNwLp7DZJpPS5bgOwM5gg9stggZrHeXs1lLV5A4U0AJIooFH2a1L-I3IZcwI13Bf-T3wpHo9_sigLbyv1znFm3wy4dOhaecl_Vxdg8N2zPbA8OzG/s320/DSC_1735.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Leave it on the grill for 4-5 minutes, then turn for another 3-5 minutes depending on how rare you like it.</div>
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<br />
Remove from the grill and allow to sit for 5 minutes then slice and serve with beets, pickled blackberries and blackberry sauce. The breasts are quite large – I find that 1 is enough for 2 people.<br />
<br />
· If you don’t have a grill, sauté skin side down for 6 min, then flip for 1 minute, then put in 400º oven, fat side down for 6 minutes for rare. <br />
<br />
Let set for 5 minutes and carve<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Pickled Blackberries (based on Food and Wine recipe)</i></span><br />
<br />
4 peppercorns<br />
2 allspice berries<br />
½” piece ginger<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
1 c red wine vinegar<br />
3 T sugar<br />
1 ½ T salt<br />
1 shallot sliced thinly<br />
1 sprig thyme<br />
1 box blackberries<br />
<br />
Crush spices in mortar. Add all save blackberries to saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Cool and add the blackberries and refrigerate for at a few days.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Lavender Beets</i></span><br />
<br />
1 bunch small-ish beets<br />
2 T honey<br />
1 T balsamic vinegar<br />
1 T lavender<br />
1T hazelnut oil (optional)<br />
S & P<br />
<br />
Pre-heat oven to 400º. Remove the greens and long tails from the beets. Put them in foil with another piece of foil beneath. Roast for 50min for small beets to 1:30 for very large ones – you can check them with a knife – baby beets might be even less.<br />
<br />
Let cook in the foil for a while then slip the skins off when they are cool enough to handle. Cut them into smaller pieces if large and toss with honey and the rest and set aside – can be served warm or at room temperature<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Blackberry Sauce</i></span><br />
<br />
1 package frozen blackberries<br />
2 T sugar<br />
1 t lavender<br />
1T cassis (optional)<br />
<br />
Cook the blackberries until sugar is dissolved and berries are softened. Put through a foodmill or strainer to get rid of the seeds and store at room temperature or put in fridge if made a day ahead. You might want to double the recipe – it’s very good on ice cream or even other berries.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Crêpes Suzette for 2, original recipe</span></i> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5E_42D8-XoS2b9QWBshttCWNOxrOicztOrmkraM2ih3Oe3XD1jJpWFpqH1id4J-zkMIYb8ieauKUTUoaTgflrraFd_CWrYk7pgN2XOLJqnL-hC9qOXFu4WPetN-g7yDa0L63akyqgGw-/s1600/DSC_5037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="740" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC5E_42D8-XoS2b9QWBshttCWNOxrOicztOrmkraM2ih3Oe3XD1jJpWFpqH1id4J-zkMIYb8ieauKUTUoaTgflrraFd_CWrYk7pgN2XOLJqnL-hC9qOXFu4WPetN-g7yDa0L63akyqgGw-/s320/DSC_5037.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Crêpes, original recipe (makes 4 good size crêpes)</i></span><br />
<br />
3 eggs<br />
2 T flour<br />
1 T water<br />
1 T milk<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1-2 T butter<br />
<br />
Stir to the consistency of thick olive oil and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour (modern change, I put all the ingredients in a blender and mix then strain the batter and use it after it rests 15 minutes). <br />
<br />
For the first crepe, generously coat the pan with butter… but do not puddle it… too much butter makes bad crepes. After that, add a smear of butter for each crepe (I often use a stick of butter and paint the pan with it). Make crepes using all the batter and fold each one twice, forming a wedge shape and reserve.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeT_IfjWVdScjmX6n3FOLzLjgBCPPS6e0ko_KZWbX9FZWJ4rRKLhVNTaOVGrXNwBR3YxQyvX2uvVQF1KaH3GwTJ2nuLcSXvmlPXdH-6sitYgU1BDk3GWdEcM1IDxwZJ7nL_z9SNg33fRt/s1600/DSC_5038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeT_IfjWVdScjmX6n3FOLzLjgBCPPS6e0ko_KZWbX9FZWJ4rRKLhVNTaOVGrXNwBR3YxQyvX2uvVQF1KaH3GwTJ2nuLcSXvmlPXdH-6sitYgU1BDk3GWdEcM1IDxwZJ7nL_z9SNg33fRt/s320/DSC_5038.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Crepes with less egg</span></i><br />
<br />
¾ c milk<br />
2 eggs<br />
½ c flour<br />
¼ t salt<br />
<br />
Put everything in the blender and blend. Strain into a bowl and cover for 15 -30 minutes then continue with the instructions above.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Sauce</span></i><br />
<br />
Piece of lemon peel the size of the ball of your thumb, cut in thin strips<br />
Piece of orange peel the size of the ball of your thumb, cut in thin strips<br />
OR use a micro plane and grate the zest into the sugar (which is what I did)<br />
2 T vanilla sugar (you can make this by scraping a pinch of vanilla off the pod into the sugar or stir a drop of vanilla into sugar)<br />
<br />
Combine and let sit 2 days (I am not sure this is really necessary, I think you can use it soon after making it)<br />
<br />
¼ lb butter<br />
<br />
5 oz. (he calls for 5 ponies) of an equal blend of maraschino, curaçao and kirshwasser (if you don’t have them all, you can use just Curaçao or Grand Marnier or Cointreau or Triple Sec which are all orange-flavored like curaçao)<br />
<br />
suprêmes of 1 blood orange (skinless, membraneless segments cut away from the orange -I threw the juice that collect from doing it into the butter)<br />
<br />
orange zest for decoration (optional) <br />
<br />
Melt butter. When it bubbles, add 3 ponies of liqueur blend, light on fire –– there will be a LOT of fire (it will go up about 6”) so pay attention, have a lid handy just in case. I didn’t need it but good to have to be on the safe side… don’t have anything flammable hanging around it!!!<br />
<br />
As the fire goes out, add the vanilla sugar and stir till it is melted. Add the crepes and turn them ‘deftly’ in the hot sauce. Then add 2 more ponies of mixed liqueurs, flame again and serve. I had trouble with the second light. Might be good to light the alcohol in a small skillet and pour or at least warm the alcohol to get the vapors going. Place the crepes on the plate, toss the suprêmes and zest on top and pour the sauce over all.<br />
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-->Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-81061812633587773802019-05-14T14:25:00.002-07:002019-05-22T05:21:46.964-07:00Gentleman Jack and Ambergris Rice Pudding and Chocolate Mousse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqHlpKucnweZWxGfvXUGvm3PKZl5QbGApCaUPQx5CcFdfn1-iGgho8HE5Yq9oXdECxQo7ILxOO01UrNbmusgNnfYhs6yzryW8E21wveT1-aWuEYdurVbOxI43gmhmg-wrAFpzSYuLUpeP/s1600/wtw-5.wtw_web_pkg.download_photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="600" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqHlpKucnweZWxGfvXUGvm3PKZl5QbGApCaUPQx5CcFdfn1-iGgho8HE5Yq9oXdECxQo7ILxOO01UrNbmusgNnfYhs6yzryW8E21wveT1-aWuEYdurVbOxI43gmhmg-wrAFpzSYuLUpeP/s320/wtw-5.wtw_web_pkg.download_photo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shibden Hall</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
It’s been over a year since I’ve written Lostpastremembered -- a lot happened in that time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQIH8MTcq0Sj7CvkmCrvs-pjexlc_v3WJUozHqxYAFBoYxRyJKfYw6OR0H9bW15tS6UPCnsaHhyhOb91vezdEID_1u1d-wNIv1AFiRZX-2DseqM1x7jh8uRMfm-zY801pHeD9ML0noj5w/s1600/8e61d69e5b4c2b648d1617da5fed8fb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQIH8MTcq0Sj7CvkmCrvs-pjexlc_v3WJUozHqxYAFBoYxRyJKfYw6OR0H9bW15tS6UPCnsaHhyhOb91vezdEID_1u1d-wNIv1AFiRZX-2DseqM1x7jh8uRMfm-zY801pHeD9ML0noj5w/s200/8e61d69e5b4c2b648d1617da5fed8fb5.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PLC2JPbxOKQIf1uNvTLMSJ0T9zukpl35fxzYGSX3gh8d1MvrdcIrZ-jMHin1RQ_oNJ4hFECdRUBD-Kpng7qWlD4oc3XhoNpulcQ6vvNZQRZzrmYnieJbYZusHeb-BPanyDVWeTv8NocB/s1600/b0ae48ae-20c1-434a-8f71-409e509288cf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="626" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PLC2JPbxOKQIf1uNvTLMSJ0T9zukpl35fxzYGSX3gh8d1MvrdcIrZ-jMHin1RQ_oNJ4hFECdRUBD-Kpng7qWlD4oc3XhoNpulcQ6vvNZQRZzrmYnieJbYZusHeb-BPanyDVWeTv8NocB/s200/b0ae48ae-20c1-434a-8f71-409e509288cf.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
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In the first half of 2018 I had a blast renovating a producer’s office (their reception area was an homage to Kubrick’s 2001 complete with red <a href="http://www.oliviermourgue.com/">Olivier Mourgue</a> chairs and a black monolith). Then I did a series for The History Channel – called “The Food That Built America” all about people like Hershey, Heinz, Kellogg and Post who changed the way America ate (it premieres in June). This year I did a fabulous horror film called TRICK with the wonderful director, Patrick Lussier that will be out at Halloween.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN8CYPOL2GFFlGQu0lJ9qCPNBZOq3Pc7Gu1Jlm1qnCIk9FLKTwh3gJqWISE4H15-8a2LBGQMrh0V8HtjT-P9Y-ea7rZlekogrJh4C4xv_qL8X8m3NkZulZ9NUEyFkZAMxEp5M7EuCz6ci/s1600/emmyb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN8CYPOL2GFFlGQu0lJ9qCPNBZOq3Pc7Gu1Jlm1qnCIk9FLKTwh3gJqWISE4H15-8a2LBGQMrh0V8HtjT-P9Y-ea7rZlekogrJh4C4xv_qL8X8m3NkZulZ9NUEyFkZAMxEp5M7EuCz6ci/s200/emmyb.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Oh, and I won an Emmy in 2018<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7jXWKIlLu2a85pCDpwxZsmasNYqdG7BAaBI_mLiPimobDwgK6nt2xCCfSC-a6mtD3hkjh_xRMd0WDMSXDwuvPLepBLDdv_Li3Wn3BQhq5Ofvsk_s4JPDwDUBi5kl8pS6QWoZdeTJGq-U/s1600/Lister_anne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="792" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7jXWKIlLu2a85pCDpwxZsmasNYqdG7BAaBI_mLiPimobDwgK6nt2xCCfSC-a6mtD3hkjh_xRMd0WDMSXDwuvPLepBLDdv_Li3Wn3BQhq5Ofvsk_s4JPDwDUBi5kl8pS6QWoZdeTJGq-U/s320/Lister_anne.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne Lister</span></div>
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What to write about after so long an absence? The answer came very quickly when I saw a piece on an upcoming show on HBO about an amazing woman named Anne Lister who was born in England at the end of the 18th century. Now that I’ve started watching it, I can tell you it’s marvelous and looks AMAZING since it’s shot in Lister’s actual 15th century house (which Lister modified and enlarged extensively in the 1830’s).<br />
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The show is called <u>Gentleman Jack</u> and its star, Suranne Jones, is remarkable. She plays Lister, a woman who wouldn’t behave as a woman should. Although her family denied her a formal education, she studied the sciences, traveled extensively and was the first woman to scale Monte Perdido in the Pyrenees in 1830. In 1826 she inherited Shibden Hall and ran it as well (or better) than any man would. She was successful at managing the farming tenants and the rich coal deposits on her land (outwitting a bullying mining family out to take advantage of her). The estate prospered. She dressed in black, swaggered, seduced many and was married in 1834 – to another woman! <br />
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We know about her because of her 26-volume diary written in a small careful hand, BUT --Lister's celebrity came from its salacious bits which she had disguised with a complicated code comprised of algebraic symbols and ancient Greek. An ancestor of hers broke the code in the late 19th century but was so scandalized by what he found that he hid the books away - miraculously not destroying them as often happens with families trying to protect family honor from scandalous ancestors or spouses. Most famously, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton">Sir Richard Burton</a>’s widow burned everything in sight that offended her upon his death – even though it was her husband’s life’s work. She destroyed the last, unpublished chapter (on pederasty) of Burton’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perfumed_Garden">The Perfumed Garden</a>, (a translation of a 12th century Tunisian book celebrating sexual pleasure he had worked on for decades).<br />
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Lister’s diaries were rediscovered in the 1980s and re-translated and the writer/director Sally Wainwright discovered them and was obsessed for years with bringing Lister’s story to the small screen. She had grown up in Halifax around Lister’s home and had visited there in her youth.<br />
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George Sand</div>
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Everything about Anne Lister was fairly shocking for a woman in the backwater town of Halifax. Although women like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sand">George Sand</a> were traipsing about Paris smoking cigars in full male dress, such things were not done in smaller, unsophisticated towns. Sand and many of her celebrity contemporaries were wearing men’s clothes from time to time to make a point about freedom and the unfairness of a male dominated society. Anne was expressing her masculine personality and was most comfortable in masculine tailoring which she wore exclusively.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniRqbOBpgplh46noxgztgCUco1vuM_VY9HD08bGF1eFgg4XonJLBxD1azdDYyC8kUSawZh33KOcjwDcVkKLhOsVGiOHusGjYCowOMR6WB9AZsLiW-AaGteh_0SB7PMbhtxzpWXlaIct-l/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniRqbOBpgplh46noxgztgCUco1vuM_VY9HD08bGF1eFgg4XonJLBxD1azdDYyC8kUSawZh33KOcjwDcVkKLhOsVGiOHusGjYCowOMR6WB9AZsLiW-AaGteh_0SB7PMbhtxzpWXlaIct-l/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdy6_S7QeUSNNWS9satFROtXT6s8oNxhruW-s79-PaxLdDl7TMKYjcViXVFObVjQZH0CxLGujcrdcW8N2AbwvWgN0ztYL60QVJDxBIAEVXH9wQBn9sLtiECYHvdwLThYH8H5YqgfTl3rM/s1600/tumblr_inline_nvroejprOH1t56ltq_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdy6_S7QeUSNNWS9satFROtXT6s8oNxhruW-s79-PaxLdDl7TMKYjcViXVFObVjQZH0CxLGujcrdcW8N2AbwvWgN0ztYL60QVJDxBIAEVXH9wQBn9sLtiECYHvdwLThYH8H5YqgfTl3rM/s320/tumblr_inline_nvroejprOH1t56ltq_1280.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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It’s no wonder Anne preferred the masculine style. The feminine fashions of the period were a little over the top - like the crazy 1980’s padded shoulder silhouette - the 1830’s had too much poof in the gigot sleeve - it overwhelmed the woman wearing it and had a cartoonish, exaggerated feel to it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2RbXnMxbJU7ZAmyIL-9Rd3PdTQ3UW5teG1lGcV5tWoATLMLcAaLTgLi94CR-zYImvu-oCpXs8zorpo_lUEaBSBJe6wvIpB7E7onuiTpAJDbZkpvUwdg0Yyn_ODx4HN6zLlBvfy63aTap/s1600/1e859c08b89b1994bd7236b9fb3d69ff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2RbXnMxbJU7ZAmyIL-9Rd3PdTQ3UW5teG1lGcV5tWoATLMLcAaLTgLi94CR-zYImvu-oCpXs8zorpo_lUEaBSBJe6wvIpB7E7onuiTpAJDbZkpvUwdg0Yyn_ODx4HN6zLlBvfy63aTap/s320/1e859c08b89b1994bd7236b9fb3d69ff.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZys1ecpCnP_NuEP4tIPqa2I-qnLxZ_zNjhZtVp43vDmtD-ASixe7D0J7CqeOUj6M7C1eCDWfM8lO6LbYD3kd1Us5hbx1EfWGIAyTHV0gHSq4qoCZ20_cu0BOKTXhlWrjwLU03vryBf4g/s1600/6d001ba3576f35f7959d213eaa167580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="443" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZys1ecpCnP_NuEP4tIPqa2I-qnLxZ_zNjhZtVp43vDmtD-ASixe7D0J7CqeOUj6M7C1eCDWfM8lO6LbYD3kd1Us5hbx1EfWGIAyTHV0gHSq4qoCZ20_cu0BOKTXhlWrjwLU03vryBf4g/s320/6d001ba3576f35f7959d213eaa167580.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>
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The masculine fashion of long coats with small waists of the 1830’s looks decidedly peculiar by today’s standards but it translated very well for a woman who wanted to distance herself from feminine frills and flounces. It was very flattering to the female figure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-nsb1w1K19Whck-BjBXbBkf-XuTRGTPw_v1fJ8yPruixgTYyNKmqsxehYkMCUHsEPJTSQsRlxIgfiGLw99zSiuwkxmI03gipsC7sAk6OqmfyU-J-xDjI7vNJOilnpIie63PI2D9FaKMf/s1600/fws2ymjdvhlzswyl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-nsb1w1K19Whck-BjBXbBkf-XuTRGTPw_v1fJ8yPruixgTYyNKmqsxehYkMCUHsEPJTSQsRlxIgfiGLw99zSiuwkxmI03gipsC7sAk6OqmfyU-J-xDjI7vNJOilnpIie63PI2D9FaKMf/s320/fws2ymjdvhlzswyl.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aM47zO2ThxQt5EYJ4BjzsD2tLTh0CWK_H1vrpzJYw3sauidKwEVtfrRfmpKJ_zdnCVdopnL-TLfQyp5Bp5_Ux2PEDOMg57Zg2AP6X8AHpqszLFZyfRqfdZ_420LuWgZWkYwQI9MaPpsa/s1600/GentlemanJack-2019-ep2-001-walker-pink.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="409" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aM47zO2ThxQt5EYJ4BjzsD2tLTh0CWK_H1vrpzJYw3sauidKwEVtfrRfmpKJ_zdnCVdopnL-TLfQyp5Bp5_Ux2PEDOMg57Zg2AP6X8AHpqszLFZyfRqfdZ_420LuWgZWkYwQI9MaPpsa/s320/GentlemanJack-2019-ep2-001-walker-pink.png" width="294" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH4jvDrQ99XWYH_JcxJAxZcm2LpbDovXW2ORNcHyTw2zRJAD8oA9xX-CkEIFZD9N2ARG3M_mBIAv59_-1MrHTUTH4DZxafcBudRSNj7v3vd79fpRHb08jV8wY87M38AJinKCacKhodaKl/s1600/GentlemanJack-2019-ep2-preview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH4jvDrQ99XWYH_JcxJAxZcm2LpbDovXW2ORNcHyTw2zRJAD8oA9xX-CkEIFZD9N2ARG3M_mBIAv59_-1MrHTUTH4DZxafcBudRSNj7v3vd79fpRHb08jV8wY87M38AJinKCacKhodaKl/s320/GentlemanJack-2019-ep2-preview.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think most of us today would feel more at home in Lister’s tailoring than in the puffy-sleeved pinkness of her love interest Ann Walker’s wardrobe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY5haxsDyjmes7Fp_KhY6KEcERy-JaV-K7Elo0hGP-r8JojgphoMT0HcNWqV-4I3uff7OrdbS9foak-_IztA8xCouBV6CuHkqwAzmwpvxW7SCnhWRbR2Mim3h4a8-C7tUy2ES8ZaDbNQ4/s1600/21b8b8a4927932bdb960e19608f609c3b327a2bd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsY5haxsDyjmes7Fp_KhY6KEcERy-JaV-K7Elo0hGP-r8JojgphoMT0HcNWqV-4I3uff7OrdbS9foak-_IztA8xCouBV6CuHkqwAzmwpvxW7SCnhWRbR2Mim3h4a8-C7tUy2ES8ZaDbNQ4/s320/21b8b8a4927932bdb960e19608f609c3b327a2bd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jcSdksYrClzha861x-rwK9CEfTjRMTx0u984UJfMQOkW5bY-9icH7R0Dt9FRgNd2M9gJwadB3l0YqGFe2cSLiyqy4SfmbyutNAHbedAOH6iS1SaF1Mcx_HVzPVY2eodyH0xFwhsrh_sO/s1600/Walker_AimeeSpinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jcSdksYrClzha861x-rwK9CEfTjRMTx0u984UJfMQOkW5bY-9icH7R0Dt9FRgNd2M9gJwadB3l0YqGFe2cSLiyqy4SfmbyutNAHbedAOH6iS1SaF1Mcx_HVzPVY2eodyH0xFwhsrh_sO/s320/Walker_AimeeSpinks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The sensibility was carried through to Walker’s lovely feminine Georgian house (played by pastel-soaked <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Park,_Yorkshire">Sutton Park</a> in Yorkshire with antique wallpaper and silk draperies). It is as feminine as Lister’s dark wooden Shibden Hall is masculine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdcBaEpaWPlcOgQ8ksWgWKzWV0vpawTJzMt8JLDHlyLmJeVpHXdi1GsbuvsipyZ7fE4bDx5BkN_FItCuExWZpYbIZRwNvnTFqDG2HmNLsx4qPYzAfafslaZvtXQVA3bPzRqaDWKW7oIpY/s1600/440px-Portrait_of_The_Rt._Honble._Lady_Eleanor_Butler_%2526_Miss_Ponsonby_%2527The_Ladies_of_Llangollen%2527_%25284671302%2529.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdcBaEpaWPlcOgQ8ksWgWKzWV0vpawTJzMt8JLDHlyLmJeVpHXdi1GsbuvsipyZ7fE4bDx5BkN_FItCuExWZpYbIZRwNvnTFqDG2HmNLsx4qPYzAfafslaZvtXQVA3bPzRqaDWKW7oIpY/s320/440px-Portrait_of_The_Rt._Honble._Lady_Eleanor_Butler_%2526_Miss_Ponsonby_%2527The_Ladies_of_Llangollen%2527_%25284671302%2529.jpg" /></a><br />
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Anne didn’t wear trousers regularly either from preference or so as not to be too outside the norm – she wore skirts with her vests and jackets and top hats -- taking her cue from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_of_Llangollen">The Ladies of Llangollen</a> who lived together as a lesbian couple for 50 years at Plas Newdd (the relationship was loving but not sexual. Brilliant, anti-marriage, possibly lesbian poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Seward">Anna Seward</a> called theirs a "chaste provinciality").</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKl5ESM9s6XzmejwlJjo6V0t09CpXZ_DHfgKRoiMHWXF7Ux5YiSojLG_hyT3MNOy86OMryKUHtOfWFFZHq0JySqpn-2fvyQ6uPEL8ogA8A3wTFA53Zh_5CNMR8y2zLcfyP2vw9CtPN2Dq/s1600/Sarah_Ponsonby_and_Lady_Eleanor_Butler%252C_recluses_known_as_the_Ladies_of_Llangollen_Wellcome_V0007358.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKl5ESM9s6XzmejwlJjo6V0t09CpXZ_DHfgKRoiMHWXF7Ux5YiSojLG_hyT3MNOy86OMryKUHtOfWFFZHq0JySqpn-2fvyQ6uPEL8ogA8A3wTFA53Zh_5CNMR8y2zLcfyP2vw9CtPN2Dq/s320/Sarah_Ponsonby_and_Lady_Eleanor_Butler%252C_recluses_known_as_the_Ladies_of_Llangollen_Wellcome_V0007358.jpg" /></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdcBaEpaWPlcOgQ8ksWgWKzWV0vpawTJzMt8JLDHlyLmJeVpHXdi1GsbuvsipyZ7fE4bDx5BkN_FItCuExWZpYbIZRwNvnTFqDG2HmNLsx4qPYzAfafslaZvtXQVA3bPzRqaDWKW7oIpY/s1600/440px-Portrait_of_The_Rt._Honble._Lady_Eleanor_Butler_%2526_Miss_Ponsonby_%2527The_Ladies_of_Llangollen%2527_%25284671302%2529.jpg"><br /></a></span></span><br />
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News of the Ladies of Llangollen’s unusual lifestyle came to the attention of the surprisingly progressively minded <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_of_Mecklenburg-Strelitz">Queen Charlotte</a> and won her approbation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSb5aUdMYU6KagmNgoZwpfBeU27UQh5mVWJRjHZKsfc1q3nBFzaVuP0o8F4SXDFAiQyNKKuVMV0vy0p8f_Oxr2tceIBsBShHYnz2POA5lh4Br9JGRPOeGE2KsU3CMDiaCxh4cMyxCGCOn/s1600/william-grimaldi-queen-charlotte%252C-holding-a-maltese-lap-dog%252C-in-lace-bordered-white-dress%252C-wearing-a-diamond-set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSb5aUdMYU6KagmNgoZwpfBeU27UQh5mVWJRjHZKsfc1q3nBFzaVuP0o8F4SXDFAiQyNKKuVMV0vy0p8f_Oxr2tceIBsBShHYnz2POA5lh4Br9JGRPOeGE2KsU3CMDiaCxh4cMyxCGCOn/s320/william-grimaldi-queen-charlotte%252C-holding-a-maltese-lap-dog%252C-in-lace-bordered-white-dress%252C-wearing-a-diamond-set.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Queen Charlotte, by Grimaldi 1801</span></div>
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That acceptance then generated a generous pension for them (helpful since they had been disowned by their families). Creative English society came to visit the Ladies of Llangollen, including Seward, Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott, Byron, Josiah Wedgewood AND Miss Anne Lister who may have been encouraged by the success of the Misses Butler and Ponsonby in establishing her own “marriage” to a woman – although hers was decidedly sexual.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyH6EPuzCymrpO0V-m6RumtJ0pXoWQPKgrlNcOlxjojDBhVTI3-d3CpBNqnMEr9gAKNETt4dsfaY9E05Q_UAU6Qd_MrV_K43vYPjppYtVLXlfx-uEjuYlv43QsYSG7YrPmZEJ9Y5el9Zl/s1600/portrait_of_anne_lister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="688" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyH6EPuzCymrpO0V-m6RumtJ0pXoWQPKgrlNcOlxjojDBhVTI3-d3CpBNqnMEr9gAKNETt4dsfaY9E05Q_UAU6Qd_MrV_K43vYPjppYtVLXlfx-uEjuYlv43QsYSG7YrPmZEJ9Y5el9Zl/s200/portrait_of_anne_lister.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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Miss Lister had a reputation as a rapacious sexual predator who preyed on innocent women. Who’s to say if the reputation was deserved or assigned by those who violently disapproved of homosexuality for men or women. Judging from her diary – she was a rather adroit and adventurous sexual partner - does that make her a predator?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJmXBC5Os3M82nUFFBgVRb-BATF_ucjG_ufaORaaOQ0DVI4G9DLYunFTSzANy2hR6eKIwWe2QOFfhwCBs2GkrXla49TPSv-ubw3GqbuT0xI4goGfO53NHZ1rt0qtXos09vvZoZPAsp2Iq/s1600/ann_walker_portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJmXBC5Os3M82nUFFBgVRb-BATF_ucjG_ufaORaaOQ0DVI4G9DLYunFTSzANy2hR6eKIwWe2QOFfhwCBs2GkrXla49TPSv-ubw3GqbuT0xI4goGfO53NHZ1rt0qtXos09vvZoZPAsp2Iq/s320/ann_walker_portrait.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Anne Walker</span></div>
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Anne and her wife lived happily for 16 years refining and improving Shibden Hall with the help of Walker’s money until Anne died while vacationing in Georgia with Miss Walker in 1840.<br />
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Miss Walker died 14 years later – having been put in a madhouse by an unscrupulous relative to steal her money and take her estate. Walker’s unorthodox living arrangement with Lister must have made it easy for a male relative to condemn her as mad.<br />
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Now, what about making something to snack on while watching Gentleman Jack - something to celebrate my return to Lost Past Remembered?<br />
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Aside from updating one of my first posts for <a href="https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-cant-be-only-person-who-is-haunted-by.html">Pumpion pie</a> last Thanksgiving, it’s been such a long time since I made things for the blog, I decided I would pull out all the stops and make some sweet things with Ambergris. <br />
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I give you my version of an ambergris chocolate mousse (that Casanova insisted was an aphrodisiac) and an ambergris perfumed rice pudding with orange and rose as a treat from a recipe book that was written anonymously over 100 years in many different handwriting styles– from 1690 to 1802 at University of Pennsylvania – known as LJS165. <br />
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As always, my ambergris comes from <a href="https://www.ambergris.co.nz/">Ambergris NZ</a>. It's gathered from beaches and is always the best quality. I also admit to loving their ambergris tincture -- I use it nearly everyday -- I love the scent.<br />
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I decided that the amount of cream called for in the original wouldn't be nearly enough to make a creamy rice pudding and decided to cook the rice first and then add the cream (I used arborio rice for this). I made half a recipe and used more than a quart of milk and cream. The cinnamon might be too much for some -- taste to see. It does become more subtle after cooking so wait to check. Also -- don't be afraid of the marrow -- it dissolves in the pudding and just adds a mystery layer of richness to the flavor. May I also say, it reheats like a dream. I just put a few tablespoons of milk in a single serving dish and scoop in in and microwave for a minute or so. Oh, and those little orange candies are very good -- you may want to make more for later!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU4HFfCluHZBmIAZMl4rTQtD1Nx9eC-xd6Od4IxTHNIBxLwPRT03KUzfxfRzKFY2xiEeVJaGmQNKJ1BBSXRWPmPiTnfPBPRhMMNR-_DKNNSfpXI-TPxzyVB0nd7CyRWVg0pTHrCZFtJt7/s1600/rice+pudding+ambergris+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="941" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvU4HFfCluHZBmIAZMl4rTQtD1Nx9eC-xd6Od4IxTHNIBxLwPRT03KUzfxfRzKFY2xiEeVJaGmQNKJ1BBSXRWPmPiTnfPBPRhMMNR-_DKNNSfpXI-TPxzyVB0nd7CyRWVg0pTHrCZFtJt7/s320/rice+pudding+ambergris+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>A quart of creame a pound of rice 2 eggs orangado a ¼ of a pound, cinnamon a quarter of an ounce a little rosewater and ambergreese some grated bread ¾ of a pound of sugar some marrow boyle salt in creame</i><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i>Rice Pudding with Ambergris, Rose and Orangado</i></span><br />
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1-quart cream or mixture of milk and cream<br />
1 pound of rice cooked in milk till it soaks up the milk (2½ c rice + 5c milk)<br />
¼ pound of candied orange peel*<br />
¼ oz of cinnamon stick - about 4 (or add 2 T. of ground cinnamon or to taste) <br />
¼ c bread crumbs<br />
½- ¾ pound sugar<br />
4 T of bone marrow<br />
½ - 1 t salt<br />
2 eggs, beaten in 1/4 c milk<br />
2 T rosewater or 2 drops <a href="https://www.aftelier.com/Rose-Chef-s-Essence-p/chefs-rose.htm">Aftelier rose essence</a><br />
piece of ambergris (<a href="https://www.ambergris.co.nz/">Ambergris NZ</a>) the size of a large bean or to taste, grated finely on a microplane<br />
extra cream or milk for serving<br />
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Add the cooked rice to the cream. Cook the mixture at low heat till softened with the orange, cinnamon and sugar with bread crumbs and marrow.<br />
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When the rice has softened remove the cinnamon sticks, taste for sugar and salt and add more if desired. Turn off the heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir till the ambergris melts and is fragrant. Add some of the sugar syrup left from candying the orange if you wish.<br />
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Serve warm or at room temperature, stir some extra milk or cream into it if it sits very long -- it tends to tighten up after a while and the milk/cream gives it back the lovely creamy texture. Top with a sprinkle of more of the orange peel<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>* Candied Orange Peel/Orangado</i></span><br />
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Peel from 1 orange, sliced and chopped into small pieces with white pith<br />
1 c sugar<br />
1/2 c water<br />
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Simmer water and sugar till dissolved and cook for 6 minutes at low heat. Add the peel and cook till translucent over low heat -- about 45 minutes. Put on parchment or a rack to dry.<br />
