Monday, October 31, 2011

Demonology and Witchcraft

Demonology and Witchcraft, Drawn by J. Skeno of Rubislaw, Engraved by William Home Lizars (1788-1859). The Bow Edinburgh. House of Major Weir.

To J. G. LOCKHART, Esq. LETTER I.

Origin of the general Opinions respecting Demonotogy among Mankind— The Belief in the Immortality of the Soul is the main inducement to credit its occasional reappearance— The Philosophical Objections to the Apparition of an Abstract Spirit little understood by the Vulgar and Ignorant— The situations of excited Passion incident to Humanity, which teach men to wish or apprehend Supernatural Apparitions-— They are often presented by the Sleeping Sense—Story of Somnambulism—The Influence of Credulity contagious, so that Individuals will trust the Evidence of others in despite of their own Senses—Examples from the Historia Verdadera of Bernal Dias del Castillo, and from the Works of Patrick Walker— The apparent Evidence of Intercourse with the Supernatural World is sometimes owing to a depraved State of the bodily Organs—-Difference between this Disorder and Insanity, in which the Organs retain their tone, though that of the Mind is lost—Rebellion of the Senses of a Lunatic against the: A

current of his Reveries—Narratives of a contrary Nature, in which the Evidence of the Eyes overbore the Conviction of the Understanding—Example of a London Man of Pleasure— Of Nicolai, the German Bookseller and Philosopher— Of a Patient of Dr Gregory—Of an Eminent Scottish Lawyer deceased— Of this same fallacious Disorder are other instances, which have but sudden and momentary endurance—Apparition ofMaupertuis—Of a late illustrious modern Poet— The Cases quoted chiefly relating to false Impressions on the Visual Nerve, those upon the -Ear next considered—Delusions of the Touch chiefly ex'perienced in Sleep—Delusions of the Taste—and of the Smelling—Sum of the Argument.

Demonology and Witchcraft

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case 1830) are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case William Home Lizars (1788-1859), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: Letters on demonology and witchcraft: Addressed to J. G. Lockhart. Author: Walter Scott. Publisher: Murray, 1830. Original from: the Bavarian State Library. Digitized: Jan 12, 2009. Length: 402 pages. Subjects: Demonology, Witchcraft.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Betty Boop (1933)

The dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow White lying upon the ground; she breathed no longer and was dead. They lifted her up, looked to see whether they could find anything poisonous, unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but it was all of no use; the poor child was dead, and remained dead. They laid her upon a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for her, and wept three days long.

Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if she were living, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said, "We could not bury her in the dark ground," and they had a transparent coffin of glass made, so that she could be seen from all sides, and they laid her in it, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, and that she was a king's daughter. Then they put the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them always stayed by it and watched it. And birds came too, and wept for Snow-white; first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.

And now Snow-white lay a long, long time in the coffin, and she did not change, but looked as if she were asleep; for she was as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.

It happened, however, that a king's son came into the forest, and went to the dwarfs' house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the mountain, and the beautiful Snow-white within it, and read what was written upon it in golden letters. Then he said to the dwarfs, "Let me have the coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it." But the dwarfs answered, "We will not part with it for all the gold in the world." Then he said, "Let me have it as a gift, for I cannot live without seeing Snow-white. I will honour and prize her as my dearest possession." As he spoke in this way the good dwarfs took pity upon him, and gave him the coffin.

And now the King's son had it carried away by his servants on their shoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over a tree stump, and with the shock the poisonous piece of apple which Snow white had bitten off came out of her throat. And before long she opened her eyes, lifted up the lid of the coffin, sat up, and was once more alive. "Oh, heavens, where am I?" she cried. The King's son, full of joy, said, "You are with me," and told her what had happened, and said, "I love you more than everything in the world; come with me to my father's palace, you shall be my wife."

And Snow-white was willing, and went with him, and their wedding was held with great show and splendour.

Snow White with Betty Boop (1933)

This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963 and although there may or may not have had a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

This file however MAY NOT be in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Max Fleischer (July 19,

1883 – September 11, 1972) It may be copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works, If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

IMAGE CREDIT: >Snow White with Betty Boop (1933) Directed by: Dave Fleischer. Produced by: Max Fleischer. Voices by: Mae Questel. Cab Calloway (vocal chorus), Animation by: Roland Crandall (as Roland C. Crandall). Distributed by: Paramount Pictures. Release date(s): March 31, 1933. Color process: Black-and-white. Running time: 7 mins. Language: English.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The War of the Worlds Martian fighting machine battling with the warship Thunder Child



October 30, 1938, Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds.

The War of the Worlds Martian fighting machine battling with the warship Thunder Child.

To their intelligence, it may be, the giant was even such another as themselves. The Thunder Child fired no gun, but simply drove full speed towards them. It was probably her not firing that enabled her to get so near the enemy as she did. They did not know what to make of her. One shell, and they would have sent her to the bottom forthwith with the Heat-Ray.

She was steaming at such a pace that in a minute she seemed halfway between the steamboat and the Martians—a diminishing black bulk against the receding horizontal expanse of the Essex coast .

Suddenly the foremost Martian lowered his tube, and discharged a canister of the black gas at the ironclad. It hit her larboard side, and glanced off in an inky jet, that rolled away to seaward, an unfolding torrent of black smoke, from which the ironclad drove clear. To the watchers from the steamer, low in the water and with the sun in their eyes, it seemed as though she was already among the Martians.

They saw the gaunt figures separating and rising out of the water as they retreated shoreward, and one of them raised the camera-like generator of the Heat-Ray. He held it pointing obliquely downward, and a bank of steam sprang from the water at its touch. It must have driven through the iron of the ship's side like a white-hot iron rod through paper.

A flicker of flame went up through the rising steam, and then the Martian reeled and staggered. In another moment he was cut down, and a great body of water and steam shot high in the air. The guns of the Thunder Child sounded through the reek, going off one after the other, and one shot splashed the water high close by the steamer, ricocheted towards the other flying ships to the north, and smashed a smack to matchwood.

But no one heeded that very much. At the sight of the Martian's collapse, the captain on the bridge yelled inarticulately, and all the crowding passengers on the steamers's stern shouted together. And then they yelled again. For, surging out beyond the white tumult drove something long and black, the flames streaming from its middle parts, its ventilators and funnels spouting fire.

