otd

361d

#art #history:
question: what's better than juliette greco?
answer: three juliette grecos.
the smoky-toned chanteuse & actor (interpreter of jacques brel & prevert, boris vian, charles aznavour...) was born #otd in 1927.
the OG boho certainly made a mark with her life. how could she not? jean-paul sartre declared her to have 'a million poems in her voice'.
#illustration #julietteGreco #music #cinema #france

digital pencil, pastel & ink drawing of legendary french bohemian, juliette greco.
here, her perfectly lined eyes look off-camera to her left & her hands are folded in front of her, eclipsing the right side of her chin.
apart from her red lips & red pastel background, she's in black & white.

digital pencil, pastel & ink drawing of legendary french bohemian, juliette greco.
here, her perfectly lined eyes look off-camera to her left & her hands are folded in front of her, eclipsing the right side of her chin.
she's in black & white.

digital pencil, pastel & ink drawing of legendary french bohemian, juliette greco.
here, her perfectly lined eyes look off-camera to her left & her hands are folded in front of her, eclipsing the right side of her chin.
apart from her red lips & spruce pastel background, she's in black & white.

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2d

THAT PROMETHEAN SPARK
The Bottle Imp – Muriel Spark special issue

Muriel Spark was born #OTD, 1 Feb, 1918

“With a writing career that included biography, criticism, drama and short fiction as well as novels, Muriel Spark was never one to do things by halves…”

A 🎂 🧵

1/18

https://www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2017/11/that-promethian-spark/

#Scottish #literature #MurielSpark #20thCentury #WomenWriters

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331d

#OTD in 1776.

Scottish political economist Adam Smith's book The Wealth of Nations, the first modern work in economics, was published.

It has become a fundamental work in classical economics, and has been described as "the first formulation of a comprehensive system of political economy".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wealth_of_Nations

Wealth of Nations at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3300

#books #literature #economy

The full title reads:

"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations",
by Adam Smith, LL.D. and F.R.S.,
Formerly Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Glasgow.

The title is arranged in a centered layout, using a combination of capital and small capital letters, reflecting the typographic conventions of the time. Below the author’s name and credentials, the volume number (as the work was published in two volumes) is indicated.

At the bottom of the page is the publication information, which reads:

"London: Printed for W. Strahan; and T. Cadell in the Strand. MDCCLXXVI."

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357d

#OTD in 1896.

While Oscar Wilde is in prison, his play Salome (written in 1891) is premièred in its original French by Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Œuvre company in Paris, perhaps at the Comédie-Parisienne. Because the play depicted biblical characters it was banned in Britain and was not performed publicly there until 1931.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salome_(play)

Salomé at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1339

#books #literature #theatre

Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley for the first English edition of the play (1894).

The image depicts Salomé holding the severed head of John the Baptist (also known as Jokanaan) on a platter.

She gazes at it with a mixture of fascination and satisfaction, while dark liquid (presumably blood) drips from the head onto the pedestal below.

Her elaborate gown, accessories, and stylized hair reflect the Art Nouveau aesthetic, infused with Beardsley’s signature decadence and eroticism.

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357d

French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes died #OTD in 1650.

He is known for his influential arguments for substance dualism, where mind and body are considered to have distinct essences, one being characterized by thought, the other by spatial extension. He has been dubbed the "Father of Modern Philosophy" and the "Father of Modern Mathematics."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes

Books by René Descartes at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/44

#books #literature #philosophy #mathematics

Frans Hals - Portret van René Descartes

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357d

American mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson died #OTD in 2005.

She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career. She started as a computer engineer at the segregated West Area Computing division in 1951. In 1958, after taking engineering classes, she became NASA's first black female engineer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jackson_(engineer)

#science #womeninStem

Mary Jackson working at NASA Langley at a control panel in 1980.

Mary W. Jackson successfully overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias to become NASA’s first black female engineer in 1958 and a leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations.

Edited 357d ago

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6d

#OTD in1960 Zora Neale Hurston died. She "was an American writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on Hoodoo and Caribbean Vodou."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zora_Neale_Hurston

Books by Hurston at PG:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/6368

#books #literature

Photograph of Zora Neale Hurston by Carl Van Vechten. She is sitting and wearing a top (dress?), belt, necklace of beads, and stylish hat. She is looking to the right away from the camera.