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The chocolate mousse is death-star dark and rich. It is meant to be served in tiny little covered <i>pot de crem</i>e dishes (the cover keeps the top from hardening over). It's the richest chocolate pudding ever -- sort of like a truffle that has melted. There is no cream -- only butter. The ambergris is subtle and feral with the chocolate. I absolutely loved it. I made 1/4 of the recipe -- more than enough for 2 people.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i>Chocolate Mousse Casanova with Ambergris serves 8</i></span><br />
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250 G semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine<br />
3 T water<br />
1/2 c sugar or more -- to taste<br />
230 G butter (room temperature is best)<br />
4 egg yolks (room temperature is best)<br />
1 marble sized piece of Ambergris (<a href="https://www.ambergris.co.nz/">Ambergris NZ</a>) finely grated on a microplane<br />
4 egg whites, beaten till thick<br />
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Put the chocolate in a saucepan with the water and melt over low flame or double boiler.<br />
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Add sugar and stir to melt. Add the butter and blend and then take off the heat and add the yolks. If it seizes up because the egg and butter were too cold -- just whip it till it behaves. I put a bit of maple syrup in it and it smoothed out beautifully.<br />
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Allow to cool and add the whites. Put into small cups and serve --<br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-44619411244713011692018-02-22T08:53:00.000-08:002018-02-22T08:53:30.239-08:00The Alienist, Delmonico's Squab Fritters with Port Sauce<div style="text-align: center;">
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Nearly a quarter century ago, I read a New York Times book review that made me rush out and buy a book – back when you had to physically run out to buy a book at a brick-and-mortar store (Amazon had only just been born in 1994). <br />
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The book was <u>The Alienist</u>. I devoured it in less than 24 hours. <br />
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I re-read it a few months later after purchasing a few coffee table books on 19th century culture and design because, well, I have always been a bit of a nerd and I thought the 19th century was seriously amazing (this was the pre-Google infancy of search engines - they were sloooww and dial-up was super expensive so books were still the way to go).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Herter Bros. table for William Vanderbilt (1879-82)</span></div>
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Some of the books were filled with contemporary photographs and paintings. Others captured authentic museum-houses or period furniture from furniture makers like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herter_Brothers">Herter Brothers</a> (they worked on the White House for Grant and Teddy Roosevelt as well as for the Vanderbilts on 5th Avenue). All of the books helped me to better immerse myself in <u>The Alienist</u>’s 19th century. The more you know, the more vivid history becomes.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sylvan Terrace, Photo Stribling and Assoc.</span></div>
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If you are willing to do some leg work, Manhattan today does contain pockets of the 19th century –– some small streets like Sylvan Terrace in Harlem, scattered stretches of row houses in the Village and a few commercial buildings that have escaped grotesque modernization (there are historical tours available in NYC if you are interested).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Henry-Belter">John Belter</a>'s Roccoco Revival room at the Metropolitan Museum (1850-60)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rockefeller Dressing room decorated by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Schastey">George A. Schastey</a> (Herter alum) Metropolitan Museum</span></div>
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There are also whole 19th century rooms in the Metropolitan and Brooklyn Museums (however, then as now, real houses aren’t always furnished in the moment – antiques and heirlooms can dominate the style of the decoration so an elderly matron may have a living room full of 1860’s Belter furniture).<br />
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You can almost smell the scent of violets as you turn the pages (sweet ephemeral scents like violet and lilac were the rage as were the oriental musky scents like Musk (1896), Cefiro Oriental (1896) or <i>Phul Nãnã </i>(1891) for the more adventurous).</div>
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Gratefully, in <u>The Alienist</u>, the 20th century’s modernization/desecration of the city is still far in the future. It is the supremely organic ‘world before’ that Carr evokes so superbly.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: center;">Caleb Carr – then and now</span><br />
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Caleb Carr started out as a military historian who loved being buried in books and old maps. His background couldn’t have been a less hospitable medium for nurturing such inclinations.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lucian Carr</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: center;"> Lucian Carr with Ginsberg </span></div>
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Caleb Carr was the son of Lucian Carr, a member of the East Coast <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Beat-movement">Beat Movement</a> . He grew up with Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs as a mad trio of roiling unclets. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzdj3e4pXHARXiSmgimtbzzhuICFaU5lBsWrrAzqIjZY-RxYCjWWhlUED0vnakyzGiiS-UN3hJPPGvdOK6anFo3M-IH_G188EMAaRrEtS9MxLcgUyPmjgtMA2AAEvruOmTzZFZA8MxbGj/s1600/Carr_newspaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="600" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzdj3e4pXHARXiSmgimtbzzhuICFaU5lBsWrrAzqIjZY-RxYCjWWhlUED0vnakyzGiiS-UN3hJPPGvdOK6anFo3M-IH_G188EMAaRrEtS9MxLcgUyPmjgtMA2AAEvruOmTzZFZA8MxbGj/s320/Carr_newspaper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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His father killed a man who had been stalking him in 1944 and went to jail for 2 years (a vile retelling of the story came out in a pretentious film, <u>Kill Your Darlings</u>, in 2013)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC1xFdTICL9ezhOIk978QH95phETQlQxtiNMveRN0wO-jfHvuLYSMAKWT-II2twoqew6gON7ofG3KkXwKgmXLkBmktGkXMAvFsXBSnH-twGclhavrYSFfd1UzXS8-BG3DdI8FMGDPJj6T/s1600/3352889378_de0b170e1a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="500" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsC1xFdTICL9ezhOIk978QH95phETQlQxtiNMveRN0wO-jfHvuLYSMAKWT-II2twoqew6gON7ofG3KkXwKgmXLkBmktGkXMAvFsXBSnH-twGclhavrYSFfd1UzXS8-BG3DdI8FMGDPJj6T/s320/3352889378_de0b170e1a_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lucian and Caleb Carr with Kerouac</span></div>
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Carr did not grow up like a normal kid in so many ways – and not just because of the infamous men in his orbit. Both his father and his father’s friends were often drunk and violent -- yet wars and battles were his favorite subjects when Caleb withdrew to his fantasy worlds. His passion for warcraft didn’t abate even as he attended a Quaker high school in Manhattan. This probably didn’t help his reputation there –– he was deemed ‘socially undesirable’ by the Quaker school advisors –– a black mark that kept him out of Harvard (he thought it was rather unfair other kids were selling hard drugs and didn’t get the bad rep he did for his bellicose leanings). He ended up going to college in the Midwest and finished at NYU. He lived in a tiny flat in the East Village for decades. From there he honed his skills writing about military history and statecraft.<br />
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He worked with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Chace">James Chace</a>, joined the staff at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Affairs">Foreign Affairs</a> and became an editor at The Quarterly Journal of <a href="http://www.historynet.com/mhq">Military History</a> He also dabbled in scriptwriting before embarking on The Alienist (I got through about 15 minutes of his sci-fi film – not his finest hour). The novel drew strength from many of his passions including a fascination with serial killers that was stoked by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz">Son of Sam </a>killings in NYC in the 70’s (the alienist Kreizler’s character was formed with the help of many interviews with killer David Berkowitz’s psychiatrist, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Abrahamsen">Dr. David Abrahamsen</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBLy6-FwkcN1LGA-9bO0IEwqdoj5x0gAPYC-mvXMhs97p-ZzRgTMIFSPmDi5tydpO_8MezzmKFwOoewTiBkkkZZyVBOS94rF-27qprDpDhB45Ww0_WpUztb7h-kqCvx7m35fUSfMCd5Q9/s1600/Arthur_Conan_Doyle_by_Herbert_Rose_Barraud_1893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBLy6-FwkcN1LGA-9bO0IEwqdoj5x0gAPYC-mvXMhs97p-ZzRgTMIFSPmDi5tydpO_8MezzmKFwOoewTiBkkkZZyVBOS94rF-27qprDpDhB45Ww0_WpUztb7h-kqCvx7m35fUSfMCd5Q9/s200/Arthur_Conan_Doyle_by_Herbert_Rose_Barraud_1893.jpg" width="142" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsQ44FQT454__WVZEz_s3Kjgh3iE8ROkQTP6EOPXfi_D-2wmUgKEUV3YoCyeW1fEmUSUANGMtUBx-XKIjOZARrO7GododJl5z3busyxl5HzLmaOXeD7wOgienz8CZlYO45uO4qvkJ12Il/s1600/Sarony%252C_Napoleon_%25281821-1896%2529_-_Wilkie_Collins_%25281824-1889%2529_in_1874_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="380" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsQ44FQT454__WVZEz_s3Kjgh3iE8ROkQTP6EOPXfi_D-2wmUgKEUV3YoCyeW1fEmUSUANGMtUBx-XKIjOZARrO7GododJl5z3busyxl5HzLmaOXeD7wOgienz8CZlYO45uO4qvkJ12Il/s200/Sarony%252C_Napoleon_%25281821-1896%2529_-_Wilkie_Collins_%25281824-1889%2529_in_1874_2.JPG" width="128" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Arthur Conan Doyle Wilkie Collins</span></div>
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I would imagine Carr’s knowledge of military strategy as well as his love of Victorian detective-writing gods like Arthur Conan Doyle and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkie_Collins">Wilkie Collins</a> made him the perfect man for the job of planning a complex, 1894 mystery –– at one point the walls of an entire room were plastered in note cards for the book to keep the facts straight (you can learn more about Carr and The Alienist on a website called <a href="http://17thstreet.net/">17th Street</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcVAwn79EJOyqoF1L2FZE9XhMxZRp-K-DC8TE2FX7429KTzqehQuJx3tuhxaLRGZt8nnE0bokUuDqOdFvA1T9ZejA58nIGW6KjJZQO96JmIbHPHtvS2kvLGs5lT0CKfuz_pKAYk5l-Ovb/s1600/Prostitution_-_a_male_brothel_Wellcome_L0049213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcVAwn79EJOyqoF1L2FZE9XhMxZRp-K-DC8TE2FX7429KTzqehQuJx3tuhxaLRGZt8nnE0bokUuDqOdFvA1T9ZejA58nIGW6KjJZQO96JmIbHPHtvS2kvLGs5lT0CKfuz_pKAYk5l-Ovb/s320/Prostitution_-_a_male_brothel_Wellcome_L0049213.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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The Alienist’s plot revolves around a serial killer who is obsessed with rent-boy prostitutes – young boys dressing as girls who mostly work out of a notorious homosexual brothel, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paresis_Hall">Paresis Hall</a> in NYC. The killer lures them, kills them and dismembers them – removing hands, genitalia and their eyes – he cuts out their eyes and keeps them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6VOXh9PwBUUdKOhjqa7FKYGpoD0xymEgbncWOdAHQinx8QG9gmoES834cv1rKeyjBCTTe8xq5Vo0KNq7e3Y0AZHbxWV8-psvCJCW8V2Q1X3t9A5WjL6hK-uYkEwTTJYD7qEJ9Gz8M3M2/s1600/paresis+hall+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1100" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6VOXh9PwBUUdKOhjqa7FKYGpoD0xymEgbncWOdAHQinx8QG9gmoES834cv1rKeyjBCTTe8xq5Vo0KNq7e3Y0AZHbxWV8-psvCJCW8V2Q1X3t9A5WjL6hK-uYkEwTTJYD7qEJ9Gz8M3M2/s320/paresis+hall+boys.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Paresis boys 1893</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYjiUA-rl1dyWFzKF5ZOOSe3H5_HeBjKDFFUFXcLeTzPtno-L5e0snl8Ae2KpaEcxkiGL7kb6ChO2GVlFckQdECkwnkWAH8RTSQE2igwZbk4EJ76nNw7Hnn_WNc1_cbTxbkodEs2P8_fc/s1600/24868757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYjiUA-rl1dyWFzKF5ZOOSe3H5_HeBjKDFFUFXcLeTzPtno-L5e0snl8Ae2KpaEcxkiGL7kb6ChO2GVlFckQdECkwnkWAH8RTSQE2igwZbk4EJ76nNw7Hnn_WNc1_cbTxbkodEs2P8_fc/s320/24868757.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Still of a ‘molly’ at Paresis Hall from The Alienist</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELgWSORcp1gvMf4CRGkYlunc03-yQhdzpXK02KrDasxg5NaDZWgLLbd-loB-Dm-RKYhpd8RANAVndDy2nSto0QkZqpn5LOSrHde3wCiQD5v-q65-6PjQnJtcaAWVmKlRdU6X6Y53cpICi/s1600/Ellison+biff.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="405" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELgWSORcp1gvMf4CRGkYlunc03-yQhdzpXK02KrDasxg5NaDZWgLLbd-loB-Dm-RKYhpd8RANAVndDy2nSto0QkZqpn5LOSrHde3wCiQD5v-q65-6PjQnJtcaAWVmKlRdU6X6Y53cpICi/s200/Ellison+biff.JPG" width="144" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Biff Ellison who ran Paresis Hall (among other things….)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IHN79KCKYJj5MnRdTIEKUaz_Gw6IT1Kt8yTqY6uCzhE4QlzOYDd9KKwpctOrNYurAmUxNeMpFkxD5nGYugKxFOWBnwSsknZmIki3B0IYY-OHExqKoHkPsQBEEsCGlRBk8Dq9zcgL5qj8/s1600/iii_c_123b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="780" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IHN79KCKYJj5MnRdTIEKUaz_Gw6IT1Kt8yTqY6uCzhE4QlzOYDd9KKwpctOrNYurAmUxNeMpFkxD5nGYugKxFOWBnwSsknZmIki3B0IYY-OHExqKoHkPsQBEEsCGlRBk8Dq9zcgL5qj8/s320/iii_c_123b.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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Three old Harvard friends, John Schuyler Moore, Alienist Lazlo Kreizler and Theodore Roosevelt join forces with Sarah Howard (a very modern woman who works at police headquarters with Roosevelt), and 2 young detectives using then-revolutionary forensic techniques like dactyloscopy (fingerprinting) and anthropometry (the Bertillon system of physical measurements and classification) to catch the madman committing the crimes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN18w3p9RgD0oQOUCC6_8TAK3J_Fm0VMlouWqyO4qAkGoCMQzGfXHbd4zVNsO37UiGmeu-faKlGflQFQeufQoSiC48DPALIjrHihkiMgoq0VtJSAYVELw8ZE7HDVm2I92uZ-d9L0DQF7jJ/s1600/IMG_1745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN18w3p9RgD0oQOUCC6_8TAK3J_Fm0VMlouWqyO4qAkGoCMQzGfXHbd4zVNsO37UiGmeu-faKlGflQFQeufQoSiC48DPALIjrHihkiMgoq0VtJSAYVELw8ZE7HDVm2I92uZ-d9L0DQF7jJ/s400/IMG_1745.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">808 Broadway – the office of the crime solving team.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMkv50WE5Qn_oi9QFyFClrCxXGBSNPR1In6NAmXAV4Qhtv403kOEkCEKRmk9xqEg-DHe1nNShUQGCR6jUB2n1LkExgSII92sVy4YofIdCQTxz3ac8xI14R1h0dzp5wk0UXAsUzTv06T0W/s1600/daytonian+picture+renwick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="552" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguMkv50WE5Qn_oi9QFyFClrCxXGBSNPR1In6NAmXAV4Qhtv403kOEkCEKRmk9xqEg-DHe1nNShUQGCR6jUB2n1LkExgSII92sVy4YofIdCQTxz3ac8xI14R1h0dzp5wk0UXAsUzTv06T0W/s200/daytonian+picture+renwick.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeliF73JGnqlRDokwyYRELgVpY_Acgw2ndPS10lOeGLwVwVdBhrGJ0B3G7-kOicnovqvuq91P96TF8ItkrnhvCe8KEKWDB1p_Gstq6UM2yy-ZjDd7YExHFx7KRLIYpwXJHotz8-Afpd8wZ/s1600/IMG_0599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeliF73JGnqlRDokwyYRELgVpY_Acgw2ndPS10lOeGLwVwVdBhrGJ0B3G7-kOicnovqvuq91P96TF8ItkrnhvCe8KEKWDB1p_Gstq6UM2yy-ZjDd7YExHFx7KRLIYpwXJHotz8-Afpd8wZ/s200/IMG_0599.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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T<a href="http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-gothic-revival-nos-806-808-broadway.html">he Renwick, 808 Broadway</a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> next to Grace Church (photos Daytonian)</span></div>
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The book weaves elegantly between fact and fiction in a very dexterous way. On our heroes’ journey, they rub elbows with notorious criminals of the day and trade theories with the likes of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James">William James</a>, the first man to teach psychology in the United States(for some reason, James was replaced in the film by a character with a slightly altered background, becoming a Harvard Professor named Cavanaugh––played by the inestimable David Warner).</div>
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In fact, Theodore Roosevelt did attend James’ class at Harvard. In the book, all three men took his class together. Kreisler disagrees with James’ theories of pragmatism and free will – Kreisler believes the killer they are pursuing has been broken by a childhood trauma -- physical and/or mental violence at the hand of a parent that cracked and bent him and drove him to do monstrous things – exacting revenge over and over again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAystN7gKkkTe7yuOvSyjx8zRQe0apvm0ZIkR8IFdzcGEkPhqK8mefiiX0a8ieJh8eeAkEgLGSONbIKIrLYiw7DaRNC6axcWdCnsUVWydQArnwCW1q9IJ2MOPfm5GsnOtvpqnQD1TM1Mek/s1600/10f1fde18c5f35f4e4b9d89aac0b5430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="375" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAystN7gKkkTe7yuOvSyjx8zRQe0apvm0ZIkR8IFdzcGEkPhqK8mefiiX0a8ieJh8eeAkEgLGSONbIKIrLYiw7DaRNC6axcWdCnsUVWydQArnwCW1q9IJ2MOPfm5GsnOtvpqnQD1TM1Mek/s320/10f1fde18c5f35f4e4b9d89aac0b5430.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Delmonico's private dinner</span></div>
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The main characters swing between damask-tablecloth society with servants, running water and private telephones, and the terrifying world of utter destitution that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis">Jacob Riis</a> portrayed so superbly in his photographs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFnggutQk3EqeuImZVFw0m4a_b5_sLpB17tpMG30kyeR6v4qqGPWOaBiF9b2zQ17XKLUGv8qwwGvp1YtQaiXkt4LINrGjqfQ05W1iya3aLWaIklNfDLVrKawvB2WVJs6X2_C_bRceBi92/s1600/Bandit%2527s_Roost_by_Jacob_Riis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFnggutQk3EqeuImZVFw0m4a_b5_sLpB17tpMG30kyeR6v4qqGPWOaBiF9b2zQ17XKLUGv8qwwGvp1YtQaiXkt4LINrGjqfQ05W1iya3aLWaIklNfDLVrKawvB2WVJs6X2_C_bRceBi92/s320/Bandit%2527s_Roost_by_Jacob_Riis.jpeg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bandit’s Roost on Mulberry Street photograph by Jacob Riis</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUydoN28iXw3pFaiNduUVAftWWnAKELccgSCgvPP0JefLafF_KjMbjDlaclmpPBD9eW1ObRQUOzbCBpCBNrmfv5VqBeIKYoG6v76IVMpY-g3ooWagX8lw8MkhiDyuy-XT57UTurDQbIQZ/s1600/Fig.+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUydoN28iXw3pFaiNduUVAftWWnAKELccgSCgvPP0JefLafF_KjMbjDlaclmpPBD9eW1ObRQUOzbCBpCBNrmfv5VqBeIKYoG6v76IVMpY-g3ooWagX8lw8MkhiDyuy-XT57UTurDQbIQZ/s200/Fig.+14.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhrld7c-6NjLcIA8tGJUIQkAtGfV8FyXgN7oEx6obplbxbOYP4Ai-WTCaY8iTPLzMETxrdsPQXyv5ETjVmdCgoVmxXw_lOjy-KzpkueJMkTIwu0Cl0czw3D3miFUHEIth8cdarz9LMNht/s1600/Fig.+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="1600" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhrld7c-6NjLcIA8tGJUIQkAtGfV8FyXgN7oEx6obplbxbOYP4Ai-WTCaY8iTPLzMETxrdsPQXyv5ETjVmdCgoVmxXw_lOjy-KzpkueJMkTIwu0Cl0czw3D3miFUHEIth8cdarz9LMNht/s200/Fig.+15.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The squalor is palpable and Carr leaves out none of the horrifying details – from the rats to the unimaginable stench of waste and filth.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mulberry Street 1890s</span></div>
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Close by the great houses on Washington Square were the tenements of the Lower East Side where life was crowded, noisy and dangerous. Neighborhoods like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Points_Gang">Five Points</a> were full of thugs who would kill you as soon as look at you.<br />
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For low-cast victims like the dead boys, no one cared or investigated until Kreizler stepped in to stop the killer’s crime spree (Kreisler worked with damaged children at an institute that he founded –– he cared for the forgotten). The only reason some of the constabulary are remotely interested in the atrocities is because it is thought a scion of a wealthy family might be involved. They are interested in protecting the rich son and not the murdered children<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">5th Avenue 1890’s</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Royal Suite at Astoria Hotel</span></div>
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For the upper classes in 1896, life was sweet. All the more reason it is remarkable that these gentlefolk would descend into the pit to stop the violence. Their world is orderly, starched and scented. There are servants to attend to their every need. Their streets are open and uncrowded. There are people to pick up the trash and clean the streets. Instead of 2 families in a room, 1 person lives in a 4 or 5 story house full of beautiful things.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kreisler’s home</span></div>
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But descend they did, and we get to come along for the ride – in Kreisler’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/calash-carriage">calash </a>(driven by Stevie Taggert, his able young henchman), elevated trains, railways and on foot, traversing the city and passing places we know as well as others that are only legend like the fabulous Croton Reservoir -- a 4 acre lake with 50’ high and 25’ thick walls that stood where the 42nd Street library does today (the reservoir existed from 1842 -1899).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Croton Reservoir, 42nd Street and 5th Avenue</span></div>
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I won’t tell you much more about the story so that you can enjoy its twists and turns yourself – it wouldn’t be fair to spoil the suspense. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Delmonico’s Restaurant on 26th Street 1890’s</span></div>
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I will share one of the delights in the book that won’t give away any secrets – that would be the passages/scenes about late 19th century New York food. The book does not ignore the importance of food when it creates its 1896 world.<br />
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The most important dinners in <u>The Alienist </u>are held at Delmonico’s on 26th and Fifth (where it was located from 1876 until 1897 when it moved uptown to 44th Street while still keeping the family's restaurants going down in the Wall Street neighborhood for the financial community). "Dels" was the epicenter of gastronomy and society in New York City at the time and everyone was treated the same when they walked through the door - from high society matrons to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall">Tammany Hall </a>crooks. Carr observed Delmonico’s practiced ‘egalitarianism’. There were no reservations so everyone waited for a table unless they had booked a private room. In <u>The Alienist</u>, both on the page and on film, an amazing dinner takes place in which delicious dishes are served as the group discusses murders and crime solving techniques. It’s a remarkably cheeky combination.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73hbMJg2ZQn9dpcpNesRzdY-kICk0Re5CjT1YlaNOwKU2YdU6jPzWXFtB9vwdkYeLdW8Q427IN9lfwDiP3zfH4FRdaBBWMUGexjIb-O8oNsjcdj-y8M1GOM8NcEMBbGiNZtvbPNBUUAup/s1600/377b7e0d95a68d8228609b49135f7ffa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="564" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73hbMJg2ZQn9dpcpNesRzdY-kICk0Re5CjT1YlaNOwKU2YdU6jPzWXFtB9vwdkYeLdW8Q427IN9lfwDiP3zfH4FRdaBBWMUGexjIb-O8oNsjcdj-y8M1GOM8NcEMBbGiNZtvbPNBUUAup/s320/377b7e0d95a68d8228609b49135f7ffa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Street Level dining room at Delmonico’s 26th Street</span></div>
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The beginning of the chapter on the big dinner explains Delmonico’s well:<br />
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“It is often difficult, I find, for people today to grasp the notion that one family, working through several restaurants, could change the eating habits of an entire country. But such was the achievement of the Delmonicos in the United States of the last century. Before they opened their first small café on William Street in 1823… American food could generally be described as things boiled or fried whose purpose was to sustain hard work and hold down alcohol - usually bad alcohol. The Delmonicos, though Swiss, had brought the French method to America, and each generation of their family refined and expanded the experience. Their menu, from the first, contained dozens of dishes both delectable and healthy, all offered at what, considering the preparation that went into them, were reasonable prices…. The craving for first rate dining became a kind of national fever in the later decades of the century – and Delmonico’s was responsible.”<br />
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Delmonico’s was extraordinary in many ways. One of the most important was that when they couldn’t get the fine ingredients that they needed for their French cuisine, they bought 220 acres in Williamsburg and started growing it themselves in the 1830’s. Imagine, fresh artichokes and asparagus in 1835 (by 1855 the land was too valuable and other suppliers had been cultivated -- the farm was sold).<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Menus from Delmonico’s</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I magine the Alienist’s menu could have had a small printed menu like one of these</span><span style="text-align: start;">. The last menu gives the prices –– which are amusing in the 21st century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Charles Delmonico (“Charlie, who catered to all the whims of his customers)</span></div>
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The host was Charlie Delmonico, “…who couldn’t have been better suited to the task: suave dapper, and eternally tactful, he attended to every detail without a look of care ever narrowing his enormous eyes or ruffling the hair of his natty beard.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mark Twain in private dining room at 44th St Delmonico’s in 1905</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Private dining room at 44th Street Delmonico’s 1899</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Notice the avocados? (then known as alligator pears – they were brand new in 1894)</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Delmonico’s dinner from The Alienist</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YegMxnbzZSG_61H8lWSa_bao8M7XCt6iNLpiqPdN_NcFrM2pWzKvZ6_81M0cLAt4Ntk7qn1OFHOVtpg9qG7EuwXoqlgHpZ8ihZBpBzggxcQy8L3MCEf8_ev4uIA7RWbVd1VTE7PoqFY0/s1600/s-l1600+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="637" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YegMxnbzZSG_61H8lWSa_bao8M7XCt6iNLpiqPdN_NcFrM2pWzKvZ6_81M0cLAt4Ntk7qn1OFHOVtpg9qG7EuwXoqlgHpZ8ihZBpBzggxcQy8L3MCEf8_ev4uIA7RWbVd1VTE7PoqFY0/s320/s-l1600+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wm-GUERIN-CO-LIMOGE-BREAD-BUTTER-DESERT-PLATES-Made-for-DELMONICOS-NY/192448111099?hash=item2ccecd21fb:g:WHYAAOSw8W5aUU9w"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Delmonico’s Plate</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlwWCIPg39JzX0V2QRZUGz4zA1Xha8NUOs2GwWZUaMsJJ7aMC1GY7_V-zW2lz9BVEpghvLe5bIQ2gSo2HQ2M-RCOMK1xnd_r394MOOUQ0d2wQ9o4f5WSu1KWonV6UfupR4nqimhyDyuWW/s1600/il_570xN.1437059551_pah6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="570" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlwWCIPg39JzX0V2QRZUGz4zA1Xha8NUOs2GwWZUaMsJJ7aMC1GY7_V-zW2lz9BVEpghvLe5bIQ2gSo2HQ2M-RCOMK1xnd_r394MOOUQ0d2wQ9o4f5WSu1KWonV6UfupR4nqimhyDyuWW/s200/il_570xN.1437059551_pah6.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1890’s<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/583332461/rare-antique-1890s-delmonicos-restaurant?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_a-home_and_living-kitchen_and_dining-drink_and_barware-barware-ice_buckets&utm_custom1=2dac293d-b12a-4fae-acb4-94490c5e8419&gclid=Cj0KCQiAiKrUBRD6ARIsADS2OLl99xMhPkFIzbGJ_gELXPwVUbEoIpvlXWEOOEMPCWoYRa6bIr-s6-waAvmmEALw_wcB"> Delmonico’s ice bucket</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1893 Delmonico’s menu from <u>The Epicurean</u></span></div>
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The restaurant’s food in <u>The Alienist</u>, appears to have been selected from the above menu in Charles Ranhofer’s <a href="http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/books/book_47.cfm">The Epicurean</a>. Carr rejected the 2 soups on this menu and chose instead a clear turtle soup for the Alienist’s meal.<br />
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Some of the recipes for the dinner can be also found in Ranhofer's book, which is full of nearly 1200 pages of recipes, menus, tips and decorations from his years as chef of Delmonico’s.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Oysters with Amontillado sherry</div>
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Clear turtle soup</div>
