Curio Cabinet / Photo Curio
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
We're a "monument half-full" kinda country. In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society set out to build a 600-foot Egyptian-style obelisk ringed by 30 100-foot columns in honor of America's first president. The Washington Monument was an ambitious project with tenuous funding, but its construction nevertheless began in 1848. 20,000 people gathered to see its cornerstone laid, including future-president Abraham Lincoln. And yet, six years later, the marble obelisk stalled at 156 feet—and remained there for decades. In 1853, the controversial, nativist Know-Nothing Party had taken control of the monument's society; private parties who were funding the construction quickly backed out in disgust. It wasn't until 1876 that Congress took matters into their own hands, sending in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish the structure—but not without snags. Because there had been such a lapse in construction, the marble quarry used for the tower had depleted years ago, and a quest for matching marble ensued. In 1884, the army finally finished construction. The obelisk, despite measuring in at only 555 feet and missing its ringed columns, became the tallest structure in the world, beating the Cologne Cathedral—by only five inches!
Below: the completed Washington Monument as it appears today.
Image credit & copyright: National Parks Service/FriendD1, Pixabay
It's Flashback Friday, and almost the 4th of July! Enjoy these curios in honor of the holiday.
We're a "monument half-full" kinda country. In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society set out to build a 600-foot Egyptian-style obelisk ringed by 30 100-foot columns in honor of America's first president. The Washington Monument was an ambitious project with tenuous funding, but its construction nevertheless began in 1848. 20,000 people gathered to see its cornerstone laid, including future-president Abraham Lincoln. And yet, six years later, the marble obelisk stalled at 156 feet—and remained there for decades. In 1853, the controversial, nativist Know-Nothing Party had taken control of the monument's society; private parties who were funding the construction quickly backed out in disgust. It wasn't until 1876 that Congress took matters into their own hands, sending in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish the structure—but not without snags. Because there had been such a lapse in construction, the marble quarry used for the tower had depleted years ago, and a quest for matching marble ensued. In 1884, the army finally finished construction. The obelisk, despite measuring in at only 555 feet and missing its ringed columns, became the tallest structure in the world, beating the Cologne Cathedral—by only five inches!
Below: the completed Washington Monument as it appears today.
Image credit & copyright: National Parks Service/FriendD1, Pixabay
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FREELight & Exposure Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of World UFO Day, enjoy these curios all about mankind’s fascination with the mysteries of space. Beam us up, Scotty! In the 2017 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition, scientist Daniel Michalik won the Astronomy category for his photo Lunar spotlight, South Pole, Antarctica, which captures a bright light pillar beneath the moon. The optical phenomenon isn't actually caused by a vertical ray of light; rather, ice crystals suspended in the air give the moon its upright reflection. The bits of frozen ice typically form high up in clouds, but occasionally make their way lower, creating pillars, halos, and majestic light shows, depending on their orientation in space. These occurrences are often associated with UFO sightings, though Michalik's purpose for being in the right place at the right time was far more scientific. As part of the crew at the South Pole Telescope (the leftmost building with the large satellite atop it), Michalik researches things like radiation left over from the Big Bang and the presence of dark energy in the universe. Antarctica is the perfect, undisturbed space for studying cosmic phenomena—whether they be light years away, or right above our heads!
Image credit & copyright: Daniel Michalik
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of World UFO Day, enjoy these curios all about mankind’s fascination with the mysteries of space. Beam us up, Scotty! In the 2017 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition, scientist Daniel Michalik won the Astronomy category for his photo Lunar spotlight, South Pole, Antarctica, which captures a bright light pillar beneath the moon. The optical phenomenon isn't actually caused by a vertical ray of light; rather, ice crystals suspended in the air give the moon its upright reflection. The bits of frozen ice typically form high up in clouds, but occasionally make their way lower, creating pillars, halos, and majestic light shows, depending on their orientation in space. These occurrences are often associated with UFO sightings, though Michalik's purpose for being in the right place at the right time was far more scientific. As part of the crew at the South Pole Telescope (the leftmost building with the large satellite atop it), Michalik researches things like radiation left over from the Big Bang and the presence of dark energy in the universe. Antarctica is the perfect, undisturbed space for studying cosmic phenomena—whether they be light years away, or right above our heads!
Image credit & copyright: Daniel Michalik
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FREEPolitical Science Photo CurioFree1 CQ
Thieves should read the writing on the gold brick wall. Mere blocks from Wall Street, ensconced within three stories of bedrock, lies the the New York Federal Reserve's underground gold vault—home to 25 percent of the world's known gold. But it isn't all American: in fact, only two percent of the vault's hold comprises domestic goodies. After World War II, countries across the world transported their sparkling ingots to America, fearing the Soviets would seize them for themselves. During the peak of the Cold War, the vault held 12,000 tons of monetary gold, but since the fall of the USSR, countries have been confident enough to withdraw their holdings and close their accounts. Only just this year, Germany moved most of its bars from the bank, now confident it can defend its wealth from any would-be invaders. Regardless, the Federal Reserve's New York location still boasts 260 million fine troy ounces of gold bullion, the equivalent of $11 billion. And if anyone thinks they're going to steal even a shaving of it, they've got to walk through a 140-ton aperture, sealed by a 90-ton cylinder. After that, there's the legion of snipers arrayed about the building's exterior. Good luck!
