#after jacques louis david

[doodleplus]

Aligned with the Emperor

[aucupariaart]

I've already prepared something else for Rosinantes Birthday tomorrow but since there is no better time to post this, here is this older fanart a day early. :)

[trikaranos]

TRIKARANOS CHAPTER I: S·T·T·L

TRIKARANOS is a dramatized narrative based on ancient events following Crassus (and Pompey and Caesar) through the years 87-48 BCE. Intended for an adult audience.

⭐ Trikaranos will always be free to read. In the near future, you’ll have the option to support this comic & my ability to spend time making it (I Am Extremely Fucking Broke And Have Bills To Pay etc etc) through Patreon! currently, I have a tip jar!

⭐ There is no set update schedule (chapters vary in length and will be posted as I finish working on them)

⭐ alternative places to read it (coming soon!)

CREDITS all additional art used are in the public domain, and the specific images used are open access, etc

🍊the first collage panel is combination of: Plate 113: Greeks Battling the Trojans (from Ovid's Metamorphoses), Antonio Tempesta / The Trojans pulling the wooden horse into the city, Giulio Bonasone (after Francesco Primaticcio) / Terracotta hydria displaying Achilles waiting to ambush Triolos and Polyxena 🍊the second collage panel is: The Lictors bringing Brutus the bodies of his Sons, Jacques Louis David / the paint over of Brutus executing is own sons is my own work based on the composition of this relief of Brutus and condemning his sons to death. 🍊I also used my own art: a panel from the Prologue, and my own illustration of Brutus with the bodies of his sons

📖 PREVIOUS CHAPTER | START HERE | ToC (under construction!)

UNDER THE CUT creator’s commentary, ancient citations, whatever else seems relevant. ideally, this is optional! you shouldn’t need the citations for it to make sense as it unfolds since it’s a comic and a story first and foremost, but it’s here if you’re curious about something or want to see where the inspiration is coming from!

I'm so fucking normal about Crassus and his family (<<< this is a lie)

Marcus Crassus was the son of a man who had been censor and had enjoyed a triumph; but he was reared in a small house with two brothers. His brothers were married while their parents were still alive, and all shared the same table, which seems to have been the chief reason why Crassus was temperate and moderate in his manner of life. When one of his brothers died, Crassus took the widow to wife, and had his children by her, and in these relations also he lived as well-ordered a life as any Roman.

Plutarch, Crassus

like, it actively fucks me up that this is something that's survived about him for over 2,000 years. they all ate together at the same table. Jesus Christ.

so! Crassus' dad! Publius Licinius Crassus (consul 97) fought on the side of Cn. Octavius (consul 87) in the Bellum Octavianum, and it didn't go great for him.

Crassus: A Political Biography, B.A. Marshall

also. currently, if you look Publius Licinius Crassus up on wikipedia for an overview, his page lists his son (and also my main character for this comic) with the cognomen Dives, which is in-fucking-correct.

Marcus Crassus and the Late Roman Republic, Allen Mason Ward

and to circle back to houses and meals shared with family, some citations that made me feel some kind of way when I read them

Marcus Crassus and the Late Roman Republic, Allen Mason Ward

finally, there is discourse or whatever on the placement of the sons of Publius Licinius Crassus. Crassus is the baby brother here simply because I'm writing this story and I get to pick the themes, but also because no one has provided a solid enough argument for him being the second eldest son that I'm willing to buy into with enthusiasm, and I'm more inclined towards G. Sampson's conclusion on the matter.

