Sample Post
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This is a sample post. There’s nothing of interest here, move along.
Project MK-Ultra
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Back in 1953, Allen Dulles then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched a program that had the intended purpose of identifying methods for controlling human behaviour. It had been recently discovered that Russia was testing the drug bulbocapnine, which was believed to affect an individual’s willpower, making it easier to extract information. In addition, U.S. prisoners of war in North Korea were being administered LSD as a method for interrogation. The U.S. became desperate to come up with their own method for extracting information, and influencing the will of others.
The program was called MK-Ultra, and in the years that followed, thousands of people would be experimented on. Most without knowledge or consent. The experiments included brain surgeries, electroshock therapies, the effects of hypnosis, and of course the administering of LSD—often without the individual’s knowledge.
The vast majority of the people who were experimented on were prisoners and patients at psychiatric institutions. Some of the more famous recipients of the experiments included South Boston mob-boss, James “Whitey” Bulger, as well as Ted Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber.
That being said, prisoners weren’t the only ones being experimented on. The CIA often conducted experiments on their own employees. In fact, during the 1950s and early 60s, it became something of an occupational hazard for people who worked at CIA headquarters in Langley to become unwittingly dosed with LSD.
One of those employees, was a bacteriologist by the name of Frank Olson. While at a CIA retreat, Olson was administered LSD without his knowledge. After becoming increasingly paranoid, he was sent to be treated by a CIA psychologist in New York. On November 28, 1953, Olson died after either jumping, or falling from a 13th-floor window. His death was initially ruled a suicide, but was later changed to an accidental death. However, there has been much speculation that Olson was pushed out of the window by the CIA.
The program wasn’t limited to the U.S. either. Thousands of psychiatric patients here in Canada were also involved in the experiments. Many of them taking place at Montreal’s Allen Memorial Institute and St Jean De Dieu insane asylum, now Louis-Hyppolite Lafontaine Hospital.
Most of the researchers involved had no idea that they were being funded by the CIA. The agency frequently used front operations to mask where money was coming from. Though top researchers at these institutions, like Allen Memorial’s Dr. Ewen Cameron, were very much aware of the CIA’s involvement.
In 1973 the program was officially halted, and all of the documentation was ordered destroyed by then-director Richard Helms preventing any future investigations into the program from ever understanding the full scope of the experiments. Much of what is known about the program today stems largely from the victim’s accounts.
In the years that have followed, numerous lawsuits have been brought against both the U.S. and Canadian governments by victims and their families. Typically, these have been settled out of court with nondisclosure agreements attached to them, preventing the victims from ever speaking publicly about their experiences.
There has never been a full accounting of what happened during Project MK-Ultra, or the number of victims who were experimented on. And, neither governments have ever apologized for the program, or for the damage it inflicted.
If we as a country hope to maintain any kind of credibility on the global stage as we lecture others over human rights abuses, then it might be a good idea to start addressing some of our own.
Kris Brabant is a professional writing student at Algonquin College. He is a history junky, who is fascinated by all things strange, creepy and generally unsettling.
Ancient Egypt: Pharaohs
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pharaohs - source
Leaders of their land
A Pharaoh was the king or the queen of Egypt. Though the majority of Pharaohs were male, it was not a male-only role as there were female Pharaohs such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra. A Pharaoh was the most powerful and important person in their kingdom and was always the head of government. They were even considered half-gods until 1640-1550 B.C when they were instead believed to be the representatives of God.
Pharaohs were considered 'High Priest of Every Temple’, meaning that only they were able to make offerings to gods. It was believed that they could communicate with spirits which further developed their role as messengers of God.
All dolled up
For Pharaohs, make-up was mandatory. Both males and females wore it, the main reason being to bear resemblance to the god Horus who was believed to be what Pharaohs represented. The most popular make-up worn by Pharaohs was black kohl around the eyes which was for spiritual cause. Though just like today, it was also used cosmetically.
eGYPTIAN COSMETICS - source
Egyptian Warrior - source
Humble? What’s that?
A Pharaoh’s image was very important to them and because of this, they would often have reliefs or painted scenes on temple walls made of them where they would kill an army of enemies single-handedly to depict just how powerful they were - even if it wasn’t true.
This was a common trend among Pharaohs and it even lead to two Pharaohs having an almost identical depiction created of them. Images of Rameses III at Karnak are identical to those of Rameses II.
Royal incest
Just like plenty of other royals throughout history, Egyptian Pharaohs were no strangers to incest. Pharaohs had occasionally married either their siblings or even their offspring. This, to no surprise, lead to quite a few issues within the bloodline.
The most notable product of incest within Ancient Egypt history was Tutankhamun. The study of his body revealed that he was born from incest, and had many deformities because of this. It is also believed that his early death at only 19 years of age was because of him being a product of incest.
Catfishes?
Queen Hatshepsut - source
Despite appearing quite slim in all of their paintings and carvings, many Pharaohs were actually overweight. Egyptians often ate bread and honey, which was then washed down with wine - both of which were high in sugar. Studies of mummies revealed that many Pharaohs even had diabetes.
The most notable case of a Pharaoh being overweight but being depicted as very slender was Queen Hatshepsut, who according to studies, was actually overweight and going bald.
Many Pharaohs had ruled Egypt over time, if you’re looking for facts on specific Pharaohs, check out 10 Famous Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs
Spela Sraka
Spela is a second-year student in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College. She enjoys writing very much, however, she also finds amusement in drawing, video editing, and gaming.
Leonardo da Vinci - The Greatest Artist of the Renaissance
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The Italian Renaissance is definitely an important part of history, as it introduced new styles of art and architecture, created by some of the greatest artists of that time. Many of those artists are still talked about to this day, and some of the more notable ones are the big three of the High Renaissance. But out the big three, the most famous out of all them was Leonardo da Vinci, a polymath. Leonardo had many talents, and created many masterpieces that are still talked about to this day. It’s clear that this man had made his mark in history and he was known to have close relations with other artists, friends, and his assistants in his lifetime.
Leonardo has been a huge inspiration to many in the art world, and his style was very unique in everything that he created. Out of all the paintings that Leonardo created, two of them come to mind. This is because they are not only his most famous paintings, but they are his most memorable ones as well. Those two paintings are Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.” Those two paintings alone are regarded as masterpieces and I can definitely see why. I didn’t know much about paintings in school, but I still learned about some of the more famous ones.
To start off the painting information, lets talk about The Last Supper painting. Leonardo first started this working on this painting in 1495 and he finished the painting in 1498. Leonardo was originally working on this piece for the Dominican monastery, Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is in Milan, Italy. This painting was a very popular choice for the refectory walls of monasteries and convents in 15th-century Italy and this was done mostly so that nun and monks could eat their meals in the presence of Jesus’ final repast.