Credit & copyright: Federal Reserve, Public DomainThieves should read the writing on the gold brick wall. Mere blocks from Wall Street, ensconced within three stories of bedrock, lies the the New York Federal Reserve's underground gold vault—home to 25 percent of the world's known gold. But it isn't all American: in fact, only two percent of the vault's hold comprises domestic goodies. After World War II, countries across the world transported their sparkling ingots to America, fearing the Soviets would seize them for themselves. During the peak of the Cold War, the vault held 12,000 tons of monetary gold, but since the fall of the USSR, countries have been confident enough to withdraw their holdings and close their accounts. Only just this year, Germany moved most of its bars from the bank, now confident it can defend its wealth from any would-be invaders. Regardless, the Federal Reserve's New York location still boasts 260 million fine troy ounces of gold bullion, the equivalent of $11 billion. And if anyone thinks they're going to steal even a shaving of it, they've got to walk through a 140-ton aperture, sealed by a 90-ton cylinder. After that, there's the legion of snipers arrayed about the building's exterior. Good luck!
Credit & copyright: Federal Reserve, Public Domain -
FREEComposition Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of National Marriage Day, enjoy these curios all about weddings. To have and to hold from this day forward… till a chair do us part? Unlike the wedding albums flaunted on social media these days, photos of 19th-century nuptials were decidedly less sappy. This couple looks as stiff as the wicker chair separating them, seemingly content to keep their distance. The photo is among 100 vintage wedding cabinet cards, a style of card-mounted portrait photography, currently on display at New York's Ricco/Maresca Gallery. Taken between 1885 to 1900, these images started the "I do" portrait craze. The trendsetters who inspired this image were a young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; the royal couple's wedding photo was widely circulated at the time—though, unlike in the image above, they actually acknowledged one another. This couple's lack of smiles may have stemmed from the fact that stoic portraits were deemed more appropriate at the time. One thing's for sure: at five dollars ($100 in today's money) per cabinet card, this couple got a good deal compared to couples now, who regularly shell out thousands for wedding photography. That's something to smile about, right?
Below: the wedding photo that started the trend—Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1854.
Image credit & copyright: top, Ricco/Maresca Gallery; bottom, Royal Collection Trust
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of National Marriage Day, enjoy these curios all about weddings. To have and to hold from this day forward… till a chair do us part? Unlike the wedding albums flaunted on social media these days, photos of 19th-century nuptials were decidedly less sappy. This couple looks as stiff as the wicker chair separating them, seemingly content to keep their distance. The photo is among 100 vintage wedding cabinet cards, a style of card-mounted portrait photography, currently on display at New York's Ricco/Maresca Gallery. Taken between 1885 to 1900, these images started the "I do" portrait craze. The trendsetters who inspired this image were a young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; the royal couple's wedding photo was widely circulated at the time—though, unlike in the image above, they actually acknowledged one another. This couple's lack of smiles may have stemmed from the fact that stoic portraits were deemed more appropriate at the time. One thing's for sure: at five dollars ($100 in today's money) per cabinet card, this couple got a good deal compared to couples now, who regularly shell out thousands for wedding photography. That's something to smile about, right?
Below: the wedding photo that started the trend—Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1854.
Image credit & copyright: top, Ricco/Maresca Gallery; bottom, Royal Collection Trust
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! On this day in 2001, the musical The Producers won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards. In honor of this achievement, enjoy these curios all about theater.
Paramount Theater and chill? The grandiloquent Oakland, California, art deco theater is just one of dozens of locations recalling Hollywood nostalgia in Stephan Zaubitzer's Cinémas series. In 2003, Zaubitzer began photographing the big and beautiful, the small locales, and the unfinished parking lots that function as movie cinemas around the world. With the advent of internet streaming services at home, Zaubitzer says people are losing these community locations of the last century, and some of the magic of gathering to watch the latest and greatest of Hollywood (or Bollywood) storytelling. "I started the project in West Africa where, with the exception of Burkina Faso, nearly every country has seen its cinemas close down one after the other." Many of Zaubitzer's photos were taken using large format view cameras—adding to the nostalgic look and feel of these old places. We know there's nothing quite like a cozy chair and the convenience of watching movies at home, but maybe getting dressed to go to the theater could become the newest Oscar party craze?
Below: more from Zaubitzer's Cinémas series, including Liberty, Mumbai, India, the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, California, and an outdoor theater in Rio, Alexandria, Egypt.
Image credit & copyright: Stephan Zaubitzer
It's Flashback Friday! On this day in 2001, the musical The Producers won a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards. In honor of this achievement, enjoy these curios all about theater.
Paramount Theater and chill? The grandiloquent Oakland, California, art deco theater is just one of dozens of locations recalling Hollywood nostalgia in Stephan Zaubitzer's Cinémas series. In 2003, Zaubitzer began photographing the big and beautiful, the small locales, and the unfinished parking lots that function as movie cinemas around the world. With the advent of internet streaming services at home, Zaubitzer says people are losing these community locations of the last century, and some of the magic of gathering to watch the latest and greatest of Hollywood (or Bollywood) storytelling. "I started the project in West Africa where, with the exception of Burkina Faso, nearly every country has seen its cinemas close down one after the other." Many of Zaubitzer's photos were taken using large format view cameras—adding to the nostalgic look and feel of these old places. We know there's nothing quite like a cozy chair and the convenience of watching movies at home, but maybe getting dressed to go to the theater could become the newest Oscar party craze?
Below: more from Zaubitzer's Cinémas series, including Liberty, Mumbai, India, the Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, California, and an outdoor theater in Rio, Alexandria, Egypt.