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Aiguillettes of Bass with Mornay sauce served with Hochheimer (a German white wine)</div>
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Saddle of Lamb Colbert served with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_Lagrange">Chateau LaGrange</a> Bordeaux</div>
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Terrapin</div>
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Sorbet Elsinore</div>
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Canvas back duck, hominy and currant gelée, served with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chambertin">Chambertin</a> Burgundy</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Petit aspic de foie gras</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Alliance pear*, steeped in wine, deep fried with powder sugar and apricot sauce</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Petit Fours</div>
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*the Belle Alliance pear is called “a dumpy pear with a yellow and red complexion” in the 1864 <u>Gardeners Monthly</u>. The pear was named after an inn close to the Battle of Waterloo in Brussels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr96miR9q4Tw_ooVFBJVWsKsNLooLnG4hfKivtrReVpZxqo0d6A53RGFC47u3wlQRpM2O2H2e903VMYQLy-AYy2tUYH8D4ooiaXGJIak-6W2Wqy1i0J6EndSbZwXSTPDA7dmRGTld_JUm_/s1600/IMG_1746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr96miR9q4Tw_ooVFBJVWsKsNLooLnG4hfKivtrReVpZxqo0d6A53RGFC47u3wlQRpM2O2H2e903VMYQLy-AYy2tUYH8D4ooiaXGJIak-6W2Wqy1i0J6EndSbZwXSTPDA7dmRGTld_JUm_/s320/IMG_1746.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Alienist breakfast</span></div>
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There are other meals that are mentioned and sometimes catered by Delmonico’s but aren’t described. Only one other, a catered breakfast, has specific foods given:<br />
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Cucumber filets<br />
Squab<br />
Creole Eggs<br />
Sautéed potato with artichoke hearts and truffles<br />
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So what should I make?? There are so many great things to choose from.<br />
<br />
I’ve made a fish with Mornay sauce before (<a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2015/02/whats-in-name-marie-waleskas-sole.html">sole Walewska</a>) and didn’t want to do it again (I've made dozens of things from Ranhofer's book).<br />
<br />
I couldn’t quite bring myself to do a whole saddle of lamb so that was out. Canvasback duck is very difficult to find unless you are a hunter so that wasn’t going to happen (although hominy with duck sounded awfully good). I moved to the breakfast menu and wondered what a breakfast squab would be like? I looked at the Delmonico’s cookbook and discovered a dozen or more choices.<br />
<br />
The one that grabbed me was a recipe for squab fritters with a currant sauce. It is essentially like a fancy fried chicken and would be good with the cucumbers and potatoes well as the creole eggs which would an egg on top of rice, tomatoes and peppers. When you think about it, not really that strange for those of us that like fried chicken and waffles for breakfast. Of course you can use chicken (2 small breasts cut in half) or cornish hen instead.<br />
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I also found the plate Delmonico's used -- although perhaps a few years later than our story. Not sure what the 1894 plates looked like because the photos are too indistinct.<br />
<br />
The Squab fritter batter is shatteringly delicate – I’d never done a yeast frying batter before –– wow. The sauce is like a Chinese duck sauce in its sweetness, and delicious with the dark meat of the squab. I cooked it in the oven for a few minutes after frying since I only had room for 2 pieces at once in the frying pot and I wanted them all hot. If you have a lot of fry room for the whole thing – you might not need it.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Squab Fritters, Port Sauce</span></i><br />
<br />
2 Squab or Cornish hens, each bird cut into 4 pieces<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Marinade</i></span><br />
<br />
salt & pepper<br />
¼ t nutmeg<br />
½ t thyme<br />
1 crumbled bay leaf<br />
2 thin slices of onions<br />
juice of ½ a lemon<br />
¼ cup olive oil<br />
batter<br />
port sauce<br />
<br />
Put the squab pieces in the marinade and let sit for 2 hours.<br />
<br />
Remove from marinade and dip into the batter, one at a time. Deep fry at around 350º till completely browned 10-15 minutes, turning once. Put on paper towels to absorb excess fat. Place in a 400º oven for 10 minutes then serve with port sauce.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Batter</i></span><br />
<br />
4 oz flour<br />
¼ t salt<br />
2 T oil<br />
1 t yeast<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
water<br />
<br />
2 egg whites<br />
<br />
Combine the flour, salt and oil with the egg yolks.<br />
<br />
Put the yeast in about ½ c of warm water to dissolve. Add to the flour mixture and then add ¼ - ½ c of warm water till it resembles pancake batter. Cover and let sit for 2 hours.<br />
<br />
Beat the egg whites until stiff and add to the flour mixture and use.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Currant Sauce with Port</span></i><br />
<br />
<div>
½ c current jelly<br />
½ c port<br />
½ c demi-glace (espagnole sauce is what is called for if you are so inclined, meaning you must make a dark brown roux, then add it to stock and cook it for a few hours)<br />
<br />
Cook the jelly, most of the port (reserving 1 T) and the demiglace for 10 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of port and serve<br />
<br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-72773366374190364782018-02-01T08:30:00.003-08:002018-02-21T07:16:18.987-08:00Pina Menichetti, Italian Divas and Testaroli with Pesto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weeks ago while researching the great Italian chef, Pelligrino Artusi (who I wrote about <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2017/12/pelligrino-artusi-theart-of-eating-well.html">HERE</a>), I came upon an image that burrowed into my consciousness, took hold and wouldn't let go. I realized I had to explore the possession to be free of it.<br />
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The image was the face of Pina Menichelli - one of the great divas of early Italian cinema. Early? I mean <u>early.</u> Her heyday was 1913-1924 when she retired at age 34. I watched her films in their tinted glory, translating the Italian title cards as best I could but not needing them most of the time -- the emotions were simple and powerful and the stories were secondary – she devoured your attention when she was on the screen.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Il Fuoco</span></div>
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The whole concept of the Diva is remarkably apt in these days of growing female empowerment. Menichelli was a dark queen during the shimmering youth of the silent film<br />
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I learned much about the infancy of Italian cinema from the passionate silent film aficionado, Gene Zornarich, at <a href="https://11east14thstreet.com/2012/01/04/she-is-the-eye-and-the-hurricane/">11 East 14th Street </a> (a brilliant site named after D.W. Griffith’s Biograph Studio in NYC at the dawn of American cinema in 1906). Even though many assume that the <i>femme fatale was</i> born in celluloid, the powerful seductress has been emasculating powerful men since the beginning of time. The cinema diva-<i>femme fatale</i> was a new version of an ancient archetype.<br />
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The whole idea of female empowerment is part of the definition of the Diva. Zonarich writes “The diva as a concept arises with the support of popular late 19th century western philosophy which posits the existence of human ability to create, to reinvent, to overcome — a life force that allows one to shape ones own destiny no matter what the obstacles. But for women, this concept clashed not only with centuries of patriarchy, but also with contemporary writings of Italian criminal anthropology — that women were biologically inferior and limited without recourse to be either a mother or a prostitute and a criminal. The Catholic church offered women its own form of spiritual redemption, but small consolation: to suffer as mothers suffering for Christ — the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Sorrows"><i>mater dolorosa</i></a> ….” <br />
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“Out of this clash of cultural concepts, the woman of early Italian cinema became the film icon, “diva.” The stories of these women, of diva film, are the stories of their struggles, strivings, failures, successes, loves, illnesses, obsessions with material objects, their ability to accept, or not, the destruction caused by time: age and death.” <br />
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Pina Menichelli started out with a female-run theater company, under the wing of a strong professional role model (female-run theater companies popped up in Europe, England and even America -- Drew Barrymore's great grandmother ran a theater in Philadelphia). Menichelli gravitated toward playing women who were strong –– not the usual virtuous doormat or frail beauty to be ground under a male heel. The <i>femme fatales </i>that divas often played took men, had their way with them, and then tossed them away. If the men survived they were broken. It was the woman that walked away triumphant and ready to move on to the next victim lover. The diva was independent and sexually rapacious. I wonder how many women of the day got a vicarious thrill watching films that were full of such potent possibilities for women? These films, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tigre Reale</i></a> and<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUMUE7YBfCI"> <i>Il Fuoco </i></a>were very popular all over the world.<br />
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Pina exemplified the <i>femme fatale ––</i> “<i>La favilla, la vampa, la cenere</i>,” “the spark, the flame, the ashes” as the title card says in one of her films –– the passion that burns and destroys. Is it a coincidence that the concept of the 'vamp' may be related to the Italian word, <i>vampa </i>meaning flame as much as it is to the word vampire as we have often heard it defined? America's most famous vamp <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theda_Bara">Theda Bara</a> chose 'vampire' and once said "I will continue doing vampires as long as people sin." One burns, the other sucks the life out of their victims. Which do you prefer?<br />
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I had great fun reading many writers and artists thoughts about the diva-<i>femme fatale</i>. Often wry, but very entertaining. They almost always reference Pina's work.<br />
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The famous French author <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colette">Colette</a>, writing about the <i>femme fatale</i> in film in her work, <u>Short Manual for the Aspiring Scenario Writer</u>, drolly observed: "The <i>femme fatale's</i> hat spares her the necessity, at the absolute apex of her wicked career, of having to expend herself in pantomime. When the spectator sees the evil woman coiffing herself with a spread-winged owl, the head of a stuffed jaguar, a bifid aigrette, or a hairy spider, he no longer has any doubts; he knows just what she is capable of. And the rising gorge? <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gorge">The rising gorge</a> is the imposing and ultimate means by which the evil woman informs the audience that she is about to weep, that she is hesitating on the brink of crime, that she is struggling against steely necessity, or that the police have gotten their hands on the letter. What letter? THE letter.”<br />
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These dramas were sometimes referred to as being 'tailcoat cinema' meaning they were about the upper classes. The women of this class were in many ways given far more room to maneuver in society than their counterparts in the middle and lower classes. Having lovers was part of the game and, then as now, money and power often protected society ladies from the fallout. Women who did not belong to those elevated circles were fascinated by them (and secretly wished to emulate them perhaps?).</div>
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Eugenia Paulicelli, in the book, <u>Italian Style</u>, said Menichelli appeared ‘naked in full dress’, and that she represented “ the other woman, the seductress, the <i>femme fatale</i> on the verge of becoming a vamp, an antagonistic specter to the apparent bourgeois order. Once again, clothing and costume play a pivotal role in the way her erotic charge is conveyed and constructed.”<br />
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In an interview in the periodical, In Penombra in 1918, “Menichilli acknowledges the role played by the <i>direttore di scena </i>(set designer) in the meticulous construction of her image…. Film, she says, is the result of a collective effort; the diva is the beneficiary of this effort as well as being part of it.” In the same magazine, the director and writer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nino_Oxilia">Nino Oxilia</a>, reflected, “from the marriage of storytelling and painting, cinema is born.” You can feel that evolution happening before your eyes. First, the scene opens, playing in a flat, two-dimensional plane. Suddenly, Pina changes the dynamic, using the close-up to reel you in ––to feel her passion. It's no longer a stiff tableau!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Il Fuoco</span></div>
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Even her coiffure was designed to convey her intent as the curls were loosely bound or released with the pulling of a comb to flow wildly about her, “Everything came from her crown of hair, that was a pure masterpiece: a Gorgon’s mane, serpents of hysteria, curls of pathos, desire and madness intertwined. Monstrous adornments of a crowded garden: all around Pina Menichelli, Our Lady of Spasms ['<i>Notre</i> <i>Dame des Spasmes</i>' or <i>Nostra Signora degli Spasimi</i>] . . .” (Nino Frank, <i>Cinema dell’arte. Panorama du film italien</i>, Paris, Bonne, 1951.) <br />
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Many have been obsessed with the idea of the diva. In Salvador Dali’s surreal script, <i style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.salvador-dali.org/en/dali/dali-film-library/films-and-video-art/1/babaouo">Babaouo</a>,</i> there is a preface entitled,<i> </i>“<u>The Age of Hysterical Cinema”</u> (words from the preface translated by <a href="https://11east14thstreet.com/2012/02/18/pina-menichelli-our-lady-of-spasms-nostra-signora-degli-spasimi/">Gene Zornarich</a>) Dali confesses his own obsessions with them, fixating on Menichelli's manifestation of her sexual desire through nuzzling, then biting into her flowers....<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tigre Reale</span></div>
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“I recall those women frantic and wobbly of step, their hands caressing the castaways of their love down the corridor walls, clinging to the curtains and plants, those women of the screen, whose neckline slipped continuously over bare shoulders, in an endless night among cypress and marble staircases.” <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUOC6nhyphenhyphen-dcwLKE_xiAarS2dIGALRoD9XuU6SYYBzLxOILLUkRkYhQAJ9dIjq8_H2BJ4I8MOC2Fdu1rvZOtcZEjtDUfmMjc4Xa1EpONT4oR4bFXf0Ymd3EDTnYZvrQk8Gu3srIH7LmXWZ/s1600/pina_tr_pdvd_497enh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="540" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUOC6nhyphenhyphen-dcwLKE_xiAarS2dIGALRoD9XuU6SYYBzLxOILLUkRkYhQAJ9dIjq8_H2BJ4I8MOC2Fdu1rvZOtcZEjtDUfmMjc4Xa1EpONT4oR4bFXf0Ymd3EDTnYZvrQk8Gu3srIH7LmXWZ/s320/pina_tr_pdvd_497enh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tigre Reale</span></div>
<br />
“At that critical and turbulent period of eroticism, palms and magnolias were literally taken in bites, torn with their teeth by these women, whose fragile and pre-tubercular appearance did not preclude, however, their audacious shapes thriving on a precocious and feverish youth.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05uYV1yKZ_g6LxJ7b0WJ4cpnTzvcBnuDUG9x4tMqNRKDs7Bp2Q8yqEwEZKeWzxYCXmaC1TndVIWUT4g-ILgzHbe5lDoAW2UlefbZqteCjOwT1jdmGL13p8RWEjaEc9oT_t2h0yzG4a6LS/s1600/pina_tr_pdvd_492enh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="540" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05uYV1yKZ_g6LxJ7b0WJ4cpnTzvcBnuDUG9x4tMqNRKDs7Bp2Q8yqEwEZKeWzxYCXmaC1TndVIWUT4g-ILgzHbe5lDoAW2UlefbZqteCjOwT1jdmGL13p8RWEjaEc9oT_t2h0yzG4a6LS/s320/pina_tr_pdvd_492enh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tigre Reale</span></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joris-Karl_Huysmans">J.K. Huysmans</a> precedes cinema's <i>femme fatale</i> diva by 20 years but captures the throbbing spasms of the ‘goddess of immortal Hysteria’ Salomé beautifully in his essay <u>Sisters of Salomé. </u> Salomé and the 19th century evocations of her are the great progenitors of the <i>femme fatale diva</i> of the 20th century.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4uc7cf7YsFyLXYXpjNQ4nhViRaIISCuwa-KGg1hdZCPrw6SN8i-Gj9lBDQKBD3AD6RRhyphenhyphen9Yv9EsSDRG-YzjkNlFTKQ2cHypw7RBY6O7tnZftom0qZxtcowxLQgHeiVzGMPX_fNQ_E_WQ/s1600/6a011282304b61ffa043679a0cd2554e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4uc7cf7YsFyLXYXpjNQ4nhViRaIISCuwa-KGg1hdZCPrw6SN8i-Gj9lBDQKBD3AD6RRhyphenhyphen9Yv9EsSDRG-YzjkNlFTKQ2cHypw7RBY6O7tnZftom0qZxtcowxLQgHeiVzGMPX_fNQ_E_WQ/s320/6a011282304b61ffa043679a0cd2554e.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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“No longer was she merely the dancing-girl who extorts a cry of lust and concupiscence from an old man by the lascivious contortions of her body; who breaks the will, masters the mind of a King by the spectacle of her quivering bosoms, heaving belly and tossing thighs; she was now revealed in a sense as the symbolic incarnation of world-old Vice, the goddess of immortal Hysteria, the Curse of Beauty supreme above all other beauties by the cataleptic spasm that stirs her flesh and steels her muscles, – a monstrous Beast of the Apocalypse, indifferent, irresponsible, insensible, poisoning.”<br />
— <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joris-Karl_Huysmans">Joris-Karl Huysmans</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%80_rebours">À rebours</a>, Sisters of Salomé 1884<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_-lKThMVFrbx5VjcM3wwQ5yfLVP5bx2SSdbwkH6StCkHnkliFiwK0B869R67QdDbD_64bQSMbhER-cbLTe4eb7S6UG9tXlzS27h3NhXGyexXp2XxfHd_AU4Ffxmvs8QPBeP7Ej2fiXSC/s1600/772efa7bab65467a13ed4938f51b55b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_-lKThMVFrbx5VjcM3wwQ5yfLVP5bx2SSdbwkH6StCkHnkliFiwK0B869R67QdDbD_64bQSMbhER-cbLTe4eb7S6UG9tXlzS27h3NhXGyexXp2XxfHd_AU4Ffxmvs8QPBeP7Ej2fiXSC/s320/772efa7bab65467a13ed4938f51b55b9.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Il Fuoco</span></div>
Menichelli was all these things on screen which is why her nitrate-self will always be the stuff of legend -- you can't look away when she is on the screen –– no matter what indiscretion she is up to or how explosive her acting becomes.<br />
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But who was she?<br />
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Not surprisingly, given the fact that most of what was written about her 100 years ago is stored in European libraries and not in easily accessible databases, only the bare facts of her private life are there for us to rummage through.<br />
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Born in 1890, Pina came from a Sicilian theatrical family tradition dating back to the 18th century. She began acting as a child but was sent to a convent school in Bologna to get an education. She continued in the family tradition after school and went off on a theatrical tour of Argentina in 1907 where she met her first husband. Beginning in 1909, she lived in Buenos Aires and had 2 children, one of whom died soon after his birth. She returned to Italy in 1912 to give birth to her 3rd child -- separating from, but not divorcing her husband.<br />
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Her career took off like a rocket and within a few years she attained her diva status. A dozen years later, when her first husband died in 1924, she married studio head Baron Carlo D'Amato and quit working just like that. She never went back, didn’t like to talk about her life on screen, destroyed her memorabilia and lived to the ripe old age of 94.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">scene from The Second Wife 1922</span></div>
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For a dozen years she was the premiere Italian diva. I think the world is ready to rediscover her once again. <br />
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I tried to imagine what scent might surround a diva in 1915 and my friend and perfume scholar, Lucy Raubertas at <a href="http://indieperfumes.blogspot.com/">Indieperfumes</a> recommended two early 20th century gems (you can get vintage samples of them from <a href="https://www.blogger.com/(https://surrendertochance.com">Surrender to Chance</a>). She recommended <a href="https://surrendertochance.com/rosine-nuit-de-chine-eau-de-cologne-by-paul-poiret-vintage/">Rosine Nuit de Chine</a> Eau de Cologne by Paul Poiret in 1913 (The New Yorker in 1932 said it was for tigress women!) or Caron's 1919 <a href="https://surrendertochance.com/caron-tabac-blond-eau-de-parfum/">Tabac Blond</a> to get you in the mood. Apply your scent, then watch and see if you agree she is one of the lost immortal divas of the silver screen.<br />
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So what do we eat with a diva?? How about something ancient from around the neighborhood of her old studio, <a href="http://italian_cinema.enacademic.com/160/Itala_film">Itala Films</a> of Turin ?<br />
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I have wanted to make <i>testaroli</i> for years. It is an ancient pasta that goes all the way back to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization">Etruscans</a> (their domain was located around the knee and the shin of the Italian boot) before Christ. The way this pasta is made is a bit different than we are used to. The foundation is not a dough but rather a batter that is cooked like a crepe on a flat round pan called a <i>testo</i>. A lid is then placed on it for a few moments and then it’s flipped and removed and cooled. There are records of a tax on the <i>testo</i> in 1391 and again in 1564 – this is a dish with history.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUOaAuXbAtBB9dEUa4NQ_uBWuE293G9kFDgvmH_34di1BX8vyma57wltQ2s991hJOyrLMeq01HROvu_6fVTyPje5bxt1Yruzgg_liWNABSnNGi1tqVtUUClMlU4RUlTZkX0uVEk0K03GV/s1600/testi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1284" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUOaAuXbAtBB9dEUa4NQ_uBWuE293G9kFDgvmH_34di1BX8vyma57wltQ2s991hJOyrLMeq01HROvu_6fVTyPje5bxt1Yruzgg_liWNABSnNGi1tqVtUUClMlU4RUlTZkX0uVEk0K03GV/s320/testi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Testi featured in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Jl0fKdtxo">Testarolo di Pontremoli Presidio SF</a></span></div>
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The round pancake is cut into triangles or diamonds and served crisp immediately or cooked a bit less and cooled and boiled for a few moments before being served like a regular pasta – usually with a pesto sauce these days but perhaps only with oil and cheese. I made the pesto old school with the mortar and pestle and it really is creamier and more luscious than using a processor if you are willing to put in the time and the muscle. The pancake can also be kept whole and used to make a sort of lasagna – especially a version with wild boar or venison. It has been called the first pasta.<br />
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Make your <i>testaroli</i>, turn on <i>I<u>l Fuoco</u></i> and devour orgiastically -- it's a very voluptuous pasta, if I may say. Pina would approve.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Testaroli for 2-4</span></i><br />
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250 grams of flour (I did a combination of whole wheat, AP flour and semolina)<br />
1½ to 2 c water (this can vary with the dryness of the flour – start with less and add as needed)<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/8</span> t. baking powder<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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Combine the ingredients and then pour through a strainer to get rid of lumps and any large bits of whole wheat – it should have the consistency of cream –– or a crepe batter. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes<br />
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Heat a cast iron or non-stick skillet to medium heat (texture might be different with non-stick). Oil the skillet and use a ladle to pour enough batter in the skillet to make it about <span style="font-size: x-small;">1/8</span> to ¼” deep -- this is sort of up to you as what appeals to you. I'd say it's like a fat crepe or a thin pancake. Allow it to cook till the underside is lightly browned and then flip it - it will be textured on the bottom. The whole thing shouldn’t take more than 8 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a towel. Then repeat, oiling in between until all the batter is used (I made 4 - 9 to10" pancakes).<br />
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Take the pancakes and cut them into diamond shapes anywhere from 1-2” wide. Boil a big pot of salted water and remove from the heat. Put the <i>testaroli</i> pieces in the pot for 1-2 minutes -- you should experiment and decide what you prefer (I went for 2 minutes). Strain and serve with pesto or simple oil and cheese. May I say it was also good as a brown crusted pancake -- like the texture of a fried dumpling and great smeared with pesto.<br />
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<i style="color: #cc0000;">Pesto</i><br />
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½ teaspoon coarse salt<br />
2 cloves garlic, smashed<br />
2 cups fresh basil leaves<br />
¼ cup pine nuts<br />
½ cup olive oil<br />
1/3 cup grated Parmesan<br />
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Put the salt in a mortar with the garlic. Grind to a paste. Add the basil leaves and grind with the garlic-salt until smooth. Next add the pine nuts and grind to a paste. Add your olive oil to this paste, continuing to grind with the pestle and then the Parmesan the same way and set aside.<br />
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If you do not want to bother with a mortar, put the garlic and pine nuts in a food processor with salt and process. Next add the basil and process. Add the oil to the mix and then the cheese and give it a quick process and set aside.<br />
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/lostpast/lostpastremembered/" style="color: #99aadd; font-family: times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" src="https://passets-cdn.pinterest.com/images/follow-on-pinterest-button.png" height="26" style="border: 1px solid rgb(51, 51, 51); padding: 4px;" width="156"></a><br />
<br />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-38386600903251964862018-01-16T13:53:00.000-08:002018-01-18T08:03:14.355-08:00The Crown, The Kennedy Dinner at Buckingham Palace and Sole Princesse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3zbCd_Ik_oYu18DjQkWvqY4jReVLc7g9GeVVfHsLMs-4swmqDJuUyOaQyvNJAhy5S89rUB-TtbUaSDmsd5gPYE927PfZqvKZqZdVYwtQczT465PnPf2NbJZUQNl53EPa80EMB33_rG4/s1600/the-crown-julian-broad-ss07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="879" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3zbCd_Ik_oYu18DjQkWvqY4jReVLc7g9GeVVfHsLMs-4swmqDJuUyOaQyvNJAhy5S89rUB-TtbUaSDmsd5gPYE927PfZqvKZqZdVYwtQczT465PnPf2NbJZUQNl53EPa80EMB33_rG4/s400/the-crown-julian-broad-ss07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I binge-watched THE CROWN II – there, I said it. The show was diabolically addictive and nearly impossible to turn it off. I finished it in 2 days (8 episodes the first day and 2 episodes the second) and had period-film withdrawal when it came to an end --like I’d been kicked out of a dream.<br />
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Why????<br />
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The story is killer – and it’s bound fairly decently to British history, in all its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ormolu">ormolu</a> bedizened glory.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX_Zc4aPntphCQqGWy7uX1wVe4w4zzN42v4esEH_sEJyd4iChpnrpuNVfqitENitB-eJhmcmd1JDtI5X0rcYUMoirsqhm59DX8eI6n-fVISgnzr5AUWESL5Zlp5YMWeB__35IDCE3kVE/s1600/elle-the-crow-the-royals-1514558568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX_Zc4aPntphCQqGWy7uX1wVe4w4zzN42v4esEH_sEJyd4iChpnrpuNVfqitENitB-eJhmcmd1JDtI5X0rcYUMoirsqhm59DX8eI6n-fVISgnzr5AUWESL5Zlp5YMWeB__35IDCE3kVE/s400/elle-the-crow-the-royals-1514558568.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Queen Elizabeth II Claire Foy Prince Phillip Matt Smith<br />
