March 28th Today, I am...

...this traditional Russian Matryoshka doll!

I'm also called a nesting doll or Matrioshka, if you wish. Unfortunatelly, there is no information of who was the first to call me Matryoshka, but this name goes from Russian female name Matriona, which was a very popular name among peasants. Its Latin root "mater" means "Mother" and was associated with the image of a mother of a big peasant family who was very healthy and had a portly figure. Subsequently, it became a symbolic name and was used specially to image brightly painted wooden figurines made in a such way that they could taken apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another. Professional artist made the first painted matryoshka nesting dolls just for fun. The stacking dolls were very expressive and they won admiration of adults and children. In the initial period of matryoshka development particularly attention was paid to faces of matryoshka, clothes were not detailed painted as they are painted and decorated now. Such dolls depicted different characters and types: peasants, merchants, and noblemen. Sometimes a nesting doll portrayed the whole family with numerous children and members of households. The most popular set of matryoshka dolls consisted of 3, 8 and 12 pieces. In 1913 a 48-pieces matryoshka made by N. Bulichev was displayed at the Exhibition of Toys in St. Petersburg.

other Matryoshka dolls:

interesting Matryoshka dolls facts:

* Matryoshkas are directly inspired by Japanese Daruma dolls; these dolls are modeled on the founder of Zen Buddhism, and symbolize prosperity and good luck
* it takes two years to cure (dry) the wood before it can be used to make the dolls
* each set of dolls is made out of a single piece of wood; the smallest doll is made first
* the smallest known doll is the size of a Tic Tac
* Matryoshkas are often called “Babushka Dolls”, but this is wrong; babushka means “grandmother” in Russian and Matryoshka means “little mother,” as the dolls inside represent her children
* a Matryoshka can sell for as much as $5,000

(all facts found at Sideshare)

March 27th Today, I am...

...this adorably clumsy Lucille Ball!

I'm a veteran of television, film, radio and stage. My most notable role, Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy (1951-1957), became one of the most well-known and adored characters in television history, and turned me into a household name who continues to entertain generations of people worldwide. I received a countless number of accolades, including winning four Emmy Awards (Best Comedienne, 1952 and Best Actress in a continuing Performance, 1955 for I Love Lucy, and Outstanding Continuing Performance by an Actress in a leading Role in a Comedy Series, 1967 and 1968 for The Lucy Show), being the first female inductee into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame and later being inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Citation from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1986, and being posthumously honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1989. I was born in 1911 in New York. My father, Henry, died when I was three years old so I was raised by my mother, Desiree, a concert pianist, and my maternal grandparents. I began performing in school plays as a child and decided to pursue a show business career at age 15. As a blonde and under the stage name, Diane Belmont, I tried my luck as a Broadway chorus girl during the 1920s. I had some brief luck in this endeavour but was ultimately fired from four different shows. I was repeatedly told by people in the industry and acting coaches that I should give up because I did not have enough talent.


other Lucille Ball pictures:

interesting Lucille Ball (and I Love Lucy) facts:

* her family was so poor Lucille couldn’t even afford the pencil she needed for school; she would hoard pencils for the rest of her life
* Lucille was accepted to the prestigious Robert-Minton-John Murray Anderson School of Drama in Manhattan after auditioning with a comic monologue (the others did Shakespeare), but was dismissed after a month because she was too shy to perform in front of her classmates
* I Love Lucy was the first comedy to be filmed before a live audience.; when it aired, department stores closed early and telephone and water usage dropped
* the opening titles of “I Love Lucy” were based on the diamond-encrusted, heart-shaped lapel Desi Arnaz (her husband, co-actor) gave Lucille Ball on her 29th birthday
* Lucile Ball’s natural hair color was brown. She dyed it blonde upon entering Hollywood, but didn’t dye it her trademark red until starring in the 1942 film “DuBarry was A Lady.”
* actresses Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance (Ethel) were rumored to not have gotten along during the first few seasons of the show
* many of the show’s characters were named after Lucille Ball’s close friends and family members
* each episode about Lucy’s pregnancy had to be reviewed by a minister, priest and rabbi in order to ensure that they weren’t offensive to the television audience
* 44 million viewers tuned in to watch Lucy give birth to little Ricky, accounting for 72% of all U.S. homes with TVs at the time
* Lucille Ball was on the very first cover of TV Guide; eventually, she would appear on the cover more times than any other celebrity, a total of 39 covers
* in 1962, Lucille Ball became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu




(facts found at Bio. and BuzzFeed)

March 26th Today, I am...