Image credit & copyright: Stephan Zaubitzer
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FREEComposition Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Cher’s birthday, enjoy these curios about things that were going on in the 1960s and 70s, during the height of the pop star’s career.
It's all about the little moments. At least, that's the case for American photographer Nan Goldin, whose most famous work cataloged the everyday lives of LGBTQ people in New York City's East Village, from the 1970s onward. Like many of Goldin's photos, Trixie on the cot, pictured above, captures a small moment which speaks volumes about the subject's larger experiences. It shows a feminine-presenting person in a colorful dress and hair ribbon, taking a cigarette break in what appears to be a dingy, dimly-lit room. The contrast between the subject's delicate appearance and the roughness of their surroundings says a lot about the extremes of living as an LGBTQ person in 1970s New York. The 1970s and 1980s were difficult times for LGBTQ Americans. The AIDS Crisis and an unsupportive government had heightened bigotry against the LGBTQ community. Nan Goldin's photos were a reminder that LGBTQ people were human beings with everyday lives, just like everyone else. In an interview, Nan Goldin once said, "I think the wrong things are kept private." After seeing the power of the private moments Goldin captured, it's hard to not feel emboldened to share such things when they need to be heard or seen.
Below: More of Goldin's photos from the 1970s and 1980s.
Image credit & copyright: Nan Goldin
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Cher’s birthday, enjoy these curios about things that were going on in the 1960s and 70s, during the height of the pop star’s career.
It's all about the little moments. At least, that's the case for American photographer Nan Goldin, whose most famous work cataloged the everyday lives of LGBTQ people in New York City's East Village, from the 1970s onward. Like many of Goldin's photos, Trixie on the cot, pictured above, captures a small moment which speaks volumes about the subject's larger experiences. It shows a feminine-presenting person in a colorful dress and hair ribbon, taking a cigarette break in what appears to be a dingy, dimly-lit room. The contrast between the subject's delicate appearance and the roughness of their surroundings says a lot about the extremes of living as an LGBTQ person in 1970s New York. The 1970s and 1980s were difficult times for LGBTQ Americans. The AIDS Crisis and an unsupportive government had heightened bigotry against the LGBTQ community. Nan Goldin's photos were a reminder that LGBTQ people were human beings with everyday lives, just like everyone else. In an interview, Nan Goldin once said, "I think the wrong things are kept private." After seeing the power of the private moments Goldin captured, it's hard to not feel emboldened to share such things when they need to be heard or seen.
Below: More of Goldin's photos from the 1970s and 1980s.
Image credit & copyright: Nan Goldin
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FREEPhoto Editing Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy these creepy curios in honor of Friday the 13th!
Veteran photographer Jerry Uelsmann certainly knows how to experiment with tradition! Born on this day in 1934, Uelsmann adds eerie elements to his black-and-white images by tweaking photo developing techniques. To develop a photo in a darkroom, photographers must master a humdrum technical step called burning and dodging. This entails exposing a sheet of blank photo paper to light in gradual increments by covering parts of the paper with one's hands for a few seconds at a time, rather than blasting the entire thing at once. But for Uelsmann, burning and dodging became more than that; he uses the technique to add shapes and figures that weren't in the original negative. For the above picture of a Central Park bridge, Uelsmann overexposed part of the image to create a shape that looks like dark water flowing under the bridge. A closer look also reveals a human figure rising out of the stream. The end result is a spooky photo containing both real and fictional elements. Uelsmann's unlikely images, which often draw upon nature, have sparked interest outside the art world; in the 1970s, Uelsmann's work even graced a Stephen King novel. Sounds like a match made in (spine-tingling) heaven!
Below: an Uelsmann image that appeared on the cover of a Bon Jovi album; more of Uelsmann's images.
Image credit & copyright: Jerry Uelsmann
It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy these creepy curios in honor of Friday the 13th!
Veteran photographer Jerry Uelsmann certainly knows how to experiment with tradition! Born on this day in 1934, Uelsmann adds eerie elements to his black-and-white images by tweaking photo developing techniques. To develop a photo in a darkroom, photographers must master a humdrum technical step called burning and dodging. This entails exposing a sheet of blank photo paper to light in gradual increments by covering parts of the paper with one's hands for a few seconds at a time, rather than blasting the entire thing at once. But for Uelsmann, burning and dodging became more than that; he uses the technique to add shapes and figures that weren't in the original negative. For the above picture of a Central Park bridge, Uelsmann overexposed part of the image to create a shape that looks like dark water flowing under the bridge. A closer look also reveals a human figure rising out of the stream. The end result is a spooky photo containing both real and fictional elements. Uelsmann's unlikely images, which often draw upon nature, have sparked interest outside the art world; in the 1970s, Uelsmann's work even graced a Stephen King novel. Sounds like a match made in (spine-tingling) heaven!
Below: an Uelsmann image that appeared on the cover of a Bon Jovi album; more of Uelsmann's images.
Image credit & copyright: Jerry Uelsmann
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of International Tuba Day, enjoy these curios all about music and instruments.
Musicians often worry about getting cold feet during a performance, but the ones at the Ice Music Festival in Finse, Norway, have a host of other frigid issues to worry about. Founded in 2006 by percussionist Terje Isungset, the Ice Music Festival takes place in early February and was the first of its kind to feature instruments constructed out of large blocks of ice. Isungset got the idea for the event after once performing inside a frozen waterfall in Lillehammer. Since then, he has not only coordinated the festival, but encouraged the creation of a new instrument each year, alongside previous ones carved out of the frozen waters of Lake Finse. Most instruments generally produce softer sounds than their original counterparts and occasionally have to be tuned to account for melting ice and maintaining structural integrity. Performers often have to take turns during the shows, to let their cold hands rest and prevent frostbite. The quirks of ice instruments may not be for everyone, but no one ever got to Carnegie Hall without a lot of pract-ice!
