Monthly Archives: March 2022

March 21

The Beginning of the World According to James Ussher

On the 21st of March 1656, the archbishop of Armagh in Ireland, James Ussher, died in Reigate, Surrey, England. He was one of the few scholars who attempted deciphering biblical chronology and placing it within historical context . As strange as it may all sound, he managed to calculate the beginning of the world, using the Hebrew […]

March 20

Patrick Heron, Art Critic: Exploring the Limits of Abstraction

On the 20th of March 1999, iconic English artist, textile designer and critic Patrick Heron died in Zennor, Cornwall, aged 79. Heron is best remembered for his semi-abstract paintings featuring vibrant colourful compositions inspired by nature. Less known perhaps is his career as an art critic to the New Statesman and Nation in 1947–50, and London correspondent to Arts (New York) in […]

March 19

Tarzan and the Story of White Settlers in Africa

On the 19th of March 1950, the American writer widely known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, died in Enciano, California. After doing various low paid jobs, first at a ranch in Idaho, then at his father’s firm, and later as a pencil sharpener wholesaler, he did not take up […]

March 18

Male Narcissism vs. Female Desire in M-me Fayette’s Princesse de Clèves

On the 18th of March 1634, French writer Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne, comtesse de La Fayette, was born (or according to some records) baptized in Paris. She was the author of La Princesse de Clèves, France’s first documented historical novel. Published anonymously in March 1678, the story is considered rather modern for its penchant […]

March 17

Harry Clarke: The Master of Stained Glass

On the 17th of March 1889, Harry Clarke, an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator, was born in Dublin, Ireland. The second son of Joshua Clarke and Brigid McGonigle, he was remarkable already as a child for his extraordinary individuality and intelligence. After attending several schools, including the Model Schools in Marlborough Street, he […]

March 16

The Matriarchal Reign of Artist Rosa Bonheur

On the 16th of March 1822, French painter and sculptor Marie-Rosalie Bonheur was born in Bordeaux, Gironde, as the oldest child in a family of artists. A feisty, ambitious woman, Bonheur achieved more than most of her female contemporaries could ever dream of. During a time when the Napoleonic Codes limited French women to access […]

March 15

Immigration and Racial Prejudice: The Chinese Exclusion Act

On the 15th of March 1879, Thomas Nast’s cartoon, A Matter of Taste, was published. In the cartoon, criticising the support of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Senator James G. Blaine, an active backer of the Act, is shown dining in ‘Kearney’s Senatorial Restaurant’ – a reference to Denis Kearney, the leader of a violent anti-Chinese […]

March 14

Parallelism in Ferdinand Hodler’s Symbolist Painting

On the 14th March 1853, Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler was born in Gürzelen, canton of Berne. Hodler’s friend, Symbolist poet Louis Duchosal described him as “a mystic and a realist, a duality which disconcerts and disorients …. He excels in rendering the things of the past or of the dream and the realities of life.” […]

March 13

The Mystery of ‘The Fortune Teller’ by Georges de la Tour

On the 13th of March 1593, the French Baroque painter Georges de la Tour was born in the town of Vic-sur-Seuille, a few miles from Nancy, France. In 1620, when he was already a practicing painter, he moved to Lunéville, Lorraine, an independent duchy between north-east France and the German states. That is where he […]

March 12

Corporate ‘Museums’: The World of Coca Cola

On the 12th of March 1894, the first bottles of Coca-Cola were sold in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the drink invented by Atlanta pharmacist Dr. John Pemberton eight years earlier. Joseph Biedenharn, the owner of the soda fountain in Vicksburg, was the first to install bottling machinery in the rear of his store. Their popularity quickly spread […]