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327d

British actress Lena Ashwell died #OTD in 1957.

She is known as the first to organise large-scale entertainment for troops at the front, which she did during World War I. After the war she created the Lena Ashwell Players.

Ashwell herself travelled to the front and became involved in fundraising and logistics of the concerts, as she believed in 'uplifting & therapeutic' power of music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Ashwell

A preface written by Lena Ashwell at PG
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18530

#books #literature

Rotary postcard featuring a photograph of actress Lena Ashwell.

Lena Ashwell is captured in a half-length pose, looking directly at the camera with a composed and serene expression.

She is wearing a delicate gown adorned with floral embellishments and a long beaded necklace.

Her hair is styled in soft waves, framing her face gracefully.

Edited 327d ago

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356d

#OTD in 1889.

Henrik Ibsen's symbolic drama The Lady from the Sea (1888) receives simultaneous first performances in Oslo (in Norwegian) and Weimar (in German). The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed in Ibsen's later play The Master Builder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_from_the_Sea

The Lady from the Sea at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/2765

#books #literature #theatre

Dining room in the house of Dr. Vangel. 1905 Sketch of the scenery for Ibsen's drama “Daughter of the Sea” State Central Theater Museum named after A.A.Bakhrushin. A.A.Bakhrushin State Central Theater Museum.

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356d

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use,
Devis'd at first to keep the strong in awe;
Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law."
King Richard, scene iii

#OTD in 1817.

Junius Brutus Booth makes his stage debut in the title role of Shakespeare's Richard III at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_(play)

Richard III at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1503

#books #literature #theatre

Junius Booth, half-length portrait, three-quarters to the left, in theatrical costume, ca. 1850

Daguerrotype by Mathew Brady. Library of Congress, Daguerrotype Collection, reproduction number LC-USZ62-110129.)

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330d

#OTD in 1851.

The first performance of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in Venice. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoletto

Le Roi s'amuse at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29549

#books #literature #theatre

Set design for act "IV" (III as normally counted) of Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto. (For the production of the Théâtre national de l'Opéra at the Palais Garnier that opened 27-02-1885).

A rustic, slightly decrepit inn or house by a lakeside or riverbank, surrounded by dense trees. The building is shown in a cross-section, revealing two levels.

A warmly lit bedroom where a woman stands holding a torch or candle near a reclining figure on a bed—suggestive of the characters Maddalena and the Duke in Rigoletto.

A dimly lit interior room with a few figures around a table—possibly representing Sparafucile (the assassin) and other characters in the plot’s unfolding.

The scene is bathed in moonlight with dark clouds, creating a dramatic chiaroscuro between the natural night and the warm indoor light.

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355d

#OTD in 1914.

In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.

It was founded by Victor Herbert, George Botsford, Silvio Hein, Irving Berlin, Louis Hirsch, John Raymond Hubbell, Gustave Kerker, & Jean Schwartz; Glen MacDonough; publishers George Maxwell and Jay Witmark & copyright attorney Nathan Burkan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Composers,_Authors_and_Publishers

ASCAP archives at NYPL:
https://archives.nypl.org/mus/22936

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355d

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard.
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!"

#OTD in 1898.

The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde was published by Leonard Smithers, under the name "C.3.3.", which stood for cell block C, landing 3, cell 3.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Reading_Gaol

Ballad of Reading Gaol at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/301

#books #literature #poetry

Cover of The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1904).

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1d

"Secrets, silent, stony sit in the dark palaces of both our hearts: secrets weary of their tyranny: tyrants, willing to be dethroned."
ch. 2: Nestor page 28

Ulysses by James Joyce was partially serialised in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, the entire work was published in Paris by Sylvia Beach #OTD in 1922.

Ulysses at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4300

#books #literature

Picture of first edition of Joyce's Ulysses.

Cover design:
Simple, elegant design in blue-green/teal color
Greek-inspired lettering for "ULYSSES"
Minimal decoration, emphasizing the classical connection
The color was chosen to match the Greek flag (blue and white)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(novel)#/media/File:JoyceUlysses2.jpg

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326d

#OTD in 1889.

August Strindberg's naturalistic drama Miss Julie (Fröken Julie), 1888, is first performed, by the Scandinavian Experimental Theater at the University of Copenhagen. His wife Siri von Essen plays the title rôle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Julie

Miss Julie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14347

#books #literature #theatre

Photograph of the first production of Miss Julie at The People's Theatre in November 1906.