Below: a video of a live performance from the Ice Music Festival.
Image credit & copyright: Emile Holba
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of International Tuba Day, enjoy these curios all about music and instruments.
Musicians often worry about getting cold feet during a performance, but the ones at the Ice Music Festival in Finse, Norway, have a host of other frigid issues to worry about. Founded in 2006 by percussionist Terje Isungset, the Ice Music Festival takes place in early February and was the first of its kind to feature instruments constructed out of large blocks of ice. Isungset got the idea for the event after once performing inside a frozen waterfall in Lillehammer. Since then, he has not only coordinated the festival, but encouraged the creation of a new instrument each year, alongside previous ones carved out of the frozen waters of Lake Finse. Most instruments generally produce softer sounds than their original counterparts and occasionally have to be tuned to account for melting ice and maintaining structural integrity. Performers often have to take turns during the shows, to let their cold hands rest and prevent frostbite. The quirks of ice instruments may not be for everyone, but no one ever got to Carnegie Hall without a lot of pract-ice!
Below: a video of a live performance from the Ice Music Festival.
Image credit & copyright: Emile Holba
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Viral Video Day, enjoy these curios all about how the internet has changed our lives.
How could you turn down such a cute pixelated smile? This bucket-bodied robot created by David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller was both an "artwork and social robotics experiment," sent out as a futuristic globetrotter from Canada on this day in 2014. HitchBOT's road warrior gear consisted of pool noodle limbs, rubber gloves, patterned wellies, a cake-saver enclosure for its light-up LED face, and a camera on a 20-minute timer. Thanks to a noggin equipped with automated communication skills, hitchBOT could hold conversations with its travel companions via information it found in Wikipedia articles. It could also politely ask to be recharged using a car lighter input. HitchBOT's adventures were documented across social media platforms during its international run: clogs were worn in the Netherlands, it was interviewed on a German talk show, and it did the wave at a Red Sox game! HitchBOT successfully traveled across Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of the U.S.—but unfortunately met an untimely end when it was vandalized in Philadelphia. Don't panic: hitchBOT's legacy lives on as the first AI traveller to prove it's not such a big world when you're surrounded by friends!
Below: more hitchBOT travel photos: adventures in the Netherlands, with the Salchendorf marching band in Cologne, and on a boat in Amsterdam.
Image credit & copyright: EPA, hitchBOT
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Viral Video Day, enjoy these curios all about how the internet has changed our lives.
How could you turn down such a cute pixelated smile? This bucket-bodied robot created by David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller was both an "artwork and social robotics experiment," sent out as a futuristic globetrotter from Canada on this day in 2014. HitchBOT's road warrior gear consisted of pool noodle limbs, rubber gloves, patterned wellies, a cake-saver enclosure for its light-up LED face, and a camera on a 20-minute timer. Thanks to a noggin equipped with automated communication skills, hitchBOT could hold conversations with its travel companions via information it found in Wikipedia articles. It could also politely ask to be recharged using a car lighter input. HitchBOT's adventures were documented across social media platforms during its international run: clogs were worn in the Netherlands, it was interviewed on a German talk show, and it did the wave at a Red Sox game! HitchBOT successfully traveled across Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of the U.S.—but unfortunately met an untimely end when it was vandalized in Philadelphia. Don't panic: hitchBOT's legacy lives on as the first AI traveller to prove it's not such a big world when you're surrounded by friends!
Below: more hitchBOT travel photos: adventures in the Netherlands, with the Salchendorf marching band in Cologne, and on a boat in Amsterdam.
Image credit & copyright: EPA, hitchBOT
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday, and also Earth Day! Enjoy these curios about people and innovations that are helping the environment.
One of these things is not like the others. Many think of Greenland as a remote landscape unmarred by human civilization. Sadly that’s not true in the fjords of Kuummiit, as this shot proves. The rusted barrels are remains from Bluie East Two, a minor U.S. Army Air Forces base from the 1940s. When the American shipped out in 1947, they left behind 10,000 barrels, vehicles, and hazardous fuel. As you can see in the image, some of the barrels sit in streams, rusting and leaking a toxic cocktail into the water. Photographer Ken Bower camped out on location for several days to capture images of these remnants, which the local Inuits call "American Flowers." He's even started an online campaign calling on the U.S. government to clean up the environmentally-hazardous former air base. Let's hope that we can leave behind real flowers instead.
Image credit & copyright: Ken Bower/National Geographic
This image by Bowers received an honorable mention in this year's National Geographic Photographer of the Year Contest, in the Environmental Issues category.
It's Flashback Friday, and also Earth Day! Enjoy these curios about people and innovations that are helping the environment.
One of these things is not like the others. Many think of Greenland as a remote landscape unmarred by human civilization. Sadly that’s not true in the fjords of Kuummiit, as this shot proves. The rusted barrels are remains from Bluie East Two, a minor U.S. Army Air Forces base from the 1940s. When the American shipped out in 1947, they left behind 10,000 barrels, vehicles, and hazardous fuel. As you can see in the image, some of the barrels sit in streams, rusting and leaking a toxic cocktail into the water. Photographer Ken Bower camped out on location for several days to capture images of these remnants, which the local Inuits call "American Flowers." He's even started an online campaign calling on the U.S. government to clean up the environmentally-hazardous former air base. Let's hope that we can leave behind real flowers instead.
