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Post by Woland on Apr 1, 2020 13:33:39 GMT -5
Alexander Pushkin, 1799-1837
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Now regarded as Russia's greatest poet, Alexander Sergeyevich was born to the noble Pushkin family; his great-grandfather was an African slave, presented to Peter the Great as a gift and raised by the Tsar as a godson. During his upbringing he spoke french with his nursemaids and tutors, only speaking russian with his nanny and the household serfs. During his time at the St. Petersburg lyceum, Alexander became a fan of social reform, his radical speeches saw him forced to leave St. Petersburg, prompting a trip through the Caucasus and Crimea while still getting involved with social reform. After the Decembrist uprising in 1825 and the conservative Tsar Nicholas I took over, Alexander Pushkin came under more censorship from the authorities, he wasn't allowed to travel as much as he used to and everything he published was run through with a fine-tooth comb by Nicky. Despite his success and fame, Pushkin still struggled with huge debt hanging over him, he found it difficult climbing up the social ladder, and to top it all off his wife was having an affair. Pushkin challenged his wife's lover to a duel, took a bullet in the abdomen and died 2 days later at just 37 years of age.
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Post by Woland on Apr 3, 2020 11:21:13 GMT -5
Sergei Trubetskoy 1790-1860
Having served in the Russian army during the Napoleonic Wars, Sergei became a Freemason and later an advocate for a Constitutional Monarchy in Tsarist Russia. He was a key figure in the failed Decembrist Revolt in 1825 (the plot to prevent Nicholas I from becoming Tsar). Initially sentenced to death, at the last moment his sentence was changed to hard labour for life in Nerchinsk (Siberia, 4,000 miles from St. Petersburg). His wife Ekaterina Laval voluntarily renounced all wealth and privileges to join him in Siberia. In 1856, two years after his wife's death and 1 year after Nicholas I passed away, Sergei was granted amnesty and allowed to return home. This photo was taken in 1860, the last year of his life.
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Post by Windischer on Apr 3, 2020 12:53:09 GMT -5
Alexander Pushkin, 1799-1837
Now regarded as Russia's greatest poet, Alexander Sergeyevich was born to the noble Pushkin family; his great-grandfather was an African slave, presented to Peter the Great as a gift and raised by the Tsar as a godson. During his upbringing he spoke french with his nursemaids and tutors, only speaking russian with his nanny and the household serfs. During his time at the St. Petersburg lyceum, Alexander became a fan of social reform, his radical speeches saw him forced to leave St. Petersburg, prompting a trip through the Caucasus and Crimea while still getting involved with social reform. After the Decembrist uprising in 1825 and the conservative Tsar Nicholas I took over, Alexander Pushkin came under more censorship from the authorities, he wasn't allowed to travel as much as he used to and everything he published was run through with a fine-tooth comb by Nicky. Despite his success and fame, Pushkin still struggled with huge debt hanging over him, he found it difficult climbing up the social ladder, and to top it all off his wife was having an affair. Pushkin challenged his wife's lover to a duel, took a bullet in the abdomen and died 2 days later at just 37 years of age.
Pushkin was also very important for the development of the Russian language as we know it today. It was only in the 18th century that certain people in Russia started experimenting with the language. The masses would speak Old Russian, the nobles used French a lot since Peter the Great's westward turn and the tradesmen, rather recent arrivals, spoke German, Dutch, Yiddish ... For matters of the State (and Church), Old Church Slavonic was still used. Then Lomonosov created his three styles, which should be used for different purposes - the lowest style would use almost exclusively Old Russian, the middle style would mix in some OCS words and be a bit more formal (suited for newspapers and such), while the high style would use a lot of elements from OCS and to be used for formal occassions. Several others then took this further, everyone used it as it suited him for his own books or newspapers until the wars with Napoleon brought another change. This time the nobles at the court and in charge of the army were confronted with an enemy who spoke the same language as them - French. Yet they were not French but Russians. And when the soldiers returned from Europe, they brought with them some of the ideas about nationalism (again from others, the decembrist movement arose). So the native tongue became sort of trendy again with the higher classes. If you then look at how Pushkin wrote his works, mixing elements of OCS with Old Russian and adding loanwords from German, French, Dutch and even English, that became something like the new norm and from Pushkin's time onwards we can speak of a modern Russian language. Of course, I'm not saying Pushkin made the Russian language, but let's not forget that he was popular and influential, a role model for Lermontov, who could really shine only after Pushkin's death, and many others. |
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Post by Woland on Apr 5, 2020 19:53:47 GMT -5
Arthur Balfour by John Singer Sargent, 1908
Born in Scotland 1848, son and grandson of politicians, Arthur Balfour climbed the greasy pole to serve as Prime Minister from 1902-1905, taking over from his uncle Lord Salisbury. After his stint as PM he continued to serve in later coalition governments, racking up a total of 28 years in Ministerial positions. Most famous for the Balfour declaration affirming support for the foundation of a Jewish State in Palestine, thus sparking conspiracy theories well beyond his death in 1930.
