Sunday, December 19, 2010
Coca-Cola
Invented by drugstore owner John Pemberton, Coca-Cola originated in Columbus, Georgia as a coca wine called Pemberton's French Wine Coca. In 1886, Pemberton developed a non-alcoholic version in response to prohibition laws. Originally sold for five cents a glass, Coca-Cola was marketed as a cure-all. Pemberton claimed Coca-Cola cured morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence. Asa Griggs Candler later acquired exclusive rights to Coca-Cola and established the Coca-Cola Company in 1892. At one time, Coca-Cola contained about nine milligrams of cocaine per glass, but in 1903 it was removed. Today, Coca-Cola remains an American icon.
Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in the Netherlands in 1876. She attended exclusive private schools until she married at the age of 18. She answered an advertisement in a Dutch newspaper placed by Colonial Army officer Rudolf John MacLeod, who was searching for a wife. They were married in 1895 and moved to the Dutch East Indies, where Margaretha had two children. In the East Indies, the alcoholic MacLeod treated her badly and kept both a native wife and a concubine. As a release, Margaretha found enjoyment in studying local culture and took the name Mata Hari, Indonesian for "sun," literally "eve of the day."
After moving back to the Netherlands, the couple separated in 1902 and later divorced in 1906. Without custody, Mata Hari moved to Paris and found success as an exotic dancer. Following her debut at the Musee Guirmet in 1905, she became the mistress of its owner, millionaire Emile Etienne Guimet. Mata Hari's act was flirtatious and sensuous, and she was often pictured in semi-nude poses. She had relationships with several other prominent men, including the German crown prince. During World War I, Mata Hari traveled extensively between European countries, which caught the attention of British intelligence. She claimed to have been a spy for France, but this has never been confirmed. In 1917, Mata Hari was arrested as a double agent for Germany, found guilty, and executed by firing squad at the age of 41. Biographers have since argued that she was used as a scapegoat or pawn.
Interestingly, Mata Hari's body was donated to science and her head embalmed. The head was kept at the Museum of Anatomy in Paris, but, in 2000, archivists discovered it had disappeared, as had the rest of the body, which had later been donated after medical study. Mata Hari's remains are still missing.
After moving back to the Netherlands, the couple separated in 1902 and later divorced in 1906. Without custody, Mata Hari moved to Paris and found success as an exotic dancer. Following her debut at the Musee Guirmet in 1905, she became the mistress of its owner, millionaire Emile Etienne Guimet. Mata Hari's act was flirtatious and sensuous, and she was often pictured in semi-nude poses. She had relationships with several other prominent men, including the German crown prince. During World War I, Mata Hari traveled extensively between European countries, which caught the attention of British intelligence. She claimed to have been a spy for France, but this has never been confirmed. In 1917, Mata Hari was arrested as a double agent for Germany, found guilty, and executed by firing squad at the age of 41. Biographers have since argued that she was used as a scapegoat or pawn.
Interestingly, Mata Hari's body was donated to science and her head embalmed. The head was kept at the Museum of Anatomy in Paris, but, in 2000, archivists discovered it had disappeared, as had the rest of the body, which had later been donated after medical study. Mata Hari's remains are still missing.
Women Wearing Pants
In the Western part of the world, woman didn't start wearing pants until the late 1800s. During the Industrial Revolution, women starting wearing trousers to better facilitate movement. Victorian society was scandalized by Wigan pit brow girls, who worked in dangerous coal mines and wore trousers under their skirts. Similarly, ranch women in the West wore trousers for riding. Later, actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn helped to popularize the fashion.
Wigan pit brow girl.
Wigan pit brow girl.
Deadwood, South Dakota
Let's step back from the extravagant Victorian England and take a journey across the pond to the Wild West. What better place to focus on than the illustrious Deadwood, South Dakota. Previously occupied by the Lakota tribe, Deadwood was settled in the 1870s following the Black Hills Gold Rush. The population rose quickly to 5,000, thanks to Deadwood's reputation for gambling and prostitution. Notable natives include gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok, frontierswoman Calamity Jane, and sheriff Seth Bullock. Known for its lawless reputation, Deadwood settled down in the late 1800s after the population began to dwindle. But the Deadwood we're familiar with is the one depicted in the HBO television series. Historians say Deadwood's depiction was generally accurate, however, I cannot find any evidence that Deadwood natives spoke a dialect similar to that of the Elizabethan era, as portrayed in the series. Still, American Southern and Western dialects do display pronunciations and words specific to the early modern English of Shakespeare's time.