Image credit & copyright: Ken Bower/National Geographic
This image by Bowers received an honorable mention in this year's National Geographic Photographer of the Year Contest, in the Environmental Issues category.
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of the upcoming holiday, enjoy these curios about bunnies, eggs, and all things Easter.
Ready to break the fast! Photographer Yan Li snapped this photo of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, all smiles, heading to Easter eve services in the rocky hills of Lalibela. They're in for a long one: prayers last until at least 3:00am. But at the end, worshippers can finally break a 55-day religious fast during which no animal products could be consumed. The night also includes a sacred candle ceremony representing Christ's resurrection, and much rejoicing to live drumming and singing. These traditions, quite different from Easter celebrations here in the U.S., date back to the first century A.D. when Christianity first came to Ethiopia. The African country is considered by many historians to be the oldest Christian country in the whole world. And we thought our Easter egg hunts were impressive!
Image credit & copyright: Yan Li
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of the upcoming holiday, enjoy these curios about bunnies, eggs, and all things Easter.
Ready to break the fast! Photographer Yan Li snapped this photo of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, all smiles, heading to Easter eve services in the rocky hills of Lalibela. They're in for a long one: prayers last until at least 3:00am. But at the end, worshippers can finally break a 55-day religious fast during which no animal products could be consumed. The night also includes a sacred candle ceremony representing Christ's resurrection, and much rejoicing to live drumming and singing. These traditions, quite different from Easter celebrations here in the U.S., date back to the first century A.D. when Christianity first came to Ethiopia. The African country is considered by many historians to be the oldest Christian country in the whole world. And we thought our Easter egg hunts were impressive!
Image credit & copyright: Yan Li
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of National Dogfighting Awareness Day, enjoy these curios all about dogs and the wonderful things they can do!
Doctor Good Boy is all suited up! Sampson the Golden Retriever is just one of the many service dogs in the U.S. changing the way their disabled owners are treated in laboratory spaces. Sampson's human is Joey Ramp, a neuroscience student at the University of Illinois Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology in Champaign, Illinois. Ramp began studying neuroscience after she fell off a horse and was left with psychological and physical trauma. Since then, she has faced discrimination from science faculty who believe service animals are disruptive in lab spaces. She quickly learned she wasn't the only one who was experiencing trouble: only five percent of those employed in scientific fields identify as people living with disabilities. Ramp and Sampson were both recently featured in person on NPR. Ramp discussed her advocacy regarding inclusivity in STEM environments for people with disabilities and those with service animal needs. With a trusty buddy like Sampson, life in the lab can definitely be a lot less ruff for those who need service animals!
Below: Joey Ramp and Sampson in a laboratory at the University of Illinois Beckman Institute. In 2018, Sampson won the 19th annual AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence from the American Kennel Club.
Image credit & copyright: Doris Dahl / Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of National Dogfighting Awareness Day, enjoy these curios all about dogs and the wonderful things they can do!
Doctor Good Boy is all suited up! Sampson the Golden Retriever is just one of the many service dogs in the U.S. changing the way their disabled owners are treated in laboratory spaces. Sampson's human is Joey Ramp, a neuroscience student at the University of Illinois Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology in Champaign, Illinois. Ramp began studying neuroscience after she fell off a horse and was left with psychological and physical trauma. Since then, she has faced discrimination from science faculty who believe service animals are disruptive in lab spaces. She quickly learned she wasn't the only one who was experiencing trouble: only five percent of those employed in scientific fields identify as people living with disabilities. Ramp and Sampson were both recently featured in person on NPR. Ramp discussed her advocacy regarding inclusivity in STEM environments for people with disabilities and those with service animal needs. With a trusty buddy like Sampson, life in the lab can definitely be a lot less ruff for those who need service animals!
Below: Joey Ramp and Sampson in a laboratory at the University of Illinois Beckman Institute. In 2018, Sampson won the 19th annual AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence from the American Kennel Club.
Image credit & copyright: Doris Dahl / Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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FREEPhotography Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of April Fools day, enjoy these quirky curios with a funny twist.
What's so funny to this dormouse? The 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists were recently announced, and, boy, are the results a riot! Whether it's slippery owls, exasperated seals, or the coolest kangaroo in the Australian wilds, these views of nature prove animals aren't just majestic creatures: they're comedians too. But sadly, some of these jokers are in trouble. Because of this, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were founded three years ago to not only bring a sense of lightheartedness and fun to the world of wildlife photography, but to also promote conservation efforts. And creatures like this fuzzy dormouse—who have been around for 30 million years or so—need protection from dwindling numbers due to the dangers roads and other human development in Europe's woodland areas. Makeshift aides like rope pathways, tunnels, and other green structures have been put in place to ensure the unimpeded travel of these adorable creatures. Because cute, fuzzy, funny, and safe are all qualities we should admire in the dormouse!
Below: it's a wild, wild life: more of the finalists from the 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
Image credit & copyright: Andrea Zampatti, Tibor Kercez, George Cathcart, Andrey Giljov, Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of April Fools day, enjoy these quirky curios with a funny twist.
