Summer in New York: Happy Bastille Day
14/07/2011 § 1 Comment
Military planes in formation, 1954 parade
Bastille Day has arrived. This national holiday in France commemorates the storming of the Bastille, considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution. Today, France puts on the world’s oldest and largest military parade (ongoing since 1880, almost without exception), down Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
François de La Rocque, leading the parade in 1935.
While many New York celebrations took place over the last weekend, there are still a few places where you can raise a glass in honor of “liberté, égalité, fraternité” today. Eater has done an excellent round-up, available here. My favorites are the free bottle of Veuve to Marie Antoinette impersonators at Artisanal and the pétanque tournament at Cercle Rouge with big band performances.
How will you celebrate Bastille Day?
Actress Elke Sommer playing pétanque.
LIFE Archives: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
11/07/2011 § 2 Comments
Trigger and Donald. Image via LIFE, taken 1949.
Now, before you accuse me of going all Horse and Hound on you (btw, that YouTube clip features Julia Roberts in a tie! Love!), this picture explains how I got on the path to the images of the sporting ladies. I recently learned that Maryland had an official state dog called the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and was one of only eleven states to designate an official state mutt. The “Chessie” is a breed that traces its roots back to two Newfoundland pups rescued from a ship called the Canton that foundered off of Maryland in 1807. The dogs were then bred with local retrievers, eventually resulting in this curly-coated, water-loving, gundog that somewhat resembles a Labrador. George Custer was a fan of the breed, taking his Chessies with him on the battlefield. Teddy Roosevelt also had a Chessie, named Sailor Boy, who was supposedly a descendant of Custer’s dogs.
So, why the duck picture? Well, in an effort to find a picture of this storied American breed, I came across these images of Trigger and his best friend Donald (yes, the duck) in the LIFE Archives. Evidently Donald hated the water and whenever his owners would throw him into the pond so that he could be with the rest of the ducks, Trigger the Chessie would immediately jump in the water and gently retrieve Donald. Too hilarious not to share.
Rabbit Hole: Sporting Ladies
11/07/2011 § Leave a comment
I have never been hunting.
Image taken 1915, via State Library and Archive of Florida.
Nor have I ever shot a gun. Or held a gun, for that matter. But for some reason I found myself drawn to these images of sporting ladies this weekend. I have to say my curiosity is piqued. Piqued enough to make it down to a shooting range? Well, we will just have to see about that…
Image taken 1885, via State Library and Archive of Florida.
Image taken 1920, via Montana State University Libraries.
Image via Forks Timber Museum.
Otter hunting, taken 1901. Image via National Library of Ireland.
A young First Lady Lou Henry Hoover, in 1891.
Image via US National Archives.
Image taken 1910, via the Library of Congress.
Harriet Hammond, President of Nemours Gun Club, the first women’s shooting club in America. Image taken between 1910-1915, via Library of Congress.
Nemours Gun Club.
Image taken between 1910-1915, via Library of Congress.
Nemours Gun Club.
Image taken between 1910-1915, via Library of Congress.
Image taken 1941 by Bernard Hoffman.
Venetian Memories of Cy Twombly {The Coronation of Sesostris at the Palazzo Grassi}
07/07/2011 § Leave a comment
Cy Twombly, taken in 1958 by David Lees. Image via Time Life.
American artist Cy Twombly passed away Tuesday, July 5 in Rome at the age of 83. For me, his art has always had an irresistible magnetism. Primal and chaotic, symbolic and mysterious, there is something about Twombly’s body of work that immediately exhilarates me but simultaneously knocks me off-kilter. I love it. Currently there is an outpouring of remembrances and many obituaries have been written, so I don’t feel the need to launch into a report on his life. I will leave that to others. What I did want to share was my most memorable Twombly experience, viewing his Coronation of Sesostris (2000) at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
Image via Palazzo Grassi.
The stately Palazzo, completed during the second half of the eighteenth century, is located on the Grand Canal and currently houses the personal art collection of François Pinault (aka #77 on the Forbes List of World Billionaires, luxury goods tycoon robber-baron, and father to Francois-Henri who is a rather effective impregnator of fabulous ladies). It is truly an amazing setting to view Pinault’s excellent and growing collection of contemporary (post-war) art. I especially appreciate Koons’ Balloon Dog floating in the canal.