The Gem saloon, circa 1878.
The Gem saloon, circa 1878.
The Hope Diamond
Last night, Titanic came on television and I watched it for the umpteenth time. I noticed similarities between the Hope Diamond and the Heart of the Ocean necklace in the movie. I found out that, contrary to popular belief following the release of Titanic, the Hope Diamond was never on the ill-fated ship.
Current day Hope Diamond.
Like many famous gems, the Hope Diamond was cut several times. The first version was known as the Tavernier Blue, a 115-carat crude triangular cut named after French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Though Tavernier drew sketches of the diamond in his journal, he made no hint of its origin. One historian has suggested the diamond was acquired in 1653 from the Kollur mine in India. Regardless, Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1669. Louis had the court jeweler recut the Tavernier Blue into the 67.125-carat Blue Diamond of the Crown, also known as the French Blue, which was fashioned into a cravat pin. Later, Louis XV created a more elaborate setting for a pendant for the Order of the Golden Fleece. During the French Revolution, many of the French crown jewels were stolen by thieves and the blue diamond was thought to be lost.
Sketch from Tavernier's journal.
Recently, however, it has been confirmed that the Hope Diamond was indeed cut from the French Blue. The Hope Diamond is consistent with early sketches and recorded dimensions of the French Blue. Before it was renamed the Hope Diamond, the gem was recorded in the possession of diamond merchant Daniel Eliason in 1812, over twenty years after the French Blue's disappearance. In 1839, the Hope Diamond appeared in a gem collection catalog published by Henry Philip Hope, a Dutch banker. It had been set in a simple medallion surrounded by small white diamonds. After Hope's death, the family fought for years over who got what. Henry Thomas Hope ended up with the blue diamond, which he put on display at The Great Exhibition of 1851. The Hope Diamond was kept in a vault until Henry's grandson fell into debt and sold the diamond in 1902 for what amounts to about 3.5 million dollars today. The Hope Diamond exchanged hands several times and, in 1910, was sold to Pierre Cartier, who then sold it to American socialite and mining heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the Star of the East Diamond. After McLean's death, her family sold the Hope Diamond to Harry Winston in 1949. Ultimately, Winston donated it to the Smithsonian Institute, where it currently resides.
Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing the Hope Diamond.
Current day Hope Diamond.
Like many famous gems, the Hope Diamond was cut several times. The first version was known as the Tavernier Blue, a 115-carat crude triangular cut named after French merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. Though Tavernier drew sketches of the diamond in his journal, he made no hint of its origin. One historian has suggested the diamond was acquired in 1653 from the Kollur mine in India. Regardless, Tavernier sold the diamond to King Louis XIV of France in 1669. Louis had the court jeweler recut the Tavernier Blue into the 67.125-carat Blue Diamond of the Crown, also known as the French Blue, which was fashioned into a cravat pin. Later, Louis XV created a more elaborate setting for a pendant for the Order of the Golden Fleece. During the French Revolution, many of the French crown jewels were stolen by thieves and the blue diamond was thought to be lost.
Sketch from Tavernier's journal.
Recently, however, it has been confirmed that the Hope Diamond was indeed cut from the French Blue. The Hope Diamond is consistent with early sketches and recorded dimensions of the French Blue. Before it was renamed the Hope Diamond, the gem was recorded in the possession of diamond merchant Daniel Eliason in 1812, over twenty years after the French Blue's disappearance. In 1839, the Hope Diamond appeared in a gem collection catalog published by Henry Philip Hope, a Dutch banker. It had been set in a simple medallion surrounded by small white diamonds. After Hope's death, the family fought for years over who got what. Henry Thomas Hope ended up with the blue diamond, which he put on display at The Great Exhibition of 1851. The Hope Diamond was kept in a vault until Henry's grandson fell into debt and sold the diamond in 1902 for what amounts to about 3.5 million dollars today. The Hope Diamond exchanged hands several times and, in 1910, was sold to Pierre Cartier, who then sold it to American socialite and mining heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the Star of the East Diamond. After McLean's death, her family sold the Hope Diamond to Harry Winston in 1949. Ultimately, Winston donated it to the Smithsonian Institute, where it currently resides.
Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing the Hope Diamond.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Dungeness at Cumberland Island
During my Christmas vacation, I will be visiting Cumberland Island on my way to Charleston, South Carolina. In researching for my trip, I found that, in addition to having wild horses, Cumberland Island was once home to a Carnegie estate.
The Carnegie Dungeness.
