Louis Comfort Tiffany

Louis Comfort born 1848 to Charles Lewis Tiffany. He grew up in his father's jewelry business. Tiffany founded his own firm in 1885 and focused on art glass. Earlier, Louis had already registered for a patent on a new glassmaking technique of combining different colors in opalescent glass to create vibrant, multidimensional hues of color never before seen in glass. This challenged the traditional approach of painting on glass to create multicolored effects. Tiffany became an enthusiastic supporter of the European Art Nouveau movement, challenging the current Victorian ornate style. Art Nouveau used free-flowing designs based on nature that exemplified the characteristics prevalent in Tiffany's earlier creations as a landscape painter. The use of light, color and nature assumed greater significance in Tiffany's work as he developed his unique approach to Art Nouveau. Tiffany's work was displayed in Europe at the most important venue for the introduction of Art Nouveau, Siegfried Bing's L'Art Nouveau.
In an effort to reach the interiors of a greater population, Tiffany began to design lamps to allow more people to enjoy art and beauty in their own home. Colored glass, Tiffany's lasting love and challenge, found fresh scope and inspiration. While the windows served to transmit the light of day, the lamps represent a new source of illumination independent of daylight. Fabrication of the lamps began in 1885, with the majority of them being made between 1895 and 1920. It was not until 1899 that Tiffany publicly introduced the lamps for sale.
Tiffany is best known for his designs of glass vessels, lamps and windows, but he also created items in various other media including metalwork, furniture, jewelry and ceramics, introducing enamels in 1898, art pottery in 1900, and jewelry in 1904. He established a metalwork department, producing lamps, desk sets, and chandeliers that were sold through his New York showroom, company catalogues and department stores. He designed most anything having to do with interior design, including even textiles and wall coverings. His remarkable career spanned over five decades, including his tenure with L.C. Tiffany & Associated Artists, the Tiffany Glass Company, Tiffany Studios, Tiffany Furnaces and the L.C. Tiffany Furnaces.
By Tiffany's death on February 18, 1933, the popularity of his elaborate lamps declined with the rise of Art Moderne and Expressionism. For two decades the designs of Louis Comfort Tiffany were forgotten. It was not until the first Tiffany retrospective show in 1958 that his objects were rediscovered by museums and collectors. Awareness of Tiffany's craftsmanship escalated with an Art Nouveau show in 1960 at the Museum of Modern Art. Today the designs of Louis Comfort Tiffany are honored and treasured around the world, confirming Tiffany's legacy as a visionary of Art Nouveau design and most anything with the magical Tiffany name fetches enormous sums of money.

