Category Archives: History

Five rare and awe-inspiring mountain and river maps

When it comes to design – the Victorians did it better. Nothing quite matches these 19th Century comparative river and mountain maps for exquisite hand-drawn detail, meticulous scale and luminous beauty. It makes me wonder, how can anyone not love old maps? A New Cartographic Convention One of the forerunners for this kind of mapContinue reading “Five rare and awe-inspiring mountain and river maps”

Renaissance Art/Rapper Mashup

In the past I’ve showcased Scorpion Dagger’s Renaissance era GIFs. This takes the classical art mash-up one step further with hilarious results. B4 XVI (Before Sixteen) explores the often overlooked visual and cultural similarities between hip hop poseurs and medieval aristocrats. Hey it’s all got to be referenced from somewhere, right? One from the deepContinue reading “Renaissance Art/Rapper Mashup”

Churches, Weeds, Wildflowers and Wonder

In Bignor, a hamlet close to the ancient Sussex towns of Arundel, Petworth and Pulborough is this grade one listed  stone-built medieval Holy Cross church. This church was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The simple chanxcel and arch remain from the 11th century, although the rest of the church was rebuilt in the 13th century. LovinglyContinue reading “Churches, Weeds, Wildflowers and Wonder”

An Exquisite Model Book of Calligraphy, 1560

Have a look at the exquisite pages in Mira calligraphiae monumenta or the Model Book of Calligraphy, which was crafted by Croatian-born mastercraftsman Georg Bocskay, and Flemish artist Joris Hoefnagel. This is a real work of art and shows beautiful attention to detail with the gold leaf writing and sublime illustrations of flowers, insects andContinue reading “An Exquisite Model Book of Calligraphy, 1560”

The challenge of ruling a diverse nation never changes

This very weighty and important subject is as relevant right now as it was in the 16th Century. That was when a Dutch engraving by artist Pieter van der Borcht the Elder managed to capture the complexity and challenging nature of geopolitics and ruling in a country with many different ideologies and in the midstContinue reading “The challenge of ruling a diverse nation never changes”

Every Picture Tells a Story: Dni Głogowa

One day while walking along the lovely Odra river in Głogow on a hot and sunny day, I came upon the Museum of Archaeology and History in Głogow. Teenagers were reenacting some kind of WWII scene. This was done in conjunction with a yearly festival they have in the town called Dni Głogowa or DaysContinue reading “Every Picture Tells a Story: Dni Głogowa”

Enchanting floating ships by Italian Architect Luigi Prina

Italian architect Luigi Prina has been interested in aircraft modelling since a very young age. However, it was only after he met Venetian painter and boat builder Eugenio Tomiolo that he started to create flying ship models from ultra-thin paper and balsa wood inspired after Roman, Greek and Viking designs. His collection (or fleet) ofContinue reading “Enchanting floating ships by Italian Architect Luigi Prina”

Retro TV Channels from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s are on the internet for all posterity

Want something a little bit different for your next party? Here’s  a novel idea for entertaining guests. A modern browser version of vintage TV channels featuring soaps, ads, comedy, drama, music and even news from particular decades! Find it here The only requirement is that you use a PC for this app rather than a touchscreenContinue reading “Retro TV Channels from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s are on the internet for all posterity”

All About Amazing Op Art

Op Art descended out of geometric art of the 50’s and the Bauhaus movement in Germany, which I have previously written about in the Origins of Flat Design. The 60’s was a period of discovery in science, psychology and new technology. This type of art reflects the experimental mood of that era. The pieces normallyContinue reading “All About Amazing Op Art”