Why Did Mark Twain Row Across the Delaware to See Victoria Instead of Using the Brooklyn Bridge?

NOTICED ON THE INTERWEBS-

- The Joys of Jumpology: "When the photographer Philippe Halsman said, “Jump,” no one asked how high. People simply pushed off or leapt up to the extent that physical ability and personal decorum allowed. In that airborne instant Mr. Halsman clicked the shutter. He called his method jumpology..." Jump to the whole story

- - -

- After keeping us waiting for a century, Mark Twain will finally reveal all: "The great American writer left instructions not to publish his autobiography until 100 years after his death, which is now..." read more


ALMANAC-

May 24, 1816: Emanuel Leutze, German-born American painter of historic events, was born. "Leutze was brought to America as a child, and then returned to Germany as an adult. A strong supporter of Europe's Revolutions of 1848, Leutze decided to paint an image that would encourage Europe's liberal reformers with the example of the American Revolution. Using American tourists and art students as models and assistants, Leutze finished Washington Crossing the Delaware in 1850. It is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Late in life, he became a member of the National Academy of Design. He was also a member of the Union League Club of New York, which has a number of his paintings. He died in Washington, D.C. in his 53rd year. Leutze's portraits are known less for their artistic quality than for their patriotic emotionalism. Washington Crossing the Delaware firmly ranks among the American national iconography."

- - -

May 24, 1819: Victoria, Queen of England, was born. "Her reign as the Queen lasted 63 years and 7 months, longer than that of any other British monarch before or since, and her reign is the longest of any female monarch in history. The time of her reign is known as the Victorian era, a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military progress within the United Kingdom."

- - -

May 24, 1883: The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction. "The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. At 5,989 feet (1825 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

- - -

ON OUR SHELVES-

"Specimen Book of One Hundred Architectural Designs, showing Plans, Elevations and Views of Suburban Houses, Villas, Sea-Side and Camp-Ground Cottages, Homesteads, Churches, and Public Buildings, including specifications, bills of materials, etc."

Published in New York by A.J. Bicknell & Co. in 1878.

The rather scarce first issue of this book, which was re-issued a year later, apparently without the colored Minton tile plate. This provides a very interesting survey of Victorian architectural designs, with some churches, a library and a few gazebos thrown in as well. Most of the designs were taken from a selection of other Victorian building books, so this provides an overview of the various types of designs which were then popular. There are also illustrations of some furniture and mantels. At the rear there are 20 pages of illustrated advertisements, including one for Minton Encaustic floor tiles, with a facing full-page chromolithographic illustration showing 6 patterns.

$750.00

MORE INFORMATION