Japanese musicians playing on traditional instruments – the samisen, fuye, taiko, and tsuzumi; c. 1910×1920. Photographer unknown. From the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LOC #LC-D41-26

This is a posed photograph from c. 1910×1920. I love how composed these women look. This photo was taken by an unknown photographer for the Detroit Publishing Company. The collection of the DPC is now the property of the Library of Congress, whose information on the collection says:

‘Fourth order lighthouse at Penfield Reef, Long Island Sound’. From _Illustrated Science for Boys and Girls_, 1881. Author unknown. Project Gutenberg ebook.

Since I just came back from a vacation in Delaware and Maryland, this 1881 illustration of a lighthouse seemed appropriate. Lighthouses of this period used Fresnel lenses, invented in 1822. These are the distinct ‘rippled’ lenses in 19th c. lighthouses that focused 85% of the lamp’s light (compared to the pre-Fresnel 20%). Though they weren’t introduced in the US until the 1850s, by 1860 all US lighthouses had them.

Fresnel lenses were ranked in ‘orders’ – with ‘first order’ being the largest, followed by ‘second order’, and so on down to ‘sixth order’. The caption of the illustration refers to it being a ‘fourth order’ lens. In modern lighthouses, Fresnel lenses are often replaced with modern alternatives that require less maintenance.

Click on the image to see it / download it full-sized.

Peace,

Illustration from _Theosophie & Alchemie_, by Michael Maier and Johann Theodor de Bry, 1687. From Wikipedia Commons.

Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (and the Winter Solstice for our friends in Australia and other points in the Southern Hemisphere). Since for me it is summer, and the longest day of the year, I thought this illustration from a 1687 book showing the Sun and the Earth was a good one for today. Mind you, Theosophie & Alchemie is not likely a book on astronomy, but the illustration is still quite servicable none-the-less.

Photograph of President Abraham Lincoln and son Tad (Thomas) Lincoln, 9 February 1864. Photographed by Anthony Berger of the Brady Studio. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LOC #LC-USZ62-111897.

To celebrated Father’s Day, I’ve chosen an iconic photograph of Abraham Lincoln with his youngest son ‘Tad’ (Thomas) Lincoln. It was taken by Anthony Berger of the Brady Studio (as in Matthew Brady, the famous American Civil War photographer). I found it in the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Click to view it / download it full-sized.

Bathers on the beach at Atlantic City NJ, 1900×1915. Detroit Publishing Co. Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LOC #LC-D4-39154.

Okay, this is another photo from the same collection as yesterday’s. Look at the cabanas with the beach chairs in the foreground! Those would be just as comfortable today! And then there’s the lifeguard station in the middle center.

On the beach at Atlantic City, NJ, 1900×1910. Detroit Publishing Co. Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LOC #LC-D4-33460

Ah, it’s that time of year again! Time to escape the heat of the city and head to somewhere wet – like the beach!

Black cat. Illustration by Karl Fahringer, from _Märchen-Sammlung_ (Fairytale Collection), date unknown, pg 36. Project Gutenburg ebook #23787.

I know this illustration is public domain because all Project Gutenberg books are public domain, but they didn’t give a date for publication, and I couldn’t find one anywhere either. Nor could I find any information about the illustrator, Karl Fahringer, except for his name. The book was entitled Märchen-Sammlung, which in English means simply ‘Fairytale Collection’; and was written by Ludwig Bechstein (1801-1860) and edited by Hans Fraungruber (1863-1933).

Date unknown, probably c.1890×1900. Waiteesses at the Central Park Casino, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs, LC-DIG-ggbain-08167

The ‘Central Park Casino’ was, in the late 19th c., the place to eat in Central Park. It was a restaurant, not a ‘casino’ as we think of casinos. The name ‘Casino’ comes from Italian – it means ‘little house’.