What's so funny to this dormouse? The 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists were recently announced, and, boy, are the results a riot! Whether it's slippery owls, exasperated seals, or the coolest kangaroo in the Australian wilds, these views of nature prove animals aren't just majestic creatures: they're comedians too. But sadly, some of these jokers are in trouble. Because of this, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were founded three years ago to not only bring a sense of lightheartedness and fun to the world of wildlife photography, but to also promote conservation efforts. And creatures like this fuzzy dormouse—who have been around for 30 million years or so—need protection from dwindling numbers due to the dangers roads and other human development in Europe's woodland areas. Makeshift aides like rope pathways, tunnels, and other green structures have been put in place to ensure the unimpeded travel of these adorable creatures. Because cute, fuzzy, funny, and safe are all qualities we should admire in the dormouse!
Below: it's a wild, wild life: more of the finalists from the 2017 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
Image credit & copyright: Andrea Zampatti, Tibor Kercez, George Cathcart, Andrey Giljov, Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
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FREEHumanities Photo CurioFree1 CQ
It's Flashback Friday! To commemorate National Medal of Honor Day, enjoy these curios that give insight into some of the most important military campaigns in history.
Who knew that the instruments of war could look so pretty? Phillip Buehler's aerial photo of mothballed aircraft at a military storage yard in Arizona, titled Grumman A-6 Intruders, has the symmetry and beauty of a quilt pattern, but it's impossible to forget that those planes were built to drop bombs. Buehler spent 36 years visiting military sites in the U.S. and Europe, photographing artifacts of the Cold War. He shot abandoned military buildings, deactivated missile silos, relics of the space race, and airplane boneyards like the one above. His resulting series, (UN)THINKABLE, was recently made into a book of the same title. At a time when the threat of nuclear war seems more pressing than it has in decades, Buehler hopes his photos will remind people just how horrifying such a conflict would be. The photographer himself was a boy during the Cold War and remembers duck-and-cover military drills at his school. He found the times terrifying—but riveting, too; he also built model military airplanes and aspired to be an astronaut. "It was a combination of fascination with the machines and fear of impending doom," he said.
Below: Complex 34, Cape Canaveral by Phillip Buehler.
Image credit & copyright: Phillip Buehler
It's Flashback Friday! To commemorate National Medal of Honor Day, enjoy these curios that give insight into some of the most important military campaigns in history.
Who knew that the instruments of war could look so pretty? Phillip Buehler's aerial photo of mothballed aircraft at a military storage yard in Arizona, titled Grumman A-6 Intruders, has the symmetry and beauty of a quilt pattern, but it's impossible to forget that those planes were built to drop bombs. Buehler spent 36 years visiting military sites in the U.S. and Europe, photographing artifacts of the Cold War. He shot abandoned military buildings, deactivated missile silos, relics of the space race, and airplane boneyards like the one above. His resulting series, (UN)THINKABLE, was recently made into a book of the same title. At a time when the threat of nuclear war seems more pressing than it has in decades, Buehler hopes his photos will remind people just how horrifying such a conflict would be. The photographer himself was a boy during the Cold War and remembers duck-and-cover military drills at his school. He found the times terrifying—but riveting, too; he also built model military airplanes and aspired to be an astronaut. "It was a combination of fascination with the machines and fear of impending doom," he said.
Below: Complex 34, Cape Canaveral by Phillip Buehler.
Image credit & copyright: Phillip Buehler
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It's Flashback Friday, and just two days until spring! In honor of the new season, enjoy these curios about trees, flowers, and all things that bloom.
The difference between a flower and a magic potion is sometimes just a matter of perspective. At least, that's the case in New York photographer Suzanne Saroff's Perspective Revisited collection. In these photographs, Saroff arranges clear, reflective objects—such as glass spheres and glasses of water—in front of flower arrangements. The view of the flowers becomes magnified and distorted, imbuing them with fantastical colors. Pink roses, orange and spotted orchids, and a single blue flower are arranged against a bold, brownish-orange background. The flower petals' individual veins and spots are dilated in the water. The warm hues cause the spheres to appear as if they're made of colorful stone, rather than glass. The single, unreflected blue flower stands out as much for its cool tones as its unreflected placement. According to Saroff, these photos are about finding "subtle new ways of expressing feelings and emotions through flowers, color, composition, and lighting." It's amazing that such simple objects can come together to say so much!
Below: more from Suzanne Saroff's Perspective Revisited collection.
Image credit & copyright: Suzanne Saroff
It's Flashback Friday, and just two days until spring! In honor of the new season, enjoy these curios about trees, flowers, and all things that bloom.
The difference between a flower and a magic potion is sometimes just a matter of perspective. At least, that's the case in New York photographer Suzanne Saroff's Perspective Revisited collection. In these photographs, Saroff arranges clear, reflective objects—such as glass spheres and glasses of water—in front of flower arrangements. The view of the flowers becomes magnified and distorted, imbuing them with fantastical colors. Pink roses, orange and spotted orchids, and a single blue flower are arranged against a bold, brownish-orange background. The flower petals' individual veins and spots are dilated in the water. The warm hues cause the spheres to appear as if they're made of colorful stone, rather than glass. The single, unreflected blue flower stands out as much for its cool tones as its unreflected placement. According to Saroff, these photos are about finding "subtle new ways of expressing feelings and emotions through flowers, color, composition, and lighting." It's amazing that such simple objects can come together to say so much!
Below: more from Suzanne Saroff's Perspective Revisited collection.
Image credit & copyright: Suzanne Saroff
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It's Flashback Friday! Spring doesn’t just mean green grass, but creepy crawlies! In honor of the return of insects everywhere, enjoy these buggy curios.