She was alive still; the steering gear, it seems, was intact and her engines working. She headed straight for a second Martian, and was within a hundred yards of him when the Heat-Ray came to bear. Then with a violent thud, a blinding flash, her decks, her funnels, leapt upward. The Martian staggered with the violence of her explosion, and in another moment the flaming wreckage, still driving forward with the impetus of its pace, had struck him and crumpled him up like a thing of cardboard. My brother shouted involuntarily. A boiling tumult of steam hid everything again.

The War of the Worlds Martian fighting machine battling with the warship Thunder Child

Drawing by the Brazilian artist Henrique Alvim Corrêa. Henrique Alvim Correia. Description: Brazilian painter, draughtsman and illustrator. Date of birth / death: January 30, 1876 - July 7, 1910. Location of birth / death: Rio de Janeiro - Brussels. Work location: Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Brussels, Lisboa.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain.

Henrique Alvim Correa [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Henrique Alvim Corrêa (January 30, 1876 - July 7, 1910), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

TEXT CREDIT: The War of the Worlds Volume 3274 of Collection of British Authors: Tauchnitz Edition. Author: Herbert George Wells. Publisher: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1898. Original from: the University of Virginia. Digitized: Sep 4, 2009. Length: 288 pages. Subjects: Fiction › Science Fiction › General, Fiction / Science Fiction / General Fiction / Science Fiction / Space Opera.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Wicked Witch of the East

"You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage."

Dorothy listened to this speech with wonder. What could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had killed the wicked Witch of the East? Dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and she had never killed anything in all her life.

But the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so Dorothy said, with hesitation,

"You are very kind; but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything."

"Your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman, with a laugh; "and that is the same thing. See!" she continued, pointing to the corner of the house; "there are her two toes, still sticking out from under a block of wood."

Dorothy looked, and gave a little cry of fright. There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes.

"Oh, dear! oh, dear!" cried Dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay; "the house must have fallen on her. What ever shall we do?"

"There is nothing to be done," said the little woman, calmly.

"But who was she?" asked Dorothy.

"She was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said," answered the little woman. "She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the favor."

Wicked Witch of the East

IMAGE CREDIT: Title: The Tin Woodman of Oz, A Faithful Story of the Astonishing Adventure Undertaken by the Tin Woodman, assisted by Woot the Wanderer, the Scarecrow of Oz, and Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1918, are now in the public domain.

By Jonathan R. Neill (The Tin Woodman of Oz) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Author: L. Frank Baum, This Book is dedicated to the son of my son Frank Alden Baum. Illustrator: John R. Neill. The Reilly & Britton Co. Chicago. Copyright 1918 by L. Frank Baum. All rights reserved. Made in U. S. A.

TEXT CREDIT: The new Wizard of Oz Author: Lyman Frank Baum. Illustrated by: William Wallace Denslow. Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill, 1903. Length: 208 pages. Subjects: Courage. Determination (Personality trait) Dogs, Friendship, Gale, Dorothy (Fictitious character) Kansas, Love, Magic, Orphans, Oz (Imaginary place) Scarecrow (Fictitious character : Baum) Thought and thinking, Tin Woodman (Fictitious character) Witches, Wizard of Oz (Fictitious character) Wizards

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Police pour liquor into sewer following a raid during prohibition

Congress passed the "Volstead Act" on October 28, 1919.

Title: [New York City Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach, right, watching agents pour liquor into sewer following a raid during the height of prohibition]

Date Created/Published: [1921?] Medium: 1 photographic print. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-123257 (b&w film copy neg.)

Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.

Call Number: NYWTS - SUBJ/GEOG--Prohibition--General [P&P] [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Notes: New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress). Title devised by Library staff using information from photo slug.

Subjects: Prohibition--New York (State)--New York--1920-1930. Format: Alcoholic beverages--1920-1930. Photographic prints--1920-1930. Collections: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Jacob and Wilhelm the Brothers Grimm

A Philologist usually has a reputation restricted to his fellow students; jurists and linguists win fame, more or less extended, in legal and scholarly circles. There is, perhaps, but one instance in which such studies have conferred a popular reputation. The name of the brothers Grimm is known at every fireside, cherished in every nursery.

Jakob Ludwig (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786-1859) were brothers, united by life-long community of taste, interest, and labor. From youth they devoted themselves to philology and linguistics with the patient ardor characteristic of the German student. Jakob published valuable books on language and mythology; Wilhelm edited medieval German poems with scholarly accuracy.

But the fame of the Grimm brothers rests, for the world at large, upon the collection of folk-tales to which they lent their name. To collect these, the brothers pored over crabbed manuscripts which had gathered the dust of ages. They left their library for cottage firesides. Here they listened to the stories which old men and women handed down from their grandparents to their grandchildren These stories, gathered from oral and written sources, form the famous collection of "Kinder- und Haus-Marchen."

The complete collection is large, and, made for scholarly purposes, includes many relics of the childhood of the race, outgrown by even the children of to-day. Side by side with these are stories of perennial charm, such nursery favorites as "Cinderella" and "Red Riding Hood."

From the first this collection attracted the attention of scholars interested in the literary heritage of the Teutonic peoples. Yet more, it won the hearts of children and established for itself a foremost place among the classics of the nursery.

Jacob and Wilhelm the Brothers Grimm

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1855, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Elisabeth Jerichau Baumann (1819–1881), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

TEXT CREDIT: GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES SELECTED AND EDITED FOR PRIMARY READER GRADES BY EDNA HENRY LEE TURPIN New York Maynard Merrill and Company JUL 12 1905 Harvard University,

Dept, of Education Library, lift of the Publishers. THANSFEfiKED TO HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY Mai b 19k t Copyright, 1903, BY MAYNARD, MERRILL, & CO.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Rumpelstiltskin (Mister Gold)

About a year after the marriage, when she had ceased to think about the little Dwarf, she brought a fine child into the world; and, suddenly, soon after its birth, the very man appeared and demanded what she had promised. The frightened Queen offered him all the riches of the kingdom if he would leave her her child; but the Dwarf answered, "No; something human is dearer to me than all the wealth of the world."