The picture itself depicts the scene where Jesus declares that one of his Apostles will betray him. The painting itself displays such a wide array of emotions from every person in the painting. Leonardo believed that things like posture, gesture and expression help to manifest the notions of the human mind. I think Leonardo was thinking with this notion is that if you give enough details to a painting, you can get an idea of what’s happening within it. This piece is one of the most recognizable paintings in the western world of art, and I can see why. This painting is very well done and really depicts a moment in history.
I’ve talked about some very famous works so far, but perhaps the most famous painting of all is Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa”. This one painting is considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. It has been described as the best known, the most visited, the most written about, and the most parodied work of art in the whole world.
This one painting was started in 1503 and was finished in 1519. Leonardo spent 19 years of his life creating this, and he really spent his time well since the end result was a literal master piece. The woman in the painting has talked about for many different reasons, from her mysterious smile to her unproven Identity has made the painting one of the largest sources of investigation. For any of those wondering, the painting has been moved to the Louvre in Paris back in 1797 and has been there since.
Leonardo’s paintings have had such a huge impact to the world of art and I feel like that without them, we wouldn’t have the level of art we have today. Art has played such a huge roll with pretty much everything in todays age. Art can help to promote brands, sell products, but the most important thing about art to me, is that it brings things to life. Whenever I’m reading a book or writing a story, I’m always trying to picture things, like the characters in my head. That’s where art can really help you, since it helps to visualize what you’re thinking. To be honest, that’s why I like artwork. It helps people to bring the ideas in their heads to life for everyone to see and enjoy.
If anyone is curious about where to see the Mona Lisa for yourself, visit the Louvre’s twitter for more information. https://twitter.com/MuseeLouvre
Ryan Kinney
I’m currently a student in the Professional Writing program. I really like writing about superheroes and on my spare time I’m usually playing video-games or reading about mythology or fantasy.
Posted from the Past
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Fighting the War of Words
In a conflict like the First World War, deadlier than any that had come before it, much of the public discourse surrounding the war concerned the new methods of waging war that the conflict introduced. Weaopns like the machine gun, mustard gas, the trench gun, serrated bayonets, and the flamethrower brought on accusations of wartime atrocities from both sides. In the press, the war was framed as a battle between the civilized and the uncivilized, with both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers claiming they were the former. The propaganda machines on both sides got to work early in the war in painting their enemies as barbarians.
Postcards were one of the most popular ways to circulate propaganda during the war, and much of the propaganda produced by both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers was intended to demonize the enemy through racial stereotyping. Since the Central Powers were by and large the ones occupying territory, accusation of Allied atrocities wouldn’t work. Instead, they took aim at the Allies’ numerous colonies. Germany, though its leaders desired colonial expansion for the latter half of the 19th century, held far less territory than the French or the British. German postcards the one to the right derided their enemies for their close association with what many Europeans considered inferior people. The caption reads, “Old England, the culture propagator among his employees.”
Germany frequently used its enemies’ colonies against them, despite desiring those colonies for itself, framing the war as a battle between civilized Europeans and barbaric African colonial troops. Much of their focus was on French troops from their colonies in Senegal, depicting them as savage fighters. French propaganda responded in turn, but not in the way you’d expect. Rather than defend their soldiers from the racist barbs of their enemies, French propaganda used the barbaric image the German’s had created against them, suggesting that if these barbarians were superior in battle to the Germans, the Germans must fall below them on the racial hierarchy.
Other Allied postcards, reinforcing their position as the civilized party in the war, accused the Central Powers of aggressive militarism. As the leader of the Empire, Kaiser Wilhelm II was a common subject of this type of postcard. The postcard to the right was made in Italy, shortly before they joined the Allied Powers, and reinterprets Germany’s aggression as the Kaiser’s hunger to devour the world. Notice the exaggerated features of the Kaiser; caricature was key to crafting images that were immediately recognizable to viewers, and the Kaiser was known for his moustache.
Anti-German sentiment was so high among the Allied nations that anything associated with Germany was shunned completely. A notable Canadian example is the renaming of Berlin, Ontario, to Kitchener, after the British War Secretary. This sentiment made its way into postcards like the one to the left, rejecting the Dachshund, simply for being a breed of dog with a German name.
The First World War was one of the first and greatest examples of total war, in which battles are fought not only on the battlefield, but in the mind of the public. A key weapon in this fight was the postcard, and ones like those previously mentioned played a huge role in reinforcing the platforms and goals of both sides in the minds of their citizens.
Alex Foster-Petrocco
Alex has a BA in History from Carleton and is currently a 2nd-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin.
Spiritualism and Photography
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Photo by Erik Müller
Life after death is a topic that is debatable among most people. It really all depends on their opinions and belief systems. Although not everyone believes in spirits, studies show that most people believe in some form of the afterlife.
Spiritualism started in the mid-1800s with the Fox sisters. The sisters claimed to have the ability to communicate with spirits from the other world. From then on, spiritualism was on the rise. The invention of photography and cameras already existed during this time, so it was no surprise that someone would be curious enough to capture these paranormal experiences. However, it turns out, the first photograph capturing a spirit was said to be accidental.
William H. Mumler, a photographer, located in Boston, was the first spiritualist to photograph a spirit. While he was trying to take a self-portrait in his friend's studio, he took a picture that would change his life. Mumler discovered an apparition next to him in the photograph. He revealed that he believed the ghost was a cousin who had passed away a long time ago.
Mumler's wife was also a claimed psychic. Naturally, he was fascinated by the supernatural and abandoned his profession as a jewellery engraver to take on the new world of photographing spirits. He began to charge people for a chance to catch a ghost on camera, but he made no promise that the photographs he took of his clients would capture a spirit. Sometimes there were no apparitions, but other times, he was able to capture some.
In his time of photographing spirits, one of the photographs he took that did capture a ghost was a unique client named Mary Todd Lincoln. The picture clearly shows her husband and one of the United States of America's former presidents, Abraham Lincoln, standing over her left shoulder and looking down at her.
Some people started to consider the possibility of William H. Mumler being a fraud. Many people were curious about Mumler's new career choice and wanted proof of if he was indeed telling the truth. Some started to investigate. A professional photographer went over and gathered information that he then decided that the spiritual photographer was credible. Besides, his clients who received photographs with the spirits were able to identify them as family members.
After the negativity surrounding his reputation, he moved to New York and continued his passion as an unusual photographer. The mayor of New York ordered the arrest of William H. Mumler after a journalist accused him of fraud. The trial determined he was not guilty of any crime. Professional photographers and citizens of New York testified in his defence.
We will never really know about these photographs' accuracy, but it is all up to what you believe and what you can determine from William H. Mumler's work as a photographer. It can be quite intriguing to think that when photography was first invented, it was used to photograph spirits and corpses. For this reason, it will always have a historical link to the dead and spiritualism.