Who's afraid of a big bad bug? Or a little one, in the case of Saudi macro photographer Mofeed Abu. Part of his reasoning for taking up photography in 2010 was to try to confront his entomophobia by taking photos of bugs. If his recent macro images of the Red Palm Weevil are any indication, he's come a long way from a fear of seeing them. This particular weevil beetle is native to tropical parts of Asia, though it has become an invasive species in the Middle East—even given its nickname for its devastation of young palm trees, sugar cane, and banana crops. Abu gives us an otherwise unseen and impressive look into the Red Palm Weevil's biology: the length of the insect's face is emphasized by the ridge of hair-like protrusions at its tip. Its two antennae hang down below its face, with their red ear-like tips tilted upwards. The choice of black background draws immediate attention to the weevil's reddest parts. Shalwa's bold approach to macro photography has certainly paid off, as he has won over 140 international awards for his craft. Talk about conquering your fears!
Below: two more of Shalwa's untitled photos, showing the faces of a green stag beetle and a butterfly.
Image credit & copyright: Mofeed Abu Shalwa
It's Flashback Friday! Spring doesn’t just mean green grass, but creepy crawlies! In honor of the return of insects everywhere, enjoy these buggy curios.
Who's afraid of a big bad bug? Or a little one, in the case of Saudi macro photographer Mofeed Abu. Part of his reasoning for taking up photography in 2010 was to try to confront his entomophobia by taking photos of bugs. If his recent macro images of the Red Palm Weevil are any indication, he's come a long way from a fear of seeing them. This particular weevil beetle is native to tropical parts of Asia, though it has become an invasive species in the Middle East—even given its nickname for its devastation of young palm trees, sugar cane, and banana crops. Abu gives us an otherwise unseen and impressive look into the Red Palm Weevil's biology: the length of the insect's face is emphasized by the ridge of hair-like protrusions at its tip. Its two antennae hang down below its face, with their red ear-like tips tilted upwards. The choice of black background draws immediate attention to the weevil's reddest parts. Shalwa's bold approach to macro photography has certainly paid off, as he has won over 140 international awards for his craft. Talk about conquering your fears!
Below: two more of Shalwa's untitled photos, showing the faces of a green stag beetle and a butterfly.
Image credit & copyright: Mofeed Abu Shalwa
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It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Women’s History Month, enjoy these curios celebrating extraordinary women.
When Shirin Neshat left Iran in the '70s to study art in Los Angeles, she couldn't have imagined the home she'd return to. In her '90s series Women of Allah, Neshat reckons with the Iranian Islamic Revolution through the eyes of its veiled women. The above self-portrait shows Neshat with her face painted in words from holy Islamic texts, holding a rifle and wearing the traditional chador veil—an item of clothing that was not required of women prior to the revolution. With the banishment of all things Western by the revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, so too went the more liberal and autonomous treatment of women. Neshat's bold stare into the camera offers a re-centering of Iranian women as subjects in their own lives and culture—even if her works have yet to be shown in her homeland. Here's hoping they make their way back home someday.
Below: more images from the Women of Allah series.
Image credit & copyright: Shirin Neshat
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Women’s History Month, enjoy these curios celebrating extraordinary women.
When Shirin Neshat left Iran in the '70s to study art in Los Angeles, she couldn't have imagined the home she'd return to. In her '90s series Women of Allah, Neshat reckons with the Iranian Islamic Revolution through the eyes of its veiled women. The above self-portrait shows Neshat with her face painted in words from holy Islamic texts, holding a rifle and wearing the traditional chador veil—an item of clothing that was not required of women prior to the revolution. With the banishment of all things Western by the revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, so too went the more liberal and autonomous treatment of women. Neshat's bold stare into the camera offers a re-centering of Iranian women as subjects in their own lives and culture—even if her works have yet to be shown in her homeland. Here's hoping they make their way back home someday.
Below: more images from the Women of Allah series.
Image credit & copyright: Shirin Neshat
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It's Flashback Friday! As Black History Month draws to a close, enjoy these curios about the innovations, insights, and triumphs of Black Americans.
Hattye Yarbrough has spent a lifetime collecting and sharing others' stories. Her work as an informal collector of African-American history has been recognized by the Smithsonian, where her scrapbook of World War II memorabilia from black soldiers is on display at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C. In a recent USA Today Network profile, Yarbrough revealed the significance of the portrait in her hands: as part of Chick History's "March to the 19th" campaign to collect suffrage stories of African-American women, Yarbrough dug up this old photo of her finely-dressed aunt Annie Sybil Thomas Jarrett. It was Aunt Sybil who ignited Yarbrough's interest in education and history. Once, when the two were reading and discussing works of Harlem Renaissance literature, Yarbrough asked her aunt why she'd never heard of those writers in school. Jarrett replied "'We have been left out of the records, that's why…." A University of Memphis professor associated with Chick History confirmed the image was taken by James P. Newton, the first black professional photographer in Memphis. Yarbrough's significant work proves history isn't just written by the victors, it's also written by our loved ones who refuse to forget us.
Image credit & copyright: Jim Weber / The Commercial Appeal
It's Flashback Friday! As Black History Month draws to a close, enjoy these curios about the innovations, insights, and triumphs of Black Americans.