Defeat of Rome: Crassus, Carrhae, and the Invasion of the East, Gareth C. Sampson

and while I'm just kind of talking about stuff that I read that I enjoyed, this article by Martin Stone lives in my head rent free

A Year of One's Own: Dating the Praetorship of Marcus Crassus, Martin Stone

[hadrian6]

Romulus. 19th.century. drawing after a detail from the painting 'The Intervention of the Sabine women' by Jacques-Louis David. Adolphe Chailloux (active in the second half of the 19th century) http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

[sibelin]

I don't want people to reblog that AI art post so I'll put my addition here:

One thing that will always make me cringe with those AI imitations of middle to late 19th century art is how the intelligence will always try to match ALL the women figures with the current 21th century beauty standards. Now, of course, I wouldn't be complaining if these kind of images weren't plaguing the "classical art" or "oil painting" tags. But since they are, I will show you what 19th century painting of women really looks like. And yeah, I know, some paintings match with current beauty standards but it's still more complicated than that. "Classic" painting is not all about representing pretty ladies. Otherwise historians of art would be bored.

Okay, if it's a "classic" painting, let's go with neoclassicism which is basically a return to the classic inspirations from antiquity and a return to simplicity after years of the wild Baroque and Rococo of the 18th century. Want to see portraits of women in that time?

(Left : Detail of Portrait de madame de Verninac by Jacques-Louis David, 1979. Right : Portrait de Madame Duvaucey, 1809, Jean-Dominique Ingres).

So far, notice how these two women don't look at all like the women in those fake AI paintings. They are portraits of real women, thus real models. But even when they were painting gods, 19th century painters HAD models! Not only that, they were also inspired by antiquity, which wasn't really doing realism either, they had their own ideals like, to cite one exemple, the really straight noses you always see in greek statues. Well, that's also in neoclassical paintings! Look:

(Detail of La Mélancolie by Constance Marie Charpentier, 1801)

On the other side, you've got two strong opponents (and logical responding movements) to this return to classical culture : Romantism and Realism. Once again, look at the diversity :

(Left: Details of Les foins by Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1877. Right: Jeune orpheline au cimetière, Eugène Delacroix, 1824.)

Realism is pretty self-explanatory. The painters were going back to show normal people, farmers and workers. They weren't here to make them beautiful or to conform to beauty standards but to show the world as it is. Result was a lot of controversies, notably with Courbet and Les baigneuses, a representation of a strong woman in an unflatering pose and dirt on her feet that shook the beauty standards so dear to the academic ideals of his times. Check it out if you're interested, there's plenty of articles about it. And romanticism? Once again very diverse. Just look at pre-romantism, with Goya, who loooved representing fucked up little scenes. Or with Delacroix, here with one of his most famous portrait (Jeune orpheline au cimetière) probably because of the expression, the pose, everything that makes that girl look alive, real, unique.

But wait.... You've already seen classical paintings were the ladies looked like all the ladies nowadays, right? Maybe you've seen those very pretty pre raphaelites paintings with those women that look kinda like Florence Welch. Maybe you've seen academic art, the most palatable of 19th century style when it comes to beauty norms. And it's true, it could be similar to these prompted AI classical babes, except once again, it's not. Because once again, they had models, and models were different from paintings to paintings. And this is this systematic same face vibes that makes AI so boring. Because even when real historical art comes close to that, it is always way way way more rich and full of surprises.

(left : The North-West Passage by John Everett Millais, 1878. Middle: Detail of Contemplation by John William Godward, 1922. Right: Detail of La Naissance de Vénus by William Bouguereau, 1879)

Then, you have all these art styles that AI weirdly stays away from : those where the style and process is so strong, so much more important than the subject, that it would be hard to copy without noticing the difference. It could be impressionism, it could be symbolism or better, it could be the avant-garde artists that announces then blends into the wild, colorful and tortured art of the first half of the 20th century.

(Left: Le chemin de fer by Edouard Manet, 1973. Middle: I lock my door upon myself by Fernand Khnopff, 1891, Right: Jane Avril by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, 1892)

Conclusion/ TLDR : If fake historical AI art becomes more realistic every day, it will never be as rich and diverse as the real deal because it will always be used to appease an algorithm for people who just want to see pretty images that catters to them and never challenge their views. When it comes to beauty norm, this could be dangerous and make people believe that these was always how women looked like. That all girls were born with removed buccal fat and symmetrical faces, even in old paintings. I don't know, it may be nothing, but it may be something. Thank you for those who read all that and I hope see many cool paintings in museums :)

Addition: This is of course a very european centric vision of art but it's what the AI will take inspiration from anyway. For the same reasons, these paintings are very white but I was also trying to avoid the icky orientalist representations that were so trendy in the 19th century. Note that there is an even better diversity in paintings when you open your eyes to non-european centric art.