Victorian Paraffin Brass Lamp

JAMES YOUNG STARTED A BUSINESS IN ENGLAND IN 1850's HAVING BEEN GRANTED PATENTS IN ENGLAND, CANADA AND USA, FOR A PROCESS TO PRODUCE PARAFFIN(KEROSENE). LATER HE STARTED MANUFACTURING LAMPS AS AN EXTENSION TO HIS PARAFFIN BUSINESS AND DEVELOPED THE CENTRAL DRAUGHT COURT LAMPS. HE DIED IN 1883 AND THE COMPANY NAMED AFTER HIM FINALLY SHUT THE DOORS IN THE 1920's.
James Young, in 1847, discovered a refining process, which produced paraffin and marked the era of oil lamps as a means of lighting both inside and outside the home.
Its popularity coincided with the reign of Queen Victoria. The introduction of the flat wick using paraffin, with its cog wheel adjustment, and a design which produced good aeration of the flame, was the basis for the expansion of the lamp industry.
An advancement was made in 1865 when Joseph Hinker placed two flat wicks side by side and invented the Duplex burner, which made the lamps both more reliable and more efficient. The effect of the two lighted wicks close to each other increased the brightness of the flame.
The burner was covered by an oval bulge chimney, which had to be fitted with the wicks parallel to the length of the bulge.
These improvements would certainly make the lamps more reliable on draughty nights in the home and in the workshops on dark winter afternoons.
With the coming of the central draught burner, that is a lamp with a tubular wick and a hollow draught tube in the center, a more efficient flame still was produced. The central draught lamps had spreaders or air diffusers of many different types fitted into the central tube. Without the spreader these lamps would not function properly and would smoke if the spreader was damaged.
The glass chimney played an essential part in producing a flame. The main source of lamp chimneys was Saxony - many of them marked, ' Best Saxony Crystal.' Glassware also came from France and Belgium but during the First World War chimneys of an inferior quality were made in Britain.
The most critical factor of an oil lamp was the draught supply, which was calculated very accurately. The chimney, by the size and location of the bulge, and the overall height, was the most crucial factor.
The globe was the additional glass for the diffusion of light, but the chimney was the most important factor in the functioning of the lamp. Many ornamental chimneys were made which were used without globes, on the cheapest type of table lamp.
The maintenance of the fire and the lighting of the lamps in the Victorian parlour were a ceremony in themselves.
The lamp was lit. It was a round based lamp which stood on the table and had two wicks, which were trimmed and turned up a little and then lit with a paper spill. Next a glass chimney was fitted over the flames so that they burned bright and clear with no smoke, and finally a round glass globe with a pattern on it was lowered over the chimney. As the globe was lowered a pattern of flowers spread across the ceiling.'
In between the flat wick burners, and the central draught type, were lamps called Kosmos, which took a flat wick which came out circular in the burner. The draught was still taken from the sides of the burner as in the flat type. The burner had no spreader like the central-draught type. These Kosmos lamps were confined in use to small hand lamps and reading lamps.
Even the simplest of households in Victorian times had several lamps for different purposes, as almost every room had to have its own lamp. The parlor or front room would have a Duplex lamp with a globe, or perhaps a central-draught lamp.
The dining room would have a Duplex lamp in a cheaper version, while in the kitchen the table lamp would have a one inch burner with no globe or perhaps a small hanging lamp. For bedrooms small hand lamps were normal. Night lights were provided for the children and a small wall lamp would be in the toilet.
Pressure lamps and lanterns were made by firms experienced in the making of pressure stoves, for they used the same principle as a Primus stove. The British Veritas, Tilley and Aladdin accounted for a large part of the market.
Following the crude inverted flame lamps with naphtha as fuel came the inverted pressure lamps. These were widely used for market stalls and traveling fairs.
All the oil lamps had to be cleaned frequently, wicks trimmed, founts filled with oil and glasses and globes washed and polished. Many of the lamps were made of brass, the polishing of which added to the time spent on maintenance. Special tools were available for maintainance.,

Nemiroff Lex Vodka

This brand is used in the "Bad Romance" video of Lady Gaga.

Nemiroff Vodka Particulars==
Nose:Very subtle with hints of fresh wheat bread, a whiff of charcoal, and aniseed emerging mid-way. Palate: Initially light with sweet creaminess,before luscious aniseed opens up,balanced mid-way by savory spice,and continually expanding on the palate to become mouth-filling. Finish: Spicy aniseed with luscious sweetness. During the rule of Russian Empress Katherine II, the price of vodka was twice as high than the price of the best French cognacs. Among Vodkas' first connoisseurs were the likes of Johann Goethe, Immanuel Kant, Karl Linnet, and King Gustav II. Historians called vodka the 'locomotive of progress' and philosophers called it the great creator. In fact Vodka has played a vital role in the production of the first powerful foundries and railways. Appreciating the unique taste of vodka, Voltaire, known to be well versed in French wines, labeled Vodka one of the 'greatest discoveries of mankind' in his correspondence with the Russian Empress. This is just a short history of vodka, which has been proven a libation for the great, successful, courageous, and free. Embarking on a new and unique recipe for an elite strain of vodka only a few years ago, the experts at Nemiroff Ukrainian Vodka Company strove to achieve a final product which could renew that 'golden era' of vodka history. A product, whose power and unique taste and qualities will turn around traditional ideas about the consumption of vodka, as well as expand its consumer appeal to a wider market base. In November 2003, Nemiroff unveiled its standard bearer for the High Premium class' new Nemiroff Lex Vodka. In Latin 'Lex' (the Law), and the improved smoothness of this vodka has been achieved by the additional use of flavored alcohol from oat flakes and lime blossoms to bring out its light and delicate flavour. Finally, all of the ingredients are combined in strict adherence to customary and regulated proportions so as not to change the classic flavor of the vodka, instead only enhancing its noble and smooth taste. Several revolutionary techniques have been applied to the technology of Nemiroff Lex production: the alcohol is selected from specific sources allowing for better purification parameters, which considerably exceeds the established norms of compliance for the luxury class spirit; following control and testing the alcohol used in the production of Nemiroff Lex, is aged for 6 months in order to accumulate the noble mixtures and harmonize its unique flavor; Improvement in classic technology of vodka purification (Nemiroff's know-how) allows increasing time and efficiency of purification by several times and excluding traditional growth of undesirable impurities therein. Waves of flavour from this new vodka are subtle and changeable and its taste peculiarities are multiple and mature, thus all together enabling those who try it to slowly and without haste feel the true and elegant core of this really noble libation with centuries-old history. The right way to drink is, sipping it slowly, savoring the unique organo-leptic qualities neat and not by adding additional ingredients or swift drinking. Nemiroff Lex will be highly appreciated by those who are able to receive satisfaction from every moment of life and see more in the little things in life. During the first month of production Nemiroff produced more than 50,000 bottles of Nemiroff Lex, focusing, first of all, on the requirements of the local market, as well as for supplies to the Russian Federation, Baltic states, US, Germany, Greece, Israel, Turkey and other countries. By April 2004 it had achieved monthly production volumes of 150 000 bottles. This is how the demand of these markets is estimated by the specialists based on test sales of the product. The first step towards promotion of the new product was its placement in a network of elite and exclusive restaurants as well as on shelves of supermarkets.