Unknown photographer, 1906 - Strindberg and the Five Senses, bu Hans-Goran Ekman.

On the left, a woman dressed in traditional servant attire appears to be engaged in a kitchen task, emphasizing the play’s working-class setting.

In the center-right, a woman in a long white dress (likely portraying Miss Julie) is interacting closely with a man in a formal suit (likely the character Jean), highlighting the tension and intimacy central to the plot.

The set design features modest furniture, utensils hanging on the wall, and exposed wooden beams, reflecting the realistic and detailed staging typical of early 20th-century naturalist theatre.

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354d

"I’m only sorry I couldn’t have had as good a chance as a boy, and have been put to my trade regularly."

American inventor Margaret E. Knight was born #OTD in 1838.

She founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in 1870, creating paper bags for groceries similar in form to the ones that would be used in later generations. Knight received dozens of patents in different fields and became a symbol for women's empowerment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_E._Knight

A scanned photograph from a newspaper, with accompanying title above ("First Woman Granted an American Patent Is Still at Work on Ingenious Inventions") and caption below ("MISS MARGARET E. KNIGHT AT WORK IN HER EXPERIMENTING ROOM.")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_E._Knight#/media/File:Margaret_knight_boston_sunday_post_march_31_1912_p.45.jpg

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325d

"Il y a aujourd'hui trois cent quarante-huit ans six mois et dix-neuf jours que les parisiens s'éveillèrent au bruit de toutes les clochés sonnant à grande volée dans la triple enceinte de la Cité, de l'Université et de la Ville."

#OTD in 1831.

Victor Hugo's historical romantic Gothic novel Notre-Dame de Paris, known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, is published by Gosselin in Paris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame de Paris at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/2610

#books #literature

The main characters depicted in a frontispiece illustration by Aimé de Lemud (Notre-Dame de Paris, Perrotin éditeur, Garnier frères, 1844).

Aimé de Lemud - This image comes from the Gallica online library under ARK identifier bpt6k15139651/f13

illustration by Aimé de Lemud for the frontispiece of Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris, Perrotin éditeur, Garnier frères, 1844.

Illustration from Victor Hugo et son temps (1881)

Luc-Olivier Merson (1846–1920) - Here

Drawing of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, showing the recently restored galerie des chimères.

A cloaked figure, likely Claude Frollo, the archdeacon in Hugo's novel, is standing on a high balcony or gallery of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

He is leaning against the balustrade, looking pensively over the cityscape of medieval Paris, with rooftops, chimneys, and the Seine River visible in the background.

Surrounding him are several gargoyle sculptures, which are iconic elements of Gothic architecture and Notre-Dame itself.

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354d

"Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords."
Letter (8 June 1762) [to an unnamed recipient], p. 103

#OTD in 1906.

J. M. Dent and Co. initiates the U.K. Everyman's Library series, edited by Ernest Rhys. The first title is Boswell's Life of Johnson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman%27s_Library

Life of Samuel Johnson at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1564

#books #literature

Title page to the 1791 first edition The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D, as found on the Google Books scan of the Bodleian Library copy.

Henry Baldwin - https://books.google.com/books?id=P-INAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA327#v=onepage&q&f=false

The title is in a large, serif font, with variations in font size and capitalization for emphasis.

"The Life of Samuel Johnson" is prominently displayed.

“LL.D.” follows Johnson’s name, denoting his honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Boswell’s name is given with "Esq." (Esquire), a common 18th-century honorific.

A Latin quotation (often included in scholarly works of the time) appears below the author’s name.

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353d

#OTD in 1824.

Lord Byron falls ill at Missolonghi while taking part in the Greek War of Independence. He dies of fever on April 19. The Greeks mourned Lord Byron deeply, and he became a hero.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Byron

Books by Lord Byron at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1708

A Narrative of Lord Byron's Last Journey to Greece by Pietro Gamba (1825):
https://catalogue.beic.it/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma9926855804741&context=L&vid=39BEIC_INST:39BEIC_INST&lang=it&search_scope=Library&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=LibraryCatalog&query=any,contains,A%20Narrative%20of%20Lord%20Byron%27s%20Last%20Journey%20to%20Greece%20by%20Pietro%20Gamba%20(1825)

#books #literature

The reception of Lord Byron at Missolonghi.