...this vintage typewriter!

I'm an old Crandall New Model typewriter and said to be "one of the most beautiful typewriters ever made." I have a wonderful curved and ornate Victorian design and am lavishly decorated with hand painted roses, accented with inlaid mother-of-pearl!
Lucien S. Crandall was born in Broome County New York in 1844. He would become one of the great early typewriter pioneers during the 1860s and 1870s. He patented perhaps ten typewriters with six or so being manufactured. All of his designs are very intriguing and brilliantly imagined machines. The Crandall - New Model was his third typewriter to be manufactured but the first to have some success in sales. The Crandall was the first typewriter to print from a single element or "type-sleeve", well before IBM's 'Golf ball' of 1961. The Crandall's type-sleeve is a cylinder, about the size of your finger, which rotates and rises up one or two positions before striking the roller, achieving 84 characters with only 28 keys. The type-sleeve is easy to remove, allowing for change of font style and character size. One might well wonder why type-cylinder typewriters did not become the standard over typebar typewriters prior to the 1961 Selectric. The reason was speed. Even though typebars are many separate hammers striking away, each hammer has a very simple and quick action. In contrast, a type-cylinder is moved by a more complicated mechanical dance, which reduces its speed to respond to the keys being struck. The IBM “golf ball” was able to move very fast because it was light, well designed, and driven by an electric motor.

other vintage typewriters:

interesting typewriter facts:

* the typewriter and computers today use the same key layout

* the longest word that could be typed on a typewriter with only the left hand is stewardesses

* on a typewriter, surprisingly typewriter is one of the longest words able to be typed using one row of letters

* Christopher Latham Sholes intentionally placed letters apart to slow down typing so jamming would not occur

*  the earliest typewriters would have a bell to warn the typist that the was near the end of the paper

* every single typewriter was different in its own way, none of them were exactly the same

* Jack Kerouac, a fast typist at 100 words per minute, typed On the Road on a roll of paper so he would not be interrupted by having to change the paper; within two weeks of starting to write On the Road, Kerouac had one single-spaced paragraph, 120 feet long

* as of 2009, typewriters were still used by some U.S. government agencies, in fact, in 2008, New York City spent almost $1,000,000 to purchase a few thousand typewriters for use by the New York police department – mainly to type property and evidence vouchers on carbon paper forms 

Jack Kerouac, a fast typist at 100 words per minute, typed On the Road on a roll of paper so he would not be interrupted by having to change the paper. Within two weeks of starting to write On the Road, Kerouac had one single-spaced paragraph, 120 feet lon - See more at: http://petitev.com/category/typewriter-facts/#sthash.aL5u3pSu.dpuf

Jack Kerouac, a fast typist at 100 words per minute, typed On the Road on a roll of paper so he would not be interrupted by having to change the paper. Within two weeks of starting to write On the Road, Kerouac had one single-spaced paragraph, 120 feet lon - See more at: http://petitev.com/category/typewriter-facts/#sthash.aL5u3pSu.dpuf

Jack Kerouac, a fast typist at 100 words per minute, typed On the Road on a roll of paper so he would not be interrupted by having to change the paper. Within two weeks of starting to write On the Road, Kerouac had one single-spaced paragraph, 120 feet lon - See more at: http://petitev.com/category/typewriter-facts/#sthash.aL5u3pSu.dpuf

(facts found at Typewriter and Petite V)

March 25th Today, I am...

...this gorgeous medieval illumination!