(If I see a terf reblogging this, i'm blocking on sight)

[dutch-and-flemish-painters]

Joseph Octave van der Donckt - Portrait of Albert Gregorius - 1795

Franciscus Joseph Octave van der Donckt (30 June 1757, Aalst - 16 August 1813, Bruges) was a Flemish portrait painter, miniaturist and pastellist. He is also referred to as Jozef Angelus Van der Donckt, as well as several other variations, too numerous to list.

Albert Jacob Frans Gregorius, or Albert Jacques François Grégorius (26 October 1774, Bruges - 25 February 1853, Bruges) was a Flemish-Belgian portrait painter and Director of the art academy in Bruges.

He was born into a poor, laboring family. His drawing abilities were observed by François van der Donckt, a local portrait painter who took him in, gave him his first lessons and helped him enroll at the art academy. Gregorius was there from 1791 to 1793 and won several awards.

In 1801, he went to Paris, where he was apprenticed to Joseph-Benoît Suvée, who was also from Bruges. Not long after, Suvée went to Rome to become Director of the French Academy, but Gregorius was able to find a position in the studios of Jacques-Louis David. In 1805, he was back in Bruges, making preparations to enter the Prix de Rome, but fell ill and was unable to participate.

After his recovery, he returned to Paris and remained until 1835. He soon established a reputation as a portrait painter and formed an association with other expatriate Flemish artists ("De Club van de Belgen"). After exhibiting in the Ghent Salon, he entered the Paris Salon in 1812 and would continue to display there annually until his departure. In addition to the usual French nobility, he is also known for his portrait of August Wilhelm Schlegel, which is now on display at Coppet Castle.

At the age of 61, he received an appointment as Director of "De Vrije Academie" (now "De Stedelijke Academie") in Bruges. He served until 1852, when he was forced to resign after clashes with colleagues, students and city officials over his conservative approach to art. His best-known student was Ford Madox Brown.

Curiously, on his death certificate he was described as a "widower", but his wife's name was unknown. It has been speculated that he was briefly married during his long stay in France and had no close relatives he cared to notify.

[trauma-and-truffles]

After the Cake Incident with Marshal Lannes, My assistant, Mlle. Hopster has been telling me to make a blog myself. I finally gave into her pestering.

I'll probably make a better introduction at a later date, as by then I'll have a better gist of Tumblr.

I am Baron Dominique-Jean Larrey, Surgeon to Emperor Napoleons Imperial Guard. Feel free to ask whatever you like.

-Larrey

( This blog is run by @hoppityhopster23) (Disclaimers: This blog does not provide professional medical Advice, nor am i a professional historian. I'm just well read about the history of medicine and enjoy reading about Larrey)

(Pfp by @cadmusfly) ------------------

Tags: Responses from the the Baron - answers to any asks.

Conversations with the assistant - Conversations with my time traveler assistant. shes the one who convinced me to create this. shes also young, sometimes foolish, and likes to give people bad ideas.

Portraits of the Doctor - Images of me.

Comments from the Assistant - self explanatory

-------------------

Fellow Soldiers and marshals, etc (personal notes below):

Marshals Other Military Staff Royals Other

@armagnac-army - My Dear Friend Lannes, Marshal of France, Prince of Siewierz, and Duke of Montebello.

@murillo-enthusiast - Jean-de-Dieu Soult, Marshal of France and Duke of Dalmatia. (I'm pretty sure he just tolerates me.)

@le-brave-des-braves - Michel Ney, Marshal of France, Prince de la Moskowa, and Duke of Elchingen. (He's very helpful, And I am grateful.)

@your-dandy-king - Joachim Murat, Marshal of France and King of Naples.