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The Crown I-II begins with Elizabeth II at the end of WWII -- her courtship, marriage and early life with her blond Prince Phillip, ending in the 60’s. The cast of characters and historical events flash around the Elizabeth like Roman candles flashing through the firmament.<br />
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Statesmen Churchill, Mountbatten, McMillan and Eden – and the Royal family and their friends and associates keep the story sparkling along with great costumes and sets to frame the drama magnificently at superb stately-home locations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgV8AJhnGskYI2O4gLh_5h3ldluRLL1ijnh18x0jwvv62INdYIx55ERKudI3ExCizmxZNfasSdx4MPEwHeX2GMZnVrWTMIv9uye7MxKJTfaCuuzPJq9bq2X1hH2f0MPZAlqxV5xmOqEiM/s1600/%253Blkjhgfdsasdfghjk+++890-432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgV8AJhnGskYI2O4gLh_5h3ldluRLL1ijnh18x0jwvv62INdYIx55ERKudI3ExCizmxZNfasSdx4MPEwHeX2GMZnVrWTMIv9uye7MxKJTfaCuuzPJq9bq2X1hH2f0MPZAlqxV5xmOqEiM/s320/%253Blkjhgfdsasdfghjk+++890-432.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sir Anthony Eden</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi2CGQuVLyAquspk4-BipDnLyCy0dJSxZ13Jg-x80WlJ6ZR1QkTsdwdrcvoc_3MbDs7r9TS0Y29TC6MbTbcD-lG_UROuLb3bhKSgycFotvk52Q_ATC77xrtqpcYXpNNlexnzrw2aZC-E/s1600/Screen-Shot-2017-12-04-at-17.12.29-5e86b32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi2CGQuVLyAquspk4-BipDnLyCy0dJSxZ13Jg-x80WlJ6ZR1QkTsdwdrcvoc_3MbDs7r9TS0Y29TC6MbTbcD-lG_UROuLb3bhKSgycFotvk52Q_ATC77xrtqpcYXpNNlexnzrw2aZC-E/s320/Screen-Shot-2017-12-04-at-17.12.29-5e86b32.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Harold MacMillan</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrqFKQAsRd2Ktwn-nbCr-pSCpv_IjbbYVCNPpMR3nOEmQuty7yFewSRJWhxXRSNlwuT4S4FqTno8X8srx30aUmFixGeOsO5HDZz2PY8C8IT23JZiVMm8LvM7w0Km8W3_XTaDmYZxt8x0/s1600/hbz-the-crown-v-real-life-mountbatten-1512776874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrqFKQAsRd2Ktwn-nbCr-pSCpv_IjbbYVCNPpMR3nOEmQuty7yFewSRJWhxXRSNlwuT4S4FqTno8X8srx30aUmFixGeOsO5HDZz2PY8C8IT23JZiVMm8LvM7w0Km8W3_XTaDmYZxt8x0/s320/hbz-the-crown-v-real-life-mountbatten-1512776874.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lord Mountbatten</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVm7k4cspUi6ny1X3SXgRoAMV3Zu3le612wIYmbpB03bT4KKkM3VL7iVGhvUVMJB9VU75m81S96oV-RWeTiunLlKwrOs5Ov_ZAd64YrY2ZyD8Ka9jSukqr6d2oug_8GfSIUO4jwS9bQqI/s1600/Winston-Churchill-John-Lithgow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="940" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVm7k4cspUi6ny1X3SXgRoAMV3Zu3le612wIYmbpB03bT4KKkM3VL7iVGhvUVMJB9VU75m81S96oV-RWeTiunLlKwrOs5Ov_ZAd64YrY2ZyD8Ka9jSukqr6d2oug_8GfSIUO4jwS9bQqI/s320/Winston-Churchill-John-Lithgow.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Winston Churchill</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">The palace’s private quarters were mostly built-sets (yet not copies of the real private quarters), done with exquisite detail and then edited seamlessly into the real grand houses where most of the shooting was done – no wonder Netflix spent $100 million on the program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Set for The Crown’s private royal apartments by designer Martin Childs</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd1Pcf6XPKhbSyJvHxjTsurgcHZ7V_9RuE1WmoXHdbWGrqbITO2dEN2oHFyIWr_5-dLABWEpd5Zhpkzw_Jebaa7Mwal0vhnBqz3Yh6jrFEexv6LSKNvw67luEuS787BHqk54yyXYgNj4/s1600/screen-shot-2017-08-16-at-10-48-24-am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="780" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd1Pcf6XPKhbSyJvHxjTsurgcHZ7V_9RuE1WmoXHdbWGrqbITO2dEN2oHFyIWr_5-dLABWEpd5Zhpkzw_Jebaa7Mwal0vhnBqz3Yh6jrFEexv6LSKNvw67luEuS787BHqk54yyXYgNj4/s320/screen-shot-2017-08-16-at-10-48-24-am.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Connecting passage built between Philip and Elizabeth's bedrooms</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Queen’s bedroom with the catchy <a href="https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/ciel_de_lit">ciel de lit</a> /<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldachin"> baldaquin</a> bed crown and ‘curtainage’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This was a location: High Canons, Buckettsland Lane, Well End, Hertfordshire</span></div>
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The 10 episodes in The Crown II take us on a solo royal journey with Prince Phillip as he tours the world as an ambassador on the royal yacht –– from Sri Lanka and Ceylon to Melbourne and Antarctica. He returns to drama with his queen, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones’ romantic hijinks and the Nazi peccadillos of the Duke of Windsor that come home to roost and make another mess that needs fixing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Royals – English and American. President Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy</span></div>
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One of my favorite episodes of The Crown II is #8. It dramatizes the dinner between the Queen and American royalty – the President and Mrs. Kennedy (it’s about food, what a surprise - I've written about the Kennedys and food <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2013/02/princess-grace-of-monaco-lunches-on.html">Here</a> and <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2013/02/jacqueline-kennedys-dinner-at-mount.html">HERE)</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eltham Palace, London as Hartnell showroom</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eltham Palace</span></div>
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Fresh from her triumph in France, Jacqueline Kennedy arrives at Buckingham Palace radiant in her Chez Ninon Paris knock-off and for all Elizabeth’s shy attempts to up her fashion game for Jackie at her favorite designer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Hartnell">Norman Hartnell’s</a> showroom (staged in a spectacularly re-purposed Eltham Palace entryway), Elizabeth looks rather like a dowdy bedspread in her tulle compared to the sleek, ice-blue column of satin on the first lady.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO5sWP0IWePk8m_nmTDgZxk7IqmizY_3W_tmmiP8Ry7sLyUhyphenhyphengGkX6zdMs7YR9zYMt_w7S19AuU0k_OE2FaHGD-Tn7EciCVjI4StxqQlBcKVjLX-dqvumDRJIK7NzlVfo4Gte1SgoGqs/s1600/queen-elizabeth-horses-m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="716" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO5sWP0IWePk8m_nmTDgZxk7IqmizY_3W_tmmiP8Ry7sLyUhyphenhyphengGkX6zdMs7YR9zYMt_w7S19AuU0k_OE2FaHGD-Tn7EciCVjI4StxqQlBcKVjLX-dqvumDRJIK7NzlVfo4Gte1SgoGqs/s320/queen-elizabeth-horses-m.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpxvdNs49bOU_52QUpMboxWS8ox9VpVG0cdyLZysjz2dbVaK4tDADu1FmyHPnuwizJUKZwfCc8MYAozuV3-Q6QrTbqONkWkixYk0g43O2iOjZ2Afr-p2gLx2Cr380x6fJxEFhF5P_hr8/s1600/QUEENS-CORGIS-PHOTOS-facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1536" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpxvdNs49bOU_52QUpMboxWS8ox9VpVG0cdyLZysjz2dbVaK4tDADu1FmyHPnuwizJUKZwfCc8MYAozuV3-Q6QrTbqONkWkixYk0g43O2iOjZ2Afr-p2gLx2Cr380x6fJxEFhF5P_hr8/s320/QUEENS-CORGIS-PHOTOS-facebook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The script has the 2 ladies bonding over their shared battles with introversion and love of dogs and horses. Knowing Jackie loved architecture and antiques, the Queen gave her a warm, guided tour of some of the rooms.<br />
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What Liz had thought was sincere shared feelings of friendship was betrayed by snarky comments by a loose-lipped Jackie at a party a few nights later, It was genuinely hurtful to Liz. In the end apologies soothed the royal breast and Liz is magnanimous -- she treats Jackie with enormous<br />
kindness.<br />
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The dinner itself went off without a court crisis. It was a private dinner rather than a state affair so more personal and intimate (30-odd instead of 100 or more guests to wrangle) and better for getting to know the new president (and a smaller audience should Liz be upstaged).<br />
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What about the food? Liz's chef from 1953 to 1964 was Charles Mellis. He divulged the queens tastes to <u><a href="http://www.chatelaine.com/living/culture-living/queen-elizabeth-favourite-foods/">Chatelaine</a></u> and I'll share them with you. Liz is not a fancy eater. <br />
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Mellis revealed Elizabeth liked the American custom of having salad with lunch. She had a great affection for our Chicken Maryland (fried chicken with cream gravy), served with fried banana and bacon, sweet corn pancake with horseradish sauce. Dinners always started with small hors d'oeuvres like tomato canapés topped with peanut butter (???) or peppers stuffed with shrimp. Some of her other favorite dishes were sole with asparagus and cheddar and Tournedos continental (a steak with tomato, mushroom and <i>maître d'hôtel</i> butter). Mellis observed that the Queen was not fond of dessert and often had Scotch woodcock ( scrambled eggs on toast with anchovies, capers and parsley - I just made it for breakfast and it is really good!) after dinner - she liked oven baked fries.<br />
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Given the Queen's simple tastes, Chef Mellis didn’t push the envelope for this dinner even though Jackie wasn’t an unsophisticated American rube that had to be cooked-down to. He made a simple meat and potatoes dinner for the Kennedys, or, as a spokesman reported with just a hint of irony, “a good old English dinner” – read boiled and bland.<br />
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The dinner commenced with a Crème Clamart, a cream of green pea soup sometimes enriched with egg (Clamart is the pea capitol of France) followed by a Filet of Sole Princesse -- a fillet of sole, poached or breaded and fried, with a mushroom scented velouté and asparagus. I believe the saddle of lamb 'l’Anglaise' is a big boiled slab of meat but it may well be simply roasted (no wonder the good old English dinner comment -- I would have preferred the Prime Minister’s luncheon dish of filet of beef á la Favorite with artichoke bottoms and Parisian potatoes that is referenced in the NYTs article). This is served with buttered beans and browned potatoes – usually cubed or cut into ovals. The mimosa salad is a chopped egg layered salad served in a glass bowl so the layers are seen. The meal finishes with a fine standby, the Grand Marnier soufflé. Not an inspired celebration of French cuisine to be sure.<br />
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When deciding what to cook from the menu, I decided to try the sole. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jack Kennedy and Elizabeth watching Jackie and Philip warily</span></div>
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Jackie served both sole and salad mimosa often at the White House so she must have liked them. Trying to find a recipe for that sole princesse was a lot harder than I thought. My old 60's copy of <u>Larousse Gastronomique</u> gave the basic outline for the dish – sole, with a sauce and asparagus but most of the recipes I found were bastardized modern versions of the dish. Larousse says that it can be breaded and fried but is usually poached. The classic sauce is a fish-based <i>velouté</i> but many more modern recipes use a hollandaise. <br />
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Since I was stuck inside with the cold snap in the East, I decided to make some puff pastry for a case to hold the asparagus (you can use regular pastry or buy pre-made frozen <i>vol au vent </i>cases or cut a piece of purchased puff pastry). I was pleased that mine puffed up successfully (because with puff pastry you never know). I also figured I’d try the old fashioned <i>velouté </i>since it’s about the same amount of work as a hollandaise and a bit more unusual.<br />
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I make my fish stock by saving and freezing shrimp and lobster shells and any bits of fish and cooking it up when I have enough – giving me about 1-2 c of reduced stock and freezing it. The result is that my shellfish-based <i>velouté </i> tastes like a lobster bisque – delicious. If you can’t spring for truffles – use truffle butter to get the truffle flavor. You will be very pleased with the result. The madeira sauce is just the dark knight the dish needs – it works superbly with that lobster-y <i>velouté </i> and the asparagus – a delicious stuffing for the puff pastry basket. Pretty much everything can be put together in advance and warmed up and quickly cooked at your dinner (just warm the sauces gently or they will separate).<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Fillets of Sole Princess - serves 2 as light main course</i></span><br />
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4 small fillets of sole<br />
1 cup fish stock<br />
2 T white wine<br />
herbs like chervil, parsley<br />
s&p to taste<br />
1 recipe <i>Normande</i> Sauce (which used a fish <i>velouté</i> as its base)<br />
2 baked pastry cases for asparagus<br />
6-8 asparagus spears, cooked and sliced in half and cut to fit case<br />
1 recipe for madeira sauce<br />
truffles or 2-3 T black <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#q=truffle&start=1">truffle butter</a> (I use D'Artagnan's version) optional<br />
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Salt and pepper the sole and fold them. Warm the stock and wine and herbs. Lay the fish in the liquid and gently poach for a few minutes – it cooks quickly.<br />
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Toss the truffles and the asparagus in the madeira sauce to coat and warm through.<br />
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Melt the truffle butter if you are using it.<br />
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Put the pastry cases on the plate and put the asparagus and truffles in the cases – spoon some of the truffle butter over the asparagus if you are using it and then a little more of the madeira sauce.<br />
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Place the fish next to the pastry case, put some of the truffle on the fish if you have them or the rest of the truffle butter over the fish. Then spoon the <i>Normande</i> sauce and a drizzle of the madeira sauce over the fish and serve.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Normande Sauce</i></span><br />
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½ c fish fumet/stock<br />
1 T dried mushrooms or fresh mushroom trimmings<br />
½ c <i>velouté</i> sauce (*see recipe below)<br />
¼ c cream<br />
2T butter<br />
2 T cream<br />
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Cook the stock with the mushrooms until reduced by half. Strain out the mushrooms and combine with the veloute and cream. Reduce by half. Add the cream and butter gently to keep the velvety texture. Strain and keep warm.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">*Velouté</span></i><br />
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1 T butter<br />
1 T flour<br />
1 c fish fumet<br />
s&p<br />
pinch of nutmeg<br />
pinch of cayenne<br />
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Cook the flour and butter for a few minutes to get rid of the flour taste. Add the fish fumet slowly and cook very slowly for 20 minutes (to 45 if you have time and patience), stirring frequently. Strain.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Madeira Sauce</span></i><br />
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¾ c demiglace<br />
1-2 T madeira<br />
2 T butter<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Cook the stock till thickened a little more. Add the madeira, then add the butter in a few pieces stirring all the while over a very low heat to have a thick, glossy sauce <br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Puff Pastry</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Butter layer</i></span></div>
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1/2 lb cold unsalted butter (I love Irish butter for this)</div>
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1 t Lemon juice</div>
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1/2 c (65g) bread flour *</div>
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pinch of salt</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Dough</i></span></div>
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1 1/2 c (200 g) bread flour (freeze it)*</div>
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1 3/4 T (28g) duck fat or butter</div>
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1 t Salt</div>
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1/2 c cold water (start with 1/3 and add as needed, you may not need a whole cup)</div>
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* with pastry -- it's a good idea to weigh if you can. </div>
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Mix the butter and the flour and lemon and salt into a paste, make a 5” square and chill on wax paper till firm</div>
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Make the dough, knead lightly and refrigerate.</div>
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Make the dough into a rectangle around 7 x 10"-- or just big enough that it will fold in and meet in the center when you put the butter in the center in a diamond with points facing the sides and not the corners - you may have to make it a bit larger but it doesn't have to be exact -- as long as the butter is completely enclosed. Fold the dough around it like an envelope, bringing the 4 outer points to the center of the butter and seal. If it’s hot, chill. Otherwise roll it to a rectangle and fold it like a brochure and chill ½ an hour. Roll it out to a rectangle again and fold again like a brochure - do this again 5 times, resting for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge each time (weather changes this - in winter, 30 minutes is fine in summer you may need 1 hour -- keeping it cold is vital to keep the layers).</div>
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I left mine overnight in the fridge after the last turn. Take it out and roll it to about 1/8- 1/4" thick (the pastry will be very high at 1/4") the next day. After cutting your shapes, cut a little into the pastry leaving a frame (taking care not to cut all the way through) so you can pull the center out when it bakes making a well (you can see a technique <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpPRWqFENlg">HERE</a>), I put it back in the fridge for 15-30 minutes when the weather is warm -- if the dough still feels cold after rolling it out, you can just bake it. Remember to cut with a sharp knife if you can or a sharp-edged cutter -- the more you use a sawing action, the more likely your pastry edges will catch and the loft will be uneven (I had one that plopped over to the side like a slinky). It's best to make a few extra if for safety. You will have a nice amount to freeze for later and it freezes very well (I found some 1 year old in the back of the freezer and it still worked!).</div>
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Heat oven to 425º. Place your pastries on parchment and lay another sheet of parchment over them.</div>
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Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 375º, remove the parchment and turn the sheet. Cook for another 7-12 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through, open the oven door and keep them in the warm oven for 10 minutes or so with the door open. Remove and then pull out the center section -- the top will be cooked but the center will be a touch sticky - just pull it out -- a large tweezers is good for this. You can pop them back in the over a few moments before you serve them to warm them through if you do these in advance -- they keep well for a few days.</div>
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<br />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-81329365952350938412017-12-22T15:44:00.000-08:002017-12-23T03:53:09.081-08:00Pelligrino Artusi, The Art of Eating Well and Quail Pasta Pie<br />
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Pelligrino Artusi was born in 1820 in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forlimpopoli">Forlimpopoli</a>, Italy (a small town above the calf of the boot in the Emilia Romagna).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bologna </span></div>
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From the age of 15 to 30, Artusi spent his time in Bologna enjoying student life and the food of that vibrant city (although for some reason it is unclear that he actually attended the university). After his youthful university idylls in Bologna, he returned home to Forlimpopoli to join the successful family business in 1850. But his return became a nightmare<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">il Passatore</span></div>
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Artusi’s wealthy merchant family was traumatized and forever changed by the arrival of a famous roving brigand named il Passatore, "the Ferryman" to Forlimpopoli in 1851. Il Passatore rounded up the town’s leading citizens, took their money and raped their women – including Artusi’s sister who went mad from the shock. Distraught, the family left the town and fled to Florence where Artusi remained for the rest of his long life (he lived to be 91). <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Florence 1870 Barbant/Benoit</span></div>
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Artusi’s business success and a substantial inheritance helped him lead a very comfortable life. He never married. He lived simply with his hometown butler and a Tuscan cook, Marietta Sabatini, of whom he wrote in the book: “My Marietta is a good cook and such a good-hearted, honest woman that she deserves to have this cake [Panettone Marietta] named after her, especially since she taught me how to make it.” In his will, he left her a considerable sum plus a portion of the royalties from the book to reward her talent and faithfulness (he admitted he pestered her relentlessly about food).<br />
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He entertained often and well - integrating the cuisines of the newly united Italy into his repertoire while virtually ignoring French Cuisine. He thought it was overrated (for this slight, he was left out of the French food bible, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larousse_Gastronomique">Larousse Gastronomique</a>). His food was simple, flavorful and very Italian, but this belief bucked the culinary headwinds of the day that believed to be good food it had to be French food.<br />
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Restless in commerce, he began to write. First, a biography of the revolutionary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugo_Foscolo">Foscolo</a>, then a critique of the handsome satirist/poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Giusti">Giuseppe Giusti</a>. Neither gained Artusi any recognition but did put him in touch with the publishing circles of the day. He lived and wrote on the Piazza Massimo d'Azeglio in Florence.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlF9RODQNDo6L4TTt1OfFAULvlVkEJVlkEpM1oSLOoXKcr4ytSZsVm51Rki6rr_HaqhyphenhyphenBfk3eDT6yQdQVTwDvE2dqlinVEYoJ2oETczsjnrdqa7CJ63AstSGd0W8dRpOwUbcggGL3-D8/s1600/s-l1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1489" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlF9RODQNDo6L4TTt1OfFAULvlVkEJVlkEpM1oSLOoXKcr4ytSZsVm51Rki6rr_HaqhyphenhyphenBfk3eDT6yQdQVTwDvE2dqlinVEYoJ2oETczsjnrdqa7CJ63AstSGd0W8dRpOwUbcggGL3-D8/s320/s-l1600.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Piazza Massimo d'Azeglio (built like an English Square in 1865)</span></div>
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He wrote <u>La Scienza in cucina e l’Arte di mangier bene</u> (<u>Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well</u>) in 1891 – 20 years after the unification of Italy. He assumed the manuscript would be a desirable prize for any publisher but all of them rather rudely turned him down. He was told if a famous chef didn’t write the cookbook – no one cared how good it was and wouldn’t buy it! In the end, he paid for 1000 copies of the book to be printed on his own. It took a few years for the book to sell in more than dribs and drabs, but then it began to take off exponentially. There were many, many reprints. By the time Artusi died, 200,000 copies had been sold – rivaling the popularity of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio">Pinocchio</a> - 100 years later it has sold millions. You could say he was the Julia Child of his day – awakening Italians to the beauty of their cuisine.<br />
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His introduction to the work, with a wink to those who did not believe in his vision, contains a prescient passage, “So just because my book smells of stew I supposed that you, too, disdain to take it seriously? But let me tell you, and I say this reluctantly, that with our century tending toward materialism, and life’s enjoyments, the day will soon come when writings of this sort, which delight the mind and nourish the body, will be more widely sought and read than the works of great scientists, which are of much greater value to humanity.” Way ahead of his time, he also encouraged the idea of good cooks setting up shop to make food to be delivered to unfortunate households with no talent for cooking – in the 1890s! Artusi had, “…a suggestion that others may pickup, develop and use…. I am of the opinion that a well-managed institution of this sort – accepting private orders and selling already cooked meals—could be established, grow and prosper…”<br />
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His idea for the book was simple. Good combinations of ingredients, simple instructions and charming anecdotes. When you think about it, not that much different from the formula <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/silver-palate-cookbook-influence">The Silver Palate</a> used that revolutionized cookery books in the 1980’s. His anecdotes, sage advice and observations are marvelous and make the recipes come alive. You feel the warmth of his affection for his food in his prose. As Lorenza de’ Medici opines in the introduction, so many English translations have discarded them and the book loses much of its charm without them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Guelphs and Ghibellines</span></div>
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One of the best-known divertissements in the book concerns truffles. Which is better, white or black? Artusi dramatically compares the choice of black or white to the choice between the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelphs_and_Ghibellines">Guelphs and Ghibellines</a> (beginning in 1140, the war pitted the Holy Roman Empire against the Papacy, city dwellers against country folk) and announced, “ I am a supporter of the whites, and in fact I openly declare and maintain that the black truffle is the worst there is. Other people do not share my opinion; they believe that the black truffle is more fragrant, while the white truffle has a subtler taste. But they are not taking into account the fact that black truffles quickly lose their aroma.” He goes on to describe a preparation for truffles by sharing an expression, “<i>Bologna la grassa per chi vi sta, ma non per chi vi passa</i> – Bologna whose bounty is for those who live there, but not for those just passing through.” The technique of layering of sliced white truffles and Parmesan with the best olive oil then warmed in a copper dish deserves to be kept a closely guarded secret to be kept away from tourists.<br />
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The recipes came from all over Italy, acquired from friends and professional cooks from the lowliest inn to the finest castle as well as from his own formidable collection of antique cookbooks. Many of the recipes do not use measurements or oven temperatures or times so you have to extrapolate a bit – it’s worth the effort.<br />
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He also has common sense rules of eating. The most important of which would be eat only when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty. Drink wine, but not too much and exercise.<br />
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The end of the book has a list of menus throughout the year – they are mouthwatering and beautifully orchestrated meals like the December version:<br />
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DECEMBER DINNER<br />
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First course: Cappelletti Romagna style (filled with ricotta and capon)<br />
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Stew: Signora Adele’s Gruyere mold (a baked ring of cheese custard filled after cooking with sweetbreads) <br />
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Cold Dish: Capon galantine (stuffed with veal, pork, ham, truffles and pistachios) or boned thrush in aspic <br />
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Roast: Hare or woodcock with green salad <br />