Cumberland Island is located on the coast of Georgia and is only accessible by ferry from St. Marys. Originally settled by Native Americans and later by Spanish missionaries, the small island was named after the Duke of Cumberland by English General James Oglethorpe when he arrived on the Georgia coast in 1733. Oglethorpe established a hunting lodge named Dungeness in 1736, which was eventually destroyed. The next Dungeness was designed by Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene and built after his death by his widow in 1803. During the War of 1812, the four-story tabby mansion was used as British headquarters. Henry Lee III, father of Robert E. Lee, also lived and died there. Both Greene's widow and Lee maintained a plantation, and, in 1846, records show there were 36 white people and 400 slaves. The house was abandoned during the Civil War and burned in 1866. During the 1880s, Scottish industrialist Thomas M. Carnegie began building another Dungeness on the site. Construction was completed after Carnegie's death in 1886 and resulted in an 89-room Queen Anne mansion. The Carnegies, who previously owned 90% of the island, moved in 1925, and Dungeness was burned in 1959, reportedly due to arson. The ruins are currently preserved by the National Park Service.
Current day ruins of Dungeness.
The Carnegie Dungeness.
Cumberland Island is located on the coast of Georgia and is only accessible by ferry from St. Marys. Originally settled by Native Americans and later by Spanish missionaries, the small island was named after the Duke of Cumberland by English General James Oglethorpe when he arrived on the Georgia coast in 1733. Oglethorpe established a hunting lodge named Dungeness in 1736, which was eventually destroyed. The next Dungeness was designed by Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene and built after his death by his widow in 1803. During the War of 1812, the four-story tabby mansion was used as British headquarters. Henry Lee III, father of Robert E. Lee, also lived and died there. Both Greene's widow and Lee maintained a plantation, and, in 1846, records show there were 36 white people and 400 slaves. The house was abandoned during the Civil War and burned in 1866. During the 1880s, Scottish industrialist Thomas M. Carnegie began building another Dungeness on the site. Construction was completed after Carnegie's death in 1886 and resulted in an 89-room Queen Anne mansion. The Carnegies, who previously owned 90% of the island, moved in 1925, and Dungeness was burned in 1959, reportedly due to arson. The ruins are currently preserved by the National Park Service.
Current day ruins of Dungeness.
Walter Potter, Victorian Taxidermist
I recently came across an article in The Daily Mail about a Victorian taxidermist named Walter Potter (1835-1918). Potter was a unique taxidermist, in that his stuffed animals were anthropomorphized in elaborate dioramas.
Walter Potter.
Reportedly, Potter's first attempt at taxidermy was an effort to preserve his deceased canary. His most famous diorama, "The Death and Burial of Cock Robin," included 98 species of British birds. Around 1860, Potter opened up his own museum to display his dioramas, which often depicted animals in human settings, like at a wedding or cricket match. Potter was noted for his attention to detail; one museum-goer commented, "The kittens even wear frilly knickers under their formal attire!"
Rabbits in school.
By Potter's death in 1914, his collection, known as "Mr. Potter's Museum of Curiosities," included over 10,000 specimens. As Victorian whimsy declined, so too did Potter's museum, thanks in part to developing awareness of animal cruelty. Modern curators felt inclined to post notices saying that all animals had died of natural causes and, "in any case, they were all over 100 years old." The museum closed in the 1970s, and the collection was sold intact in 1984 and later in pieces in 2003. Many of the dioramas are currently on exhibition at The Museum of Everything in Primrose Hill, London.
Kittens at a tea party.
Walter Potter.
Reportedly, Potter's first attempt at taxidermy was an effort to preserve his deceased canary. His most famous diorama, "The Death and Burial of Cock Robin," included 98 species of British birds. Around 1860, Potter opened up his own museum to display his dioramas, which often depicted animals in human settings, like at a wedding or cricket match. Potter was noted for his attention to detail; one museum-goer commented, "The kittens even wear frilly knickers under their formal attire!"
Rabbits in school.
By Potter's death in 1914, his collection, known as "Mr. Potter's Museum of Curiosities," included over 10,000 specimens. As Victorian whimsy declined, so too did Potter's museum, thanks in part to developing awareness of animal cruelty. Modern curators felt inclined to post notices saying that all animals had died of natural causes and, "in any case, they were all over 100 years old." The museum closed in the 1970s, and the collection was sold intact in 1984 and later in pieces in 2003. Many of the dioramas are currently on exhibition at The Museum of Everything in Primrose Hill, London.
Kittens at a tea party.
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