Theodoros Vryzakis - https://www.nationalgallery.gr/artwork/i-ypodochi-tou-lordou-vyrona-sto-mesolongi/

Byron is depicted in a grand and heroic manner, wearing traditional Greek attire, symbolizing his deep admiration for the Greek cause.

Byron is surrounded by Greek freedom fighters, dressed in traditional foustanella skirts, capes, and turbans, showing the diverse Greek factions.

Greek Orthodox clergy are present, emphasizing the role of the Church in the revolution.

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354d

#OnThisDay, 15 Feb 1776, Hannah Cowley’s first play, The Runaway, opened at Drury Lane.

Cowley had written her play and sent it to David Garrick, Drury Lane’s manager, after sitting through a particularly rubbish play. Garrick cast a young Sarah Siddons in the lead.

Siddon’s character rails against the marriage vows: 'I won't hear of it, “love” one might manage that perhaps, but “honour, obey”!’

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #Histodons #BritishHistory

an engraving of Hannah Cowley. She is a white woman with a mass of dark hair.

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310d

#OTD in 1836 (dated April)

The first monthly part of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens is issued in London. On April 20, the original illustrator, Robert Seymour, shoots himself and Dickens has more freedom to develop the story in his own way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pickwick_Papers

The Pickwick Papers at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=The+Pickwick+Papers&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Cover of serial, "Pickwick Club" by Charles Dickens.

Typical cover illustrations depict Mr. Samuel Pickwick, the kind-hearted and portly founder of the club, along with his fellow club members—Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle. They are often dressed in 19th-century attire, engaged in comical or exaggerated activities, such as traveling in a carriage, engaging in lively discussions, or encountering eccentric characters.

Many editions feature artwork inspired by the original illustrations by Hablot Knight Browne (known as Phiz) or Robert Seymour, who initially illustrated the novel. The scenes on the cover typically capture the novel’s lighthearted and satirical tone, emphasizing Dickens’s signature blend of humor and social commentary.

Edited 310d ago

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315d

#OTD in 1920.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald sets him up as a writer and celebrity. An initial 3,000 copies sell out in three days. The book's reputation dims in later years, but Dorothy Parker will recall that it was seen as innovative when it first appeared.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Side_of_Paradise

This Side of Paradise at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/805

#books #literature

Cover of Fitzgerald's 1920 novel, This Side of Paradise, by illustrator W. E. Hill. The cover's title text is in white font, and the background is dark yellow.

The cover depicts a haughty young woman wearing a white dress and holding a hand fan with large white feathers.

Behind her, a dashing young man in a dark suit, white shirt, and black bow tie is leaning forward as if to whisper in her ear.

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315d

"She belonged to a different age, but being so entire, so complete, would always stand up on the horizon, stone-white, eminent, like a lighthouse marking some past stage on this adventurous, long, long voyage, this interminable — this interminable life."

#OTD in 1915.

Virginia Woolf's first novel, The Voyage Out, is published in London by the firm of her half-brother, Gerald Duckworth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_Out

The Voyage Out at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/144

#books #literature

Cover of the first edition of w:Virginia Woolf's w:The Voyage Out, Duckworth & Co., London, 1915.

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310d

#OTD in 1862.

The first two volumes of Victor Hugo's epic historical novel Les Misérables appear in Brussels, followed on April 3 by Paris publication, with the remaining volumes on May 15. The first English-language translations, by Charles Edwin Wilbour, are published in New York on June 7, and by Frederic Charles Lascelles Wraxall, in London in October.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables

Les Misérables at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Les+Mis%C3%A9rables&submit_search=Search

#books #literature

Émile Bayard, Cosette sweeping, 1862, reproduced in Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (London, G. Routledge and Sons), 1887. Rare Books Collection, State Library of Victoria.

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313d

“its power as a starter in crowd psychology comes from Mackay’s insistence on humanising the follies he describes. No macroeconomic constructs here – just good old greed, optimism, superstition & cunning plans”

—Charles Mackay (1814–1889) was born #OTD, 27 March – best remembered today for his 1841 book Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds

1/3

https://www.peterharrington.co.uk/blog/the-great-and-awful-book-of-human-folly-charles-mackays-popular-delusions-2/

#Scottish #literature #19thcentury #Victorian #psychology #masspsychology #economics #stockmarket #bubbles

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