Hattye Yarbrough has spent a lifetime collecting and sharing others' stories. Her work as an informal collector of African-American history has been recognized by the Smithsonian, where her scrapbook of World War II memorabilia from black soldiers is on display at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington D.C. In a recent USA Today Network profile, Yarbrough revealed the significance of the portrait in her hands: as part of Chick History's "March to the 19th" campaign to collect suffrage stories of African-American women, Yarbrough dug up this old photo of her finely-dressed aunt Annie Sybil Thomas Jarrett. It was Aunt Sybil who ignited Yarbrough's interest in education and history. Once, when the two were reading and discussing works of Harlem Renaissance literature, Yarbrough asked her aunt why she'd never heard of those writers in school. Jarrett replied "'We have been left out of the records, that's why…." A University of Memphis professor associated with Chick History confirmed the image was taken by James P. Newton, the first black professional photographer in Memphis. Yarbrough's significant work proves history isn't just written by the victors, it's also written by our loved ones who refuse to forget us.
Image credit & copyright: Jim Weber / The Commercial Appeal
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It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Pluto Day (the day that Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh) enjoy these science-focused curios.
We may not think of NASA as a source of meteorological news, yet this view of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station proves otherwise. Though the composition of the photo, taken by European Space Agency astronaut Alex Gerst, makes the swirling pattern look majestic, the size of it was so large that only a wide angle lens was able to capture the entirety of the cyclone. NASA's Earth-observing satellite data helps researchers funnel information to FEMA, the National Guard, and other state and federal rescue organizations. NASA isn't the only one offering important updates on Florence, though: a team of scientists at Stony Brooks University ran a computer program called Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), which predicted real-time forecasts for Florence before the storm even landed ashore. Florence, compared to hurricanes which lacked the influence of man-made climate change, was accurately predicted to have over 50% more rainfall at peak precipitation, gather at 50 miles wider, and last far longer. We're taking this as a sober reminder to keep our loved ones and pets safe during an emergency, and to do what we can to improve the health of our planet.
Image credit & copyright: Alex Gerst
It's Flashback Friday! In honor of Pluto Day (the day that Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh) enjoy these science-focused curios.
We may not think of NASA as a source of meteorological news, yet this view of Hurricane Florence from the International Space Station proves otherwise. Though the composition of the photo, taken by European Space Agency astronaut Alex Gerst, makes the swirling pattern look majestic, the size of it was so large that only a wide angle lens was able to capture the entirety of the cyclone. NASA's Earth-observing satellite data helps researchers funnel information to FEMA, the National Guard, and other state and federal rescue organizations. NASA isn't the only one offering important updates on Florence, though: a team of scientists at Stony Brooks University ran a computer program called Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), which predicted real-time forecasts for Florence before the storm even landed ashore. Florence, compared to hurricanes which lacked the influence of man-made climate change, was accurately predicted to have over 50% more rainfall at peak precipitation, gather at 50 miles wider, and last far longer. We're taking this as a sober reminder to keep our loved ones and pets safe during an emergency, and to do what we can to improve the health of our planet.
Image credit & copyright: Alex Gerst
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It's Flashback Friday, and Valentine’s Day is coming up soon! Enjoy these curios about all things lovey-dovey.
This man considered his wife's hands as beautiful as the exquisite scenes she painted. Photographer Alfred Stieglitz, born this week in 1864, took over 300 striking photos of artist Georgia O'Keeffe that capture their tumultuous, yet highly productive, marriage. Unlike some of the sexually provocative images he took of O'Keeffe, this one solely evokes his appreciation of her painting talents. In the 1910s, when Stieglitz and O'Keeffe were just pen pals, the photographer urged O'Keeffe (then a teacher in Texas) to move to New York to devote herself to her art. He showed her work in his gallery as soon as she arrived, paving the way for her career. In return, O'Keeffe brought Stieglitz out of a creative slump; when Stieglitz began his O'Keeffe portraits in 1917, he hadn't touched a camera in a while. "I am at last photographing again...It is the doing of something I had in mind for very many years," he wrote to a friend around the time he met his wife. Though their relationship became rockier as O'Keeffe's star rose, they remained together until Stieglitz's death in 1946. Sounds like this pair knew how to marry art and life!
Below: another Stieglitz portrait of O'Keeffe. Further below, Stieglitz and O'Keeffe embracing in 1929.
Image credit & copyright: Alfred Stieglitz Collection / Art Institute of Chicago and Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
It's Flashback Friday, and Valentine’s Day is coming up soon! Enjoy these curios about all things lovey-dovey.
This man considered his wife's hands as beautiful as the exquisite scenes she painted. Photographer Alfred Stieglitz, born this week in 1864, took over 300 striking photos of artist Georgia O'Keeffe that capture their tumultuous, yet highly productive, marriage. Unlike some of the sexually provocative images he took of O'Keeffe, this one solely evokes his appreciation of her painting talents. In the 1910s, when Stieglitz and O'Keeffe were just pen pals, the photographer urged O'Keeffe (then a teacher in Texas) to move to New York to devote herself to her art. He showed her work in his gallery as soon as she arrived, paving the way for her career. In return, O'Keeffe brought Stieglitz out of a creative slump; when Stieglitz began his O'Keeffe portraits in 1917, he hadn't touched a camera in a while. "I am at last photographing again...It is the doing of something I had in mind for very many years," he wrote to a friend around the time he met his wife. Though their relationship became rockier as O'Keeffe's star rose, they remained together until Stieglitz's death in 1946. Sounds like this pair knew how to marry art and life!
Below: another Stieglitz portrait of O'Keeffe. Further below, Stieglitz and O'Keeffe embracing in 1929.
Image credit & copyright: Alfred Stieglitz Collection / Art Institute of Chicago and Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library