The Queen began to weep and groan so much, that the Dwarf compassionated her, and said, "I will leave you three days to consider; if you in that time discover my name you shall keep your child."

All night long the Queen racked her brains for all the names she could think of, and sent a messenger through the country to collect far and wide any new names. The following morning came the Dwarf, and she began with "Casper," "Melchior," "Balthazar," and all the odd names she knew; but at each the little Man exclaimed, "That is not my name." The second day the Queen inquired of all her people for un common and curious names, and called the Dwarf " Ribs-of-Beef," "Sheepshank," "Whalebone;" but at each he said, "This is not my name." The third day the messenger came back and said, " I have not found a single name; but as I came to a high mountain near the edge of a forest, where foxes and hares say good night to each other, I saw there a little house, and before the door a fire was burning, and round this fire a very curious little Man was dancing on one leg, and shouting,—

"' To-day I stew, and then I'll bake,

To-morrow I shall the Queen's child take;
Ah! how famous it is that nobody knows
That my name is Rumpelstiltskin."

When the Queen heard this she was very glad, for now she knew the name; and soon after came the Dwarf, and asked, "Now, my lady Queen, what is my name?"

First she said, "Are you called Conrade?" "No."

"Are you called Hal?" "No."

"Are you called Rumpelstiltskin !"

"A witch has told you! a witch has told you !" shrieked the little Man, and stamped his right foot so hard in the ground with rage that he could not draw it out again. Then he took hold of his left leg with both his hands, and pulled away so hard that his right came off in the struggle, and he hopped away howling terribly. And from that day to this the Queen has heard no more of her troublesome visitor.

Rumpelstiltskin (Mister Gold)

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1916, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Edward Henry Wehnert (1813–1868), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Household stories Author: Jacob Grimm. Illustrated by: Edward Henry Wehnert. Publisher: Routledge, Warne & Routledge, 1861. Original from: Harvard University. Digitized: Feb 29, 2008. Subjects, Fiction › Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Social Science / Folklore & Mythology

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Snow White in the Woods

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest of all?"

the looking-glass answered—

"Thou, O Queen, art the fairest of alll"

Then she was satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the truth.

But Snow-white was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful; and when she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and more beautiful than the Queen herself. And once when the Queen asked her looking-glass—

"Looking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall, Who in this land is the fairest of all?"

it answered

"Thou art fairer than all who are here, Lady Queen, But more beautiful still is Snow-white, as I ween."

Then the Queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour, whenever she looked at Snow-white, her heart heaved in her breast, she hated the girl so much.

And envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart like a weed, so that she had no peace day or night. She called a huntsman, and said, "Take the child away into the forest; I will no longer have her in my sight. Kill her, and bring me back her heart as a token." The huntsman obeyed, and took her away; but when he had drawn his knife, and was about to pierce Snow-white's innocent heart, she began to weep, and said, "Ah, dear huntsman, leave me my life! I will run away into the wild forest and never come home again."

And as she was so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her and said, "Run away, then, you poor child." "The wild beasts will soon have devoured you," thought he, and yet it seemed as if a stone had been rolled from his heart since it was no longer needful for him to kill her. And as a young boar just then came running by he stabbed it and cut out its heart and took it to the Queen as a proof that the child was dead. The cook had to salt this, and the wicked Queen ate it, and thought she had eaten the heart of Snowwhite.

But now the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and so terrified that she looked at every leaf of every tree, and did not know what to do. Then she began to run, and ran over sharp stones and through thorns, and the wild beasts ran past her, but did her no harm.

Snow White in the Woods

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Franz Jüttner (1865–1925), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

IMAGE CREDIT: Franz Jüttner (1865–1925): Illustration from Schneewittchen, Scholz' Künstler-Bilderbücher, Mainz 1910

TEXT CREDIT: Folk-lore and Fable Volume 17 of The Harvard classics Volume 17 of Folk-lore and Fable: Æsop, Grimm, Andersen, Wilhelm Grimm. Authors: Aesop, Wilhelm Grimm, Jacob Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen. Publisher: P. F. Collier & Son, 1909. Length 383 pages. Subjects: Fables, Fairy tales, Tales.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Prince Charming

Long, long ago, in ancient times, there lived a King and Queen, And for the blessing of a child their longing sore had been: At last, a little daughter fair, to their great joy, was given, And to the christening feast they made, they bade the Fairies seven—

The Fairies seven, who loved the land—that they the child might bless, Yet one old Fairy they left out, in pure forgetfulness. And at the feast, the dishes fair were of the reddest gold; But when the Fairy came, not one for her, so bad and old, Angry was she, because her place and dish had been forgot, And angry things she muttered long, and kept her anger hot.

Until the Fairy godmothers their gifts and wishes gave: She waited long to spoil the gifts, and her revenge to have. One gave the Princess goodness, and one gave her beauty rare; One gave her sweetest singing voice; one, gracious mien and air; One, skill in dancing; one, all cleverness; and then the crone Came forth, and muttered, angry still, and good gift gave she none;

But said, that in the future years the Princess young should die, By pricking of a spindle-point—ah, woeful prophecy! But now, a kind young Fairy, who had waited to the last, Stepped forth, and said, “No, she shall sleep till a hundred years are past; And then she shall be wakened by a King's son—truth I tell—And he will take her for his wife, and all will yet be well.”

In vain in all her father's Court the spinning-wheel's forbid In vain in all the country-side the spindles sharp are hid; For in a lonely turret high, and up a winding stair, There lives an ancient woman who still turns her wheel with care. The Princess found her out one day, and tried to learn to spin; Alas! the spindle pricked her hand—the charm had entered in!

The Prince Charming

And down she falls in death-like sleep: they lay her on her bed, And all around her sink to rest—a palace of the dead! A hundred years pass—still they sleep, and all around the place A wood of thorns has risen up—no path a man can trace. At last, a King's son, in the hunt, asked how long it had stood, And what old towers were those he saw above the ancient wood.

An aged peasant told of an enchanted palace, where A sleeping King and Court lay hid, and sleeping Princess fair. Through the thick wood, that gave him way, and past the thorns that drew Their sharpest points another way, the King's son presses through. He reached the guard, the court, the hall,—and there, where'er he stept, He saw the sentinels, and grooms, and courtiers as they slept.