Want to learn more about William H. Mumler?
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/spiritualism
Kaydence Marie
Kaydence Marie is a writer attending the professional writing program at Algonquin College. Although she is ardent for reading and writing, she is also very interested in photography, music, and animals. Kaydence can most likely be spotted reading her tarot cards while checking out a restaurant's latest vegan options.
The Duplessis Orphans
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Call me sentimental, but I love Canada. I’ve always felt a certain amount of pride for this country. Maybe it’s because I spent so much time around the military when I was growing up. I can’t really say. But I think it’s important for anyone who loves this country to be able to come to terms with skeletons in our closet.
One of those “skeletons” took place in Quebec from the 1940s until the early 1960s. I apologize for the lack of specifics on the dates. I noticed a few problems during my research, but more on that later.
The 1940s and ‘50s was a period of abject poverty in Quebec. There were few social programs, and the province was dominated by the Catholic Church. Maurice Duplessis was Quebec Premier at the time, and held office from 1944 until 1959. A devout Catholic, Duplessis believed that the church should be solely responsible for taking care of the schools, orphanages, hospitals and the poor. As a result, the church was put in charge of an estimated 20,000 orphans. It should be noted that not all of these children were actually orphans. In fact, a number of them were what the church referred to as ‘children of sin’ (children born out of wedlock). Society didn’t look favourably on these unwed mothers and they faced unrelenting pressure to give up their children less they bring shame down on themselves and their families.
Now here’s where the story takes an evil twist. The church was receiving subsidies from the Canadian government. They received $1.25 per student in their charge per day. However, the daily subsidies they received for psychiatric patients was significantly higher at $2.75 per day. So, naturally, the church began arbitrarily recategorizing orphan children as psychiatric patients. Gradually, the children were moved from orphanages and into hospitals around Quebec. In these hospitals they were treated as any other psychiatric patient. Subjected to physical, sexual, and mental abuse. As well as brutal experiments which included—but were not limited to—electroshock therapy and lobotomies.
A significant number of the children who were experimented on died. There doesn’t seem to be any specifics on this number, or even speculation for that matter. But what is known is that the bodies were further experimented on, and often sold to universities for dissection by their students. What was left of the bodies when they were finished would be buried in unmarked graves in cemeteries behind the hospitals.
St. Jean de dieu hospital, montreal
One such hospital was St. Jean de Dieu in Montreal. William Marsden of the National Post writes in his 2004 article “Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust” about Albert Sylvio, a Duplessis orphan who lived at the hospital in the 1950s. Mr. Sylvio claims that during his time there, he was forced to transport the bodies of about 60 fellow orphans from the operating rooms to the morgue. "I undressed them and washed them and prepared them for burial," he said. "We put them in cardboard boxes. Some of them were children." The bodies would then be buried in unmarked graves in a cemetery dubbed ‘the pigsty’ by locals due to its proximity to a hog farm owned by the nuns.
Marsden’s article also highlights the efforts in 2004 of a small group of surviving orphans to have the unmarked graves at an abandoned cemetery in east Montreal exhumed. They believed numerous orphans who were experimented on at Cite de la St. Jean de Dieu insane asylum (now Louis-Hyppolite Lafontaine Hospital) were buried there. It was their estimation at the time, that it would be several months before a judge would hand down a decision on whether or not those graves could be exhumed. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to track down any information on whether or not those exhumations took place. One can only assume they didn’t.
Which brings me back to the aforementioned problems with my research. The complete and utter lack of official literature on this topic is almost as disturbing as the abuses suffered by these people. With little to no specifics on the dates, or the number of orphans who were experimented on, or the number of bodies buried in the unmarked graves, it seems as though our elected officials—who normally fall all over themselves trying to portray a position of moral authority—would much prefer to sweep these orphans under the rug.
If you’re a Canadian who loves this country, or a human being for that matter, then frankly I think everything about this story should piss you off.
Yes, there were formal apologies. And yes, there were settlements given to many of the victims, although victims of sexual abuse were excluded. As part of those settlements, people were prohibited from going after the government or the Catholic Church. The church it should be noted, has never apologized for its role in the abuses.
When it comes to the bodies buried in the unmarked graves, there are few voices left to seek justice on their behalf. These were children, many of whom had their identities changed so family members could never track them down. They died tortured and alone. And our government further desecrated their memories by denying them the justice that they have long deserved.
Kris Brabant is a professional writing student at Algonquin College. He is a history junky, who is fascinated by all things strange, creepy and generally unsettling.
The Life of Cleopatra
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cleopatra illustration - source
Surprise! She’s not Egyptian
Despite being one of the most known Egyptian rulers by name, Cleopatra wasn’t actually Egyptian by blood. She was born in Egypt, however, her family originated from Macedonia, Greece.
Greek princess of Egypt
Cleopatra was born into the Ptolemian dynasty which had ruled Egypt for 300 years. Because her family was originally Greek, she grew up speaking, reading, and writing Greek. However, she also learned other languages - mostly importantly Egyptian.
When her father died, the throne was passed on to Cleopatra and her younger brother. Because she was older, she quickly took over the throne for herself.
Fight for the throne
Roman Empire troops - source
Although her brother was at first content with his sister having the throne because he was still young, when he got older, he wanted more power and thus forced Cleopatra from the throne. Having gotten rid of her, he took over as Pharaoh.
Cleopatra fled to Syria and began building an army to take back the throne. In 48 B.C, she returned to challenge her brother in Egypt with her army.
During this time, Cleopatra found an unexpected ally. Julius Caesar who’d been fighting a civil war against Roman general Pompey came to Egypt when he’d heard that Cleopatra’s brother had had him assassinated. While in Egypt, Caesar met Cleopatra and fell in love. She was able to persuade Caesar to help her take back the throne from her brother.
With the help of Caesar and his army, Cleopatra now had enough military power to forcefully take the throne back from her brother. After defeating Ptolemy's forces during the Battle of the Nile, Cleopatra was restored to the throne.
Cleopatra as Pharaoh
Cleopatra was quite popular as Pharaoh and it’s not surprising considering that she built the Egyptian economy and initiated trade with many Arab nations during her time as ruler. She also embraced Egyptian culture which made her more accepted in Egypt despite having Greek blood.
Death and new love
cleopatra and antony - source
In 41 B.C, Cleopatra was summoned by Mark Antony (one of the three new leaders of Rome) after Caesar was suddenly assassinated.
When they met, he was so entranced by her beauty when he laid eyes on her that he fell in love with her and they had an affair.
This love brought a new partnership. Antony sought her for her military force whilst Cleopatra desired the return of Egypt's eastern empire.
Cleopatra has been known for her beauty throughout time, having many illustrations made of her. Here are 50 Seductive Facts About Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile.