Graveside Prayer

"Do not stand at my grave and weep..
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry..
I am not there. I did not die."

Mary Frye

1924 Hatted Man Unpacks

Vibrato Wars

Music by late Romantic composers such as Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms is now played with a fairly continuous vibrato. However, some musicians specialising in historically informed performances such as the conductor Roger Norrington argue that it is unlikely that Brahms, Wagner, and their contemporaries, would have expected it to be played in this way. This view has caused considerable controversy, although Arnold Schoenberg, a considerably later composer, seems to have disliked vibrato as well, likening it to the bleating of a goat. The view that continuous vibrato was invented by Fritz Kreisler and some of his colleagues is held to be shown by the development of sound recordings which allegedly proves that vibrato appeared only in the 20th century. Against this are cited sources which are said to unanimously prove[citation needed] that Viennese early 19th century string players like Franz Clement and Joseph Mayseder were noted for their tasteful use of vibrato. These musicians (and the two Hellmesbergers) are said to represent the school on which Fritz Kreisler actually based his stylistic approach.
The alleged growth of vibrato in 20th century orchestral playing has been traced by Norrington by studying early recordings; critics say his interpretations are not supported by the actual samples. Norrington claims that vibrato in the earliest recordings is used only selectively, as an expressive device; the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra were not recorded using vibrato comparable to modern vibrato until 1935, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra not until 1940. French orchestras seem[citation needed]to have played with continuous vibrato somewhat earlier, from the 1920s. Defenders of vibrato object that the sonic limitations of older recordings, particularly with respect to overtones and high frequency information, make an uncontroversial assessment of earlier playing techniques very difficult. In addition, they point out a distinction needs to be made between the kind of vibrato used by a solo player, and the sectional vibrato of an entire string ensemble, which can't be heard as a uniform quantity as such. Rather, it manifests itself in terms of the warmth and amplitude of the sound produced, as opposed to a perceptible wavering of pitch. The fact that as early as the 1880s composers such as Richard Strauss (in his tone poems "Don Juan" and "Death and Transfiguration") as well as Camille Saint-Saëns (Symphony No. 3 "Organ") asked string players to perform certain passages "without expression" or "without nuance" strongly suggests the general use of vibrato within the orchestra as a matter of course. Although there is also a convincing argument to be made that since 'nuance' and 'expression' were affected using many other devices as well as vibrato, Strauss and Saint-Saëns could easily have been referring to any number of expressive devices that formed part of the late romantic palette.
Despite this, the use of indiscriminate vibrato in late Romantic music is still common, though challenged by Roger Norrington and others of the historically informed performance movement. Performances of composers from Beethoven to Arnold Schoenberg with limited vibrato are now not uncommon. Norrington caused controversy during the 2008 Proms season by conducting Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, and the Last Night of the Proms, in non-vibrato style, which he calls pure tone. Some take the view that even though it may not be what the composer envisioned, vibrato adds an emotional depth which improves the sound of the music. Others feel that the leaner sound of vibratoless playing is preferable. In 20th century classical music, written at a time when the use of vibrato was widespread, there is sometimes a specific instruction not to use it (in some of the string quartets of Béla Bartók for example). Furthermore, some modern classical composers, especially minimalist composers, are against the use of vibrato at all times. In the 21st century some orchestras are now playing with noticeably less vibrato.