Ladies in act to smile, and pages in attendance wait; The horses slept within their stalls, the dogs about the gate. The King's son presses on, into an inner chamber fair, And sees, laid on a silken bed, a lovely lady there; So sweet a face, so fair—was never beauty such as this; He stands—he stoops to gaze—he kneels—he wakes her with a kiss.

He leads her forth: the magic sleep of all the Court is o'er, — They wake, they move, they talk, they laugh, just as they did of yore A hundred years ago. The King and Queen awake, and tell How all has happed, rejoicing much that all has ended well. They hold the wedding that same day, with mirth and feasting good — The wedding of the Prince and Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Walter Crane (1845–1915), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: The Sleeping Beauty Picture Book, by Anonymous, Illustrated by Walter Crane. DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY NEW YORK

Friday, October 21, 2011

Once upon a time Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf

Title: Once upon a time / Whitley. Creator(s): Whitley, Kenneth, artist. Date Created / Published: Ill. : Federal Art Project, WPA, [between 1936 and 1939] Medium: 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen, color.

Summary: Poster showing Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf. Reproduction Number: LC-USZC2-1177 (color film copy slide)

Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. Publication and other forms of distribution: Posters in this collection were made by artists working for the Works Projects Administration, a "New Deal" program of the U.S. Government. There are no known restrictions on the use of these posters.

This image or file is a work of an employee of the United States Federal Government, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, WPA Poster Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., [LC-USZC2-1234]

Call Number: POS - WPA - ILL .W55, no. 2 (C size) [P&P] [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Notes: Date stamped on verso: Sep 7 1939. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). Subjects: Little Red Riding Hood (Tale)--1930-1940. Fairy tales--1930-1940. Format: Posters--1930-1940. Screen prints--Color--1930-1940. Collections: Posters: WPA Posters

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Ultimate Beauty and the Beast

There was once a merchant that had three daughters, and he loved them better than himself. Now it happened that he had to go a long journey to buy some goods, and when he was just starting he said to them, "What shall I bring you back, my dears?" And the eldest daughter asked to have a necklace; and the second daughter wished to have a gold chain; but the youngest daughter said, "Bring back yourself, Papa, and that is what I want the most." "Nonsense, child," said her father, "you must say something that I may remember to bring back for you." "So," she said, "then bring me back a rose, father."

Well, the merchant went on his journey and did his business and bought a pearl necklace for his eldest daughter, and a gold chain for his second daughter; but he knew it was no use getting a rose for the youngest while he was so far away because it would fade before he got home. So he made up his mind he would get a rose for her the day he got near his house.

When all his merchanting was done he rode off home and forgot all about the rose till he was near his house then he suddenly remembered what he had promised his youngest daughter, and looked about to see if he could find a rose. Near where he had stopped he saw a great garden, and getting off his horse he wandered about in it till he found a lovely rose-bush; and he plucked the most beautiful rose he could see on it. At that moment he heard a crash like thunder, and looking around he saw a huge monster—two tusks in his mouth and fiery eyes surrounded by bristles, and horns coming out of its head and spreading over its back.

"Mortal," said the Beast, "who told thee thou mightest pluck my roses?"

"Please, sir," said the merchant in fear and terror for his life, "I promised my daughter to bring her home a rose and forgot about it till the last moment, and then I saw your beautiful garden and thought you would not miss a single rose, or else I would have asked your permission."

"Thieving is thieving," said the Beast, "whether it be a rose or a diamond; thy life is forfeit."

Beauty and the Beast

The merchant fell on his knees and begged for his life for the sake of his three daughters who had none but him to support them.

"Well, mortal, well," said the Beast, "I grant thy life on one condition: Seven days from now thou must bring this youngest daughter of thine, for whose sake thou hast broken into my garden, and leave her here in thy stead. Otherwise swear that thou wilt return and place thyself at my disposal."

So the merchant swore, and taking his rose mounted his horse and rode home.

As soon as he got into his house his daughters came rushing round him, clapping their hands and showing their joy in every way, and soon he gave the necklace to his eldest daughter, the chain to his second daughter, and then he gave the rose to his youngest, and as he gave it he sighed. "Oh, thank you, Father," they all cried. But the youngest said, "Why did you sigh so deeply when you gave me my rose?"

"Later on I will tell you," said the merchant.

So for several days they lived happily together, though the merchant wandered about gloomy and sad, and nothing his daughters could do would cheer him up till at last he took his youngest daughter aside and said to her, "Bella, do you love your father?"

"Of course I do, Father, of course I do."

"Well, now you have a chance of showing it"; and then he told her of all that had occurred with the Beast when he got the rose for her. Bella was very sad, as you can well think, and then she said, "Oh, Father, it was all on account of me that you fell into the power of this Beast; so I will go with you to him; perhaps he will do me no harm; but even if he does better harm to me than evil to my dear father."

So next day the merchant took Bella behind him on his horse, as was the custom in those days, and rode off to the dwelling of the Beast. And when he got there and they alighted from his horse the doors of the house opened, and what do you think they saw there! Nothing. So they went up the steps and went through the hall, and went into the dining-room and there they saw a table spread with all manner of beautiful glasses and plates and dishes and napery, with plenty to eat upon it. So they waited and they waited, thinking that the owner of the house would appear, till at last the merchant said, "Let's sit down and see what will happen then." And when they sat down invisible hands passed them things to eat and to drink, and they ate and drank to their heart's content. And when they arose from the table it arose too and disappeared through the door as if it were being carried by invisible servants.

Suddenly there appeared before them the Beast who said to the merchant, "Is this thy youngest daughter?" And when he had said that it was, he said, "Is she willing to stop here with me?" And then he looked at Bella who said, in a trembling voice, "Yes, sir."

"Well, no harm shall befall thee." With that he led the merchant down to his horse and told him he might come that day week to visit his daughter. Then the Beast returned to Bella and said to her, "This house with all that therein is thine; if thou desirest aught clap thine hands and say the word and it shall be brought unto thee." And with that he made a sort of bow and went away.

