Curio Cabinet / Photo Curio

I guess we have to address the elephant in the room. This adorable mother and her calf are wading through water hyacinth. Although the pair look like they've been dipped in chocolate, they're just wet! Beneath the verdant aquatic plants and lavender blooms is a source of freshwater. Water hyacinth, known as "million dollar weeds," and is a favorite snack of Asian elephants. Photographer Kunal Gupta captured this moment in the Kaziranga National Park. Situated in the northeastern Indian state of Assam, India, Kaziranga has nearly 43,000 hectares of land preserved for local wildlife, like one-horned rhinoceroses, tigers, water buffalo, and Ganges River dolphins. "Smiling Elephants" was a runner-up in this year's Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, a contest that encourages "conservation through competition." I don't know about you, but these precious pachyderms, and the other entries, certainly brightened my day.
 

Image credit & copyright: Indian elephants. Kaziranga, India. Kunal Gupta/Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
 

Below: the winner of the competition. Terry the Turtle Flipping the Bird. A sea turtle in Queensland, Australia. Photo by Mark Fitzpatrick, Courtesy of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2020
 

It may look like lightning and rainbows, but this isn't a new weather event—it's the inside of a common glassworm! Thanks to this colorful photo, Ukrainian photographer Andrei Savitsky recently won first place in the Close-up Photographer of the Year contest's "Micro" category. Every detail of the transparent glassworm, the larvae of a midge fly, is on display—from its large dark eyes to the vessels running through the inside of its head. The two prominent, bean-shaped organs on the photo's right side are tracheal bubbles. These bubbles expand or contract in response to light, helping the glassworm swim or float depending on weather and time of day. Amazingly, Savitsky took his winning shot on a smartphone with the help of a Biolam R-11 microscope. The image's stunning colors come from two photography techniques: darkfield, which creates contrast inside a transparent specimen by trapping light inside it, and polarization, in which a filter is used to suppress glare and emphasize color saturation. Fly larvae never looked so glamorous!

Image credit & copyright: Andrei Savitsky
 

Written by: Maria C.
 

Below: third place winner of the Animals category, Bufo Bufo by Mathieu Foulquié and first place winner of the Animals category, Eel Larva by Galice Hoarau.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

His eyes blink, his wings flap, and he looks awfully sharp in his Pilgrim garb! Tom Turkey is the unofficial mascot of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and the oldest float in the entire holiday spectacle. Since his creation in 1973, Tom Turkey has served as the first float in the parade procession, just as Santa Clause is the last. That isn't to say that this old turkey never learns new tricks. In 1992, Tom was given a fresh coat of paint and updated animatronics. But the above version of Tom didn't appear until 2017, when he was given his most recent and most drastic redesign. His float is now a three-tiered structure, complete with gold railings. Tom himself shines in metallic hues of gold and orange, atop a green drum. A hidden truck, in the float's base, drives him through the streets, making him the only self-propelled float in the parade. This beautiful bird has escorted his fair share of celebrities, including the likes of singer George Jones and soap opera actress Susan Lucci. Pretty impressive considering most other turkeys lie around getting stuffed on Thanksgiving!
 

Photos of Tom Turkey from the 1970s and early 2000s.
 

Image credit & copyright: Macy's
 

The role of Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) is fraught with vulnerability. Performing the role is often the hallmark of an actress's career. It is not surprising that everyone from Jessica Tandy, Vivien Leigh, and Faye Dunaway, to Jessica Lange, Cate Blanchett, and Frances McDormand have taken on the challenge. In 2014 (and again in 2016), Gillian Anderson performed the leading role in London's West End. Theater photographer Simon Annand captured Anderson's magic touch in his new book Time to Act, which features over 200 portraits of London-area theater actors in front of and behind the stage, with several of the images recently featured in a photo essay at The Guardian. Other actors like Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) reveal the weight of a Sam Shepard play. Meanwhile Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) dances as if her ratings-hungry character just landed a hit show in the darkly satirical Network. Simon Annand captures the intimate and candid feel of being backstage at a hit play, where actors prepare for the electric and unforgiving jolt of working in live theater.
 
Below: more portraits from Simon Annand, including Elizabeth Moss, Kit Harington, and Michelle Dockery.