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Dessert: Panforte from Sienna (an Italian fruitcake), German brown bread cake, plum pudding <br />
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Fruit and Cheese: Pears, apples, mandarin oranges, dates <br />
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I decided to make a dish that at first glance seems to be overdoing it. It’s a pigeon pie but the crust is stuffed with creamy, pigeon-laden macaroni (I used quail, but it would also be great with leftover turkey or chicken). If you love a good crust as much as I do, it’s a killer idea and it works. This is great to do the day before and combine the day you want to serve it.<br />
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Artusi's original recipe is for 10 - I cut it in half (Artusi's pastry recipe should be much bigger if you double it). Also, he called for 2 pigeons for the larger pie -- I think 2 quail are good for the half size -- about a cup of meat. Serve with a salad and you have a lovely meal.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Timballo di Piccioni, Squab Timbale #279, serves 4-6</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>1 recipe shortcrust</i></span><br />
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250 g flour (about 1 3/4 plus 2T)<br />
80 g butter, chopped into chunks<br />
2 t sugar<br />
5g salt<br />
2 t wine<br />
2 egg yolks, beaten<br />
juice from lemon wedge<br />
cold water as needed ( I used a few tablespoons)<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Filling</i></span><br />
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2T butter<br />
2 quail ( I used <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/french-jumbo-quail/product/FQUMA010-1.html?dwvar_FQUMA010-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FQUMA010C#q=french+quail&start=3">french jumbo quail</a> from D'Artagnan)<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
giblets of quail and chicken if available<br />
1 1/2 cup stock (you need a cup left for finishing the dish)<br />
1 slice prosciutto<br />
1 carrot, chopped small<br />
1 small stalk of celery, chopped small<br />
1 small onion, chopped small<br />
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5 oz macaroni<br />
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2 T butter<br />
2-4 T grated parmesan to taste<br />
2 slices prosciutto, slivered<br />
a few slices of <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/fresh-black-winter-truffle-tuber-melanosporum/product/MFBTF002-1.html?cgid=truffles-and-mushrooms&dwvar_MFBTF002-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-MFBTF002#sz=12&start=2">black winter truffle</a> and/or 1/4 -1/2 c dried mushrooms, rehydrated<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Béchamel</i></span><br />
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2 T flour<br />
2 T butter ( I used <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=gourmet-pantry&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=3">black truffle butter</a> -- my favorite)<br />
1 1/2c milk (you can add 2T cream to this if you want it richer)<br />
pinch nutmeg, salt and pepper<br />
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<i style="color: #cc0000;">For the shortcrust</i><br />
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Put the flour in the food processor. Add the butter, salt and sugar and pulse. Dump out into a bowl and add the rest, working the dough with your hands till blended. Lay out a sheet of wax paper dusted with flour and squeeze out handfuls of the dough on the sheet and smear them one at a time and pile them one on top of the other. Place this in the fridge to chill for a least an hour or over night. You can divide it into 2 (with one slightly smaller) and roll out if your dish is shallow and make a larger and smaller disk if it’s deep and not wide -- I found that it filled a small pie plate perfectly.<br />
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<i style="color: #cc0000;">For the filling</i><br />
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Spatchcock the quail and sauté it and giblets if you have them in the butter until browned and remove. Add the vegetables and prosciutto and sauté till softened. Return the quail to the pan, skin side up and add the stock. Simmer on low till the quail is done – ½ hour or so. Remove the birds and strain the stock - I had a little over a cup left and reduced it a bi. Bone and chop the birds and reserve the meat (save the bones for more game stock for your next pie).<br />
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Cook the macaroni al dente and add the 3/4 c of the reserved stock slowly (about 1/4 c at a time with 15 minutes between each addition). The pasta will absorb it beautifully and the flavor is out of this world. Give yourself a little time to do this before and not at the last minute. Set aside.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>For the béchamel</i></span><br />
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Make the béchamel by melting the butter and stirring in the flour. Cook it slowly for a few minutes. Add the milk a little at a time to prevent lumps. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.<br />
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Season the macaroni mixture with Parmesan, butter and slivers of prosciutto. Add the last 1/4 cup of the stock, the reserved quail meat, truffles and/or rehydrated mushrooms and the béchamel. Toss together and taste for seasoning.<br />
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Preheat oven to 375º<br />
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Butter a dish and lay 1 piece of pastry in the dish. Fill with the macaroni mixture and put the top piece of pastry over the top and seal the edges – cutting holes into the top to vent the steam.<br />
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Cook for 30-40 minutes until crust is nicely browned.<br />
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<br />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-11336468990387876802017-10-30T16:27:00.000-07:002017-10-31T04:49:27.150-07:00The Hallowed Bones of The Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Braised Beef with a Creamy Vegetable Sauce <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo from <a href="https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/prague/archive/2012/blog/?story_id=892560">Carlton</a></span></div>
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Although the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistercians">Cistercian</a> branch of the Catholic Church was founded in 1098 at Citeaux Abbey in France, the order was not bound to their origination point.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rule of St Benedict, 8th c copy</span></div>
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Soon the monks began to travel far and wide to spread the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Saint_Benedict">Rule of St. Benedict</a>, a rule which encouraged work, prayer, love of fellow man and self denial –– <i>ora et labora </i>was their credo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuseIvNsMBo_jD4FJTnKiSO8sJgd7mOfhejWB-6Z6tOzTvisLA4rgNri6BIwaiSFjmpzA-f45b86DVjuhIVR7ueONBGgOIOPXR1kQM2-jHEB4rdULpEbPUbqIOllgDoxTiJEUWc3MEsrA/s1600/892571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuseIvNsMBo_jD4FJTnKiSO8sJgd7mOfhejWB-6Z6tOzTvisLA4rgNri6BIwaiSFjmpzA-f45b86DVjuhIVR7ueONBGgOIOPXR1kQM2-jHEB4rdULpEbPUbqIOllgDoxTiJEUWc3MEsrA/s320/892571.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo <a href="https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/prague/archive/2012/blog/?story_id=892560">Carlton</a></span></div>
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Within a few years, their monasteries were cropping up all over old Roman Europe. In 1142, the Church of All Saints/Sedlec Abbey was created outside of Prague at Kutná Hora. The Cistercians of Sedlec Abbey quietly cared for their lands until 1278 when King Otakar II of Bohemia sent a Sedlec abbot to Jerusalem. The abbot brought back a handful of earth from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary">Golgotha</a> that he spread over the cemetery –– this made their cemetery a burial destination spot for the wealthy dead. The great plague of the 14th century added 70,000 souls to the site and even more during the great wars of the 15th century. There was just not enough real estate to house the bodies in a traditional way. Old bodies were unearthed to add new ones. The old bones had to be treated ‘respectfully’.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUuaD1uGT-633WJ9tXnf06hu4LqwRtC-jWqtk6VPoS9ZdfsoA53XzNpZmCZP43LzKIu4bslcMO4XZcTbMzZljpB-R9miKdlupErwgkC6mje9xCWa9VMSbZTR9bKPhRs4pW9PCuiWTMlc/s1600/Sedlec_Ossuary_-_All_Saints_church_%2528exterior%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUuaD1uGT-633WJ9tXnf06hu4LqwRtC-jWqtk6VPoS9ZdfsoA53XzNpZmCZP43LzKIu4bslcMO4XZcTbMzZljpB-R9miKdlupErwgkC6mje9xCWa9VMSbZTR9bKPhRs4pW9PCuiWTMlc/s320/Sedlec_Ossuary_-_All_Saints_church_%2528exterior%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Wikipedia</span></div>
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A great gothic church was constructed during the 15th century and a repository for the bones was built in the cemetery (it was remodeled in the early 18th century). There were so many bones! In the 16th century, a blind monk was tasked with tidying up the bones and he piled and stacked them in a respectful way. In the 18th century, the Cistercian monastery was abolished but the Schwarzenberg family bought the property and committed to maintaining the cemetery and all the bones.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKrVpaWr7tXCfFLVWiZJ41tlLUSNkAqWZ5lMhKHGgUd44d8tWEveLdAue8bvYsT-aZAtF4ytQnVnloYHWBCb-QuL0kee-Xi981lNdP3tMyRRd3RUQbFgfzYN2-8A7AjSShasKBRcoArw/s1600/220px-SedlecInitials.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKrVpaWr7tXCfFLVWiZJ41tlLUSNkAqWZ5lMhKHGgUd44d8tWEveLdAue8bvYsT-aZAtF4ytQnVnloYHWBCb-QuL0kee-Xi981lNdP3tMyRRd3RUQbFgfzYN2-8A7AjSShasKBRcoArw/s320/220px-SedlecInitials.JPG" width="172" /></a></div>
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It wasn’t till the 19th century that a Czech wood carver named František Rint was employed to do something more with the bones – he used them as material for art after bleaching and cleaning them. The results are astonishing.<br />
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I have wanted to go to Sedlec forever (as a great aficionado of the beauty of bones –– my first garden made use of found bones – a cow spine with purple clematis was a particular favorite as well as a hip bone arch around a fissure in an ancient wood stump). This is my Halloween homage to its mad genius ( you can watch a wild 10 minute film about it, <a href="https://vimeo.com/9506317">The Ossuary</a> by Jan Svankmajer).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms made of bones (an ancient bohemian family) Photo <a href="https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/prague/archive/2012/blog/?story_id=892560">Carlton</a></span></div>
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But what about food? You must be hungry after viewing all these lovely bones (it is nearly Halloween after all, and appetites can be surprising around the holidays???). I have never been to Prague or the Czech Republic for that matter and hadn’t a clue about what I might make to celebrate the cuisine of the Sedlec neighborhood. Aside from pastries and dumplings, the dish that kept appearing was<i> Svíčková</i> , a braised beef that had a rich, creamy pureed vegetable sauce. Perfect for a cool weather.<br />
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The beef has a lightly spiced flavor and the sauce a tang of vinegar and lemon. The unusual sliced dumpling is lighter than air. I used about 5 recipes online to come up with my version -- it seems to be a bit like an Italian sauce -- there are a million ways to make it. Although warned about the perils of not having special Czech flour – the result was superior with ap flour (it was recommended to use Wondra instead on a blog thread I read).<br />
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I used my own recipe for cranberries – couldn’t be simpler.<br />
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Also, a bit of a milestone. Lost Past Remembered just crossed 2million visitors last week. I've been hard at work for 6 months and haven't had time to write so I find it gratifying that so many stop by to visit my quirky blog full of quaint and curious recipes, people, places and things. I know I've enjoyed the last nearly 8 years enormously and learned a lot. Thanks for stopping by.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Svíčková</span></i><br />
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1 ½ lb sirloin<br />
1 piece fatty bacon sliced into thin little pieces for larding<br />
juice of ½ lemon<br />
1 large carrot diced<br />
1 medium onion diced<br />
1 small celeriac, peeled and diced<br />
salt to taste (maybe a teaspoon?)<br />
1 t allspice<br />
½ t nutmeg<br />
1 t pepper<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1 t thyme<br />
2 T sherry vinegar<br />
2 T melted butter<br />
1 cup stock (beef or chicken)<br />
½ -3/4 c cream<br />
pinch of paprika<br />
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Toss the vegetables and spices together with the lemon and vinegar in a small baking dish. Make small slits in the beef and stuff with bacon. Spoon the liquid over the meat and place on top of the vegetables. Spoon the melted butter over the meat. Refrigerate overnight.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 300. Brush any vegetable bits off the meat and brown. Place the meat on top of the vegetables and pour the stock over the meat.<br />
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Cook for about 2-2 ½ hours till fork tender.<br />
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Remove the meat from the dish. Strain the vegetables and remove bay leaves, reserving the liquid. Puree the vegetables using liquid as needed and pour the leftover liquid on the meat after slicing. Add the cream to the sauce and paprika. Taste for seasoning (add extra vinegar for a bit more kick if desired.<br />
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Serve with sliced dumplings. Lay down a spoon of puree, place the sliced dumplings down then the stock-moistened meat and more of the puree and top with cranberry conserve.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Dumplings</span></i><br />
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½ c warm milk<br />
1t yeast<br />
1 t sugar<br />
2 c flour<br />
½ t mace<br />
½ t turmeric<br />
1 egg<br />
pinch salt<br />
1 roll or a 6” piece of baguette cut to ½” dice<br />
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Put the milk, yeast and sugar in a bowl and let sit till it begins to bloom (around ½ hour)<br />
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Combine the flour, spiced and egg with salt. Add the milk mixture and knead till elastic. Add the diced bread and form into a roll – about 7-8” long and 2 ½ - 3 “ wide (it will double in width when you boil it). Let it raise 45 minutes and then boil in salted water for around 16 minutes (turning it with 2 big spoons midway). Place on a warm plate and keep warm. Slice.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cranberry Conserve</span></i><br />
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2 c cranberries<br />
¾ c sugar<br />
½ c juice (cherry, pomegranate or orange)<br />
½ cup port<br />
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Cook the cranberries with the sugar and liquids till softened. Cool and reserve<br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-48215682039585080442017-04-30T14:27:00.000-07:002018-06-04T12:41:21.984-07:00The Birth of Mediterranean Cuisine,Vincenzo Corrado and his Pine Nut Truffle Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Vincenzo Corrado lived for 100 years. Born in 1736, he was a cultured, elegant man who gained prominence as a chef for a prince who regularly fed a virtual legion of cosmopolitan guests in the Italian city of Naples.<br />
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We know of Corrado today because he was the first to write of what we now think of as ‘Mediterranean Cuisine’ in his <a href="https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb__Hov_shu2IgC#page/n3/mode/2up">The Gallant Cook</a> in 1773. The book would never have been written but for the encouragement of the Prince of Francavilla –– his flamboyant and discerning master. Francavilla wanted to share and celebrate his chef’s delicious and, as it turns out, healthy creations with the public. The book went through 6 editions from 1773 to 1806. His dishes were so ahead of their time ––– imagine shrimp on a mound of prosciutto drizzled with olive oil or squid stuffed with eel, anchovies, parsley and truffles with an olive oil lemon sauce! It’s simple, good food. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha75nlKIY5piC5WprXdpX42FDSdKdBO8WrTyJVCLyA_L851A_DiD_iMTo_rW41kIe-ZJeKIznF_QputN83r31PZ83cdqRfGyBY4MR0udzQDGdbiEfXUfUu7HcbGHsPkNgbXP6JkmmQp48/s1600/341px-Vegetariano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha75nlKIY5piC5WprXdpX42FDSdKdBO8WrTyJVCLyA_L851A_DiD_iMTo_rW41kIe-ZJeKIznF_QputN83r31PZ83cdqRfGyBY4MR0udzQDGdbiEfXUfUu7HcbGHsPkNgbXP6JkmmQp48/s320/341px-Vegetariano.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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He was ahead of his time for another reason –– Corrado also wrote a book about vegetarian cooking. It was called Pitagoric Food after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras">Pythagoras</a> (some legends portray Pythagoras as a vegetarian who subscribed to simple eating habits for health and for spiritual reasons –– he believed in re-incarnation). In <i>Cibo Pitagorico</i>, Corrado preached the benefits of vegetables over meat –for their flavor and for health. Corrado included some of the first recipes for tomatoes –– in a soup and with pasta and pizza (yes, pizza). He also wrote a treatise on potatoes. <br />
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Not to say that he neglected the culinary grand architectural presentations of the day, he could create edible spectacles with the best of them. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">18th century Naples </span></div>
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His route to his destiny was not an orthodox one. After his beginnings as a page in the court of <a href="http://madmonarchs.blogspot.com/2015/07/michele-imperiali-1719-82-prince-of.html">Don Michele Imperiali</a>, he went into the church and began studying math, astronomy and philosophy. Then he branched out to natural science and culinary arts. That’s where he found his passion. He never took his orders.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Palazzo Cellamare, Naples </span></div>
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The Prince of Francavilla gave him the title of <i>"Capo dei Servizi di Bocca"</i> – loosely translated as the ‘head of mouth services’ -- sort of the head taster or the court arbiter of taste/cuisine. He was in charge of the kitchens at the magnificent Palazzo Cellamare overlooking the bay of Naples that still stands today. This kept him busy, I would imagine. The Prince would entertain hundreds nearly every day at his rented palazzo filled with his highly valued art collection.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Giacomo Casanova (1725-98) </span></div>
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I discovered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Casanova">Giacomo Casanova’</a>s recollections of one of these parties on the <a href="http://madmonarchs.blogspot.com/2015/07/michele-imperiali-1719-82-prince-of.html">Mad Monarch’s site</a> "…the Prince led us to a pool beside the sea. A priest, Don Paolo Moccia, jumped stark naked into the water and without making any movement he floated like a pine plank. Next, Michele made all his pages dive into the pool together. These were boys of about 16 years old, as comely as cupids. On leaving the breasts of the waves almost simultaneously, they swam up under the public's eyes, "developing in strength and grace, and performing a thousand evolutions" It seems the Prince had an eye for the lads and these beauties were his “sweethearts”. Michele loved spectacle and set an impressive table. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Banquet at the Casa Nani alla Giudecca in Venice, 1755 </span></div>
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For such a gargantuan operation, the kitchen was run like that of a great hotel. Corrado said of his work there, "The abundance, variety and delicacy of food, its splendor and sumptuousness of the tables required a host of men of art, wise and honest." <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">TABLE illustration from Cuoco Galante --</span></div>
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In addition to the cooks who stewed and grilled, carved and sautéed, there were cooks for all the specialized stations of the kitchen – deployed in areas for the preparation of salads or for creating the fanciful pastries. There were also those who worked the gardens to supply the kitchens, people who cleaned it all up as well as an army of servers to present the feast to the guests. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Small table in an illustration from Cuoco Galante --</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Corrado wrote a good deal about his lavish presentations decorated with porcelain characters, vases of flowers, crystal and silver presentation dishes of 3 to 4 tiers overflowing with fruits and vegetables. There were bird cages full of chirping birds, and frames of flowers and fruit with tiny porcelain gardeners working at their citrus trees, complemented by priceless tableware – silver, china and crystal - the book gives suggestions on how to recreate some of his presentations for your own banquets<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">TABLE for 16</span></div>
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Corrado was fond of his patron and expressed a reverential deference for the lords and ladies that dined at his tables. The effulgent style of his master was no doubt influenced by his Spanish heritage that thrived under Neapolitan skies. The lord encouraged his kitchen artist to aspire to greatness, and Corrado was terribly grateful for the opportunity.<br />
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In the foreword he offers thanks to his beloved patron: <br />
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<i>"Questi due libri che del buon gusto trattano, con la guida e norma scrissi, e pur mercé la tua generosità mandai alle stampe, e Tu di propria mano ne segnasti il titolo il -Cuoco Galante- l'uno e il -Credenziere del Buon Gusto- l'altro, tutti e due a te li porgo come frutto di un albero dalla mano piantato... Mio Scopo egli è di richiamare alla memoria dei nobili uomini dei quali Tu fosti la gloria l'ornamento alla memoria e la lode. Ah? Ma qual Tu fosti non basterebbe di dire di cento e mille lingue, per cui io stimo meglio il tacere e con il silenzio benedire gli anni che ti fu appresso."</i><br />
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"These two books that deal with good taste, I wrote with guidance and the way I normally wrote and also thanks to your generosity I sent them to the printer and you with your own hand suggested the title "The - Gallant Cook" - the one and the "Purveyor of Good Taste" - the other, I offer both of them to you as the fruit of a tree planted by hand...my purpose is to bring noble men back to memory among whom you were the glory, the ornament to memory and the praise. Ah? What you were one hundred tongues or one thousand would not suffice, therefore I better regard my silence and with the silence to bless the years that I spent close to you."<br />
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What better way to introduce you to the delights of Corrado than his passage and recipes for <a href="https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb__Hov_shu2IgC#page/n151/mode/2up/search/tartufi">truffles</a>. As you can see, they are not recipes as we think of them, more suggestions of ingredient combinations:<br />
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<i>"I Tartufi sono di due specie bianchi, e neri; gli uni, e gli altri sono ottimi purché siano odoroti e fodi. Questi sono di maggior gusto de' Funghi, e di maggior condimento nelle vivande. Per condimento si usano come i Funghi. Servendoli soli si cuocono con oilio; pressemolo, aglio, pepe, acciughe, late di pignoli, e sugo di limone; o pure con butirro, pressemolo trito, e spezie, legati con parmegiano grattato e gialli d'uova. Si servono cotti in vino di Sciampagna e butirro sopra croste de pane fritto. Si fanno cuocere intieri sotto le ceneri calde, netti ed involti nella carta, e si servono in fette con butirro, olio, sale, pepe, e sugo di limone, o pure con salsa d'acciughe all'olio, Si conservano o in fette secche, o pure intieri nell'olio."</i><br />
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"There are two species of truffles, white and black. Both are excellent provided that they are fragrant and firm. Truffles taste better than mushrooms and provide better seasoning in cooking. For seasoning they are used like mushrooms. When served by themselves they are cooked in oil, parsley, pepper, anchovies, pine nut milk and lemon juice; or with butter, chopped parsley and spices, bound with grated parmigiano and egg yolk. They are served cooked in champagne and butter over crusts of fried bread. They are cooked whole under warm ashes, clean and wrapped in paper and they are served sliced with butter, oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice or with an oil-based anchovy sauce. They are kept (preserved) either sliced and dry or whole under oil." <br />
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I decided I would make the first sauce with pine nut milk, a brilliant ingredient I have never had before. If you are lucky enough to have a few truffles, you can make this on its own – a glorious plate of sliced truffles with a divine sauce. I had one from D'Artagnan and decided that it would be spectacular with asparagus – and it was. If you haven’t got truffles lying around, may I suggest sautéing the asparagus with truffle butter or oil and enjoying the sauce that way? You will thank chef Corrado most effusively for his inspired combination and wonder why you haven’t had it before.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVOhyphenhypheny2PdU7_fUSoQMlyOPBBZnAKZoIOZEhKjj7Xws7f8iLl8So-BJF1ya1-b_BMKoe6yGwCFeTCoYLspZ8wmSP98WgUmTPkTVl_M5dAwFk2vT1XEz87dPxTqIShjda1qIs_SLccmJNc/s1600/DSC_1099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVOhyphenhypheny2PdU7_fUSoQMlyOPBBZnAKZoIOZEhKjj7Xws7f8iLl8So-BJF1ya1-b_BMKoe6yGwCFeTCoYLspZ8wmSP98WgUmTPkTVl_M5dAwFk2vT1XEz87dPxTqIShjda1qIs_SLccmJNc/s400/DSC_1099.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Truffles with Pine Nut Sauce on Asparagus</span></i><br />
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Sautéed sliced Truffles (available from <a href="http://I had a few from D'Artagnan and wanted to play with them">Dartagnan</a> - summer or winter depending on season)<br />
Pine nut sauce<br />
Asparagus, steamed, roasted or sautéed<br />
<br />
¼ c pine nuts<br />
3-4 T water<br />
2 T chopped parsley<br />
½ t anchovies, chopped fine to taste<br />
2-3 t lemon juice to taste<br />
½ t pepper<br />
salt to taste<br />
<br />
sliced truffles<br />
oil or butter <br />
good gray salt<br />
<br />
asparagus<br />
<br />
Soak the pine nuts in water for a few hours or overnight. Drain and rinse and put in a blender with 2 T water, process, then add more till you get a creamy consistency.<br />
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Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the lemon juice and anchovies to taste. <br />
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Steam your asparagus for 6-7 minutes (or bake them at 400º for 10 minutes).<br />
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Warm the butter or oil, gently sauté the truffles for a few minutes and add the salt.<br />
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Place the asparagus on the plate, scatter the truffles over them and pour on the sauce. <br />
The flavors are so modern – belying the recipe’s centuries-old provenance.<br />
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<br />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-56672186749022020882017-02-23T17:05:00.000-08:002017-02-23T17:05:37.405-08:00Victoria, Francatelli, Crockford's Club and Quail à la Sefton<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRAXJ6ytfLmhRbIRkTycSwURpnbtJlp3oEJZj74jtqobNOjyiofrCk4AOqcBiuSWIp5mABQrXX5uwp3WP1x4NHusVFQw5OmqQNiHx9UKt_jxxoEmd-Lx_yxJBwlDbw0b57zeLsf91sNw/s1600/jenna-coleman-christmas-t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRAXJ6ytfLmhRbIRkTycSwURpnbtJlp3oEJZj74jtqobNOjyiofrCk4AOqcBiuSWIp5mABQrXX5uwp3WP1x4NHusVFQw5OmqQNiHx9UKt_jxxoEmd-Lx_yxJBwlDbw0b57zeLsf91sNw/s400/jenna-coleman-christmas-t.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Victoria and Albert Wedding</span></div>