So Bella lived on in the home with the Beast and was waited on by invisible servants and had whatever she liked to eat and to drink; but she soon got tired of the solitude and, next day, when the Beast came to her, though he looked so terrible, she had been so well treated that she had lost a great deal of her terror of him. So they spoke together about the garden and about the house and about her father's business and about all manner of things, so that Bella lost altogether her fear of the Beast. Shortly afterwards her father came to see her and found her quite happy, and he felt much less dread of her fate at the hands of the Beast.

So it went on for many days, Bella seeing and talking to the Beast every day, till she got quite to like him, until one day the Beast did not come at his usual time, just after the midday meal, and Bella quite missed him. So she wandered about the garden trying to find him, calling out his name, but received no reply. At last she came to the rose-bush from which her father had plucked the rose, and there, under it, what do you think she saw! There was the Beast lying huddled up without any life or motion. Then Bella was sorry indeed and remembered all the kindness that the Beast had shown her; and she threw herself down by it and said, "Oh, Beast, Beast, why did you die? I was getting to love you so much."

Beauty and the Beast

No sooner had she said this than the hide of the Beast split in two and out came the most handsome young prince who told her that he had been enchanted by a magician and that he could not recover his natural form unless a maiden should, of her own accord, declare that she loved him.

Thereupon the prince sent for the merchant and his daughters, and he was married to Bella, and they all lived happy together ever afterwards.

IMAGE 1 - This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1913, are now in the public domain.

This inage however MAY NOT be in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Warwick Goble (November 22, 1862 – January 22, 1943), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

IMAGE 2 - This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1916, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case John Dickson Batten (October 8, 1860 - August 5, 1932) , and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

TEXT CREDIT: EUROPA'S FAIRY BOOK RESTORED AND RETOLD BY JOSEPH JACOBS G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS. NEW YORK AND LONDON. The Knickerbocker Press. Copyright, 1916 BY JOSEPH JACOBS

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Zombies Night of the Living Dead

Zombies Night of the Living Dead: Directed by: George A. Romero. Produced by: Karl Hardman. Russell Streiner. Written by: George A. Romero, John A. Russo. Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon.

Cinematography: George A. Romero. Editing by: George A. Romero, John A. Russo. Studio: Image Ten, Laurel Group, Market Square Productions, Off Color Films. Distributed by: The Walter Reade Organization. Release date(s): October 1, 1968.

Running time: 96 minutes. Country: United States. Language: English. Budget: $114,000. Box office: $42 million. ($256,147,434 as of 2009)

This work is in the public domain in that it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977 and without a copyright notice. The original 1968 film Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain in the United States because of the failure of the distributor to provide a copyright notice on the film, as was required by U.S. copyright law at the time.

By Direction and cinematography both by George A. Romero [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This image however MAY NOT be in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case George A. Romero 02/04/40 - Present and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. It is copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works, If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

Zombies Night of the Living Dead

Zombies Night of the Living Dead

TEXT CREDIT: Night of the Living Dead From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Evil Queen

It was in the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow were falling around, that a certain queen sat working at the window, the frame of which was made of fine black ebony; and as she was looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell upon it. Then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red drops which sprinkled the white snow, and said, "Would that my little daughter may be as white as that snow, as red as the blood, and as black as the ebony window-frame!" And so the little girl grew up: her skin was as white as snow, her cheeks as rosy as blood, and her hair as black as ebony; and she was called Snow-White.

But this queen died; and the king soon married another wife, who was very beautiful, but so proud that she could not bear to think that any one could surpass her. She had a magical looking-glass, to which she used to go and gaze upon herself in it, and say,

"Tell me, glass, tell me true!

Of all the ladies in the land.

Who is fairest? Tell me who?"

And the glass answered, "Thou, Queen, art fairest in the land."

But Snow-White grew more and more beautiful; and when she [pg 18] was seven years old, she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the queen herself. Then the glass one day answered the queen, when she went to consult it as usual:

"Thou, Queen, may'st fair and beauteous be,

But Snow-White is lovelier far than thee!"

When she heard this she turned pale with rage and envy; and calling to one of her servants said, "Take Snow-White away into the wide wood, that I may never see her more." Then the servant led her away; but his heart melted when she begged him to spare her life, and he said, "I will not hurt thee, thou pretty child." So he left her by herself, and though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would tear her to pieces, he felt as if a great weight were taken off his heart when he had made up his mind not to kill her, but leave her to her fate.

Then poor Snow-White wandered along through the wood in great fear; and the wild beasts roared about her, but none did her any harm. In the evening she came to a little cottage, and went in there to rest herself, for her weary feet would carry her no further. Everything was spruce and neat in the cottage: on the table was spread a white cloth, and there were seven little plates with seven little loaves and seven little glasses with wine in them; and knives and forks laid in order, and by the wall stood seven little beds.

The Evil Queen, Once Upon a Time

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1921, are now in the public domain.

This inage however MAY NOT be in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case JENNIE HARBOUR c 1893 - c 1959, and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

FAVOURITE FAIRY TALES ILLUSTRATED BY JENNIE HARBOUR c 1893 - c 1959. The Evil Queen Painted by Jennie Harbour.

EDITED BY CAPT. EDRIC VREDENBURG RAPHAEL TUCK &. SONS. LTP Publishers in Their Majesties the King & Queen LONDON & PARIS DESIGNED & PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN PHILADELPHIA DAVID MCKAY COMPANY WASHINGTON SQUARE 1921

Monday, October 17, 2011

Rumpelstiltskin

There was once a poor Miller who had a beautiful daughter; and one day, having to go to speak with the King, he said, in order to make himself appear of consequence, that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold.

The King was very fond of gold, and thought to himself, "That is an art which would please me very well;" and so he said to the Miller, "If your daughter is so very clever bring her to the castle in the morning, and I will put her to the proof."

As soon as she arrived the King led her into a chamber which was full of straw; and, giving her a wheel and a reel, he said, "Now set yourself to work, and if you have not spun this straw into gold by an early hour to-morrow, you must die."

With these words he shut the room-door, and left the maiden alone.

There she sat for a long time, thinking how to save her life; for she understood nothing of the art whereby straw might be spun into gold; and her perplexity increased more and more, till at last she began to weep. All at once the door opened and in stepped a little Man, who said, "Good evening, fair maiden; why do you weep so sore?"

"Ah," she replied, "I must spin this straw into gold, and I am sure I do not know how."