Lady Gaga is The FUTURE

...monster...monster...monster...

"Vienna" Ultravox Live in Dortmund 1983

"Un Sospiro" Franz Liszt

Liszt's playing gradually developed a more personal style. One of the most detailed descriptions of his playing from this time comes from the winter of 1831/1832, during which he was earning a living primarily as a teacher in Paris. Among his pupils were Valerie Boissier, whose mother Caroline kept a careful diary of the lessons. From her we learn that:

"M. Liszt's playing contains abandonment, a liberated feeling, but even when it becomes impetuous and energetic in his fortissimo, it is still without harshness and dryness. [...] [He] draws from the piano tones that are purer, mellower and stronger than anyone has been able to do; his touch has an indescribable charm. [...] He is the enemy of affected, stilted, contorted expressions. Most of all, he wants truth in musical sentiment, and so he makes a psychological study of his emotions in order to convey them as they are. Thus, a strong expression is often followed by a sense of fatigue and dejection, a kind of coldness, because this is the way nature works."

British Rail's Description of Present Day London

"London is alive and culturally more vibrant
than it has been in years--

The sounds of Brit-pop and techno pour out of Victorian pubs, experimental theater is popping up on stages suited for Shakespeare, upstart chefs are reinventing the bland dishes British mums have made for generations, and Brits are even running the couture houses of Dior and Givenchy. In food, fashion, film, music, and just about everything else, London now stands at the cutting edge in the United Kingdom and throughout the world, just as it did in the 1960s.

If this sea of change worries you more than it appeals to you, rest assured that traditional London still exists, essentially intact under the veneer of hip. From high tea almost anywhere to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the city still abounds with the tradition and charm of days gone by. There's no end of things to do and ways to enjoy the pulsating capital of the United Kingdom. Famous monuments such as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey draw flocks of visitors every day, as they have for centuries. Pomp and ceremony still define Royal London, with its palaces and protocols. London’s museums, nothing short of fabulous, are unrivaled in the scope and quality of their collections."

"Mississippi Mud" Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra

So many great artists are in this recording....

1926 "Georgia Grind" Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five

Is E-Mail Dying?

"One of the reasons youngsters do not like e mail is because they have not reached the stage where it is necessary to communicate in a serious way.

Most of them ( note I said most - there are many that do not ) just mess about with their friends. That is what I did when I was a youngster ( ok email was not around then ) - we just used the phone.

When the majority of youngsters today realise that life is not all fun and a joke, and grow into mature adults, their attitudes will change."

- John, Winchester, England, 11/17/2009

The Matrix in 1910's Silent Movie Style

1926 Dodge at the House

Friends show up and it is 83 years later.
A picture quite close to how =Blue Heaven=
would have looked in 1926.

Winter Approaches

Elizabeth Heights 1907 Brochure Cover/Independence Lake

This is the complete front and a closeup of the Lake in Independence Park in 1907 advertising for persons to purchase lots in the growing city of Charlotte. Within that very year John Nolen was here to transform the park into what it is and has become.

"...simple recreation in the open air amid beautiful surroundings contributes to physical and moral health, to a saner and happier life..."

—John Nolen-

1907 Elizabeth Heights Construction Map

They were giving away $50 in Gold for each contract signed.

Phonograph and Cats on a Tin Box

Her master's voice...

Scrap Book 1880s

A collection of scraps from the last of the 19th century.