I am from the manuscript by Joris Hoefnagel (Flemish/Hungarian illuminator in the period of 1542 - 1600) and Georg Bocskay (Hungarian scribe, died in 1575). You can see beautiful flower arrangements, peacock, butterflies and insects. I was created during the years of 1561 1562 in Vienna, Austria. The medium used were watercolors, gold and silver paint, and ink on parchment. You can find me at J. Paul Getty Museum. More of such beauties at Getty Search Gateway.
"An engrossed or illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented with such decoration as initials, borders (marginalia) and miniature illustrations. In the strictest definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript refers only to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term refers to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from Western traditions. Comparable Far Eastern and Mesoamerican works are described as painted. Islamic manuscripts may be referred to as illuminated, illustrated or painted, though using essentially the same techniques as Western works." In the Middle Ages all books were hand-written original works of art. During the early Middle Ages most books were used by priests and monks for liturgical purposes. New books appeared most often when a new monastery was founded. Books began to be produced for individuals as well as religious institutions as early as the 12th century.

other illuminated manuscripts:

 interesting medieval illumination facts:

* most illuminators were humble craftsmen who set up shop; some were independent traveling artists looking for commissions;  the best held the rank of court artists
* most illuminators remained anonymous until the late Middle Ages; later they began to sign their work, which often included a small pictorial representation of themselves somewhere in the work
* the whole process of book illumination was very time-consuming and costly, thus the illuminated manuscript was a luxury item for wealthy customers
* the word illuminated comes from the Latin word 'illuminare' meaning adorn, enlighten or illuminate and is defined as the embellishment of a manuscript with luminous colors (especially gold)
* the monks worked in the Scriptorium which was the room in a monastery used by clerics or scribes to copy manuscripts of religious text

* the different types of Illuminated manuscripts ranged from using miniature illuminations or full page illuminations to decorate the religious text
* Illuminated Manuscripts were generally written in ink on parchment or vellum (parchment was made by brushing, stretching and drying calf, sheep, or goat skin)

(facts found at Illuminated Page and Illuminated Manuscripts)

March 24th Today, I am...

...this creative illustration by Mia Araujo!

My name is "Sleeping Sickness". I'm an acrylic painting on wood by Michelle Mia Araujo: "I am an Argentine-American artist, born and raised in Los Angeles. I have long been fascinated by the multi-faceted complexity that makes each person unique. I believe that all individuals contain an entire universe within them, which is invisible to the  naked eye. My work concentrates on giving shape to the unseen forces within my subjects-- their thoughts, memories, emotions, and complex histories. These qualities fit together to form a vast, rich inner landscape of identity and mythology for my characters. In May 2007, I graduated as valedictorian from Otis College of Art and Design, with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Creative Writing. I am represented by Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, and have shown my work in prominent galleries across the US." She draws inspiration from everything, but especially fairy tales, performance art, vintage photography, music, literature, animation, and world cultures.

other Mia Araujo paintings:

interesting acrylic paint facts:

* acrylic paint is a paint that is made from the combination of pigment and acrylic polymer emulsion, which contains acrylic resin and water
* the resin used in acrylic paints was first patented in 1915 by a chemist and inventor Otto Röhm from Germany
* acrylic paints began to be developed in the 1920s to the 1940s and were able to be bought commercially in the 1950s
* acrylic paints were popular during the pop art, abstract art and photorealism periods in the 1900s, and have remained very popular due to their flexible nature, providing less cracking; versatility; and their quick drying characteristics

(all facts found at AcrylicPaint)

March 23rd Today, I am...

...simply - Salvador Dalí!

I was a surrealist painter from Spain (1904 –1989). I was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in my surrealist work. my painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. My best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931. My expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. I attributed my "love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes" to an "Arab lineage", convinced that my ancestors were descended from the Moors. I was highly imaginative, and also enjoyed indulging in unusual and grandiose behavior. My eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes drew more attention than my artwork, to the dismay of those who held my work in high esteem, and to the irritation of my critics.