The little Man asked, "What will you give me if I spin it for you?"

"My necklace," said the maiden.

The Dwarf took it, placed himself in front of the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr, three times round, and the bobbin was full. Then he set up another, and whirr, whirr, whirr, thrice round again, and a second bobbin was full; and so he went all night long, until all the straw was spun, and the bobbins were full of gold.

Rumpelstiltskin

At sunrise the King came, very much astonished to see the gold; the sight of which gladdened him, but did not make his heart less covetous. He caused the maiden to be led into another room, still larger, full of straw; and then he bade her spin it into gold during the night if she valued her life. The maiden was again quite at a loss what to do; but while she cried the door opened suddenly, as before, and the Dwarf appeared and asked her what she would give him in return for his assistance.

"The ring off my finger," she replied. The little Man took the ring and began to spin at once, and by the morning all the straw was changed to glistening gold. The King was rejoiced above measure at the sight of this, but still he was not satisfied; but, leading the maiden into another still larger room, full of straw as the others, he said, "This you must spin during the night; but if you accomplish it you shall be my bride." "For," thought he to himself, "a richer wife thou canst not have in all the world."

When the maiden was left alone, the Dwarf again appeared, and asked, for the third time, "What will you give me to do this for you?"

"I have nothing left that I can give you," replied the maiden.

"Then promise me your first-born child if you become Queen," said he.

The Miller's daughter thought, "Who can tell if that will ever happen ?" and, ignorant how else to help herself out of her trouble, she promised the Dwarf what he desired; and he immediately set about and finished the spinning. When morning came, and the King found all he had wished for done, he celebrated his wedding, and the fair Miller's daughter became Queen.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1889, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Henry Justice Ford (1860-1941) , and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

IMAGE CREDIT: The Blue Fairy Book Volume 1 of Andrew Lang Editor: Andrew Lang. Illustrated by: Henry Justice Ford, George Percy Jacomb-Hood. Publisher: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889. Original from: Harvard University. Digitized: Apr 22, 2008. Length: 390 pages. Subjects Fiction › Fantasy › General. Fairy tales, Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Fiction / Fantasy / General, Social Science / Folklore & Mythology

TEXT and CREDIT: (Grimm's fairy library) with illustr. by E.H. Wehnert Jacob Ludwig C. Grimm. Author: Jacob Ludwig C. Grimm. Published: 1879. Original from: Oxford University. Digitized: Jul 25, 2006

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

October 17, 1781 – American Revolutionary War: British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.

The allied forces on their arrival from Williamsburg immediately commenced the investiture both of Yorktown and of Gloucester Point; and on the 10th of October they opened their batteries with such effect, that their shells, flying over the town, reached the shipping in the harbor, and set fire to the Charon frigate, and to a transport. On this inauspicious day, too, Lord Cornwallis received a communication from Sir Henry Clinton, conveying to him the unwelcome intelligence that he doubted whether it would be in his power to send him the aid which he had promised.

On the following morning the enemy commenced their second parallel, and finding themselves, in this advanced position, severely annoyed by the bastion and redoubt which have been mentioned above, they resolved to storm them. The reduction of the former of these works was committed to the French, whilst the attack of the latter was intrusted to the Americans.* Both parties rushing to the assault with the spirit of emulation which this arrangement was calculated to inspire, the works in question were speedily carried at the point of the bayonet.

It must be mentioned to the honor of the American soldiers, that though in revenge for a massacre recently committed at New London, in Connecticut, by a body of troops under the command of the renegade Arnold,* they had been ordered to take no prisoners, they forebore to comply with this requisition, and when they had penetrated into the redoubt, spared every man who ceased to resist. On the 16th of October, a sally was made from the garrison, but with indifferent success; and Lord Cornwallis was now convinced that he could avoid a surrender, only by effecting his escape by Gloucester Point.

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

Seeing himself therefore reduced to the necessity of trying this desperate expedient, he prepared as many boats as he could procure, and on the night of the 16th of October attempted to convey his army over York river to the opposite promontory. But the elements were adverse to his operations. The first division of his troops was disembarked in safety; but when the second was on its passage, a storm of wind and rain arose, and drove it down the river.

Though this second embarkation worked its way back to Yorktown on the morning of the 17th, Lord Cornwallis was convinced, however unwillingly, that protracted resistance was vain. No aid appeared from New York—his works were ruined—the fire from the enemy's batteries swept the town; and sickness had diminished the effective force of the garrison. In these painful circumstances, nothing remained for him but to negotiate terms of capitulation. He accordingly sent a flag of truce, and having agreed to give up his troops as prisoners of war to Congress, and the naval force to France, he, on the 19th of October, marched out of his lines with folded colors; and proceeding to a field at a short distance from the town, he surrendered to General Lincoln, with the same formalities which had been prescribed to that officer at Charleston, eighteen months before.

This painting depicts the forces of British Major General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738-1805) (who was not himself present at the surrender), surrendering to French and American forces after the Siege of Yorktown (September 28 – October 19, 1781) during the American Revolutionary War. The United States government commissioned Trumbull to paint patriotic paintings, including this piece, for them in 1817, paying for the piece in 1820.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1820, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case John Trumbull (1756–1843), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

John Trumbull [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

TEXT CREDIT: A history of the American Revolution Volume 2576 of Harvard social studies textbooks preservation microfilm project. Author: William Shepherd. Publisher: Isaac N. Whiting, 1834. Original from: the University of Michigan. Digitized: Nov 20, 2006. Length: 278 pages. Subjects History › United States › Revolutionary Period (1775-1800) History / General History / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)
United States.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White was very hungry and very thirsty, so she ate a piece of bread from each plate, and drank a drop of wine from each little cup. Then, as she was also very tired, she lay down on one of the beds. It did not suit her, how ever; none of the beds seemed to please her; one was too long, and another was too short, and another was too hard, and another was too soft, and so on. She tried them all, one after another, until she came to the seventh, and that was just right for her, so she lay down on it and fell fast asleep.

When it was dark, the masters of the house came home, These were seven dwarfs, who dug in the mountains all day for treasure. They lit their seven candles when they came in, and then they saw that some one had been in the house.