Image credit & copyright: Simon Annand
 

Written by: Esther P.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

We all have to try something new from time to time. Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has captured everyone from Mick Jagger to John Lennon to Demi Moore for the covers of glossy magazines. But Leibovitz has also worked as a photojournalist covering global events like the Sept. 11 attacks and the Bosnian War in Sarajevo in the early 1990s, creating images that show her talent even in unfamiliar terrain. This image features a Bosnian army commander taking a break during the battle of Sarajevo, the longest siege of a capital city in modern history. He rests against a car, medallions around his neck, a military jacket hanging over the edge of the trunk, and exhaustion filling his eyes. Leibovitz was not a street photographer; she had built her portfolio in more refined settings, and before getting into photography she had studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. On the streets of Sarajevo, Leibovitz tested her mettle without the aid of elaborate lighting, constructed backdrops, or a team of assistants. "To me, they are the most moving pictures. I was trying to crawl back to where I started, the purity of the early work," she said of the Sarajevo images in an interview. We hope Leibovitz will continue to experiment outside her wheelhouse. Maybe wildlife photography is next?
 

Below: Leibovitz's noted image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono gracing the cover of Rolling Stone in 1981, a month after Lennon's death. The second image features Dolly Parton and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1977.
 

Image credit & copyright: Annie Leibovitz
 

Forget not the tyranny of this wall...nor the love of freedom which made it fall! These words, graffitied onto the remnants of the Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany expressed the feelings of the German people who, on this day in 1989, rushed to tear it down. The wall had stood for more than a decade, separating the Federal Republic of Germany in the West, from the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic, in the East. Its fall marked the end of communist power in Germany, and allowed long separated families and friends to be reunited. In the photo above, a large crowd envelops the wall: people sit atop it, spray paint it, or pry off pieces of it for souvenirs. While the Soviet's failure in Germany was a long and complex process, the photos of the Berlin Wall's demolition make one simple fact very clear: Germany was happy to be whole again.
 

Image credit & copyright: The Berlin Wall, AP Images/John Gaps III
 

Written by: Maria C.
 
Below: a short video on the history of the Berlin Wall

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

This Election Day, we're taking some time to remember the first African-American man to ever cast a ballot in a U.S. election, Mr. Thomas Mundy Peterson. The son of ex-slaves, Peterson cast his vote on March 31, 1870, one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment, in an election to decide whether the citizens of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, should revise or abandon the town charter. By all accounts, Peterson was an upstanding citizen who worked as a school principal, held elected office on the Middlesex County Commission, and was the first black person to serve on a jury in Perth Amboy. Peterson was so beloved by his town that in 1880, the citizens raised $70 to award him a medallion for his accomplishments, which he can be seen wearing in the above photo. We wonder how many "I voted" stickers we'd have to collect before cashing in on the Peterson medallion?

 

Below: a closer look at Peterson's award, which features a medallion with a shaved President Lincoln in half-profile.
 

Talk about an anticipated battle! On this day in 1992, American Chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer beat his longtime rival, Russian Grandmaster Boris Spassky, in an anticipated rematch game. Billed by some journalists as "The Revenge Match of the Twentieth Century," the event's intensity is evident in every photo taken during the intellectual battle. In the image above, Fischer gestures toward the camera, wearing his trademark severe expression. Spassky stares intently at his rival's board, seemingly unaware of the camera or Fischer. Although the table on which they play and the backdrop behind them read "The World Chess Championship," their rematch was, in fact, an unofficial match. After Fischer defeated Spassky in the 1972 World Chess Championship, Fischer had protested the event's official rules and refused to play again unless they were changed. When they weren't, Fischer refused to defend his title in 1975, but still considered himself to be World Champion since he'd never lost a game. Upon beating Spassky again, seventeen years later, Fischer declared himself "the Undefeated Champion of the World." Tell that to Garry Kasparov, the official chess World Champion of the time, who described Fischer's playing style as "OK, nothing more." Them's fightin' words if we ever heard 'em!
 
Below: a brief video explaining some of Bobby Fischer's life and chess career

 

Image credit & copyright: Ivan Milutinovic, Reuters.
 

Written by: Maria C.
 

Now that's a view worth the climb! Taken by renowned American photographer Carleton E. Watkins way back in 1865, Yosemite Valley No. I remains a stunning image today. Born on November 11, 1829, Watkins specialized in capturing photos of the truly wild West, from mountains to waterfalls to sprawling forests. In Yosemite Valley No. I, craggy valley walls, dotted with pine trees, stretch into the distance. Considered one of the best landscape photographers of all time (some have even called him the most important American photographer of the 19th century) Watkins used long exposure times of up to an hour to produce his vividly detailed images. During a time when photography was still in its infancy, Watkins adventured into and photographed entirely unmapped places. He was known for his willingness to do anything for the perfect shot, including hauling his equipment, such as glass plates, chemicals and tripods, up mountains and through dense forests. His photos, which inspired the American public to preserve wild places, are often credited with contributing to the formation of the U.S. National Park System. Sometimes, a bit of beauty really can change the world!