Spela Sraka
Spela is a second-year student in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College. She enjoys writing very much, however, she also finds amusement in drawing, video editing, and gaming.
Posted from the Past
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Finding Comfort in the Trenches with Fergus Mackain
“A matter of about five minutes ago Fritz was bombing us, and I have just got up off the ground where I was laying for about twenty minutes. One fellow has been hit, but not severely by shrapnel. This is his second visit this evening.”
See the full transcript of Wiggs’ letter at the UK National Archives website.
Unsurprisingly, experiences like William Wiggs’ made up the majority of letters written back home to family and friends during the First World War. And though it might be odd to think about, these awful experiences weren’t always taken so seriously. Some experiences were so miserable that only a soldier could laugh about them. Picking up from where we left off in my last post, let’s look at the work of Fergus Mackain, and what role humour played in the life of a soldier.
Mackain was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, and worked in the southern United States as an illustrator before enlisting in the British Army in 1915. He served in a regiment that fought at the Somme and Vimy Ridge, survived the war, and returned to the U.S. where he passed away at the age of 38. The series of postcards he created during the war, titled “Sketches of Tommy’s Life,” give us a playful and sometimes morbid take on life in the trenches. What’s striking about Mackain’s art is how well it captured a soldier’s experience, and how it turned miserable situations into something soldiers could joke about as a wartime version of gallows humour.
This can be better attested to by someone who lived through the war. It can be easy to forget, some 100 years later, that these cards weren’t meant as artifacts for us to look back on, but were living objects. A set of Mackain’s artwork belonging to a soldier known only as “E. A. Y.” include his own commentary on how well these cartoons captured a soldier’s experience. Browse the gallery below to see his comments.
![“This is one of the truest pictures of life I have seen. It is not exagerated [sic] in the least”](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/522614d5e4b02f25c1dfd53c/1605418325335-YRQ556FT8TWNM6NN16GG/OOR5.jpg)
There is some support among psychologists that this kind of relatable imagery of shared trauma can act as a sort of glue to bring together a group of people. They helped to build a sense of community among people who have lived similar experiences but would likely never meet face to face. Having these kinds of experiences so succinctly recorded on cards that could be easily circulated between the British soldiers on the Western Front made them the snail-mail version of the relatable internet memes of today. E. A. Y. may as well be posting each image on his Instagram story with the caption, “me lol.”
The thing that has always attracted me to history is its materiality. Ever since I was young, it amazed me that museums just had things on display that people from hundreds, sometimes thousands of years ago created, used, or touched. Objects with a real, tangible connection to history, things that belonged to somebody, are a weird and fascinating insight and intrusion into the essence of a person. Mackain’s art and E. A. Y.’s notes offer rare insight into the lived experience of a soldier and make these postcards unique historical objects.
For more of Fergus Mackain’s art, and a detailed history of his life and work, visit http://www.fergusmackain.com/
Alex Foster-Petrocco
Alex has a BA in History from Carleton and is currently a 2nd-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin.
Post-Mortem Photography
/As creepy and disturbing as we might think it is now, photographing the dead was considered normal during the Victorian period. There were a good number of reasons why these post-mortem pictures were so valuable to the family members of the deceased that may make you see them in a different light.
As mentioned in a previous post, when Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype in 1839, it was an expensive process that not many people could afford. It was rare for families to have photographs of their loved ones because of how expensive it was, but when someone passed away, families were more than willing to make an exception. They would hire a photographer because it would be their last chance to photograph the person they loved. Families were desperate and wanted a way to remember and honour those they had lost. When you think about it, it was a way to console those heart-broken by loss. Post-mortem photography was more sorrowful than it was bizarre.
Photo by Chris Slupski
It was most common that photographers would photograph children after death. Children were more susceptible to diseases. In England, children in the Victorian era (1837-1901) had a higher mortality rate because medicine was not as evolved as it is now. There were no vaccines for measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, rubella, tuberculosis, etc.
The photographers aimed to make the deceased appear alive so that the families could remember them in that way. Making the dead seem alive could not always be achieved, so instead, the photographer would make the corpses appear as though they were sleeping. In some cases, people would go to the extent of drawing eyes on the eyelids to make them look as if they were open. I can understand that someone would at least want a photo to remember the person they lost but painting eyes on a corpse seems like quite the line to cross. Exposure time during this era took longer than it does now, which is why the dead in most of these post-mortem photographs appear clearer than those alive; they do not move.
Contrary to what we might believe, people had a healthier relationship with death during this time. It was relatively common and often happened in the home. They were prepared for death and accepted it as something that just happens. Although no one can control death, they believed that photographing the dead allowed them some form of control of how they chose to remember the person who had passed away. This photography back in the day was a method referred to as “memento mori,” which translated from Latin to English means “remember death” or remember that you will die.”
These customs have disappeared because photography is easily accessible and we can afford to take many pictures of the living. The modern world still uses post-mortem photography for crime scene investigations and scientific purposes like pathology. After learning about this subject, does it make you less uncomfortable and understand why this topic is important to history and photography?
Sources
https://www.history.com/news/post-mortem-photos-history
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36389581
Kaydence Marie
Kaydence Marie is a writer attending the professional writing program at Algonquin College. Although she is ardent for reading and writing, she is also very interested in photography, music, and animals. Kaydence can most likely be spotted reading her tarot cards while checking out a restaurant's latest vegan options.
Raphael - A Painter and Architect
/Throughout the Italian Renaissance, there were many great people who lived in this era. Some of these people include the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many more of course. But one of the more influential artists from back then was none other than Raphael Sanzio, an Italian painter and architect. Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo were known as the three Great High Renaissance masters. But out of these artists, Raphael was the youngest out of the three of them as he died at the early age of 37. That being said though, Raphael’s life was full of many accomplishments and he created many masterpieces.
For all his creations, his work was admired for its form and its ease of composition and you can definitely see how much work he put into his paintings. Some of his most famous paintings include The Alba Madonna, Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn, La Fornarina, but out all of these, the most impressive one in my opinion happens to be the School of Athens painting (1509-1511) . This piece was apart of a much larger commission requested by Pope Julius II and was placed in Julius’s library. Julius requested this commission after the first piece Raphael created for him which was entitled “The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament” and it impressed Julius so much that he designated Raphael to be the sole painter for his apartments, which is definitely a high honor.