The first dwarf said, "Who has been sitting in my chair?" The second of them said, "Who has been eating from my plate?" The third dwarf said, "Who has taken some of my bread?" The fourth said, "Who has been drinking out of my little cup?" The fifth said, "Who has used my little fork?" The sixth said, "Who has been cutting with my little knife?" The seventh said, "Who is this lying upon my bed?" Then the others all came crowding up to him, bringing their candles with them.

They held their candles up so that the light fell upon Snow-White, and when they saw her, the whole seven cried out with one voice, "What a pretty little maid!" The good dwarfs were so much pleased with her that they allowed her to remain sleeping where she was, and the seventh dwarf, to whom belonged the bed which she had chosen, spent the night with his companions, sleeping one hour in each of the other little beds until the morning.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1885, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Caroline Paterson (1856-1911), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Three fairy princesses: Snow-white, the sleeping beauty, Cinderella. The old stories illustr. by C. Paterson, Author Three fairy princesses Illustrated by Caroline Paterson (1856-1911). Published: 1885. Original from: Oxford University. Digitized: Sep 11, 2007.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Snow White

When the dwarfs came home in the evening, they found Snow White lying cold and stiff upon the floor of their room. They raised her up, unlaced her dress, and bathed her face; but all was of no use, she never moved or breathed —she was dead. Now Snow White looked as beautiful as if she were still alive. The dwarfs said, "We cannot put her under the ground;" so they made a glass coffin and placed her inside, so that they could always see her, and they wrote upon the coffin in golden letters— "A King's Daughter." Then they carried the coffin to the top of the mountain, and they took turns in watching beside it.

By-and-by an owl came to mourn for her, then a raven, and last of all a dove. Snow White lay there as if asleep, and the colour never left her cheeks or her lips.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1885, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Caroline Paterson (1856-1911), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

Snow White

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Three fairy princesses: Snow-white, the sleeping beauty, Cinderella. The old stories illustr. by C. Paterson, Author Three fairy princesses Illustrated by Caroline Paterson (1856-1911). Published: 1885. Original from: Oxford University. Digitized: Sep 11, 2007.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Peter Salem Shoots Major Pitcairn at Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill was the scene of a brave deed by a Negro soldier. Major Pitcairn was commander of the British forces there. The battle was fierce; victory seemed sure to the English, when Pitcairn mounted an eminence, shouting triumphantly, "The day is ours." At this moment the Americans, stood as if dumfounded, when suddenly, with the leap of a tiger, there rushed forth Peter Salem, who fired directly at the officer's breast and killed him. Salem was said to have been a slave, of Framingham, Massachusetts. General Warren, who was killed in this battle, greatly eulogized Crispus Attucks for his bravery in Boston, and had he not been stricken down so soon, Peter Salem would doubtless also have received high encomiums from his eloquent lips.

Negroes not only served in the War of the Revolution, but individual coloured men are still remembered, in the tradition of that time, for the daring exploits in which they engaged. In Trumbull's celebrated historic painting of the battle of Bunker Hill, one of the conspicuous figures is a Negro by the name of Peter Salem, who is said to have been responsible for the death of Major Pitcairn, of the British Marines, who fell just as he mounted the Patriots' redoubt, shouting, "The day is ours!"

Peter Salem was a private in Colonel Nixon's regiment. He was born in Framingham, and was held as a slave until the time he joined the army. Colonel Trumbull, who, at the time of the battle, was stationed with his regiment in Roxbury, and saw the action from that point, has introduced the figures of several other coloured men into his canvas.

Peter Salem Shoots Major Pitcairn at Bunker Hill

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923, in this case 1891, are now in the public domain.

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

The names of the image’s engravers, Daniel T. Smith and Paul R. B. Pierson, are seen at the bottom of the image. “Smith-Pierson”
were engravers in Boston from 1855-1856.

TEXT CREDIT: The story of the Negro: the rise of the race from slavery, Volume 1 Author: Booker T. Washington. Publisher: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1909. Original from: Harvard University. Digitized: Dec 19, 2007. Subjects: African Americans, Afro-Americans, Black race. Slavery.

TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: A school history of the Negro race in America from 1619 to 1890 combined with the history of the Negro soldiers in the Spanish-American War : also a short sketch of Liberia. Black culture collection. Author: Edward Austin Johnson. Edition revised. Publisher: Isaac Goldmann, 1891 Length 400 pages. Subjects: Social Science › Ethnic Studies › African American Studies. African Americans. Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies, Spanish-American War, 1898

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Steve Jobs Memorial

Steve Jobs Memorial Apple store Upper Westside Manhattan 1981 Broadway New York City, New York 10023 (212) 209-3400. October 11, 2011 10 am

Apple Media Advisory: Apple CEO Tim Cook sent the following email to all Apple employees:

Team, I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Tim

Press Contacts: Katie Cotton Apple katiec@apple.com (408) 974-7269, Steve Dowling Apple dowling@apple.com (408) 974-1896

Steve Jobs Memorial

I, (sookietex) the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

If These images is subject to copyright in your jurisdiction, i (sookietex) the copyright holder have irrevocably released all rights to it, allowing it to be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited in any way by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, with or without attribution of the author, as if in the public domain.

TEXT CREDIT: apple.com/

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Al Capone

Born of an immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York in 1899, Al Capone quit school after the sixth grade and associated with a notorious street gang, becoming accepted as a member. Johnny Torrio was the street gang leader and among the other members was Lucky Luciano, who would later attain his own notoriety.

About 1920, at Torrio's invitation, Capone joined Torrio in Chicago where he had become an influential lieutenant in the Colosimo mob. The rackets spawned by enactment of the Prohibition Amendment, illegal brewing, distilling and distribution of beer and liquor, were viewed as "growth industries." Torrio, abetted by Al Capone, intended to take full advantage of opportunities. The mob also developed interests in legitimate businesses in the cleaning and dyeing field and cultivated influence with receptive public officials, labor unions, and employees' associations.

Torrio soon succeeded to full leadership of the gang with the violent demise of Big Jim Colosimo, and Capone gained experience and expertise as his strong right arm.