Dalí had an older brother, born nine months before him, also named Salvador, who died of gastroenteritis. Later in his life, Dalí often related the story that when he was 5 years old, his parents took him to the grave of his older brother and told him he was his brother's reincarnation. In the metaphysical prose he frequently used, Dalí recalled, "[we] resembled each other like two drops of water, but we had different reflections." He "was probably a first version of myself, but conceived too much in the absolute."

other Salvador Dalí pictures:

INTERESTING Salvador Dalí facts:

* for Dali, even from a very young age, pleasure and pain were pretty much the same thing; at least that’s how Dali would justify his childhood habit of attacking people for no apparent reason 
* within the art community, Dali was renowned for his love of making money.; because of this, he was sometimes sneeringly called “Avida Dollars,” which is both an anagram of Salvador Dali and a reference to his greed 
* he designed the famous Chupa Chups lollipops logo and the 1969 logo for the Eurovision Song Contest; he also appeared in ads for Lanvin chocolates, brandy, and even alka seltzer
* he was also a bit of a con man; he justified the enormous price tag on one painting by telling a rich customer that the paint had been mixed with the venom of a million wasps - it hadn’t 
* another scam of Dali’s happened when he was contacted by Yoko Ono, who requested a strand of hair from his mustache; in return, Dali demanded $10,000; when Yoko coughed up, Dali sent her a dried blade of grass instead, since he was worried Yoko might use the hair for witchcraft 
* Dali once delivered a lecture wearing a full deep-sea diving suit, which he refused to take off, almost suffocating as a result 
* in 1955, he arrived at a speech in a Rolls-Royce full of cauliflowers because he was fascinated by their shape 
* Dali was obsessed with Hitler in a way that even Hitler would probably have found unsettling; he said: “I often dreamed about Hitler as other men dreamed about women.” 
* Dali would sit in a chair holding the spoon above the plate and doze off. As he fell asleep, the spoon would drop onto the plate, making a noise loud enough to wake the artist in time to jot down the surreal images he saw in his dreams
* Dali had a lot of famous friends, spending time hanging out with Elvis Presley, John Lennon, David Bowie, Pablo Picasso, and even Sigmund Freud, but probably his weirdest acquaintance was with rock legend Alice Cooper (you must READ MORE at the bottom link!)


(all facts found at ListVerse)

March 22nd Today, I am...

...this interesting combination of modern patchwork with antique details armchair!

I'm from the Light Vintage Collection Of Armchairs By Moda. Moda has created something very unique, and stylish. This modern vintage furniture with contemporary flair is quite exquisite but also very eye-pleasing. It adds a character to every room. The seating furniture solution offered by the Italian company Moda Collection is fabulous and chic. It is suitable for a living room, bedroom even a vintage-like kitchen or hallway. These items are actually very desirable by many. This is not just another piece of furniture made only for sitting – a piece of furniture that no one will notice. It has a statement and it surely brings a lot of attention to itself. The armchairs are just dazzling. They are light-vintage and yet very contemporary. These upholstered furniture items are available in many different colors and fabric models. Classy, stylish, old-school and modern are all very different styles but when mixed together in this indescribably amazing way by these incredible artists, they become magnificent furniture pieces that look nothing less than marvelous works of art.

other armchairs by Moda:

interesting patchwork/quilting facts:

* originally, the Chinese and Egyptians were the first to sew three layers of fabrics together to form the quilt
* in the 11th century, quilted fabric was used inside armor to give warriors padding and protection
* in the 18th century, women had quilted skirts and petticoats and men had waistcoats of quilted material
* they are also used as decorative wall hangings in many homes
* quilts were made by hand, with a needle and thread until using a sewing machines became popular in the mid 1800’s
* they have much sentimental value and is a family tradition in many homes, passing the art from generation to generation
* quilts made by the Amish are considered the most popular and are most collected; the Amish quilts are often made with solid colors of varying shades as they feel printed fabrics are too “showy”

(all facts found at Makobi Scribe)

March 21st Today, I am...

...this gorgeous floral teacup!