@chicksncash - Andre Massena; Marshal of France,  Duke of Rivoli, and Prince of Essling.

@your-staff-wizard - Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Marshal of France, Prince of Neuchatel, Valangin and Wagram, and technically my boss.

@perdicinae-observer - Louis Nicolas Davout, Prince of Eckmühl, Duke of Auerstadt.

@bow-and-talon - Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Marquis of Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, and a man I respect for giving the us Medical staff needed in life.

@general-junot -  Duke of Abrantes, and General of the French army.

@askgeraudduroc - Also My good friend, Grand Marshal of the palace, Duke of Frioul, and head of the Emperors household.

@generaldesaix - One of my closest Friends. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time together in life. nut now we do.

@messenger-of-the-battlefield - Marcellin Marbot, an aide to an assortment of Marshals, and a man I met a few times in life.

@askjackiedavid - Jacques Louis David, neoclassical painter.

@carolinemurat - Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, and sister of the Emperor.

@alexanderfanboy - Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France.

@rosie-of-beauharnais - Josephine, the Empress of France.

@the-blessed-emperor - Alexander I, Tsar of Russia.

[boghermit]

Pointing Out the Historical Inaccuracies (and Some Accuracies) of Ridley Scott's Napoleon 🤓

The only interesting parts of this film are the costumes, and maybe one or two music tracks. The rest of the movie is just awful. The story can hardly be called a story. It's just miscellaneous boring scenes duct taped together. None of the characters are developed beyond a single trait, if that. A period this broad shouldn't have been crammed into a movie this short. I honestly wouldn't have disliked the historical inaccuracy so much if it had been sacrificed for the sake of a good narrative, but this is bad. Even if you don't know about the era enough to nitpick it, I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone.

TL;DR go watch Waterloo or The Duelists instead.

Accurate Historical Details

There were some minor details that made me perk up like, "Ah, yes! It did happen like that!" The rest of the movie is so inaccurate that these details stuck out.

Napoleon tugged on peoples' ears as a sign of affection. You see this in the movie with Tallyrand and Josephine. He also did this a lot with his soldiers, which we don't see in the film. In fact, he doesn't interact with his soldiers much at all in the film.

The French fired a 101-cannon salute after Napoleon's first son was born.

Napoleon famously bumbled at the Coup of 18 Brumoire, and his brother Lucien had to step in to direct the French grenadiers.

It's contested whether or not Robespierre actually shot himself in the jaw, but I think at this point it's mostly accepted as truth? In any case, someone screwed up his jaw before he was arrested.

The British loved publishing political cartoons about Napoleon, including cartoons of him being cucked.

Joséphine did actually meet Tsar Alexander shortly before her death. I didn't know about this one and was happy to learn something new.

The depictions of line and square formations were okay.

Historical Inaccuracies

This is, in spite of its budget, one of most historically inaccurate pieces of media I've seen on the era, and on top of that it isn't even good.

There is so much historical context omitted from this film that I feel like anyone who doesn't have an interest in the time period will have NO idea what's going on. You are never really given the how and why of history other than "the Europeans are fighting and also Napoleon is there."

The overall characterization of Napoleon is just bizarre. Napoleon was smart, egotistical, ambitious, hot-tempered, and had a magnetic charisma and human charm that inspired a kind of blind loyalty in his soldiers. This is why he was so successful - and so dangerous. Napoleon never feels threatening or sinister in this film. He's just kind of there, slouching and sweating and mumbling under his breath as history unfolds. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure does a better job of depicting Napoleon than whatever the hell is going on here.

Napoleon was not present at the beheading of Marie-Antoinette.

He didn't have his horse shot out from under him at Toulon, and he didn't send gore-spattered cannonballs to his mother, as far as I know.

The movie casts a younger actress to play Joséphine de Beauharnais, but Joséphine was actually older than Napoleon.

I'm pretty sure that Napoleon didn't find and return the sword of Joséphine's ex-husband, although there is a legend stating that he attempted to confiscate it and was persuaded by Joséphine's son to return it.

