Thursday, July 30, 2015

Of Mad Lords and Archaeologists' Wives

Mrs. Marie Beazley, Harry Bloomfield, 1923
Collection of the Classical Arts Research Centre, 
Faculty of Classics, Oxford University.

I seem to be on something of a portrait jag this summer; I do hope you'll forgive me.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Things Epistolary


For no good reason except that we both have more than our wont of leisure these days, My Dear Sister and I have taken to writing long letters to each other.  Granted, they're e-mails, but still somehow it feels terribly Edwardian to be communicating in something other than statuses or Tweets...

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Summertime...


...And the livin' is easy.  My goal for the final week of my leave is to be as carefree as an illustration by our dear M. Gruau.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Portrait of a Lady


No, this one I didn't see at the National Portrait Gallery.  But, if the price is right, it could be yours - it's up for auction on e-Bay.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Hey, Old Friends.. (and One New, Too)


I had a nice long stroll around Our Nation's Capital yesterday, and I grabbed the opportunity to drop into the National Portrait Gallery and pay my respects to some old familiar faces.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Three Girls Three


As part of my ongoing efforts to share with you lucky Gentle Readers the treasures of Egyptian pop culture, herewith we find the ensemble once billed as the Supremes of the Nile. I don't know that I'd go that far, but they certainly had their moment.  And their hairdos.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

You Want to Kick Them Blues


While perhaps I could do without the twee tots and their proto-Lincoln Logs, I have to say that the product they're shilling certainly would have come in handy around our house last night.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Heaven Much Better


If you're looking for a little diversion for a Sunday (or any other, for that matter) evening, may I recommend the above?  Here, in its glorious entirety, is the video record of the Divine Miss M.'s Depression Tour, which is best known as the basis for her epic double album (remember those?), Live at Last, but which was apparently (and unknown to me) also turned into a cable special called The Better Midler Show.  I just love finding essential pop ephemera that I should have known about during the Carter administration...

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Broken Goddess



I rarely wax dictatorial, but today if you're able, I'd like to recommend you do a good turn for a great lady.

Friday, July 3, 2015

'Neath the Red, White, and Blue


I don't normally approve of ostentatious displays of patriotism - but in this case, I'll make an exception.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

She May Have 99 Problems...


...but at least this year Joan Fontaine isn't one of them.  Many happy returns on her 99th to the one and only Miss Olivia de Havilland.  I hope that she's up for a little celebration; Paris, after all, is lovely this time of year.  As, I'm sure, is she.