I'm an antique tea cup with saucer English china tea set, could be purchased at Etsy for $159 but currently out of stock! Tea was introduced in Europe by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. The first merchant shipment arrived in 1637 but tea remained a rare good, together withother exotic Asian products, for several decades. Its demand grew steadily and it finally dominated the whole 18th century  overseas trade with China. At the beginning of the 18th century it was an aristocratic drink. England came to be a major destiny for the new drink. While both green and black tea where popular in China, black tea dominated the trade to Europe. Green tea was more difficult to keep fresh and easier to adulterate, so both companies and consumers had a preference for the fermented variation. A sweetened version of the beverage became popular in Europe, where it spread together with coffeeand chocolate. The new hot drinks, increasingly consumed along the 18th century, changed the daily diet in many countries. In the Netherlands, they were combined with bread to form an economic breakfast that replaced porridge, pancakes and beer and reorganized the daily meal system, from a two‐meal to a three meal regime. They also brought thehabit of eating sweets.

other antique teacups:

 

interesting tea facts: 

* tea bags were invented in America in the early 1800s, and were initially used to hold samples of teas brought from India

* there are many different kinds of tea, but they are all derived from just one plant: Camellia sinensis.; the color and variety of the tea (green, black, white, oolong) depends, however, on the way the leaves are treated

* at 11 o’clock in the morning, to stay alert, in England it’s common to take a break with a cup of tea and some cakes: Elevenses; before dinner, however, you can take ‘high tea’: a kind of reinforced snack

* «Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Me?» is one of cinema’s best-known quotes; it’s the famously cheeky line uttered by Joan Cusack to Harrison Ford in the classic film Working Girl.

* tea leaves are a natural means of keeping mosquitoes away
* Oolong tea, a Chinese and Taiwanese tea with a fruity aroma, is also often called Dragon’s Tea: these tea leaves, when put in teapot, often start to look like a dragon
* The London Tea Auction was an institution which lasted for 300 years; tea was sold using the ‘by the candle’ system: bidding for lots went on until an inch of a candle had burnt away

(all facts found at Tea Facts A-Z)

March 20th Today, I am...

...this floral vintage hand fan!

I was used plenty in the old days, not so much today (except for special styles, like modern gothic or steampunk, etc.). I am an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan. But generally, purpose-made hand-held fans are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (such as paper or feathers) mounted on slats which revolve around a pivot so that it can be closed when not in use. Since my invention many centuries ago, the folding fan became objet de désir, indispensable accessory, work of art, sign of distinction. Archaeological ruins and ancient texts show that the hand fan was already used in ancient Egypt and Greece. Christian Europe's earliest fan was the flabellum (or ceremonial fan), which dates to the 6th century. This was used during services to drive insects away from the consecrated bread and wine. Its use died out in western Europe, but continues in the Eastern Orthodox and Ethiopian Churches. Hand fans were absent in Europe during the High Middle Ages until they were reintroduced in the 13th and 14th centuries. Fans from the Middle East were brought back by Crusaders. Portuguese traders brought them back from China and Japan in the 16th century, and fans became generally popular. The fan is still especially popular in Spain, where flamenco dancers used the fan and extended its use to the nobility.


Here is a sample of how the fan was used to convey messages:

• If a woman hid her eyes behind an open fan she meant –– I love you
• If she shut a fully open fan slowly she meant –– I promise to marry you
• If she placed her fan behind her head she meant –– do not forget me
• If she dropped her fan she meant –– we will be friends
• If she twirled her fan in her left hand she meant –– we are being watched

other fans pictures:

interesting fan facts:

* inspiration for the earliest fans came from leaves or bird feathers
* fans were made out of silk, paper, sandalwood, tortoise shell and mother of pearl
* fans for men are smaller and more plain than the regular ones
* in former times the manufacture of hand fans was completely artisan; today also industrial processes are use
* a feather fan was included in the gifts given by Christopher Columbus to the Catholic Queen Elisabeth after his first trip to America

(facts found at Teacher Plus and All Handfans)

March 19th Today, I am...

...this French chanteur Edith Piaf!