 
Image credit & copyright: Fraenkel Gallery
 

Written by: Maria C.
 
Below: two more of Watkins' photos, The North Dome [Fully Reflected] and From the Sentinel Dome, Down the Valley, Yosemite.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

These portraits may not feature any eye of newt or black cat bones, yet what Francis Denny has captured is equally mystical. Shine (New York, NY) above is part of the New York-based ClampArt gallery's exhibit Major Arcana: Witches in America, which chronicles Denny's exploration of contemporary witches. For each portrait, Denny asked the women to wear an outfit or bring items which represent their practices: for some it was elaborate jewelry or decorated walking sticks; for others, accoutrements were foregone for rich natural surroundings. The women who are portrayed self-identify as a range of mystical beings including "self-proclaimed green witches, white witches, kitchen witches…." With such a variety of characters shown in these photos, Denny has tried to move away from stereotypical depictions of witches as green-skinned villains and towards a confluence of individuals who operate outside of conventional ideals of femininity and power. Are some of the images a little spooky? Maybe, but that's perfectly fine for Halloween!

 

Below: more witch portraits from Denny's project, including Bloody Mary (New Orleans, LA), Deborah (Nyack, NY)
, and Karen (Brooklyn, NY).
 

Image credit & copyright: Francis F. Denny
 

This certainly looks like frightful fun! As Halloween draws near, so do Halloween festivals, like the Historic Irvington Halloween Festival, in the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. The event draws thousands of visitors each year. In the photo above, The Black Hat Society, a nonprofit group of theatrical witches, prepares for the festival's parade. The gathering features one member dressed as a pumpkin-headed monster, while most wear black witch costumes. The Historic Irvington Halloween Festival has been called both the oldest and the largest Halloween festival in the U.S. (though this is difficult to measure and a few other festivals also lay claim to these titles). When it began in 1927, the festival was a one-night event, featuring music and a parade. After spending several years on hiatus, the festival returned in 1946, and became a week-long affair, featuring vendors, food, performances, and even a ghost tour. The festival celebrates its 74th year in 2020, and while the street fair won't take place due to the pandemic, some attractions that can work with outdoor social distancing and PPE mask will still take place, like the ghost tour, ensuring attendees still have a spooo-ky good time!

Image credit & copyright: Michael Sullivan Photography/Historic Irvington Halloween Festival
 

Written by: Maria C.

Below: entrants in the festival's pumpkin-carving contest
 

"Red sky at morning, sailors take warning"... or in this case, everyone in Oregon. The photo above, taken by amatuer photographer Naomi Williams, shows the surreal moments just before a wildfire arrives. Skies like this one, caused by the Riverside fire near Estacada, Oregon, have become a common sight as wildfires ravage the state. The red hue is caused by a phenomenon called Mie scattering, in which pollution (such as smoke particles) blocks out parts of the visible light spectrum, absorbing blues and greens. The heavy smog and deep red sky give the entire image an eerie, Mars-like feel. Williams was forced to evacuate her home not long after driving into the fire's "red zone" to take her photos. "These conditions took over my neighborhood and city as we packed our bags, loaded our cars, and fled," she wrote, before adding "Please, keep Oregon in your prayers."

Below: two more photos of the fire's approach.
 

Image credit & copyright: Naomi Williams
 

Talk about being one with nature! Spanish photographer Fares Micue has always incorporated plants, trees, and natural settings into her photography—particularly her surreal self-portraits, which have gone viral. In Imaginary prison, branches seem to burst from Micue's chest and abdomen. They are yellow at the base, matching her long-sleeved dress, with red tips. Micue's face is obscured, and the photo is taken against a dark background, making her dress and the branches stand out vividly. In an interview with Flock Literary Journal, Micue stated that her aesthetic has always been "clean and straight to the point". Her penchant for playing with colors is part of what led her from taking pictures as a hobby to being a professional photographer who knows how to use reds to stand out. "For me, red always adds that focal point of where to stop," Macau explained. "Red is an exciting color full of energy and power, while blues and greens add that point for the eyes to rest from the strong visual of reds." Color us impressed with her words and her photos!
 

Below: two more of Micue's photos, Celestial girl and Memories of a rainy day.
 