The French army never shot their cannons at the Pyramids in Egypt. They also didn't loot the Pyramids, although they participated in a lot of heinous looting elsewhere.

Napoleon didn't leave Egypt because he found out he was being cucked by his wife - he'd already known about that for some time. He left Egypt because the campaign was failing and because the political situation in France was becoming untenable.

Jacques-Louis David attended the coronation of Napoleon, but didn't start his studies for the painting during the coronation itself. (At least as far as I know.)

The lake scene during the Battle of Austerlitz is a bit of a legend, but probably not true. The gigantic lake was more likely a series of shallow ponds, if it existed at all.

Napoleon did not lead cavalry charges, and he sure as shit didn't lead cavalry charges at the Battles of Borodino or Waterloo. In fact, Napoleon infamously sat a safe distance away while watching the bloody Battle of Borodino unfold.

Napoleon was not exiled following the Russian campaign. He was exiled after the War of the Sixth Coalition, in 1814.

Joséphine died in 1814, when Napoleon was still at Elba, not in 1815.

Trench warfare and scoped muskets were not used at the Battle of Waterloo.

Napoleon never met the Duke of Wellington.

That's uh. The cut version of my complaints.

[gunraekae]

love transcending time - aka the ikemen vampire prologue unnecessarily narrated

>ikemen vampire

>everyone x reader

>a/n: as i've promised, here's the lil project I was working on, where I wanted to write the ikemen vampire story, with as much convergence between the routes as possible. this is the first chapter for now (since I'm not sure how much text tumblr allows rip). thank u again for reading, have a wonderful day darling!

Chapter I: The Mysterious Gentleman

I thought amethysts would match the luxury of the Louvre, but as every destination I’ve visited in Paris so far has shown me, I am once again below their standards. One thing that can validate my presence in this opulent establishment is my equal fascination with the historical wonders in its deluxe walls. Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” in one room and Jacques-Louis David’s “Coronation of Napoleon” in another, there was an abundance of legendary pieces and an unfortunate lack of time to fully appreciate each one. The museum itself was a work of art, the Parisian sunlight dappling the rooms in a way that only flattered the inside art. Ever since my aunt had treated me to this trip, the Musée de Louvre was the location I was most eager for, hence the destination being saved for last. In my excitement, I left my aunt back at our hotel to secure myself as much time as possible to explore its vast curation. My travelling blog was one step away from its virtual death without its recent updates, but the Paris trip had revived it like no other, and if I was to be writing its last issue for a while, it had to be on the Louvre. “Two Hours at the Louvre: what you have to see.” The little mascot that my friend had created for it, Mousette, dangled around my purse strap, and with a playful gleam in its beady eyes, it seemed to beckon me to a specific painting. A gangle of curious tourists crowded around almost every painting rendering otherwise pleasant dispositions into polite shoving. Still, the Coronation, an expansive painting that spanned across a whole wall, was particularly compelling. If I stepped closer it’s almost as if I can be in it. However, a particularly stubborn group persisted in staking their territory around it, and I would have faced my second embarrassment for the day if not for a last-minute saviour. Elegant long fingers held my arms upright in a comfortingly secure grip, and just in case gravity would have been more unkind, he stood near enough where I could descend into even stronger arms. 

“Pardonne-moi mademoiselle, vous allez bien?” A rich French accent wrapped in dulcet tones broke me out of my stupor. In hopes that warmth had not shown my embarrassment, I answered assuredly and quickly brushed myself off (I’d worn my most exquisite outfit after the last couple of days of falling short). I chanced a peek at the kind stranger and my previous efforts of saving composure were as ungraceful as my fall was. A vision of a gentleman seemingly carved from gold with eyes that held endless tragedy and romance stared worriedly back. If all the time in history was dedicated to creating perfection he would be immortalized in the man in front of me. Aside from his Adonis-like features, he looked out of place, as if he very clearly did not belong in this time. A vicuna suit in the rich colours of gold and brown framed his figure perfectly, but the very style of it was the sort that a vampire in a gothic romance might have worn. “Ah, mais vos boucles d'oreilles.” he knelt to retrieve my fallen earrings and in the same graceful motion, cradled them in his palm. “Améthyste… charmante,” he mused. A small grateful smile came to me and still entranced by his aura, I allowed him to step closer. Bergamot and cedarwood enveloped me. “Puis-Je?” Once allowed, he swept back the hair from my shoulder with delicate fingers. His breath fanned the juncture between my neck and my shoulder, his Aurelian gaze trained on my face. When our eyes met, a delightfully dizzying sensation brushed over me, as if a finger silenced each of my senses. I know we are in Paris but this is too amorous an act to be coming from a stranger. “That’s a lovely fragrance,” he commented. 