I am Edith Giovanna Lamboukas, born Gassion, a French cabaret singer (also known as “The Little Sparrow”) who became widely regarded as France's national diva, as well as being one of France's greatest international stars during World War II. I was born in 1915 and died in 1963 (of cancer). My  music was often autobiographical, reflecting my life, with my specialty being of chanson and ballads, particularly of love, loss and sorrow. Some of my most famous songs are "La Vie en Rose", "Non, je ne regrette rien", "Hymne à l'amour", "Milord", "La Foule", "l'Accordéoniste", and "Padam ... Padam ...". My mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard, was an Italian cafe singer (also an alcoholic and a part-time prostitute), who performed under the name “Line Marsa” and my father, Louis-Alphonse Gassion, was a street acrobat. But they abandoned me soon, and I had to live with my grandmother who ran a brothel, for a short time. At the age of 14, I joined my father in his street performances all over France. Soon, I separated from my father, setting out on my own as a street singer in and around Paris. At 17, I had a daughter named Marcelle, who died of meningitis two years later. I was discovered by Louis Leplée in 1935, who owned the successful club Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées. My nervous energy and small stature inspired the nickname that would stay with me for the rest of my life: La Môme Piaf ("The Little Sparrow").

other Edith Piaf photos:

interesting Edith Piaf facts:

* Edith eventually became the most highly paid star in the world, but did not die a rich woman
* allegedly she was born under a street lamp outside number 72 rue de Belleville on a policeman's cloak
* she was involved in three serious car crashes after 1951, leading to morphine and alcohol addictions
* Piaf had high-profile romances with many of her male associates and some of the biggest celebrities in France; she married twice 
* she was denied a funeral mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris because of her lifestyle
* her funeral procession was followed by tens of thousands of mourners - the only time since the end of World War II that Parisian traffic has come to a complete stop
* her last words were: "Every damn fool thing you do in this life you pay for."
 
(facts found at Bio, Edith Piaf  and French Desire)

March 18th Today, I am...

...this incredibly carved old Russian window!

 

So, this is the wooden architecture typical for Russian North. It's one of the most remarkable forms of traditional Russian architecture. Wooden houses in Russia are adorned with decorative trim around the windows and on the roof, porches, and gates, which served to protect house from evil spirits, maintain well-being, attract positive energy, and ensure fertile soil for farming. The functional purpose of a traditional Russian window cover is to fill the gap between the actual window frame and the wall of a wooden house. In the 18^th century, window covers were an integral part of wooden architecture, and craftsmen employed a unique woodcarving technique, which has been preserved in regional traditions to this day. Almost every city in Russia has some fine examples of these covers, but, for some unknown reason, most people tend not to notice them. Unfortunately, wood eventually deteriorates if not properly cared for and combined with the availability of cheaper, modern construction materials like brick, stucco and concrete, these traditional wooden houses are disappearing on a daily basis.

other old Russian windows:

interesting Russian facts (a bit more than usual, sinc Russia is SO BIG!):

* Russians never shake hands over a door way, they believe it leads to arguments
* Russians celebrate New Year 2 times a year (01st of January and Orthodox Stule New Year 14th of January)
* Russia has borders with 15 countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Ukraine
* hospitality plays a significant role in the Russian mentality and  character, once you make friends with Russian people you will surely value this unique feature of the so-called «Wide Russian soul»
* Russia is bigger than Pluto
* Russia was the first to send dog Laika into space
* vodka was introduced in Russia in the period from 1448 to 1474
* Russians usually wear a wedding ring on the right hand
* in Russia men never give an even amount of flowers to a lady, it is a  bad luck and is associated with funerals
* when you have a visitor (friend or anyone else) you HAVE to offer them at least a coffee or tea with cookies, it's rude if you don't feed your guest
* in 1908 the Imperial Russian Olympic Team arrived to London 12 days too late for the games because they were not using the Gregorian calendar yet
* beer was not considered an alcoholic beverage in Russia until 2013
* foxes are domesticated like dogs by Russian scientists since 1959
* there was a "Beard Tax" in Russia, during Peter the Great's Reign, paid by anyone who had a beard
* there's a museum in Russia that hires cats to protect its artworks against rodents

(facts found at Fact Slides and  Tsar Events)

March 17th Today, I am...