But getting back to the painting itself, the idea behind this piece was that Raphael created a scene of learning and order. The painting itself includes multiple philosophers and major thinkers from ancient Greece. At the center of the painting lies the philosophers Aristotle and Plato, and also within the picture lies three major thinkers from ancient Greece. They are Socrates, (who stands in a green rob) Pythagoras (the man kneeling with a book), and Euclid who’s using a compass to demonstrate a mathematical idea (the man who is bending over in the orange rob). I think it’s safe to say that Raphael really outdid himself with this piece, and it shows his full dedication to his artwork.
the school of athens
St Peter's Basilica (Modern Day)
Now even though Raphael was known for his outstanding artwork, he was lesser known for his architectural work. Most of whatever architectural work he has done is mostly limited to drawings in our current time. This is because most of the architectural work he had created was un-finished and whatever he did start was either not completed or later replaced with something more structural per se. That being said though, Raphael had many pieces of work completed on varying levels. Some examples of those completed works were the likes of St Peter's Basilica, Villa Madama, Chigi Chapel, and many others. But even though the work was finished, there’s no guarantee the work being untouched forever. This could most likely be due to things getting older over time and those things would need to be either repaired or replaced because of that.
Even though Raphael wasn’t the largest figure in the Italian Renaissance, he definitely left his mark on the art world. He created many works of art and had so many solid ideas for architecture that really shows to this day. His work, as that of many others, has helped to shape the world of art and how people would view it. His own style really helped to show all sorts of things that made him unique from other artists and I for one can respect that. Though he may have left the world at a younger age them some other artists, he still did his very best work even till his end. It shows that he wasn’t just dedicated to his work, but he really enjoyed everything about what he had created.
To be honest, I’m not a huge art guy. But what makes me appreciate the artwork from the Italian Renaissance is that you can see the devotion that these people put into their work. Just seeing how dedicated they were inspires me to put all of my energy into doing what I like, which is writing stories. That’s why the Italian Renaissance is important to me.
For more information on Raphael’s work, feel free to visit https://www.facebook.com/Raphael-Sanzio-The-Complete-Works for more information.
Ryan Kinney
I’m currently a student in the Professional Writing program. I really like writing about superheroes and on my spare time I’m usually playing video-games or reading about mythology or fantasy.
The 1918 Flu Pandemic
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In 1918, as the First World War was nearing its close, another war was set to begin. This one, however, would not be decided with heavy artillery, or military might. The battlefield was undefined, the enemy unseen. This was a new kind of war, and the world was wholly unprepared for it.
The flu pandemic of 1918, was of the H1N1 avian variety. It’s believed to have infected around 500 million people worldwide—one-third of the global population. It killed an estimated 50 million of those infected. In the United States, 675,000 people died. While here in Canada, the virus claimed an estimated 50,000 lives. As high as these numbers are, it’s often argued that they could be much higher, as many have pointed out that record-keeping in a number of countries at that time was inconsistent at best.
The virus became infamously known as the Spanish Flu. A name that permeates to this day. Though researchers have failed to determine where exactly the virus originated, they all seem to agree that it did NOT come from Spain. The labelling of the virus as the Spanish Flu was the result of wartime media black-outs, which were still in effect for many parts of Europe and allied countries. Those that were involved in the war remained largely hush about the virus, fearing a drop in morale at a critical stage in the conflict. Spain on the other hand, who remained neutral throughout the war, was under no such black-out, and was hit particularly hard by the flu early on.
The earliest indicators of the virus were first discovered in France. However, around this time it was also being detected in American military personnel still stationed in the United States. This led some people to believe that the virus may have originated in the U.S., and was then being transported to Europe by way of France through the deployment of soldiers.
Here in Canada, the virus was first detected in soldiers returning from the war. It then, naturally, spread throughout the country, making its way into some of the most remote communities. In some cases, entire villages were wiped out. Areas in Quebec and Labrador were hit especially hard, and the effect on First Nations communities was nothing short of devastating.
The response in Canada was similar to that of the United States. With little to no coordination from federal governments, communities were largely left to their own devices. Some acted swiftly and faired better as a result. While others, who were hesitant to respond, suffered terribly.
With no vaccine research, or antibiotics available to treat secondary infections caused by the virus, medical professionals could only encourage personal hygiene, social distancing, and mask-wearing as a defence. When they further recommended that non-essential businesses and schools be closed, officials were met with a fair amount of resistance from the public. As a result, closures were carried out unevenly, leading to a disproportionate increase of infection rates in communities that failed to, or were slow to heed the warning.
Eight months now into our current predicament, and growing increasingly weary of the restrictions we’ve been forced to bear, there are a number of important lessons that I think we can learn from this time in history.
First and foremost, is that personal protective measures work. There’s a stark contrast between the communities that implemented these measures versus the ones that didn’t. Second, it’s imperative that we continue to heed the warnings and recommendations from our top health officials—even to the detriment of our economy. That’s not easy to say, especially when you consider that ‘economy’ is essentially a euphemism for people’s livelihoods. This should never be forgotten. However, businesses can be rebuilt—the economy, re-strengthened. But the lives lost to this virus are gone forever.
Finally, the most important lesson, and one that I think we should all be encouraged by, is simply that this will end. By 1921 the worst of the pandemic was over. Though it still lingered in some places until the mid- 1920’s, it was with far less voracity. It may take a couple more years, and there’ll surely be more burdens to bear in the meantime. But we should take some comfort in the fact, that ultimately, this will pass.
If you would like to learn more about the many parallels between Covid-19 and the 1918 flu pandemic, please visit,
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/1918-flu-pandemic
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/1918-spanish-flu-in-canada
Kris Brabant is a professional writing student at Algonquin College. He is a history junky, who is fascinated by all things strange, creepy and generally unsettling.
Posted from the Past: Making Light of the Situation
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An Italian postcard by Attilio Mussino. Source: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/lady-hurry-up
“Everything is grossly mismanaged―the command of the army, the commissariat, the ordnance, and all are none knows where… Lord Raglan has not been seen for three weeks, and the report is he has gone to Malta for the winter. In fact, he has succeeded in giving general dissatisfaction. There is nothing but discontent prevailing, from the heads to the subordinates of the army here―despondency everywhere.”T
The Times of London during the brutal winter of 1854-1885, while Britain and France fought with the Russian Empire in the Crimea. Scathing reports like this one, detailing the army’s mismanagement of the war and heavily criticizing its leadership, led to Lord Aberdeen’s resignation as Prime Minister of Britain and major military reforms. The issues plaguing the British Army were shared by their allies, the French, who suffered nowhere near the same backlash at home. The key difference was in the control of information: French censors limited the negative commentary in soldiers’ letters to save their army’s reputation.
This is just one example of the power of propaganda and information control to boost morale during wartime, not only for soldiers, but for civilians. Keeping the public engaged in supporting the war is just as important a component of war as resources, manpower, and strategy. Britain would learn from its mistake in later years, engaging in a censorship campaign and turning letters from the front from a potential scandal into a propaganda tool itself.