Twombly’s Coronation of Sesostris (2000) is an epic, ten part, mixed media work that was installed at the Palazzo in 2006. The panels chart the coronation procession of Sesotris, “one of the cruellest of Egypt’s pharaohs, the conqueror of Nubia and architect of the unification of the lands of Egypt into a single kingdom” (via PG) Thought by many to be his strongest work in years at the time it was produced, Twombly’s Coronation panels are
“…magnificently colored, flirt with ethereal degrees of unfinishedness, and are at once luxurious and rotting, full of life and funereal. Coronation of Sesostris echoes some of the erotic tenor and violence of the early work, though in the mournful minor keys of yearning and homesickness. Bursts of scarlet that once read as hands thrown up in rapture, or bloodstains, now feel like flowers or heartbeats; convulsive, surging rhythm has turned beautifully, excruciatingly protracted; love, loss, melancholy and memory have taken the place of real sex.” – Jerry Saltz (full article available via Artnet)
In the Palazzo, the large panels are positioned in a single room for maximum impact. Wandering among them, I was amazed by how vividly I saw the arc of this storyline of a single blazing day in Egypt and how viscerally I responded to the colors and the words Twombly utilized. It was easily my favorite work within the entire museum. I have included the panels below so that you might glean a sense of them, but I absolutely urge you to take the time if you are in Venice to see them in person at the Palazzo. While I am sad that Twombly has passed, I was pleased to reacquaint myself with an amazing work of art and of my treasured memories of Venice.
Coronation of Sesostris (2000) by Cy Twombly
All images below via Cy Twombly
Cy Twombly: April 25, 1928 – July 5, 2011
LIFE Archives: Bogart & Boats
06/07/2011 § 1 Comment
The iconic actor Humphrey Bogart is known by a number of his trademarks: the scar, the lisp, the trench coat, chain smoking, his love affair with Lauren Bacall. He also had a love affair with the sea, and some of my favorite films and pictures of Bogart involve boats — have you seen Key Largo? The African Queen? You must.
In California in 1945, Bogart bought a 55-foot (17 m) sailing yacht, the Santana, from actor Dick Powell. The sea was his sanctuary and he loved to sail around Catalina Island. He was a serious sailor, respected by other sailors who had seen too many Hollywood actors and their boats. About 30 weekends a year, he went out on his boat. He once said, “An actor needs something to stabilize his personality, something to nail down what he really is, not what he is currently pretending to be”.
Aboard his yacht the Albatross for the races at the Newport (CA) Yacht Club. Taken 1943 by John Florea.
Holy moly. The hat! The shirt! “Sluggy” was Bogart’s nickname for his third wife Mayo Methot and he also owned a motorboat with the same name.
Newport (CA) Yacht Club
Boss. With cigarette intact, natch.
Aboard his yacht Santana as he gets set to participate in the Newport (RI) Harbor to Ensenada Intl. Yacht Race. Taken 1945 by Peter Stackpole.
Aboard the African Queen in the Congo. Taken in 1950 by Eliot Elisofon.
Talk about Awesome People Hanging Out Together… Actor Humphrey Bogart, director John Huston and Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall on the set of the film “The African Queen.” Can we talk about how adorable Bacall is here? And the gun Huston just happens to be holding?
All images via LIFE.
Fotos: Scenes from a New York Staycation {aka 4th of July weekend}
05/07/2011 § 4 Comments
Brooklyn Bridge.
First off, apologies to those of you that already follow me on Instagram, because these shots will be a bit repetitive. I had a guest from LA visit me for a few days and I took some time off this week to wander around the city and be a tourist too. I also managed to get some beach time, heading out on my first trip to Fort Tilden. Also caught Woody Allen’s latest and greatest. All in all, a welcome and much-needed minibreak.
Father Demo Square
Trinity Church
Stone Street
Washington Square Park
Petrossian restaurant in the Alwyn Court Building
The Chrysler Building
East River Bridges
Getting to Fort Tilden was quite easy. Catch a ferry from Pier 11, enjoy a few drinks on hourlong boat ride (which passes underneath the Verrazano and goes past Coney Island), and get dropped off a block away from the beach. While it’s not the most family-friendly set up (not a lot of bathrooms or concession stands and no lifeguards at all) the beach is beautiful and usually rather deserted. If you’re so inclined, clothing-optional sunbathing is fine. I kept it continental, but I did see a few fully nude gents and ladies — so if that’s not your thing, consider yourself forewarned.
Verrazano Bridge
“The observatory deck on top of Battery Harris East, a historic gun site, offers dramatic views of Jamaica Bay and New York Harbor, and is a great vantage point to spot migrating birds.”