...this golden antique telephone!

Such a beauty! I am actually as hard to get as you'd think, you can purchase me at AliExpress for a very reasonable price! With so many carefully shaped details full of flowers and gentle curves intertwined with leaves. Once again, we can relate this kind of type to the Victorian era (I can't help it, I think it's becoming my favourite period). The beginning of a phone goes a long way back to Alexander Graham Bell, an expert in sound, but not so much in electricity (hence the assistant Thomas Watson). The break-through, actually, happened by accident, while experimenting with two springs connected by a long piece of wire. Bell and Watson were in different rooms, each with a spring, thinking when one of them waggled their spring, the spring at the other end of the wire would waggle too. Instead, the sound of the spring twanging in one room travelled along the wire and could be heard at the spring in the other room. The Queen found the whole process ‘most extraordinary’ and wished to purchase a set of telephones.

other antique telephones:

interesting telephone facts:

* the original telephone greeting was 'Ahoy!', suggested by Alexander Graham Bell and later replaced with 'Hello!', suggested by Thomas Edison
* the very first phone call was: “Watson come here, I want you!" made between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Thomas A. Watson in 1876 in Boston
* the memorable Nokia tone for receiving SMS text messages is Morse code for ‘SMS’
* Bell’s patent for the telephone was modestly titled ‘Improvement in Telegraphy’
* the Italian-American Antonio Meucci invented a telephone in 1871, which was five years before Bell, but was too poor to renew his patent for it
* in the early days, telephone wires were ranked according to how tasty they were to mice and rats
* as a tribute to Alexander Graham Bell when he died in 1922, all the telephones stopped ringing for one full minute (14 million telephones in US and canada were affected)
* Mark Twain was one of the first to have a phone in his home

(facts found at Knowlarity and Express)

March 16th Today, I am...

...this mysteriously strange gypsy caravan!

I am a gypsy waggon or a vardo, caravan or living wagon, which is a traditional horse-drawn wagon used by British Romani people (Romanichals are thought to have arrived in England in the 16th century, they are an ethnicity of Indian origin) as their home. It is very common for us to be highly decorated, intricately carved, brightly painted and even gilded. It's a high cultural point of both artistic design and a masterpiece of woodcrafters art (today, even the simplest ones cost about $15,000). The heyday of the living wagon lasted for roughly 70 years, from the mid-1800s through the first two decades of the twentieth century. Not used for year-around living today, they are shown at the Romanichal (British Romani) horse fairs held throughout the year, the best known of which is Appleby Horse Fair.

here is a sketch with every vardo characteristic:

other gypsy caravans:

interesting Gypsies facts:

* there are two types of Gypsies – Roma Gypsies and Irish Travellers; both have a nomadic lifestyle but are separate ethnic groups
* large families are still very much the norm, with some couples having over 10 children
* as a nomadic people, the Romani didn’t write books or attend school to learn to read and write; instead, they’ve long maintained an oral tradition where poets and singers tell stories about the Romani and their culture
* the Romani have a rich musical heritage; their music has influenced jazz, bolero, flamenco music, and many classical composers including Franz Liszt
* Gypsies are not dirty; their culture is built upon strict codes of cleanliness learnt over centuries of life on the road
* most Romany girls are expected to get married between the ages of 16 and 18; according to tradition, a girl shouldn't have more than four boyfriends before getting married, and if a boy asks a girl out, she should refuse at least twice before finally saying yes
* traditionally, groups of extended families formed kumpanias (bands) which traveled together in caravans; each kumpania is headed by a voivode (chieftain) who makes decisions after consultation with a council of elders and the phuri dai (senior woman)
* many Roma women wear bracelets and necklaces made of gold, and headresses are decorated with coins; the display of prosperity and generosity towards others are considered very honorable
 
(facts found at Lifestyle, FRUA, and GRTHM)