Image credit & copyright: Fares Micue
 

That's a lotta loops! Brazillian photographer Bruno Militelli had judges of the International Garden Photographer Of The Year competition wrapped around his little finger with his photo of a passionfruit tendril. Militelli's Botanic Loop, pictured above, was awarded first place in the Macro Art category. Unlike most botanical photos, Botanic Loop doesn't focus on colorful petals or leaves. Instead, the black and white image emphasizes the spiraling tendril's shape, rather than its verdant color, as it loops about a dozen times. The photo's macro sizing also makes it hard to immediately recognize the tendril as part of a plant, leaving viewers to wonder if they're looking at a piece of jewelry or other ornate man-made object. In fact, passionfruit tendrils are a critical botanical feature, allowing the plants to grab and climb surfaces for maximum sun exposure. Guess this proves that going loopy isn't always a bad thing!
 

Below: the contest's second and third place winners, Mountains Of Tulip Petals by Anne Macintyre and Shepherd's Purse Seed by Zhang Ye Fei.
 

Image credit & copyright: Bruno Militelli, Anne Macintyre, Zhang Ye Fei, International Garden Photographer of the Year

Now that's a room with a view! Thanks to a recent, one-of-a-kind collaboration between a photographer on Earth and an astronaut aboard NASA's International Space Station (ISS), we can enjoy a new look at space travel. Cupola with Clouds and Ocean, pictured above, is just one of over 130 photographs that Earth-bound photographer Roland Miller and ISS engineer Paolo Nespoli have captured together. The image shows one of Earth's oceans, dotted with clouds, through the windows of an ISS cupola, or small dome. To get their photos just right, Miller first uses Google Street View to take screenshots of areas that he wanted Nespoli to capture. Nespoli then recreates the images with a proper camera and sends them back to Miller for editing. Unlike most ISS interior photos, these images do not use flash. Instead, they are photographed with a slow shutter speed, allowing viewers to see the ISS's low-light environment. A specially-made stabilizing bipod (that won't float away in zero gravity) is also used. Miller and Nespoli are even turning their photo series into a book: Interior Space: A Visual Exploration of the International Space Station. Talk about an out-of-this-world collab!
 

Below: two more photos from inside the International Space Station, Longitudinal View, from ISS Forward to ISS Aft, US Laboratory, and Starboard View through Port Hatch of Equipment Lock and Crew Lock with Extravehicular Activity Hardware Quest Joint Airlock.

Image credit & copyright: Roland Miller / Paolo Nespoli NASA / ASI

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Move over, 99 bottles of beer on the wall. This impressive pyramid is made up of approximately 1,200 barrels, each containing 330 standard bottles’ worth of beer. So much for the presentation; this huge stack was slated for destruction after the passing of the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the sale of alcohol in the U.S. It wasn’t until December 1933, after many barrels like these were destroyed, that the 21st Amendment repealed it. What we can’t wrap our minds around is how on earth a handful of guys in the 1920s managed to build such a gargantuan tower in the first place. And how they all seem to be having the time of their lives hanging out on a volatile structure some eight stories tall. Our best guess is that they each had a generous “last hurrah” swig of liquid courage before completing the task.
 
Image credit & copyright: Imagno/Austrian Archives/Getty Images
 

Wait 'till they get a load of this duo! Dutch graphic designer Ard Gelinck has been creating cleverly manipulated photos of celebrities for over a decade, like the above depiction of 1989's Joker villain from Batman, and the actor who played him, Jack Nicholson. Gelinck's Photoshop wizardry began with his Then and Now series, posing actors with themselves at different ages. This time, he's bringing the characters out of their cages, with the Joker and Jack above, as well as others like the Fonz and Henry Winkler. The trick-of-the-eye posing between the Joker and Jack looks extremely natural, as the clown prince of crime grins and rests one purple-gloved hand on Nicholson's shoulder. Meanwhile, the older actor, clad in an untucked white dress shirt, laughs and smiles. Although Gelinck isn't the first to photoshop actors and their famous roles together, he is particularly masterful at making the images seem real. He does this by choosing original images carefully, and portraying a sense of ease, fondness and friendship between the fictional characters and the human beings. After all, an actor prepares by "getting inside the head" of a character, and who knows us better than our best friends?
 

Below: more of Gelinck's celebrity and character mashup photos Including the Fonz from Happy Days and Henry Winkler, the actor who portrayed him. Beverly Hills Cop Axel Foley embraces comedian Eddie Murphy.
 

Image credit & copyright: Ard Gelinck