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Have you been watching, the PBS series, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(TV%20series">Victoria</a> ?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWJjWU0N39ZAXwWytYIgVt-dVqdFMmomIkjuPEH0z5Wxxmgfk0smpOX_A0B5qfw-jo9CyR2CCO4R5irtdJXEmutXzN3hfyRBfzuujBGk39_QA87kCXp_nkZt3G61Cw2mWAkZcTMse-OQ/s1600/076d0d670feaa0d7452fcea50901c769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWJjWU0N39ZAXwWytYIgVt-dVqdFMmomIkjuPEH0z5Wxxmgfk0smpOX_A0B5qfw-jo9CyR2CCO4R5irtdJXEmutXzN3hfyRBfzuujBGk39_QA87kCXp_nkZt3G61Cw2mWAkZcTMse-OQ/s320/076d0d670feaa0d7452fcea50901c769.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The real Victoria and Albert wedding, 1840</span></div>
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</span>It is a real treat for the eyes with astonishing locations, voluptuous set dressing and costumes to die for. It’s a decent script with a now ubiquitous upstairs/downstairs story that includes a famous chef – Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805-76), in a fanciful, romantic below-stairs subplot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9qpQawG5Xjyq6_gEQkeyoZi4V2w2OP1Tku3AT2fBTAnBH3YM90bX-yI6idvHCaX0zG5Ds82-ghpveyjOu6cGmZt7oxMQ_wOLqkPZmPtiq0VAze8I03vAMiWDaDenI11Q-xgSZ-ma24Y/s1600/bombe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9qpQawG5Xjyq6_gEQkeyoZi4V2w2OP1Tku3AT2fBTAnBH3YM90bX-yI6idvHCaX0zG5Ds82-ghpveyjOu6cGmZt7oxMQ_wOLqkPZmPtiq0VAze8I03vAMiWDaDenI11Q-xgSZ-ma24Y/s320/bombe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">chocolate covered ice cream bombe</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Francatelli and Skerrett</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3NWYsUD-xkxL5AOT2j3BTIKAoF5xWLtCKUvGYwRijHtEcneh_O6gTamInX2xwE_gJwI30NVyWc9MjVccHOYrFX2MRPwbNKKCBIGbyZGD6fJr7giFga-LqEQVdrJIRKFJwB4HqkE9j8s/s1600/img11032_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3NWYsUD-xkxL5AOT2j3BTIKAoF5xWLtCKUvGYwRijHtEcneh_O6gTamInX2xwE_gJwI30NVyWc9MjVccHOYrFX2MRPwbNKKCBIGbyZGD6fJr7giFga-LqEQVdrJIRKFJwB4HqkE9j8s/s320/img11032_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Illustration from Francatelli’s The Modern Cook 1859</span></span></div>
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The fictional Francatelli (played by Ben Kingsley’s handsome son) is forever conjuring up faultlessly executed sugar confections for the royals and delicacies to impress Miss Skerrett, the ladies’ maid with the solid gold palate he is courting (the chocolate bombe scene is charming).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYwzfoYc_7YYZ93RjXOJYo8zi9gMHAZ1RGtwFBahhyphenhyphenBXvJYNvRrV2-yL57mCTg_mqwlqqtxKm_b8Y0xkXBR0sCluZ-S8dwe8sTtnepkykw7iljEVN3Et01KKoEulKMvBmCRO85TKWG58/s1600/franc_young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYwzfoYc_7YYZ93RjXOJYo8zi9gMHAZ1RGtwFBahhyphenhyphenBXvJYNvRrV2-yL57mCTg_mqwlqqtxKm_b8Y0xkXBR0sCluZ-S8dwe8sTtnepkykw7iljEVN3Et01KKoEulKMvBmCRO85TKWG58/s1600/franc_young.jpg" /></a></div>
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Francatelli (whose recipes I recreated <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2013/12/for-downton-starved-englands-lost.html">HERE</a>, <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-series-of-sauces-venison-with-sauce.html">HERE</a> and <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-new-york-academy-of-medicine.html">HERE</a>), was an English-born chef who studied in France. Although most of us are only familiar with him because of his association with Victoria, the truth is he only lasted at the palace for 2 years (a battle of wills with castle staff shortened his tenure there). </div>
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Before his royal appointment, he gained his reputation by cooking at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crockford's">Crockford’s</a> –– a gambling club famous for the amount of money that it siphoned from the upper classes and for its fine food that was almost as legendary for it’s quality and novelty—no one had done club food well until then. The whole environment was, at least in its first decade, <i>nonpareil</i> – the best customers, staff, appointments and food.</div>
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I must admit, I had no memory of Crockfords - it had slipped by me completely. I knew the<a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2015/08/londons-reform-club-and-soyers-famous.html"> Reform Club </a>well –– both Soyer and Francatelli manned the stoves at that venerable institution, but not Crockfords. As I began to research the club, I was astonished how famous the place had been for the 20 years of its existence (1828-48). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRJp5bdIsyTVNi9OgrQ3W0RONntkDRf2ZIcw9WevkNuLIk64A_ycTIpbFR9nRkBURIpmAjy6jr94Ws_Lmcv-xzxXv7QbdQ-U9lTGtkxkQqJg2rbi4ehPASnvQ0avjCTO4zXlizy8ZFf4/s1600/captain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMRJp5bdIsyTVNi9OgrQ3W0RONntkDRf2ZIcw9WevkNuLIk64A_ycTIpbFR9nRkBURIpmAjy6jr94Ws_Lmcv-xzxXv7QbdQ-U9lTGtkxkQqJg2rbi4ehPASnvQ0avjCTO4zXlizy8ZFf4/s320/captain.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rees Howell Gronow</span></div>
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Thanks to an article about it in the Smithsonian Magazine, I discovered a remarkable chronicler of the early 19th century. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rees_Howell_Gronow"> Rees Howell Gronow</a> (1794-1865) was a Welsh Grenadier, a crack shot, a well-dressed dandy and an Etonian classmate of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Bysshe_Shelley">Shelley</a>. His 2 volume<a href="https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rees+Howell+Gronow+%2C++Joseph+Grego%22"> <u><b>Reminiscences and Recollections of Captain Gronow</b></u></a> written in 1862, is rich with tales of all the celebrities and royals of the day (they are a fun read and there are 2 other recollections of London and Paris if you want a full, 19th century immersion). He shares their adventures as well as their stories and witticisms. His chapter on Crockfords began:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">William Crockford, 1828 (1775- 1844)</span></div>
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“In the reign of George IV, a new star rose upon the horizon in the person of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crockford">Mr. William Crockford</a> …. He built the well-known palace in St James’s Street, where a club was established and play organized on a scale of magnificence and liberality hitherto unknown in Europe. One may safely say, without exaggeration, that Crockford won the whole of the ready money of the then existing generation…in a few years, twelve hundred thousand pounds were swept away by the fortunate fishmonger.” <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Crockford gaming room</span></div>
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At one point Crockford was worth the equivalent of $160 million in today’s currency earned through a preternatural skill at calculating odds and the brilliant manipulation of his patron's financially fatal hubris. He developed an ingenious human inventory with an inheritance calendar noting the moment young aristocrats came into their fortune. From that moment, the mark would be expertly lured to Crockford's tables (usually to play the dice game called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazard_(game)">Hazard</a>). He would often soak much of their new money away before they knew what hit them. He liked his patrons young, rich and bored or war weary and in need of excitement. It has been said families are still recovering from the damage to the family fortune wrought at Crockfords.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Crockford gaming room</span></div>
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Gronow continued: “The members of the club included all the celebrities of England… and at the gay and festive board, which was constantly replenished from midnight to early dawn, the most brilliant sallies of wit, the most agreeable conversation, the most interesting anecdotes, interspersed with grave political discussions and acute logical reasoning on every conceivable subject, proceeded from the soldiers, scholars, statesmen, poets and men of pleasure, who, when … balls and parties at an end, delighted to finish the evening with a little supper and a good deal of hazard at old Crockey’s. The tone of the club was excellent. A most gentleman-like feeling prevailed, and none of the rudeness, familiarity, and ill-breeding which disgrace some of the minor clubs of the present day, would have been tolerated for a moment.”</div>
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But it wasn’t just the gambling. Where most gambling clubs of the day served gray plates of boiled meat and pallid cheeses to fortify the gamblers as they played through the night, in 1828 Crockford hired<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Eustache_Ude"> Louis Eustace Ude</a> (who had cooked for Louis XVI, for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Molyneux,_2nd_Earl_of_Sefton">2nd Earl of Sefton</a> and the Duke of York) to ply his well-healed clientele with the finest French food for an astronomical £2,000 a year (when a good cook made perhaps £20 a year). </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Louis Eustace Ude</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eustace Ude’s The French Cook, 1822 – a lavish table setting</span></div>
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Regency Mahagony wine cooler</div>
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</span>The gamblers could eat and drink all they wished all night long for free (giant tubs of French champagne were always at the ready -"not in bottles but in dozens ... the pride of <i>Rheims</i> and <i>Epernay</i>" -- the wine cellar held tens of thousands of bottles). Ude continued there for 10 years, at which time Francatelli took the reins for 2 years before his appointment to Queen Victoria’s kitchen.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Henry Luttrell</span></div>
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</span>In 1827, poet and renowned wit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Luttrell_(wit)">Henry Luttrell</a> wrote a 112 page poem in two cantos entitled <u><b><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9hkEEX8oKy8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=crockford+house+rhapsody&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3sZefkKfSAhVMzWMKHZI1DBEQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=crockford%20house%20rhapsody&f=false">Crockford House, A Rhapsody</a></b></u>. In it, he waxed poetic about the food – for many, many lines -- this is the beginning:<br />
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“Eyes were pleased, but Crockford, knew<br />
Stomachs claim their pleasures too;<br />
And that nine, at least, in ten,<br />
Dully polled, of moral men<br />
Think, no mater what the treat,<br />
‘Tis but fudge – unless they eat.<br />
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Hastening, having bribed the sight, <br />
To engage the appetite, <br />
First, he turned his conjuring book<br />
For a spell to raise a cook. <br />
Thrice invoked, an artist came,<br />
Not unworthy of the name;<br />
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One who with a hand of fire<br />
Struck the culinary lyre,<br />
And through all its compass ran”<br />
Taste and judgment marked the man:<br />
Ever various, ever new,<br />
Was this heav’n-born Cordon Bleu.<br />
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Next, he waved his golden wand.<br />
Earth and sea, at this command, <br />
Gave their choicest treasures up, <br />
That his customers might sup,<br />
And his judgment was, in this<br />
Clearly not so much amiss:<br />
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Thirst and hunger, as they say,<br />
Being mortal foes of Play.<br />
But as high celestial blood<br />
Reckons on ambrosial food,<br />
Every luxury was there<br />
Deemed (to borrow from Voltaire)<br />
<i>Superflu si necessaire</i>…”<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Earl of Sefton</span></div>
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Ude and then Francatelli set groaning boards of ever changing delights from midnight on to the early hours to stoke the player’s fires to play and spend. How to choose from such wonders? In the end, I decided to go to the last of my quails to make Ude’s Fillets à la Sefton to honor his generous patron (upon Sefton’s death, Ude received a bequest of 100 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_(coin)">guineas</a> p.a. – a bit over £100 a year, even though he hadn't worked for him for many years).<br />
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Ude honored Sefton well with this recipe. It is a very elegant dish and terribly good. This makes a wonderfully luxurious dinner and a fun presentation. Since it’s so rich, I think one full breast is fine per person, but you can double it if you want a lot more meat. I even found an early 19th century dish to serve them in to give you the flavor of the day. You can see why everyone thought life at Crockfords was heaven when you bite into this – and you don’t have to worry about gambling a fortune away to taste it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4quxIe1-XdbO_zKaeDsCxExjK_DYZPynAVbBqqi0izeiCykmRbzBumBQ_u0xinJ_Zsy6njHWBzhDRcYfRpV-QL4VaNf_Me87Gsx7JG-aRameuvWiYt8ZxrGIyC-2CFascjt8WTYAbpII/s1600/sefton+partridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4quxIe1-XdbO_zKaeDsCxExjK_DYZPynAVbBqqi0izeiCykmRbzBumBQ_u0xinJ_Zsy6njHWBzhDRcYfRpV-QL4VaNf_Me87Gsx7JG-aRameuvWiYt8ZxrGIyC-2CFascjt8WTYAbpII/s200/sefton+partridge.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Fillets of Quail à la Sefton</span></i><br />
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2 Dartagnan <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/french-quail/product/FQUMA010-1.html?cgid=poultry-game-birds&dwvar_FQUMA010-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FQUMA010C#start=7">French quail</a>, breasts removed – either 2 bone-in or 4 boneless pieces (save the rest of the bird and bones for stock)<br />
2 T Dartagnan <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=gourmet-pantry&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=5">black truffle butter</a><br />
1 <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/fresh-black-winter-truffle-tuber-melanosporum/product/MFBTF002-1.html?cgid=truffles-and-mushrooms&dwvar_MFBTF002-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-MFBTF002#start=3">black truffle from Dartagnan</a>, sliced and notched – reserving trimmings<br />
Sauce à la Lucullus<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Sauce à la Lucullus</span></i><br />
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2 ½ c stock (either game stock made from bones or chicken stock)<br />
1 slice of ham<br />
2 sprigs of parsley<br />
pinch of mace<br />
1 clove<br />
½ t thyme<br />
2 berries or ½ t allspice<br />
truffle trimmings<br />
2 mushrooms, chopped<br />
2 green onions<br />
small bay leaf<br />
truffle trimmings<br />
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2 T Dartagnan <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=gourmet-pantry&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=5">black truffle butter</a><br />
2 T flour<br />
1/3 c cream<br />
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Make the sauce by adding the seasoning to the stock and cook for 20 minutes then strain.<br />
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Take 1 cup and reduce it to a glaze and reserve (your should have around 3-4 T). <br />
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Put the butter in the pan and add the flour. Slowly add 2 c of the hot stock, stirring all the while. Add the cream. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes to ½ an hour (this does make a difference – I always used to make a velouté quickly but this adds more flavor and texture).<br />
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Cook the quail breasts in 2 T truffle butter till browned and cooked through. I left them on the bone but you can also make 4 – half breasts. Remove them and make a deep slice in each for the truffles. Keep warm in a warmed serving dish. <br />
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Put the truffles in the pan the quail was cooked in for a moment – don’t make them too thin or they will disintegrate. <br />
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Dip the truffles in the reserved glaze and place some in the cut in the quail. I then brushed the quail in the remaining glaze. <br />
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Pour the sauce around the quails and lay the other truffle slices in the dish.<br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-8937345195595911052017-02-03T09:28:00.000-08:002017-02-04T03:58:52.495-08:00The Country Housewife, Richard Bradley and Crisp Fried Quail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While noodling around on the <a href="http://www.staff.uni-giessen.de/gloning/kobu.htm">Thomas Gloning</a> antique cookbook site looking for a recipe, I discovered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bradley_(botanist)">Richard Bradley</a> and his book, <a href="https://archive.org/stream/countryhousewife00brad#page/n0/mode/2up">The Country Housewife and Lady´s Director</a> (1728 -32). It had many invaluable tips on food, housekeeping, health and gardening –– I loved it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A Gentleman of the 1720’s – there is no image of Bradley I could find</span></div>
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But once I started reading about Bradley, I couldn’t stop – such a fascinating man. My first stop was a piece on a wonderful site called <a href="http://www.britishfoodinamerica.com/A-Wintry-Number-featuring-Cambridge/the-lyrical/An-Appreciation-of-Richard-Bradley-and-in-an-unconventional-way-of-ketchup/#.WItwxbGZNqx">British Food in America</a>. It began as an article about Bradley’s unorthodox red bean ketchup but flowered into a lengthy tale about Mr. Bradley. The author must have been caught unawares as I was and just had to do more than the required cursory mention of the recipe’s author. After reading the article, I too wanted more. I read contemporary letters, articles and academic papers about him and was intrigued. The recipes are a blast too.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">From the History of the Royal Society w. Francis Bacon and King Charles, 1660</span></div>
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What sets him apart from the cookbook authors of the day is that he wasn’t a cook at all. No, he was a botanist! In the first years of the 18th century, botany was a favorite hobby of the upper classes with money enough for the education, travel and experimentation necessary to indulge their botanical pursuits. Poor Mr. Bradley was not rich but he was an inspired observer. He couldn’t afford a university education and found himself rather unfairly pilloried –– his fine accomplishments mocked by his lofty peers who thought it gauche that he had to make a living. It was thought a man without a proper education couldn’t best one that did – period. The <a href="http://sloaneletters.com/tag/richard-bradley/">Sloane Letters</a> quoted the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society"> Royal Society</a> about Bradley, complaining that, <i>“… his ignorance of Latin and Greek and his failure to perform his duties caused great scandal”</i><br />
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Fortunately, Bradley had a few esteemed patrons who admired his natural gifts and gave him helping hands that went so far as to arrange his acceptance into the Royal Society at 24 (extremely rare for an uneducated man). Men like collector <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Petiver">James Petiver</a> helped him to travel to the Netherlands with an introduction to a pioneer in the field of microbiology, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonie_van_Leeuwenhoek">Antonie van Leeuwenhoek </a> (a trip Bradley helped pay for by drawing bugs and pretending to be a physician), and the royal physician and owner of the vast collection that began the British Museum,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Sloane"> Hans Sloane</a>. Sloane got him a prestigious if unpaid posting to Cambridge University as the first professor of botany at the age of 36. Poor Bradley had to publish or perish and was, at the best of times, just a short scratch ahead of penury (he was forever borrowing money from his patrons and publishers - one of his letters began, <i>“Since the Unfortunate Affair in Kensington whereby I lost all my Substance, My Expectations and my friends”). </i><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Frontispiece for his book <a href="https://archive.org/details/newimprovements02bradgoog">New Improvements of Planting and Gardening, Both Philosophical and Practical</a></span></div>
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Publish he did, and Bradley came up with some fine work – most especially the theory that tiny “microscopic agents” transmitted disease in man, beast and plant. In 1721, Bradley wrote, <i>“we may learn, that all Pestilential Distempers, whether in animals or plants, are occasion’d by poisonous insects.”</i> It was revolutionary to postulate that the afflictions of all living things in the natural world were caused by microbes. The author of the <u>British Food in America</u> piece concluded, “In the estimation of the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, “he was an enterprising, open-minded naturalist who succeeded in disseminating his many and diverse thoughts on how plants and animals live and interact.”<br />
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It’s sad that John Martyn, a distinctly<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Salieri"> Salieri</a>-like successor to Bradley's Botany chair at Cambridge, successfully destroyed Bradley’s reputation (this information comes from Raymond Williamson’s, “John Martyn’) The slander was published in the infamous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grub_Street_Journal">Grub-Street Journal</a> - written mostly by hack writers of low character – like Martyn). Less talented but full of envy and vitriol, John Martyn penned numerous scurrilous tracts for the "Grub Street Journal" and took every opportunity to condemn Bradley’s work. Martyn accused Bradley of not teaching his classes, being too modern and not respecting the classics and especially not getting a botanic garden planted at Cambridge – making it hard for Martyn to teach botany properly. No mind that Bradley died young (only teaching for 6 years), or that during that time, Bradley diligently but unsuccessfully tried to secure private funds when the money for the garden he had been promised by Cambridge was not forthcoming. Martyn had money and taught for 29 years and didn’t get a garden built either – it was still all Bradley’s fault as far as he was concerned! <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Illustration of Bradley’s Kaleidoscope at work </span></div>
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Bradley accomplished much in his short life. He was an inventor (he came up with a simple kaleidoscope that was like a book that could be placed on a drawing and create marvelous designs – perfect for the baroque garden), he founded the first British horticultural periodical, "The General Treatise of Husbandry and Gardening" (1721-23), he was a pioneering epidemiologist and was one of the earliest subscribers to the concept of connectedness of nature, revealing <i>“ all Bodies have some Dependence upon one another; and that every distinct Part of Nature’s Works is necessary for the support of the Rest; and that if any one was wanting, all the Rest must be out of Order.”</i> For instance, he realized birds were friends to farmers, not pests as they ate the insects that ate the crops. He realized that that cover crops like clover can restore soil fertility. He thought about managing forests and believed in the concept of ecological diversity before there was a name for it. His way of thinking paved the way for the field of ecology.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Country Housewife Frontispiece </span></div>
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This holistic approach came across in <u>The Country Housewife</u>. Part I is devoted to seasonal foods and recipes but also had observations on farming and animals –– the book was addressed to the women of the house: </div>
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<i>"The Reason which induces me to address the falling Piece to the Fair Sex, is, because the principal Matters contained in it are within the Liberty of the Province, The Art of Oeconomy is divided as Xenophon tells us, between the Men and the Women; the Men have the most dangerous and laborious Share of it in the Fields, and without doors, and the Women have the Care and Management of every Business within doors, and to see after the good ordering of whatever is belonging to the house."</i></div>
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Part II had more new reader’s suggestions for more recipes. He gives advice on planting and even bees but his recipes for “<i>flesh, fish, fowl, fruit and Herbs, which are the Productions of a Farm, or from any Foreign Parts</i>” are quite something. He also explains <i>“the other Reason which as induced me to publish this Piece is, the Difficulties I have undergone in my Travels, when I have met with good provisions, in many Places in England, which have been murder’d in the dressing”</i>. He hoped that it would “<i>improve the Ignorant, and remind the Learned how and when to make the best of every thing: which may be a means of providing every one with a tolerable Entertainment founded upon practice and Fashion; which can never fail of Followers, and of making us fare much better upon the Roads in the Country than we were used to do.”</i> See, he was also quite modern in his belief that you should not adulterate a quality ingredient and that foods had optimal seasons that varied from place to place.<br />
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The book begins with January and a treatise on the physical characteristics of all varieties of pigeons from Barbary to Carrier to Turbit and concludes with some fine recipes for the little birds. February is about the fowl and bird eggs and what to do with them but then gives soup recipes and even one for orange wine. March is fish but also includes a long piece on brewing. You get the idea. Bradley was a polymath with varied interests that he felt would instruct and inform a susceptible lady of the house (and the man of the house as well). The book is 428 pages long and I recommend it for things like marigold or sage cheese, gooseberry wine, Usquebaugh, spirit of lily of the valley, beet-green tart and dozens of recipes for game birds. <br />
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Although I don’t have a pigeon today, I do have <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/french-quail/product/FQUMA010-1.html?cgid=quail&dwvar_FQUMA010-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FQUMA010C#start=4">D’Artagnan’s French Quails</a> and I wanted to make one of Bradley's many bird recipes –– one stuck out particularly. </div>
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After poaching in aromatic stock, the bird is breaded and fried -- it's a great dish. The meat is tender and juicy and so flavorful and that poaching stock is just heaven. Do yourself a favor and look through his book -- you will be surprised by how many fine recipes reside there. For you gardeners, his other books are available online and are interesting reading. </div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Another Way of Dressing Quail, serves 2</i></span><br />
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2 <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/french-quail/product/FQUMA010-1.html?cgid=quail&dwvar_FQUMA010-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FQUMA010C#start=4">French quail</a> <br />
1 piece bacon, chopped <br />
a sprig of parsley <br />
a sprig of basil <br />
3 sprigs marjoram <br />
a few slices of onion about the size of your thumb <br />
4 cloves <br />
S&P <br />
4 c stock (I saved up my game bird carcasses and made a small batch of stock -- it is superb)<br />
1 T verjuice or 1 t of vinegar or more to taste – it’s just a suggestion not sour. <br />
Egg, beaten <br />
Bread crumbs (about 1 c) <br />
Lard or duck fat (you can deep-fry if you have enough fat, otherwise, a 6 tablespoons should do it.<br />
Parsley for frying <br />
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Take the quail, stuff them with the bacon and herbs and the onion stuck with cloves and salt and pepper the bird inside and out Truss the legs to keep them together. Add the verjuice to the stock and heat to a low boil. Put the quail in and cover. Cook at a medium low heat for about 20 minutes covered (internal temperature around 150º or so.<br />
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Remove when done and allow to cool somewhat. Strain the stock and while the birds fry, reduce it somewhat to use for dipping – it is excellent. Heat the oil till hot – around 350º. Roll in the birds in the egg and then bread crumbs (I would roll in flour first, then egg then crumbs to make it adhere better). </div>