Philip de Laszlo's portrait of Arthur Balfour in 1931
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Post by Woland on Apr 12, 2020 17:51:53 GMT -5
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) by Vasily Perov
Dostoevsky once claimed Turgenev and Tolstoy would've never written a single word if they had his life; in contrast to his two noble contemporaries Fyodor grew up in the grounds of a Hospital for the poor (his father worked there), from an early age he was in close contact with poverty and sickness. During his unhappy period at the Military Engineering Institute in St. Petersburg, Fyodor lost both his parents, the death of his father allegedly caused his epilepsy which dogged him the rest of his life. His burning passion for literature saw him quickly drop his military career, publishing early novels and short stories while still juggling debts. In the mid 40s he got into socialism, most notably his involvement with the Petrashevsky Circle got him sentenced to death (later commuted to exile in Siberia), but not before a mock execution took place with the last-minute reprieve, all pre-arranged by Tsar Nicholas I to show his subjects they owed their life to him. 10 years split between hard labour and compulsory military service, Dostoevsky was allowed to return home to St. Petersburg by Tsar Alexander II. Upon his return he plunged into deeper debt, gambled his way through Western Europe and lost his first wife and brother in quick succession. His second marriage was more successful, he eventually got over the death of his newborn daughter while publishing seminal works such as "Crime and Punishment" and "The Idiot". During a stay in Germany Dostoevsky quarrelled with Ivan Turgenev. Diminished health and further financial troubles hobbled him personally, while professionally he still managed to publish "The Demons" and "The Brothers Karamazov" before succumbing to a pulmonary haemorrhage at 59 years of age.
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Post by Woland on Apr 19, 2020 12:25:00 GMT -5
Katarina Ivanovic was a female painter born in 1811 in Veszprem in the Austrian Empire (now in modern-day Hungary) to Serbian parents. She studied in Budapest and Vienna, travelled and worked in Paris, Zagreb, Munich, Belgrade and Italy. Initially beginning with historical scenes, she excelled in portraits. She introduced still life painting into Serbian Art, became the first female member of the Serbian Learned Society. She died in 1882 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This is her self-portrait.
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Post by Octavio on Apr 22, 2020 8:48:09 GMT -5
Coronel Joaquim José de Oliveira (1830-1907) was a politician and coffee baron in Brazil, during the Second Reign of the Brazilian Empire (1840-1889) and early First Republic of the United States of Brazil (1889-1930). He's not very known, Brazilian-wide, but he is one of the key figures of my hometown, and since I love my hometown's history, well, why not? He was born in Caldas, Minas Gerais state's countryside, but it was in São João da Boa vista that he made himself known, moving to the town in São Paulo's countriside in 1870. At that time, he joined the Liberal Party and created the Republican Party in the municipalty. Historians claims that Joaquim José was one of the key figures to the development of the (at the time) village of São João da Boa Vista, being a rich, prestigious and well-known aristocrat. He made himself a town councilor, and was elected chief councilor, and made efforts so the village would legally be recognized as a city. He was re-elected up to 1885. He became, then a juiz de paz, and at the time his political powers where unmatched. No decision could be taken without his approval, and his councils where always taken. When Emperor Dom Pedro II came to São João da Boa Vista to open the Railroad that would cross the city, Joaquim José made clear to the monarch that he was an ardent republican, and the same could be said of his city. He was supposed to become a senator after the Proclamation of the Republic, but refused due to some health problems. Some well know politicians, like Campos Salles, who was governor of the São Paulo state and after president of the United States of Brazil, often sought his advices. Joaquim José was deeply interested in public education, and kept a school running on his farm. In 1882, he started to create what would be the first school in the city, offering a building he owned at the town center. The proposal was quickly accepted and soon a temporary school was made in that building. The Imperial government named him Baron of São João for his acts. He died in São João da Boa Vista in 1907, and one day after his passing, the people made a petition to create him a monument, that today stands in a square in the town center, in front of his building that became the school. Both the square and school are named "Coronel Joaquim José" after him. |
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Post by Woland on Apr 24, 2020 11:34:44 GMT -5
Ivan Turgenev 1818-1883. Russian writer who played a big role introducing Russian literature to Western Europe in the 19th century. In childhood he learnt french, german and english from his governesses, travelled through Germany and France with family, studied philosophy and history in Berlin. In 1852 he angered the censors by writing "A sportsman's sketches" (showcasing the harsh realities of serfdom) and an appraising obituary of Nikolai Gogol, he was rewarded with a month in prison and exiled to his estate for 2 years. Turgenev moved and settled in Western Europe in 1854, partly from political censorship, mostly for the love of Spanish singer Pauline Viardot, he also translated russian works into french and german for Western audiences. Despite spending the latter half of his life outside of Russia, his short stories and novellas still focused on Russian society, even though Russian critics weren't happy about his western leanings. As for his contemporaries, he fell out with Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, later reconciling with Dostoevsky after the latter's speech celebrating Pushkin, he only reconciled with Tolstoy on his deathbed, practically begging Leo to return to writing.
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Post by Woland on Apr 25, 2020 5:54:10 GMT -5
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born in 1900, the daughter of Lord Glamis and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck (descended from the former Prime Minister William Cavendish). She was courted by Prince Albert, Duke of York, rejected his marriage proposals twice before finally accepting him. After Edward VIII abdicated for Wallis Simpson, Albert became King George VI with Elizabeth as Queen. After George's death in 1952 her daughter became Queen Elizabeth II we know today, while she was styled the Queen Mother. She died in 2002, 4 months shy of 102 years of age. She was the Duchess of York when Phillip de Laszlo made this portrait of her in 1925.
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Post by Woland on Apr 25, 2020 8:20:49 GMT -5
Morteza Qoli Khan Qajar was a Prince of Persia, brother of Agha Mohammad Khan (Shah and founder of the Qajar dynasty). After his brother seized power in 1789 the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great increased their meddling in Persia; Catherine the Great wanted to install the pro-Russian Morteza on the Persian throne. Catherine died in 1796. Agha Mohammad died in 1797 and handed power to a nephew. Morteza either died in 1798 or 1800. This painting dates from 1796.
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