Controlling the Narrative in the First World War
The First World War was by far more devastating than any prior conflict in human history. Besides the new tactics and weapons of war introduced during this time, a leading cause of death at the front was due to poor hygiene. Despite the discontent soldiers felt about their living conditions, postcards like this one, available to members of the 4th Division to send home for Christmas, make light of the issue. It’s rather clever: there is truth to the message, but the cartoon diverts attention away from the negative side of the problem and reassures the public of the safety and quality of living conditions for the soldiers on the Western Front. Distributing these types of postcards to their soldiers allowed the British Army to control the narrative about life at the front.
A more common strategy for propagandists to take was to build a negative image of the enemy. Pictured here is John Bull, a mascot of sorts, serving as the personification of Britain, with his ‘haul’: German U-Boats, stylized to appear as fish. Again, this postcard has a shade of truth to it: the naval engagements in the North Sea were primarily British victories, especially as the war was nearly over in 1917. We see again how these postcards fall somewhere between news and comedy, taking inspiration from current events in the same way late-night talk shows feature jokes about the day’s headlines.
For more, visit the British Library’s WWI postcard collection.
Alex Foster-Petrocco
Alex has a BA in History from Carleton and is currently a 2nd-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin.
Cats Rule, Dogs Drool
/In a world where some would argue that comparing cats and dogs is like trying to choose between apples and oranges, there’s one place where one of these creatures was far superior to the other - Ancient Egypt. Egyptians were known for their love of cats, however, just how far that love went might surprise you.
cat eyes - source
Just how special were they?
cats and jewerly - source
Cats were treated like royalty. In wealthy households, they would be dressed in jewels and fed the absolute best of foods.
Their love of cats was further shown when they died as they would be mummified and buried in sacred receptacles. Mummification was an expensive procedure and most people couldn’t afford to get themselves mummified - let alone an animal.
To take it even further, the owners of the cat would then shave off their eyebrows as a sign of deep mourning and would only discontinue mourning when their eyebrows had fully grown back.
Why were they worshipped?
bastet - source
The immense love Egyptians had for cats originally stemmed from the goddess Bastet. This goddess who was half-cat and half-human was the goddess of home, fertility, and childbirth. She was so popular that some Egyptians would go as far as to call cats demi-gods.
There was also a practical reason why they were worshipped. Cats could protect homes against unwanted pests and were praised for their hunting skills. Egyptians were in such awe of how cats hunted that they even took them on hunts when gathering food for their people. This also tied into Bastet once again as Bastet was also known to be a protector of the people. She had the ability to kill snakes, scorpions, and other vermin, just as cats could.
The status of cats in Ancient Egypt
Because of their link to gods and goddesses, there were many laws in place in regard to how cats were treated. During the peak of Bastet’s popularity, if one was to kill a cat, even if accidentally, they would be punished by death.
Their status continued even when they died. After they were mummified, it was forbidden to tamper with the cat mummy- this led to cat mummies being some of the most recovered mummies by archeologists.
Cats, the bringers of victory
An extreme case showing the complete devotion for cats in Ancient Egypt was the Battle of Pelusium. Cambyses II of Persia overcame Egyptian Pharaoh Psametik III’s forces by using the Egyptian’s love of cats against them.
Cambyses II rounded up many animals, mainly cats, and sent his army out with them along with paintings of cats on their shields. This was a horrific sight to Egyptians as harming a cat was unforgivable, as well as an offence, and there was no way to get around it if they were going to have this war. So, with their moral drained by the enemy hiding by a wall of cats, the Egyptians surrendered.
If you’re looking to find out more about Egyptian cats - specifically how they looked, check out Cats In Ancient Egypt Didn't Look The Way You Think
Spela Sraka
Spela is a second-year student in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College. She enjoys writing very much, however, she also finds amusement in drawing, video editing, and gaming.
Michelangelo and His Famous Works
/Out of everything that came from the Italian Renaissance, one of the most notable figures from that era was the sculptor Michelangelo. This man was definitely no slacker when it came to his artwork. He always put 100% effort into whatever project he was working on, and he produced many works of art in his time. Of all his creations, there are a number of notable pieces that many consider to be masterpieces even to this day. To view most of these, you could just look them up online, but it definitely wouldn’t beat seeing them all in person-even though the cost for a flight to Italy would be quite expensive just to see some art. Then again, it would give you the opportunity to see a few other things, but that’s not what this blog is about.
Statue of David (Top half)
Michelangelo was definitely known for a lot of the statues that he created. Some of the most famous of these include his statues of Moses, and Pietà. But the most notable and well known of his statues, was David. This statue was one of Michelangelo’s earliest creations. He started working on this when he was 26 years old, and it only took him three years to complete (1501-1504). Standing nearly 17 feet tall, this statue weighs over 12,000 pounds and was made out of solid marble. The statue itself would probably be in quite a poor state to this day, but between 2003-2004, it was restored to its former glory and is now housed in the art museum, Accademia Gallery, in Florence-Italy. But as with any work of art, there was a reason behind the creation of this statue. It was originally inspired by the story of David and the Goliath, a biblical story about how David had to use a slingshot to defeat the giant -since he couldn’t do it with his strength alone. The interesting thing about Michelangelo’s David statue is that it’s a depiction of David before he fought the giant. This was quite interesting since most statues of David depicted him after he defeated the giant. However, this version allowed people to see another side of the story, and showed more of what David may have been thinking as he prepared for his epic battle.
Part of the Sistine Chapel painting
Besides sculpting, Michelangelo was also a painter. Although, at the time he wasn’t very well known for his work with a bush. That is, until Pope Julius II hired Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The famed artist rose to the task and began working on the chapel ceiling in 1508 and continued until its completion in 1512. The whole project depicted several scenes from the Old Testament. It started with “The Creation of the World” and ended with the story of “Noah and the Flood”. When Michelangelo was painting the ceiling, he was basically painting sculptures on its surfaces. This was clearly the case, as he painted so many important figures with incredible beauty and strength in detail. The Sistine Chapel painting was definitely one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, and it showed that he wasn’t just a good sculptor or painter, but that he approached any task before him with devotion and pride.
For more art facts, check out the Accademia Gallery on their Facebook page.
Ryan Kinney
I’m currently a student in the Professional Writing program. I really like writing about superheroes and on my spare time I’m usually playing video-games or reading about mythology or fantasy.
The Evolution of Cameras
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Cameras are much older than you might think. The great inventions of photography throughout the decades and centuries have paved the way for cameras in the modern world.
Throughout ancient history, there is mention of the principle and physics of the camera obscura in many different cultures. However, the claimed inventor of the camera obscura is Ibn al-Haytham, an Arabian mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. The camera obscura worked the same way as a projector, and a room with little to no light was needed to show the images. The rooms had a hole on one side that allowed light to enter and project a reversed image on the opposite wall. Ibn al Haytham invented the camera obscura sometime during the 11th century. Later, the camera obscura became portable in 1685 when Johann Zahn decided to use a box instead of an entire room. Zahn made modifications to the camera obscura. Instead of just a pinhole, he added a lens to adjust the focus. Some portable camera obscuras even had an angled mirror inside that would display the image right-side-up.