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Place the birds in the fat. Cook, turning till brown (if deep-frying, make sure the top is covered or turn in the fat. Remove from the fat and drain on paper towels. Serve the birds with fried parsley and the reserved and reduced cooking stock for dipping. <br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-31264984595851159472016-12-25T16:55:00.000-08:002016-12-25T16:55:22.143-08:00Gawain and the Green Knight and Canelyne Beef Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Winter ‘tis the season most in need of myth and merriment (this year more than ever –– 2016, annus horribilis). What better way to celebrate it than with the seasonal tale of <u>Gawain and the Green Knight </u>– you have magic, castles, handsome knights, beautiful ladies to cheer you up.<br />
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The tale was written at the end of the 14th century by an unknown author who became known as the ‘Pearl Poet’ or ‘Gawain Poet’ (the original Cotton Nero A.x. manuscript is kept in the British Library, part of the remarkable <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Robert_Cotton,_1st_Baronet,_of_Connington">Robert Cotton Collection</a> –– the notations refer to the placement of the works in Cotton’s original library). Gawain was a particular favorite of J.R.R. Tolkien who worked on the manuscript and put out his own edition in the 1920’s (he was a professor of Anglo-Saxon after all at Oxford).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">King Arthur at his round table,14th c</span></div>
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The story commences at Christmastime in Camelot where the court is giving gifts and awaiting the feast that is to come (we discover the Christmas party lasts for 15 days from Christmas Eve through mid-January). We already know of the round table that was created to keep the knights on equal footing with the king so there were no cheap seats, but what might Camelot have looked like at the time of Arthur, or the time of the author of Gawain for that matter.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Burgh Castle </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Portchester Castle</span></div>
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</span>Buildings of 400-500 AD are few and far between in Great Britain (one story says the search for the Grail had to begin 453 years after the resurrection of Jesus so that puts Arthur right around the end of the 5th century). Many buildings just crumbled into dust or were cannibalized – serving as quarries for newer structures. Most remain as ruins that have been absorbed by newer construction. Burgh Castle and Portchester Castle have 12th century additions on Roman walls but retain a lot of the character of the earlier buildings.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Arthur tapestry,14th c</span></div>
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One can imagine that Arthur’s castle must have resembled these structures with the round towers and Roman stonework although they could have had wooden structures within stone walls at that point. Since Arthurian legend was not developed until 500 years or more after Arthur was long in his tomb, I imagine the descriptions of the French V<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vulgate-cycle">ulgate Cycle</a> romances most likely resemble the author's own contemporary structures as they tell Arthur’s story –– many Medieval and Renaissance works of art depicting ancient times have the characters wearing contemporary dress in contemporary surroundings. As described, Camelot's towers, bridges and gates, a main courtyard, bedrooms and feasting chambers would have been familiar to 14th century readers.<br />
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When I think of real Medieval English castles, I always think of the 12th century's Dover Castle. A great English block of a building – made to withstand centuries of assaults, it was built on an earlier Roman fort (an 80’ tall Roman lighthouse still stands on the property). This feels like a good set for my Gawain.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle <a href="http://alexanderhuebner.deviantart.com/">Huebner photo</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle</span></div>
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Its rooms give a clue as to what Arthur’s castle may have looked like on the inside with stonewalls covered in recreations of period tapestries and hangings (the rooms were redone in 2009 at a cost of £2.5 million pounds and the work of 140 artists who made furniture, textiles and over 400 feet of wall hangings with some success).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle <a href="http://alexanderhuebner.deviantart.com/">Huebner photo</a></span></div>
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After an introduction that speaks of Troy and the beginning of Britain, <u>Gawain and the Green Knight</u> begins to spin the tale – see if you can read the original:<br />
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<i>Þis kyng lay at Camylot vpon Krystmasse <br />With mony luflych lorde, ledez of þe best, <br />Rekenly of þe Rounde Table alle þo rich breþer, <br />With rych reuel oryȝt and rechles merþes. <br />Þer tournayed tulkes by tymez ful mony, <br />Justed ful jolilé þise gentyle kniȝtes, <br />Syþen kayred to þe court caroles to make. <br />For þer þe fest watz ilyche ful fiften dayes, <br />With alle þe mete and þe mirþe þat men couþe avyse; <br />Such glaum ande gle glorious to here, <br />Dere dyn vpon day, daunsyng on nyȝtes, <br />Al watz hap vpon heȝe in hallez and chambrez <br />With lordez and ladies, as leuest him þoȝt. <br />With all þe wele of þe worlde þay woned þer samen, <br />Þe most kyd knyȝtez vnder Krystes seluen, <br />And þe louelokkest ladies þat euer lif haden, <br />And he þe comlokest kyng þat þe court haldes; <br />For al watz þis fayre folk in her first age, <br />on sille, <br />Þe hapnest vnder heuen, <br />Kyng hyȝest mon of wylle; <br />Hit were now gret nye to neuen <br />So hardy a here on hille.</i> (Original text Cotton manuscript) <br />
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This king lay at Camelot nigh on Christmas <br />
with many lovely lords, of leaders the best, <br />
reckoning of the Round Table all the rich brethren, <br />
with right ripe revel and reckless mirth. <br />
There tourneyed tykes by times full many, <br />
jousted full jollily these gentle knights, <br />
then carried to court, their carols to make. <br />
For there the feast was alike full fifteen days, <br />
with all the meat and mirth men could devise: <br />
such clamour and glee glorious to hear, <br />
dear din in the daylight, dancing of nights; <br />
all was happiness high in halls and chambers <br />
with lords and ladies, as liked them all best. <br />
With all that’s well in the world were they together, <br />
the knights best known under the Christ Himself, <br />
and the loveliest ladies that ever life honoured, <br />
and he the comeliest king that the court rules.<br />
For all were fair folk and in their first age <br />
still, <br />
the happiest under heaven, <br />
king noblest in his will; <br />
that it were hard to reckon <br />
so hardy a host on hill." (A.S. Kline translation) <br />
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In the midst of a Christmas party, a green knight appears and challenges the knights: <br />
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“…there hales in at the hall door a dreadful man, <br />
the most in the world’s mould of measure high, <br />
from the nape to the waist so swart and so thick, <br />
and his loins and his limbs so long and so great <br />
half giant on earth I think now that he was; <br />
but the most of man anyway I mean him to be, <br />
and that the finest in his greatness that might ride, <br />
for of back and breast though his body was strong, <br />
both his belly and waist were worthily small, <br />
and his features all followed his form made <br />
and clean.<br />
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Wonder at his hue men displayed, <br />
set in his semblance seen; <br />
he fared as a giant were made, <br />
and over all deepest green.” <br />
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He is beautifully dressed yet with no armor, carrying a giant ax and a holly bough and is leading a “green as the grass and greener” horse. He comes to the party requesting a Christmas gift. He will not fight the assembly because they are all too young and not a match for his prowess and strength but instead proposes someone use his ax to strike him and then be ready to accept the same fate 1 year later. Gawain accepts and cuts the knight’s head off in one blow-- but the knight does not die!! <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The headless knight from original manuscript</span></div>
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The green knight picks his own head up, mounts his green horse and his disconnected head mouths the words reminding Gawain of their bargain -- they must meet in the Green Chapel in a year. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gawaine from original manuscript</span></div>
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When a year has past, Gawain dutifully begins his journey to the chapel to fulfill his promise to the Green Knight. After many adventures along the way, he stops at a castle of Lord Bertilak and his wife and an elderly lady who live close to the chapel. He convinces Gawain to stay for a few days. Bertilak says that he will go out hunting and whatever he gets he will give to Gawain in exchange for whatever Gawain has received that day in his house. It is an odd bargain but Gawain agrees – and it gets curiouser and curiouser.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gawain and Lady Bertilak from the original manuscript </span></div>
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Bertilak’s wife tries to seduce him for three nights, and each time he politely refuses, allowing only one kiss the first night, then two the second which Gawain dutifully gives Sir Bertilak upon his return to the house. On the 3rd day however, the lady gives 3 kisses and a belt that she says will protect Gawain from harm. Gawain gives Bertilak the kisses but keeps the belt.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle bedchamber,</span><a href="http://alexanderhuebner.deviantart.com/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Huebner photo</span></a></div>
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Gawain goes to the chapel with the magic belt and the green knight feints his ax blow twice to test Gawain who flinches the first time but then steels himself. The green knight then strikes Gawain but only slightly wounds him. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Green Knight from the original manuscript </span></div>
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It is then he reveals he is really Lord Bertilak de Hautdesert and the old lady was in fact Arthur’s magical sister, Morgan le Fay. It is she who has enchanted Bertilak, devising the adventure to frighten Guinevere. Both men part cordially and Gawain keeps the belt to remind him to be honest and not to cheat on a promise to save his neck. It’s a good lesson for an honorable knight and a fitting ending to a chivalric quest tale. <br />
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Now that the tale is told, you may ask, how did they eat??? Gawain’s meal at Bertilak’s castle is sumptuous: <br />
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“And he sat on that settle seemly and rich, <br />
and chafed himself closely, and then his cheer mended. <br />
Straightway a table on trestles was set up full fair, <br />
clad with a clean cloth that clear white showed, <br />
the salt-cellars, napkins and silvered spoons. <br />
The knight washed at his will, and went to his meat. <br />
Servants him served seemly enough <br />
with several soups, seasoned of the best, <br />
double bowlfuls, as fitting, and all kinds of fish, <br />
some baked in bread, some browned on the coals, <br />
some seethed, some in stews savoured with spices, <br />
and sauces ever so subtle that the knight liked.”<br />
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Sadly, I have discovered that there is a dearth of knowledge about dining in England before the Norman Conquest. What we know of European recipes of the time isn’t much better but thanks to the <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2011/10/apicius-sala-cattabia-apiciana-chicken.html">Apician collection</a> of recipes and a bit from <a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-patrick-gold-and-best-medieval-beef.html">Anthimus</a> (a Byzantine in the court of Theodoric in the 6th century), we know that the Roman traditions lived on past the fall of the Roman Empire in Europe. We can imagine the Roman recipes lived on in England as well, up to a point. When we once again find real recipes in collections like the late 14th century<u><a href="http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2013/01/ye-very-olde-sauce-madame-for-duck.html"> Forme of Cury</a></u>, we can have a pretty splendid idea how the author of<u> Gawain and the Green Knight</u> might have eaten if he had a bit of gold in his purse. <br />
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I was recently given a charming book on Medieval food called <b><u><a href="https://www.blogger.com/(https://www.amazon.com/dp/080760898X/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=">Fabulous Feasts</a></u></b> by Madeleine Pelner Cosman. It’s a fun read and covers the pomp and ceremony of Medieval dining as well as its food. It is also scrupulously researched with 12 pages of readings covering enormous ground (everything from records of food legislation to coroner’s rolls). The author lists original manuscripts as well as scholarly publications but notes they are a fraction of the total that she poured over (she said she looked at 800 recipes just for one chapter). It’s a lovely book but I do wish she gave the originals or at least the original source (she lists the manuscripts at the end but the recipes aren’t connected). I would like to see if there are any exotic ingredients that were left out (the book is 18 years old and resources have improved dramatically). As it is, salt and pepper aren’t mentioned and I put them in. I also increased the amount of liquid… it wasn’t enough for the sauce which was too thick as written – even if it was very good. <br />
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Dover Castle Kitchen gives you an idea of a medieval kitchen – you can imagine the feast being prepared here.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle Privy Kitchen, <a href="http://alexanderhuebner.deviantart.com/">Huebner photo</a> </span></div>
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Dover castle’s guest hall is set up to much like the description in the poem (although I wonder that a table would be set directly in front of a fire in winter – they would have been well done at the end of the meal).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dover Castle Guest hall Photo by Michael Garlick</span> </div>
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How and with what was the table set? Cosman describes the traditional table quite precisely in her book: <br />
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“Upon the table a white cloth, covered with and overcloth called a sanap, was background for few table adornments and less cutlery. A salt, an open embellished container, stood before the seat of the most honored – thus the others sat “below the salt”. <br />
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“One type of saltcellar more popular on the continent than in England was the boat-shaped nef whose often elaborate rigging and jewel encrusted boat made it more ornament than utensil.” <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">French Nefs (salt cellars) 1400</span></div>
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“Table fountains, either on the main tables or more centrally situated in the hall, spouted wines of fragrant waters. The more complex their pipings, the more varieties of drinks they served front their turrets, spigots and sculptured terminals.” <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1320 table fountain (only about 12” high, it would have had a large basin beneath it). </span></div>
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“Goblets or tankards made of glass or metal, or double cups called hanaps – in which the cup’s cover itself was another cup –– were used for drinking. So too was transparent crystal stemware. Mazers were bowls, sometime footed, used as drinking vessels. Wooden, porcelain, glass or metal, the mazers often had elaborate rim embellishments. Both open and covered pitchers and flagons with decorated finials and handles were used to pour wine, ale, and mulled ciders…. “ <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> 13th c cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1225 standing cup, Belgian </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1450<i> hanup</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">500-1000 golden mazer </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Medieval wooden Mazer </span></div>
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“Silver or gold spoons and a few sharp knives completed the table settings. Guests often carried their own knives, encased with other necessaries such as a pair or scissors or a file, in a chatelaine….” <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">15c belt and pouch </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">14th c silver spoon</span></div>
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“Individual plates at place settings were only rarely used. Food conveyed from kitchen to table on serving platters called chargers –– such as the 12 silver dishes set before Sir Gawain – were selected by guests and then placed before them upon large slices of bread, round in shape or, more usually, square, called trenchers. Often colored and spices green with parsley, or yellow with saffron, or pink with saunders, trenchers serve as edible platters.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry Janvie</i>r, 1412-16</span></div>
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After much deliberation over which of the book’s recipes to make (parsley bread, chicken stuffed with lentils and cherries or stuffed with cardamom-scented nuts, raisins and apples and gilded with saffron-colored egg, a stuffed date dessert and a brie tart), I decided on a pie. This Canelyn pie is remarkable – I loved the cranberry base of the pie. I made a small version and halved the ingredients. Since I couldn’t see the original, I made a few changes. I would advise a bit more liquid inside the pie (8-10 T instead of 7). I also thought this could be great with leftovers with a few changes – cook the beef trimmings to get the flavor and for browning for the sauce, remove them and then toss the rare cubed cooked beef left-over from a roast in the dish – or start from scratch as in the original. The pie isn’t bad as a cold snack, btw – a kind of mincemeat but with cranberries. <br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Canelyne Beef Pie</span></i> <br />
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1 pound lean beef cut in small cubes (anything from beef tenderloin to stew meat – but marbled is best because it doesn’t have a long cooking time)** <br />
2 T oil <br />
2/3 c boiling water (I think 1 cup is better for enough sauce) <br />
1 T cinnamon <br />
½ t nutmeg <br />
¼ t thyme <br />
¼ t sage <br />
9’ pastry shell and lid <br />
1 c raw bogberries (a close relative to cranberries which is what I used) <br />
2 T honey <br />
2/3 c currants <br />
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(although the recipe did not mention salt or pepper, I added a both to taste) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSSWuXRg1RdAxdSlci6CNo_wPHl0f2j4kl32zEmzUWAKmL0sPnAMjL6K4UIWwXPaR0aJjjeRVbtbbym7_rztzHMisVKOJFDx9CX7Ya6ph8LWWDLdOyRHh5Znw3yYsDE9b-hr1uLfRzlg/s1600/DSC_0954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUSSWuXRg1RdAxdSlci6CNo_wPHl0f2j4kl32zEmzUWAKmL0sPnAMjL6K4UIWwXPaR0aJjjeRVbtbbym7_rztzHMisVKOJFDx9CX7Ya6ph8LWWDLdOyRHh5Znw3yYsDE9b-hr1uLfRzlg/s320/DSC_0954.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Garnish </i></span><br />
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“Cinnamon sugar” (1 t sugar to ½ t cinnamon) <br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Sauce</i></span> <br />
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½ c ground almonds <br />
½ c dry white wine (again, you might want a bit more – the almonds really soak up the liquid) <br />
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Sauté meat in the oil till somewhat browned. <br />
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Dissolve cinnamon nutmeg, thyme and sage in boiling water. Add to meat and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Remove meat and reserve liquid. <br />
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Preheat oven to 425º </div>
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Line the pastry shell with cranberries and drizzle honey over them and sprinkle with currants. Put meat pieces over the top and add 7 T of the reserved cooking liquid (I think a bit more is good). <br />
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Cover with the lid and pierce top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes <br />
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Add almonds and white wine to remaining cinnamon meat broth and simmer very gently 7 minutes – you may want to add a bit more water or wine as the sauce thickens considerably to a paste. Serve with pie. <br />
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*** If you are using leftover beef, I recommend saving the trimmings and sautéing them for color and simmering them for flavor for the sauce, then removing them -- quickly tossing cubed leftover beef in the liquid and proceeding with the recipe. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012J1S126/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B012J1S126&linkCode=as2&tag=lostpastremem-20&linkId=7fb838bb866cc52b2cbd372653dd8c77" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&MarketPlace=US&ASIN=B012J1S126&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL250_&tag=lostpastremem-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lostpastremem-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B012J1S126" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012J1S126/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B012J1S126&linkCode=as2&tag=lostpastremem-20&linkId=a777eedde13adb33cd9683a10bdd184a" target="_blank">Fabulous Feasts: Mediaeval Cookery and Ceremony (Medieval Cookery and Ceremony) by Madeleine Pelner Cosman (1-Jan-1999) Paperback</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=lostpastremem-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B012J1S126" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-84500256245517837632016-12-05T14:51:00.001-08:002016-12-12T15:33:40.852-08:00Lady Clark's Cookbook, Game Custards and Indian Tarts<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciBnWef5b1wzrl6JUGgzvgqECBt6NGOI9Ok8PnsYNGBFInIrkv2gn6mAR3L7X3zAqsjRNv36XsvYN_zCXnAzl1UwWWioLz6nZiWuHZk43mPg78D-GTFBUFG1XPwABqMDTJVFUHeRQX0M/s1600/Old-Photograph-Tillypronie-House-Scotland-670x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciBnWef5b1wzrl6JUGgzvgqECBt6NGOI9Ok8PnsYNGBFInIrkv2gn6mAR3L7X3zAqsjRNv36XsvYN_zCXnAzl1UwWWioLz6nZiWuHZk43mPg78D-GTFBUFG1XPwABqMDTJVFUHeRQX0M/s400/Old-Photograph-Tillypronie-House-Scotland-670x360.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tillipronie House (probably early 20th c photo)</span></div>
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How many of you are recipe addicts? Join the club. For me, it started innocently enough, just clipping out a few recipes here and there from magazines. Next came cookbooks –– one here, one there, a gift or two. The next thing I knew I had giant bookcases filled with cookbooks and later more cases, positively crammed with books about food and cooking and history. I began transferring favorite recipes to notebooks, written in longhand so I could take them with me when I did dinners with friends. I asked for recipes at dinner parties, made notes about interesting combinations at restaurants all over the world and then tried to make the dishes at home. I’ve now been doing this most of my life – I still collect recipes. Once you start it’s hard to stop. Now I can collect digitally and not take up any more shelf space (unless it is absolutely necessary to buy an out-of-print delight).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsNSGHZmqjdR1LKo0l6t_I_2fhMIaHSN-M6AnlYS8iFu-sbHAKHr-R4QTbmrYQ2pyPSMwCiyh86iMEdecltz3k4B1g-2h2PV06vKywMNpVVjIWXNmyv80xuJMOTt6JK79mLOdJvjB2j8/s1600/The_Cookery_Book_of_Lady_Clark_of_Tillypronie_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsNSGHZmqjdR1LKo0l6t_I_2fhMIaHSN-M6AnlYS8iFu-sbHAKHr-R4QTbmrYQ2pyPSMwCiyh86iMEdecltz3k4B1g-2h2PV06vKywMNpVVjIWXNmyv80xuJMOTt6JK79mLOdJvjB2j8/s320/The_Cookery_Book_of_Lady_Clark_of_Tillypronie_cover.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The cover color was chosen to match the fall leaves of a favorite tree outside Tillypronie</span></div>
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One of the great English cookbooks you’ve probably never heard of comes from a kindred magpie spirit – a fellow collector of recipes. Elizabeth David thought <u>The Cookery Book of Lady Clark of Tillypronie</u> (available <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89041978784;view=1up;seq=9">HERE</a>) was divine and Virginia Wolfe reviewed it warmly when it debuted in 1909 (“Independently of the knowledge they convey, cookery books such as [Lady Clark’s] are delightful to read... A charming directness stamps them, with their imperative 'Take an uncooked fowl and split its skin from end to end' and their massive commonsense which stares frivolity out of countenance"”). Lady Clark collected her treasures between 1841 and her death in 1897. I can’ t help but think I would have liked her.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2pDZqjMyuGKJbuhD_pEo1hfzmhcltfS0c44sKuToa32cId5C7LbGW7jlrV6KxM7sELYXF2m5uXxoCGjvAC-NsZCS-ukmaKDeFERWGB4QnlNjDurLVJ3-S-1f5RCN9XgHNyJriqbm3x0/s1600/luke-honey-View+of+London+-+1+%25282%2529_main_635997727796091338_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2pDZqjMyuGKJbuhD_pEo1hfzmhcltfS0c44sKuToa32cId5C7LbGW7jlrV6KxM7sELYXF2m5uXxoCGjvAC-NsZCS-ukmaKDeFERWGB4QnlNjDurLVJ3-S-1f5RCN9XgHNyJriqbm3x0/s320/luke-honey-View+of+London+-+1+%25282%2529_main_635997727796091338_large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1840 London</span></div>
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Lady Clark, née Charlotte Coltman, was born in 1824 although the date of her birth is incorrectly given as 1851 in most internet sources. 1851 was in fact the date of her marriage to John Clark. It was an auspicious time to be born in just the right family for an English woman who loved food and collected recipes with a passion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkrdSAtPqYOItmTZPfk6j254yJB1hyphenhyphenfjTvDw4xncMRCUr6RHzCUUFVZHjYCyv1Da7vhXyWKKlxqMxtwy3eeZl2sNsV_JCZCPuvXgfC2WRoDJ9_5D7W3F_5VGWjEDZ9D4K-rbksj-aLPk/s1600/1846+daguerrotype.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkrdSAtPqYOItmTZPfk6j254yJB1hyphenhyphenfjTvDw4xncMRCUr6RHzCUUFVZHjYCyv1Da7vhXyWKKlxqMxtwy3eeZl2sNsV_JCZCPuvXgfC2WRoDJ9_5D7W3F_5VGWjEDZ9D4K-rbksj-aLPk/s400/1846+daguerrotype.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Paris, 1846</span></div>
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Her husband explained, “How she originally came to be so interested in them was that her father, Mr. Justice Coltman, had been in early life intimately acquainted with some of the leading émigrés of the First –– great –– French Revolution, and acquired from living a good deal with them, a considerable knowledge and appreciation of the French cuisine, them as now, –– even perhaps more than now –– so superior to our own…”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcr6Y_iEzP5bKT5XxGulO-uUpJCn54otKHJ1rbQSSsWCU4yPQiqYaslOz4VEvNXfceKjwTe7eQAvI5qg-oEEB42wJX9NZ5PeRpKdxJbs93NApkRpMSbM5caX1wVV-Iy-lNxJxrQeI0s0/s1600/1843+fox+talbot+rue+de+la+Paix+et+boul.+des+Capucines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcr6Y_iEzP5bKT5XxGulO-uUpJCn54otKHJ1rbQSSsWCU4yPQiqYaslOz4VEvNXfceKjwTe7eQAvI5qg-oEEB42wJX9NZ5PeRpKdxJbs93NApkRpMSbM5caX1wVV-Iy-lNxJxrQeI0s0/s320/1843+fox+talbot+rue+de+la+Paix+et+boul.+des+Capucines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Paris 1843 (Fox Talbot) </span></div>