In 1925, Capone became boss when Torrio, seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, surrendered control and retired to Brooklyn. Capone had built a fearsome reputation in the ruthless gang rivalries of the period, struggling to acquire and retain "racketeering rights" to several areas of Chicago. That reputation grew as rival gangs were eliminated or nullified, and the suburb of Cicero became, in effect, a fiefdom of the Capone mob.

Al Capone

This image is a work of a United States Department of Justice employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain (17 U.S.C. § 101 and 105)

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

TEXT CREDIT: FBI.gov

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Christopher Columbus

This Christopher Columbus Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Works published before 1923 are now in the public domain. This Christopher Columbus file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in this case Sebastiano del Piombo (1485–1547), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

At the northwest corner of the Italian peninsula the coast-line, as it approaches the French border, bends around to the west in such a way as to form a kind of rounded angle, which, according to the fertile fancy of the Greeks, resembles the human knee. It was probably in recognition of this geographical peculiarity that the hamlet established at this point received some centuries before the Christian era the name which has since been evolved into Genoa. The situation is not only one of the most picturesque in Europe, but it is peculiarly adapted to the development of a small maritime city.

For many miles it is the only point at which Nature has afforded a good opportunity for a harbor. Its geographical relations with the region of the Alps and the plains of northern Italy seem to have designated it as the natural point where a common desire for gain should bring into profitable relations the trading propensities of the people along the shores of the Mediterranean. During nearly two thousand years the situation was made all the more favourable by the ease with which it might be defended; for the range of mountains, which encircles it at a distance of only a few miles, made it easy for the inhabitants to protect themselves against the assaults of their' enemies.

The favouring conditions thus afforded gave to Genoa early in the Christian era a commercial prestige of some importance. The turbulence of the Middle Ages made rapidity of growth quite impossible; but in the time of the Crusades this picturesque city received a large share of that impulse which gave so much life to Venice and the other maritime towns of Italy. Like other cities of its kind, it was filled with seafaring men.

Christopher Columbus


Christopher Columbus

"Seven cities claimed the Homer dead,
In which the living Homer begged his bread," —

TEXT CREDIT: Christopher Columbus: his life and his work Makers of America Author: Charles Kendall Adams. Publisher: Dodd, Mead and company, 1892. Original from: the University of California. Digitized: Sep 14, 2007. Length: 261 pages

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

George Washington as a Freemason

Title: Washington as a Freemason / Strobridge & Gerlach. lithographers, Pike's Opera House, Cincinnati, O. Date Created / Published: c1866. Medium: 1 print : lithograph, color. Summary: George Washington, full-length portrait, standing, facing slightly right, in masonic attire, holding scroll, and trowel; also head-and-shoulders portraits of Lafayette and Andrew Jackson, and biblical scenes.

Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-pga-02796 (digital file from original print) LC-USZC4-4995 (color film copy transparency) LC-USZ62-5532 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-USZCN4-181 (color film copy neg.) Call Number: PGA - Strobridge & Gerlach--Washington ... (D size) [P&P] [P&P] [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Notes: Copyright by Hines Strobridge (1823 - 1909) & Gerlach.

Subjects: Washington, George,--1732-1799. Jackson, Andrew,--1767-1845. Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier,--Marquis de,--1757-1834. Fraternal organizations--1860-1870.

Format: Lithographs--Color--1860-1870. Portrait prints--1860-1870. Collections: Popular Graphic Arts.

This Image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1923 are copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case c1866) are now in the public domain.

George Washington as a Freemason

This file is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris in this case Hines Strobridge (1823 - 1909), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from December 31 of that year.

Monday, October 03, 2011

Chief Joseph, ca. 1840 - 1904

Title: [Chief Joseph, ca. 1840-1904] Date Created/Published: c1903 May 28. Medium: 1 photographic print. Summary: Full lgth., standing, facing right; holding rifle. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ61-2086 (b&w film copy neg.)

Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.

Call Number: LOT 12978 [item] [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Notes: H32270 U.S. Copyright Office. Photoprint by Dr. Edward H. Latham, [Nespelem, Washington]. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card.

Collections: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand.

Chief Joseph surrendered to General Nelson Appleton Miles on October 5, 1877 in the Bear Paw Mountains of the Montana Territory, less than 40 miles south of Canada in a place close to the present-day Chinook in Blaine County.

Colonel Nelson A. Miles, who was stationed near the mouth of Tongue River in eastern Montana, received an order from General Howard to intercept the Indians. On the following day he began the march which resulted in the capture of Chief Joseph at Bear Paw Mountain on October 4, 1877.

Chief Joseph, ca. 1840 - 1904Chief Joseph's Surrender.—Joseph's surrender was dramatic. He rode from his camp accompanied by a little group of warriors, who walked by his side. His hands were clasped on the pommel of his saddle; his rifle lay across his knees, and his head was bowed down.

He rode slowly up the hill to where General Howard and Colonel Miles were waiting. With graceful dignity he swung himself from his saddle and offered his rifle to General Howard. The latter magnanimously motioned him to Colonel Miles who received the token of submission.

The battle is remembered in popular history by the words attributed to Chief Joseph at the formal surrender Joseph's Speech is a masterpiece of pathetic and picturesque oratory. Said he:
Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.
TEXT CREDIT: Title: History of the state of Idaho. Author: Cornelius James Brosnan. Publisher: C. Scribner's sons, 1918. Original from: the University of Virginia. Digitized: Jan 15, 2008. Length: 237 pages. Subjects History › General History / General Idaho

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Yosemite National Park

On October 1, 1890, an act of Congress creates Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite National Park, California - Half-Dome is the classic and jaw-dropping example of an exfoliation dome. Located in perhaps the world's best example of a glacially carved canyon, Half-Dome's rounded appearance is due to sheet jointing (or exfoliation). The granitic pluton that formed the Sierra Nevada was slowly eroded, releasing pressure and causing the expansion of the underlying rock. Joints formed parallel to the earth's surface, which have since been exhumed and exposed. The sheer vertical face of Half-Dome, parallels regional joints and was carved out by glaciers.

Releases: All photographs and images in this archive (NPS) are "public domain" images. You are free to use these images without a release from the National Park Service. However, the photographs and images must not be used to imply National Park Service endorsement of a product, service, organization or individual.

This image or file is a work of an employee of the United States Federal Government, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Photo Credits: Credit photographs to the National Park Service.

Yosemite National Park