A little over two centuries later, the first commercial, amateur-friendly camera hit the market. In 1888, George Eastman released the Kodak camera that included 100-exposure film inside and produced round pictures. Eastman designed this camera to use the flexible roll film he had invented. When the owner had used all of the film in the camera, they would send it back to the manufacturer and pay them to refill the camera with film and develop their pictures.
In 1947, cameras took a giant leap when Edwin H. Land invented the instant camera by Polaroid. Instant cameras introduced coloured photos in 1963. The film in these cameras has three layers: one sensitive to blue light, one sensitive to green light and the last one sensitive to red light. These three light-sensitive layers allow the images to appear in colour. Polaroid had not anticipated the demand that would come and made only 60 models of the instant camera and began selling them on the market, but they sold all of the cameras within the first day.
Instant cameras are still going strong in the 21st century. Fujifilm had taken over the instant camera industry when Polaroid refused to keep up with the latest technology and unfortunately, declared bankruptcy in the early 2000s.
Today, digital cameras are everywhere, all because of an engineer named Steven Sasson. Sasson invented the first digital camera in 1975. He worked for the Kodak company and got the idea to create a digital camera; however, Kodak was not ready to pursue his vision of digital photography. Still, Sasson took extra parts from the Kodak factory to create his prototype. It took 23 seconds to capture an image, weighed 8 pounds and had 0.01 megapixels. This camera may not seem like much, but it was a giant step to the availability of photographs and cameras that we have now.
Cameras have a long and scientific history that continues to amaze the world with its constant evolution. Technology is always advancing, and cameras are on almost every device, so even if you don't have a brand name camera, access to photography is never out of reach.
Camera Obscura Links
https://mymodernmet.com/camera-obscura/
https://www.britannica.com/technology/camera-obscura-photography
http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyApparatus/Optics/Camera_Obscura/Camera_Obscura.html
http://www.photographyhistoryfacts.com/photography-development-history/camera-obscura-history/
The First Kodak Camera Links
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Kodak-camera
https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_760118
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kodk/hd_kodk.htm
The First Instant Camera Links
https://www.edn.com/polaroid-introduces-the-instant-camera-february-21-1947/
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/land-instant-photography.html
https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-polaroid/
The First Digital Camera Links
https://www.diyphotography.net/worlds-first-digital-camera-introduced-man-invented/
Kaydence Marie
Kaydence Marie is a writer attending the professional writing program at Algonquin College. Although she is ardent for reading and writing, she is also very interested in photography, music, and animals. Kaydence can most likely be spotted reading her tarot cards while checking out a restaurant's latest vegan options.
The Salem Witch Trials
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In June of 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged to death on Salem’s Gallows Hill for practicing witchcraft. Over the next few months, eighteen additional women would be hanged in what would become infamously known as the Salem witch trials.
It all began several months earlier in January of that same year. Elizabeth Parris, the young daughter of Salem Village minister Samuel Parris, began exhibiting strange symptoms described as fits of ‘violent contortions, and uncontrolled outbursts of screaming.’ A short time later, Elizabeth’s cousin Abigail Williams began to develop similar symptoms. A local doctor named William Griggs diagnosed the two young girls with bewitchment, and it wouldn’t be long before numerous other girls in the village seemed similarly afflicted.
In late February, local authorities issued arrest warrants for three women. Tituba (the Parris’ Caribbean slave), a homeless woman named Sarah Good, and the elderly Sarah Osborn. The latter being accused directly by the young girls of bewitching them. When the three women were brought before the magistrates and questioned, both Good and Osborn denied any wrongdoing against a backdrop of young afflicted girls writhing and screaming in the courtroom. Tituba alternatively, confessed. It is believed she confessed to carry favour with the magistrates and avoid the worst of the punishments by acting as an informer. After naming several other women, some of whom considered upstanding community members and church members, hysteria began to spread beyond the village into the rest of Massachusetts.
As more and more women were accused, more still would confess, and in turn, name others in the hopes of carrying favour for themselves. The courts became overwhelmed, and in May of 1692, the Governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, ordered the creation of a special court to preside over the witchcraft cases.
On June 2nd, the court would hand down its first conviction. Bridget Bishop, convicted of the crime of witchcraft, would be hanged eight days later. The following month would see five more people hanged—an additional five in August and eight more in September. Seven of the accused witches would die in jail awaiting trial.
Eventually, some voices of reason began to emerge. A well-respected minister named Cotton Mather spoke of the “dubious value of spectral evidence (testimony about dreams and visions).” Sadly, his warnings were largely ignored. Cotton’s father, Increase Mather, who was president of Harvard College at the time, echoed his son’s sentiment expressing that the standard for evidence in these trials should be equal to that of any other criminal proceeding.
By early autumn, public support for the trials began wearing thin, and Governor Phips dissolved the special court. Though some local courts continued to prosecute well into 1693, the Governor pardoned and released all of the remaining accused by May of that year.
The Salem witch trials’ dark legacy would haunt the community and surrounding areas for generations to come, and would continue to fascinate us in the centuries that followed. In recent years, the term “witch-hunt” has been thrown around quite a bit. It has been favoured by U.S. President Donald Trump when describing the investigations into his campaign finances and Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Though his flippant use of the term may seem blusterous, and at times even ridiculous. It should serve as a stark warning to us all. In 1692 the poor living condition, and mistrust amongst neighbours resulting from a recent war between the French and the British, created a situation ripe for the spread of misinformation.
Today we find ourselves in yet another era of rampant misinformation. Though, we may not be as superstitious as we once were. The dangers of hysteria induced actions are still very real when we grant others the privilege of doing our thinking for us.
We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our communities to stay informed. It is imperative to try to understand as many sides of a situation as possible. We should expose ourselves to the opinions of those we disagree with and ultimately formulate our own informed opinions. Only then can we prevent this dark history from repeating itself.
For more information please visit: https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/salem-witch-trials
Kris Brabant is a professional writing student at Algonquin College. He is a history junky, who is fascinated by all things strange, creepy and generally unsettling.
Anubis and the Mummies
/Ever wonder why Egyptians were known to mummify those who had died and used complex techniques to preserve the bodies very effectively? Well, here’s the deal — turns out, it was all to appear more appealing to Anubis: God of the dead. Egyptians would use herbs and plants to smell “pure” to Anubis who was said to sniff the mummies and then lead them to the afterlife if he deemed them worthy. Egyptians also believed that only those who were recognizable after death would be accepted into paradise which created the need for mummification.
Anubis and a mummy - source
Was everyone mummified?