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Much traveling to the Continent with her parents awakened her interest in European cuisine and her marriage in 1851 to Sir John Clark further increased the breadth of her knowledge and experience with fine food (he was in the diplomatic service in Paris, Brussels and Turin). Her husband also credited two of their talented cooks (one French and the other Italian) for generously sharing their recipes to further expand his wife’s culinary horizons -- “when any dish interested her…” she would “cross-examine the artist the next day, who, perceiving the intelligent appreciation she evinced in this art, rarely failed to give her the best of his knowledge and experience. In the forty years of our subsequent home life in London, Birk Hall, Bagshot Park and here, she pursued, when opportunity offered, the same system; and what constitutes the value of these recipes is that by far the greater number of them were taken down directly from the lips of the artists themselves under her own acute cross-examination.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX_eMbvgMblINfonuZAP95PR40OZQZye-7phNOrBoZ1XtFmcigdIFyxYDijDE1ldjkzMJ2ssJmRHWYBcoMzH-zHIxwu4milqna3tvd36rDcpZox-mo2iWyHnoid_R0SjSp2veVBhoNFA/s1600/palais+royale+1839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWX_eMbvgMblINfonuZAP95PR40OZQZye-7phNOrBoZ1XtFmcigdIFyxYDijDE1ldjkzMJ2ssJmRHWYBcoMzH-zHIxwu4milqna3tvd36rDcpZox-mo2iWyHnoid_R0SjSp2veVBhoNFA/s320/palais+royale+1839.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Palais Royale, 1839</span></i></div>
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Her nephew said, “She remembered every book she ever read and every person she ever met” and her husband recalled “…her mastery of her two departments, housekeeping and the library –– the latter of which was always kept abreast of the time with the newest foreign as well as English books; her brilliant and lively wit; the truth and power of her friendship; her entertaining letters and throughout her exceptionally quiet and undemonstrative life even her best friends did not know the whole of her, nor the half.” After reading this, my regret about the book was that it didn't share the letters or journals of this extraordinary woman who was, it seems, loved and respected by all. I would have liked to know more about her.<br />
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None of her delightful work would have ever come to light had it not been for her loving husband who just couldn’t let all her recipes, and the memories of a lifetime together enjoying them, dissolve into the mist. After her death, Sir John asked a writer named Catharine Frances Frere to be Charlotte’s amanuensis and wrangle 16 books covering 50 years and nearly 3000 pages into a manageable form:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH6AMQASR0EYrIrQiYUEy5-NXpDgfkLwqyrBilGnD8THpAkKNaNhdUYeNrr29eU6N54tAyH-3pJLkwKTurlRzHuxDD4dhZV3pHvkbkYW99jjr5o1W0WONNceSe1MEPgIH1173MwdUZs4/s1600/fox+talbot+paris+1843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOH6AMQASR0EYrIrQiYUEy5-NXpDgfkLwqyrBilGnD8THpAkKNaNhdUYeNrr29eU6N54tAyH-3pJLkwKTurlRzHuxDD4dhZV3pHvkbkYW99jjr5o1W0WONNceSe1MEPgIH1173MwdUZs4/s320/fox+talbot+paris+1843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fox-Talbot Paris 1843</span></div>
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“ I have asked you to stand sponsor for the publication of a selection from a number of cookery and household recipes, collected by my late wife – this for two reasons, firstly because I know you to be yourself not a little interested and versed in the science of Brillat-Savarin and secondly, and mainly, because, from your intimate acquaintance with her for many years you can bear testimony to her having been, not the mere "housewife" on culinary things intent, but an exceptionally widely-read woman, gifted with fine literary taste and judgment, a singularly retentive and accurate memory, and great conversational powers, never degraded to mere culinary talk – which she particularly disliked! In fact, a cultivated and accomplished woman with many other and larger interests than such as are indicated by the collection of these recipes.... In this confidence, and in the hope and belief that they may prove of service to many a young matron of like mind with her who made it, I confide the collection to you for your supervision and for publication."<br />
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Yours sincerely, <br />
<br />
John F. Clark.”<br />
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It was no small task. Frere writes of the manuscripts she was handed that, “some of the pages [were] not only written over every available margin, but often crossed like a shepherd’s plaid – added to which were recipes written on loose sheets pinned in, or on the backs of envelopes or of paid bills, or apparently on any half sheets of paper snatched up as the opportunity occurred to get a valuable hint recorded; all bearing witness to the interest and care with which Lady Clark had studied this branch of her responsibilities as hostess.” She continued, “Their practical pages are interspersed with anecdotes, with quaint little rhymes; here is one with reference to local names:<br />
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<i>“Tillyorne grows the corn, Westercorse the straw</i><br />
<i>Meadow Lea the blewits blue, Cald Hame naething ava!”</i><br />
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Frere chose an extract from Voltaire copied into Lady Clark’s manuscript recipe books for the opening of the cookbook:<br />
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<i>“Madame, songez à la santé surtout, c'est là ce qu'il faut vous souhaiter -- la beauté, la grandeur, l'espirit, le don de plaire, tout est perdu quand on digère mal, c'est l'estomac qui fait les heureux.”</i><br />
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translated:</div>
“Madame, think of health, above all, that is what you must wish for - beauty, grandeur, hope, the gift of pleasing, everything is lost when you digest badly, it is the stomach which makes happiness.”<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tillypronie today, for sale for £10 million.</span></div>
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The word Tillypronie comes from the name of their estate. It means 'top of the hill', and the house looks out across the Vale of Cromar to the Grampian Mountains. Romantic, isn’t it? Also, from all accounts, it was as cold as cold could be even with its barrier of trees to break the wind gusts that assailed its stony walls in the winter –– not the most felicitous environment for an elderly couple.<br />
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Although there had been a house there for centuries, the Clark’s house was built in 1867. John’s father, James, was a physician to Queen Victoria and the Queen laid the foundation stone for the house and was a frequent guest (with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(servant)">Mr. Brown</a>).<br />
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Tillypronie was famous for its hospitality. Aside from the Queen, the American author, Henry James, came for a visit and fell in love in 1879 when he first visited Tillypronie, “The supremely comfortable house lying deep among the brown and purple moors.”... “The great thing is the color... & the wonderful velvety bloom of the hills, which are powdered over with all kinds of broken & filtered lights.” Of the couple that hosted him he said they “could not be a more tenderly hospitable couple. Sir John caresses me like a brother, and her ladyship supervises me like a mother.” He continued, at the Clarks’, “you get the conveniences of Mayfair dove-tailed into the last romanticism of nature.” <br />
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The couple hosted many dinners with menus that read like popular minimalist fare today:<br />
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The recipes come from cooks like their own Taton and Cataldi, neighbors like the Emslie sisters, and nobility like the Prince de Polignac and the Duc de Coigny, Doctors Wolff and Liebig, Florence Nightingale’s father and Mrs. Adams of the USA and many of England’s titled class. The names of the dishes can be amusing too. Ritualistic Haddock, Mismash, Wet Devil, Boiled Angels, Grandpapa’s Snuff and Feather Fowlie.<br />
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The recipes are organized on nearly 600 pages with dishes listed alphabetically after the chapter headings. The range is quite spectacular.<br />
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“So great is the variety of locality from which the recipes were drawn, that Lady Clark may be said to have focused much of the best cookery of Europe in her collection, for the recipes came from France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Russia, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Holland, Austria, as well ask England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, with some Turkish and Indian dishes thrown in, which give an Oriental flavor.” There were nearly eighteen hundred recipes in the book -- half of the whole of the collection.”<br />
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I was fascinated by the multiple recipes for yeast in the book. They would mostly have been made with hops and flour and jumpstarted with brewer’s yeast and then bottled. One that particularly caught my eye and was much lauded was “Ginger Yeast”<br />
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PS, they admonish when using hops, use the yellow old ones – fresh green hops are ‘incurably’ bitter. I simply must try this sometimes to see how it tastes and works. <br />
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What drew me to the book was its game section. I figured any great Scottish kitchen would be full of game recipes. I was not disappointed. One of the dishes I’ve been wanting to make for years was a game soufflé or custard. It sounds so bizarre I figured it just might be wonderful. While I was at it, I couldn’t resist the little Indian Tartlets. I had some pastry rounds in the freezer and I thought this would be a great appetizer for the holidays. <br />
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Game custards are a bit like turning wonderful gravy into a custard. I think it would be excellent with a simple roast bird and potatoes. It is intensely flavorful and quite good.</div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Game Custards, makes 6</span></i></div>
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6 egg Yolks</div>
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6 T of cream</div>
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2 c strong stock (I took my game stock and reduced a quart to a few cups)</div>
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S&P to taste</div>
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pinch of nutmeg</div>
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fresh bay or herb for garnish</div>
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Blend the yolks and cream then add the stock and the flavoring to taste. Put through a sieve. Put into small, heatproof custard cups or cocottes if you have them. I put a round rack in a large pot and poured a few inches of water in it to come just over the rack. Then I put in the pots and added more hot water to come just about 1/3 way up the custard cups. Bring to a low boil. Cook for about 10 -15 minutes. You can check to see if they are done by sticking a knife in and seeing how they look. To keep the moisture out you might want to put a bit of parchment over the top -- I didn't but gently took a piece of paper towel and wicked up the bit of water on the top when cooking was done.</div>
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Serve hot.</div>
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Game soufflé is an interesting idea for big dinner leftovers. Perfect for a Sunday supper after a fancy Saturday dinner party. It reminds me of a savory frittata -- the mushrooms are perfect with it.</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Game Soufflé, makes 4 small or 2 large</i></span></div>
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1 oz. <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=truffle-butter-oil&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=2">D'Artagnan black truffle butter</a></div>
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2 t flour</div>
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1 c rich stock</div>
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S&P to taste</div>
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nutmeg</div>
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pinch cayenne</div>
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1 T cream</div>
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1/4 lb minced, cooked game bird (like <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/french-quail/product/FQUMA010-1.html?cgid=quail&dwvar_FQUMA010-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FQUMA010C#start=4">D'Artagnan's wonderful French Quail</a>) or chicken (the recipe called for 1/2 lb but I thought that was too much)</div>
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yolks of 2 eggs</div>
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whites of 3 eggs, whipped to good peaks.</div>
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8 mushrooms, sliced</div>
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2 T <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=truffle-butter-oil&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=2">D'Artagnan Black truffle butter</a></div>
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1 T madeira</div>
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2 splashes Worcestershire sauce</div>
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S&P</div>
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Melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for a few moments, stirring. Add the stock slowly and then cook for about 15 minutes -- it will thicken and reduce. Stir so it doesn't stick. Remove from heat and cool. </div>
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Heat the oven to 400º. </div>
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When it is cool, Add the meat and the egg yolks and combine well. Add a good spoon of the beaten egg whites and mix thoroughly. Then add the rest of the whites, folding them in gently.</div>
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Butter 2-1 c molds or 4-1/2 c molds ( used the truffle butter for this too.)</div>
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Gently pour the mixture into the molds. Place on a tray and put into the oven. Immediately turn the oven down to 375º. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them. Remove when puffed and golden and serve immediately.Serve with the mushrooms scattered on top.</div>
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If you are doing this for a dinner party, you can have everything ready to go but the egg whites and put them together in a flash.</div>
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This recipe is perfect for leftovers too. It can be made just for a single serving or scaled up for a dinner party. It is a brilliant and eccentric combination that shouldn't work (mango and parmesan?) but it does. </div>
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Indian Tartlets, makes 4-6</span></i></div>
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1 cooked, diced chicken breast or 2<a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/french-quail/product/FQUMA010-1.html?cgid=quail&dwvar_FQUMA010-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-FQUMA010C#start=4"> D'Artagnan French Quail breasts</a></div>
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1 slice ham, diced</div>
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chopped truffle (optional - <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/buy/truffles/">D'Artagnan</a> has them if you would like to be extravagant)</div>
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1 T chutney</div>
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1/4 mango</div>
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2T Parmesan cheese, grated</div>
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S&P to taste</div>
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pinch cayenne</div>
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pinch curry</div>
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3 -4 T velouté *</div>
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4-6 pastry rounds or tartlet cases</div>
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Combine the fowl, ham, truffle, chutney, mango and Parmesan cheese. Add the velouté.</div>
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Put the pastry on a baking sheet and put dollops of the mixture on top. You can add a bit more parmesan on top if you would like. Then broil for a few minutes until hot and bubbling. Serve hot or warm.</div>
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* to make the velouté, put 2 t <a href="http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=truffle-butter-oil&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=2">truffle butter</a> and 2 t flour in a sauce pan. stir till blended and bubbling. add 1/3 c stock slowly -- stirring all the while. Remove from heat when thick. Taste for seasoning.</div>
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778626287556834261.post-65356572613337204522016-11-07T20:14:00.001-08:002016-11-10T11:21:31.537-08:00The Good Girls Revolt and Win, 1970's and Deviled Crab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been 9 months since I wrote here. In that time, I’ve written 2 magazine articles (one on harisa and another on making calvados), and spent 6 months on a show with a crew that has become a tough, resilient if battle-scarred art department family.<br />
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Oh, and I got an Emmy nomination for my show (but not a win – this time).<br />
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Our show is about famous crimes and this year the stories covered a lot of territory –– from 1911 to 1970, California to New York and everywhere in between. One of the recurring themes of the show is that of a woman judged as uppity because of her competence and intelligence and the consequences of these perceptions for her as victim or killer. Punished for being uppity? This is a theme that is playing out in our politics today, isn’t it?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Newsroom, Aaron Sorkin</span><br />
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After the show was over, one of the first things I did was indulge in some serious binge watching since it had been months since I’d had time to just relax and watch something. First I jumped into Aaron Sorkin’s Newsroom as an antidote to the viciously caustic election cycle we are being subjected to against all reason. The choice wasn’t a surprise --Sorkin has provided comfort for me before. During the 2000 campaign I took refuge in looping a DVD of Sorkin’s film American President and watching his TV show West Wing (these were pre-binge times so I had to watch West Wing in once-a-week gulps). The brilliance, honor and bravery of the characters made the pettiness of the real political climate a little easier to swallow. Palliative care to be sure but it got me through the recount. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2016 creative team for The Good Girls Revolt with original women from the 1970 Newsweek suit </span><br />
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When I’d run through 3 seasons of Newsroom, I moved on to a new show on Amazon. I’d heard about it because it was a period piece and I love the show’s designer, Jeanine Oppewall (who’s done gorgeous period work in shows like <u>Catch Me If You Can</u> and <u>LA Confidential</u>). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6opiVh2sNY9GWzj6iK75IkRIyntffpBYyO7-xVU7ZURAckrwTrRU5aa_Z6emQyhQL0c6QAQEylrDG1rCa2He-fThMUh3RCTRILgLiYUS5EotrsMgEX-UsAPT0xLgImxj4j2eX-WVK1s/s1600/girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6opiVh2sNY9GWzj6iK75IkRIyntffpBYyO7-xVU7ZURAckrwTrRU5aa_Z6emQyhQL0c6QAQEylrDG1rCa2He-fThMUh3RCTRILgLiYUS5EotrsMgEX-UsAPT0xLgImxj4j2eX-WVK1s/s320/girls.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The original 1970 press conference demanding equal treatment for women writers</span> <br />
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It’s the story of a group of women who fought to get reporter status when their glass ceiling stopped at researcher-class even though their contributions were often far above their lowly rank and diminutive pay grade(usually a 1/3 of similarly experienced men). They were being discriminated against and not allowed promotions to reporter positions let alone editor status. I was having trouble getting back to writing again but this show inspired me to write this very personal post.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The women of Good Girls Revolt</span></div>
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Considering the aforementioned feminine <i>leitmotif</i> that ran through my own show, <u>The Good Girls Revolt</u> was an easy sell for me with a theme that resonates with many working women. Remember the line about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, “Sure he was great, but don't forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did, ...backwards and in high heels.” ? That’s how many women have felt in their careers. You can’t just be as good as your male counterparts –– you have to be better, with an appealing appearance and personality and non-threatening to your male colleagues (and voters it seems). <u>Mad Men</u>-vintage rules are still rigging the game in 2016. This is where the two worlds collide.<br />
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Isn't it shocking that Hillary is still enduring the slings and arrows of being a smart girl in a man’s world 46 years later? The theme couldn’t be more timely today if it tried. We’ve come a long way but the vestigial misogyny still lurks. Female <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/41f9b0fa-a43c-11e6-8898-79a99e2a4de6">swift-boating</a>, as Gloria Steinham noted so well, is front and center this election. How else do you go from 12 years as "most admired woman in the world' to ‘lock her up’ without a whole lot of mudslinging?<br />
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When the integrity of our elections has been compromised by the Russian’s hacking and the male candidate is facing a fraud charge, is being investigated for tax evasion for a failed condo scheme in Mexico and his sketchy Trump charity as well as sexual assault and possible rape yet we obsess over Hillary’s emails like she committed multiple murders (NPR’s <a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/601/master-of-her-domain-name">This American Life </a> has a pretty remarkable piece on the insanely antiquated computer system of our State Department and the equally remarkable incompetence of her staff’s work-around – it proved most enlightening. Hillary doesn’t know how to use a desk-top computer and operates on ancient Blackberrys that her staff has to frequently replace from Ebay since they aren't made anymore). You should be reprimanded for being a Luddite but not imprisoned. It beggars the imagination the way this woman has been held to an impossible standard so every misstep is high treason.<br />
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The whole world is watching on in horror as this comes down to the wire. <u>Saturday Night Live</u> lampooned the email scandal with Alec Baldwin kissing Putin, KKK and an FBI agent and the moderator wouldn't pay attention because "emails". Author Salmon Rushdie pronounced “So, to recap. Trump will go on trial in November accused of racketeering, and again in December accused of child rape. He is a sexual predator, hasn't released his tax returns, and has used his foundation's money to pay his legal fees. He has abused the family of a war hero and… oh, but let's talk about some emails Hillary didn't send from someone else's computer, that weren't a crime anyway, because that's how to choose a president. Come on, America. Focus.” <br />
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One candidate is flawed and the other is a batsh*t crazy baby-man with a tissue-thin skin. Time to stop with false equivalency. Being a strong woman candidate doesn’t even the negative playing field or compare with her opponent’s outright racism and misogyny. The lying and misinformation that has deviled Clinton since she first challenged the male fortress of congress with her healthcare plan in the 90s beggars belief. It wasn’t perfect but rather than joining together to fix what was wrong and compromise on what was right to accomplish something grand and good they burned her at the stake for being an uppity who didn't know her place. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people might have survived had her 1990s healthcare bill gone through (20-40,000 people a year die for lack of or inadequate healthcare and half a million are bankrupted by medical bills - <u>Michael Moore in Trumpland</u> explains this pretty well). <br />
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That more women don’t identify with and stand up for her is hard to swallow. At least check into a few news sources on these wild accusations and triangulate to form an opinion. On both the left and the right there is an evil noise machine of lies and half-truths that preys on the under-informed voter. Try the crazy theories out at Scopes or Politico before you accept or regurgitate them. There’s even a Russian misinformation army out there spewing crazy ideas – this has gotten surreal (look it up – not a left wing invention)<br />
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I for one celebrate the woman of 70's who made it possible for me to do what I do. Women need to stand up for women and at least give them the benefit of the doubt before you vote against them. We are more civilized than the guys, aren’t we ladies?<br />
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Personally, after nearly 300 years it’s time for woman at the helm of the good ship USA*.<br />
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Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s side-kick says these are tough times and a woman isn’t strong enough to handle the issues. I guess Rudy hasn’t done his homework. Do you know who 2 of England’s most powerful leaders were –– who led England through the most exciting expansive times in the nation's long history? Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria. I bet Giuliani doesn't remember Elizabeth’s famous speech to the troops in 1588, where she walked without her guard to address the assembled masses:<br />
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<i>“My loving people<br /><br />We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust.<br /><br />I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Farnese,_Duke_of_Parma_and_Piacenza">Parma</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Spain">Spain</a>, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field….”</i><br />
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Women can do anything men can do – in heels and backwards if necessary. Time to let us try, don’t you think? We can roar.<br />
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*PS. We lost. this time. Our time will come.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">this picture is from Better Homes and Gardens</span></div>
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To help you as you sit down and contemplate the changes that are on the horizon, here’s a thoroughly <u>Mad Men</u> dish that is terribly good. To get you through election day, try some Deviled Crab. The recipe comes from my old favorite <u>Time-Life Series </u>from the 1960s Foods of the World (American Cooking volume). The dish was so popular, there was even a dish for them. </div>
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They were a favorite of my mom for her bridge parties. She used regular grocery store crab – not the fancy lump stuff we get today. Needless to say, it makes them better. I think my mom would have approved of it and the breaking of glass ceilings -- it's about time.<br />
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<i><span style="color: red;">Deviled Crab for 4 (8 for an appetizer)</span></i><br />
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½ c finely chopped celery<br />
½ c finely chopped green pepper<br />
½ c finely sliced scallions (green and white part)<br />
½ c finely chopped parsley<br />
1 lb lump crab meat<br />
¾ c coarsely crushed soda crackers<br />
½ t salt<br />
½ t dry mustard (I used a teaspoon)<br />
tabasco (I like spice so gave it quite a few shakes) <br />
¼ heavy cream<br />
¾ c melted butter<br />
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Preheat oven to 350º<br />
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Mix vegetables and crab with 1 ½ c of the cracker crumbs and everything else –but save1/4 c of the melted butter and ¼ c of the crumbs<br />
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Put in a greased dish. Sprinkle with the crumbs and spoon the butter over all. Cook for ½ an hour and serve hot with toasts or crackers or on it’s own with a salad.<br />
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Deana Sidneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908407077861396161noreply@blogger.com4