Saturday’s summer storm in SoHo.
On Saturday I popped by the Angelika Theatre to see Midnight in Paris (a must see!) with Marisa, and then did a lovely bit of wandering, culminating with us solidly parking ourselves in the window seat of Mud Coffee in the East Village for a few hours.
Battery Park Marina
Evidently there are tango dancers in Union Square every Sunday…
Picnicking in Central Park
One World Trade Center.
Illustrated Independence
04/07/2011 § 1 Comment
Happy Fourth of July!
In honor of America’s birthday, a few illustrations.
If you’d like to see photographs, do head over to my Tumblr.
Sheet music, 1861.
Tammany Hall decorated for the Nat’l Convention, July 4th, 1868
Union Square, New York, July 4th 1876
Market St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 4th, 1853
“Peace,” July 4th, 1865
“The 4th of July,” 1872.
“Fourth of July on the Hudson,” 1854.
I’m hoping to run into Messrs. Augustus and Frank Puffin (aka the “Rather Fast Youths”) along the Hudson this evening. Cigars, brandy cocktails, mint juleps, resplendent pants? Check, check, check, check…
“Fourth of July” 1894, by Charles Dana Gibson
Puck Magazine, July 4th, 1901.
(Note the hatchlings in the nest: “Philippines, Cuba, Hawaii, Porto Rico”)
Puck Magazine, July 4, 1904
WWI poster, 1918.
WWII poster, 1942
WWII poster, 1942
Fourth of July Declaration by President Roosevelt, 1941
Featured: Quite Continental on Two Inch Cuffs ~ “Weekend Reel | Heritage”
29/06/2011 § 5 Comments
Image via Two Inch Cuffs
Just a short note to let you know I’ve been featured elsewhere on the interwebs! Recently I spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon with the Two Inch Cuffs crew shooting a catalog spread featuring shirts by Gitman Vintage (btw ladies, if you remember my recent post on finding the perfect button-down, I would definitely add Gitman Vintage to the list). My partners in crime were Taj Reed and Seamus Boyle, with photographer Evan Tetreault behind the lens. Concept and direction were handled by Ruben Hughes.
Now, I did say we spent the afternoon “shooting,” but it really felt like we were just hanging around, making jokes and enjoying the summer weather (I will readily admit that I made more successful jokes than throws of the football). I also managed to win a dollar off of Seamus on a rather off-color bet. I’d tell you what it was, but I wouldn’t want to offend anyone’s delicate sensibilities…
To see the full spread, head here.
LIFE Archives: LIFE Photographer Nina Leen
24/06/2011 § Leave a comment
Nina Leen is easily one of my favorite LIFE photographers. She was one of the first female photographers for LIFE and has a prolific body of work. You’ve probably noticed I’ve featured her work a few times on the blog a few times — my most favorite images are from her studies of the American Woman and the American Man in the mid-1940s — and I recently went looking in the archives to see if I couldn’t find a few pictures of the woman behind the camera. I found some great images; Nina looks spunky, arty and so effortlessly cool. I wasn’t aware it was possible, but I may love her even more…
Quite Continental Recommends: The Diversion Project
23/06/2011 § 5 Comments
My Google Reader is a bit of a bear. I am subscribed to way too many blogs and the sheer volume of material that accumulates in a single day can be daunting sometimes — but I can’t help it! So usually, I will flip through everything as quickly as possible and “star” anything I want to come back to, not paying much attention to what site it is. (For those of you who don’t use Google Reader I realize this may not make sense, but I promise I won’t go on much longer about my beloved RSS feed…) I recently noticed that I have unwittingly managed to star every single post The Diversion Project has posted in the last three months, which is pretty damn near irrefutable evidence of my blog-crush.
Jules, the lady behind The Diversion Project, has an amazing eye. Mainly focused on interior design and decor, the blog’s aesthetic is impeccable and coherent, even though I have trouble labeling for you. It isn’t modern, it isn’t country house, it isn’t traditional, it isn’t regency, it’s somehow all of them at once…and every single image tends to make my head explode (and more than a few end up on my Tumblr). The Diversion Project hits all the high notes for me: an amazing juxtaposition of surfaces and finishes, luxurious accents mixed with the rustic and vintage, dramatic uses of color, a masterful balance of the feminine and masculine. It is a great source of inspiration for me and because I was so sure you would love it as well, I wanted to pass it along. Do check it out.
All images via The Diversion Project
Quite Continental 