No, as one might expect, it was a costly procedure that was unobtainable for most people in Ancient Egypt. Only pharaohs and the very wealthy such as nobles were able to go through the process of mummification. Pharaohs were put in tombs once mummified, often buried with jewels and amulets within their linen wrappings — believing that it’d be taken into the afterlife with them.
How was it done?
embalmers and a mummy - source
It took approximately 70 days to complete and was done by priests who worked as embalmers (aka the art and science of preserving human remains). The chief embalmer would wear a mask of Anubis, solidifying the bond between Anubis and death.
In order to preserve the body as best as possible, the priests removed any easily decayable internal parts of the body such as the brain and organs. They would leave the heart in place, believing that it was the center of someone’s being.
Once finished with the organs, they would then bury them alongside the body or in later burials, would treat the organs, wrap them, and place them gently back inside the body.
After this, they would remove all moisture from the body, doing so with a special dehydrating salt.
The salt would leave the body in quite a creepy state so to make it appear more lifelike, the priests would then stuff the sunken parts of the body with linen and add fake eyeballs. Lastly, they wrapped the whole body in bandages which was quite the task because they’d often wrap each finger and toe separately before wrapping the entire body part.
Does mummification still happen in Egypt?
Egyptians stopped mummification somewhere between the 4th and 7th century AD. During this time, many Egyptians became Christians and gradually gave up the ancient religious beliefs that made them do it in the first place.
For a more detailed look at mummification, visit A Step by Step guide to Egyptian Mummification
Spela Sraka
Spela is a second-year student in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College. She enjoys writing very much, however, she also finds amusement in drawing, video editing, and gaming.
The Italian Renaissance
/For any of those who think of Italy in today’s world, would you think of the coliseums of Rome where they held events from long ago? What about the food the Italian people are known for? For me, the one thing I think of when I think of Italy is the Italian Renaissance.
This event really helped to shape many things in the art world and had many great figures who made themselves known through what they have contributed to the world of art. Many well-known figures came from this area of time, most notably: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, the fathers of the Italian Renaissance (not to be confused with the TMNT). These men and their works and different styles have really helped to shape the world of art.
These fathers of the renaissance didn’t just contribute their styles, they were known to create some very famous works of art. Some examples of these works are Da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa, or Michelangelo’s David statue. Many people travel to Italy just to see some of these famous works of art. It’s amazing to think that most of these works of art are still relevant to this day, but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. These pieces of artwork have helped to inspire many artists throughout time, as their styles have not only been an inspiration to others, but have helped to define themselves as artists.
One thing to mention about all of their works of art, is that they weren’t just limited to paintings or statues, but also much larger projects that are still around to this very day. One piece of work I can think of that would fit this example would be a work by the artist Michelangelo. The work I’m referring to would be the painting he created on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. This work alone took Michelangelo 4 years to complete, and was his first of many famous paintings and probably one of his oldest ones as well. He started working on this piece in 1508 and continued it to 1512, showing the time and dedication he put into his work. The end result was a magnificent painting that showed just how much work one man can accomplish.
The Mona Lisa
The Sistine Chapel Ceiling
These examples, as well as other pieces of work will be talked about in more detail in my future posts. The first artist I’ll be talking about in more detail for my second post will be Leonardo da Vinci and all of the works of art he created during the time he was alive. I’ll be talking about his more notable works since they would technically be more recognizable, but I’ll be sure to have plenty of details on these pieces for extra facts and such.
Ryan
My name is Ryan and I’m gonna be talking about the Italian Renaissance and how it impacted the world of art. I’m currently a student in the Professional Writing program. I really like writing about superheroes and on my spare time I’m usually playing video-games or reading about mythology or fantasy.
Posted from the Past: Colonial Postcards
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The African “Coach and Four” Transport System, c. 1920 - Source
Before travel blogs and Instagram feeds could show you the wider world, postcards were the best way to share images from across the globe. In the West, one of the only ways to see images from European colonies in Africa and Asia was through postcards. Popular subjects included landscapes, native inhabitants and scenes of everyday colonial life. But these postcards were far from an accurate window into colonial society. Instead, they were bound to the biases and tastes of their creators and their audience, and were shaped into telling a particular story.
Orientalism, Imperialism, and the Civilizing Mission
A diplomatic meeting during the Italian occupation of Eritrea, c. 1930 - Source
Edward Said’s groundbreaking book Orientalism forced historians to re-examine their understanding of East-West relations. By his use of the word, “orientalism” refers to a depiction of the Orient from an outside, Western perspective. In his view, the Western understanding of the East was not defined by what it was in actuality, but by how it was perceived in relation to the West. Said proposed that Western studies of the East were dominated by imperialist bias as a result of the dominance of Western imperialism in the 19th century. This bias created the popular idea of the East as a wild, untamed place, in stark contrast to the civilized West, that could only be saved by Western influence. To this end, Western depictions of the East went to great lengths to emphasize the contrast between the civilized West and the savage East, and the good that could come from the “civilizing mission.”
Depictions of a Savage Land
So how did postcards play into this relationship? For many, postcards were the only way to see “authentic” depictions of the colonies. In reality, much of what you could find on a postcard from the Orient was carefully curated to play to the biases of their intended audience. There is something of a chicken-and-egg situation here: Westerners wanted to see the strange and mysterious colonies and postcard producers wanted to show it to them. As they did, they reinforced the legitimacy of these stereotypical images in the West.
A city scene in Tunisia, c. 1920 - Source
Popular subjects for postcard images included colonial development projects, showing off new, Western-built infrastructure like roads, canals and mines, or contrasting images of pre-colonial landscapes and cities, to emphasize their “backwards” nature before the arrival of Western influence. Depictions of historical events, like diplomatic visits between Western envoys and local officials, were also common.
An erotic postcard from morocco, c. 1920 - Source
Even more popular was the depiction of natives supposedly going about their daily lives. City and market scenes could show bustling streets and exotic goods. Exotic modes of dress, such as the regalia worn by some high-ranking members of society, were contrasted with Westerners in clothes one could find anywhere in Europe. Though some of these photos were genuine depictions of life, others were arranged by photographers to exaggerate otherness. Nude or semi-nude depictions of native men and women were common, though often the subjects of these photos were instructed to disrobe to create the image of an indecent, uncivilized people. Many women who were photographed in this manner were in reality orphans and prostitutes paid to pose for the photographer to embody the “colonial harem,” the idea that native women were promiscuous. These depictions helped shape the West’s perception of the colonies, and invented the image of a place so backwards that only Western civilization could save it from itself.
For more, visit the African & Middle East Reading Room at the Library of Congress’ website.
Alex Foster-Petrocco
Alex has a BA in History from Carleton and is currently a 2nd-year Professional Writing student at Algonquin.
