21 Jun 2017

Alexander J. Dallas

Alexander J. Dallas (1759–1817) was an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under PresidentJames Madison between 1814 and 1816. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Dallas was raised in Great Britain but migrated to Philadelphia in 1783. There he was admitted to the bar and edited several publications. From 1791 to 1800, he served as the first reporter of decisions for the Supreme Court of the United States. He also served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1791–1801), and acted as United States Secretary of War and Secretary of State (both in 1815).

13 Jun 2017

Commone Clam Worm

The common clam worm (Alitta succinea) is a widely distributed species of marine polychaete worm. The photograph shows an epitoke specimen, the worm having turned into a form capable of reproduction. After releasing its sperm or eggs, the animal will die.

12 Jun 2017

A Young Girl Reading

A Young Girl Reading is an 18th-century oil painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. It depicts a young girl, reading from a small book held in her right hand, in profile. She is dressed in a lemon yellow dress, with her hair tied in a chignon. The painting was purchased by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1961 using funds donated by Ailsa Mellon Bruce, the daughter of Andrew W. Mellon, following her father's death.

22 May 2017

Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. The seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, it is the mother church of the diocese and contains the bishop's throne (cathedra). It was built between 1175 and 1490, replacing an earlier church built on the same site in 705. The cathedral's architecture is entirely Gothic and mostly in the Early English style of the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.

20 May 2017

The Shrapnel Shell

A photograph of British soldiers loading a shrapnel shell during World War I. Published in The Illustrated War News, this image was captioned:
"Our illustration gives an interior view, so to speak, of a gun-position, in the British lines at the front, screened by head-cover to escape observation by German airmen. The overhead covering is seen with its deceptive thatch, apparently of straw, and the gunners are shown in action loading the gun. The man to the left is setting the time-fuse of a shrapnel shell."

25 Apr 2017

Charolais Bull

A feral Charolais bull in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, Venezuela. This breed of taurine beef cattle comes from the Charolais area in eastern France. Domestic Charolais are raised for meat, and may be crossed with other breeds, including Angus and Hereford cattle.

16 Mar 2017

Vertumnus

Vertumnus is a painting completed by the Mannerist painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo in Milan c. 1590–1591. It depicts the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II as Vertumnus, the Roman god of metamorphoses in nature and life. The fruits and vegetables symbolize the abundance of the Golden Age that had returned under the Emperor's rule. The painting is now held at Skokloster Castle.

22 Feb 2017

Lufthansa Airbus

Lufthansa Airbus A320-211 taking off at Stuttgart Airport, Germany. The Airbus A320 family, consisting of the A318A319, A320, and A321, pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems and side-stick controls in commercial aircraft. Since the 1980s, a total of 7,442 Airbus A320-family aircraft have been delivered, of which 7,122 are in service. The largest A320 fleet is that of American Airlines, with 380 aircraft.

27 Jan 2017

Kingdom of Mysore

Mysore Palace, the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars – the rulers of the Kingdom of Mysore. Located in southern India, the kingdom is traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 as a vassal state to the Vijayanagara Empire before becoming independent in the 16th century.

3 Jan 2017

Paulus Moreelse

Paulus Moreelse (1571–1638) was a Dutch painter and architect. Born in Utrecht, he studied under Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt and spent some time in Italy in the late 16th century before returning to his hometown. Receiving commissions from throughout the Dutch Republic, Moreelse was mainly active painting portraits. This self-portrait, completed in c. 1635, is held at the Mauritshuis in The Hague.