“Thank you, I got that perfume here in Paris,” I gulped, my breath unsteady. 

“Oh… but I wasn’t referring to your perfume.” 

His accent, which I surmised was dominantly French, had more depth to it; like it was a melangé of a hundred different accents. After securing the amethyst earrings, he tucked my hair behind my ears and with an almost reluctant exhale, he stepped back. Whatever spell I was under broke. “Exquisite,” he whispered under his breath. A gasp that sounded more like a croak received his praise, which at least earned me a chuckle from the mysterious gentleman. 

“My rogue earring is certain to behave itself now. Merci.” 

“Not at all. It was thanks to the earring that I was granted the good fortune to meet you.” I escaped his dizzying charm by glancing back at the painting that caused this scene. “Did you know that it’s the second-largest painting in the Louvre?” Perhaps in addition to my article, I can write tips on how to stumble upon handsome gentlemen. Just trip clumsily in front of them and you too can win a conversation!  His old-world sort of manner was enchanting, and it urged me to hear more of his voice. “This painting marked the turn of the modern empire and it was highly regarded as this masterful piece of propaganda,” the way he spoke of the painting was almost intimate as if it was a nostalgic memory he could muse about rather than a fragment of history. 

“You seem to be well acquainted with this painting monsieur,” I replied. His eyes crinkled at the edges, and a deep chuckle rose from him again.

“More than you could ever know,” he cryptically joked. Despite the strangeness of it, I found myself politely laughing along with him. The gentleman gave a parting glance at the image, granted me a longer one, and with a resigned smile, bid me farewell, “Bon voyage, Mademoiselle.” His beige overcoat majestically flowed after him as he headed down a hallway, presumably to view the Mona Lisa next. When he left my sight, all good reason returned and I hastily checked the time. It’s been an hour and a half already?  If I was to meet up with my aunt in another half-hour for brunch at the hotel, I needed to at least see the Mona Lisa as well. Believing that the cryptic gentleman knew the quickest way there, (and perhaps wanting to see him again) I naturally followed where he went. 

A dark oak door with intricate carvings was at the end of the corridor, presumably where the gentleman would have entered. And though it was unlikely that a closed door would mean that another exhibit would be beyond it, or that a visitor should even come upon it, a nagging instinct in me compelled me to step towards it nonetheless. I peeked in between the cracks of the door and it was only broken clocks, dusty vases, and concealed paintings that furnished the hallway beyond it. A whiff of time forgotten. Perhaps this was a hidden treasure that the Louvre set aside for visitors with more arcane tastes. My hand on the door handles, I opened it, and unlike what its wood suggested, it gave way almost too easily. The hallway itself was smaller than I’d observed, barely wide enough to fit two people inside. Unlike the rest of the Musée, none of the artefacts had labels or descriptions, likely being a storage area. And yet, the nagging feeling told me to explore further before I should turn around. I’m already in too deep to back out now. A sense of unease did settle upon me when I realized that the deeper into this hallway I ventured into, the narrower and darker it became. Soon, the comforting drawls of the tourists from behind were much more desirable than the dank atmosphere of this tunnel. The reward for this reckless curiosity was a light at the end of this tunnel, and I ran towards it only to escape the constricting air of this place. I ran, but even without that, a force was already pulling me towards the light. Much too late, I fought against the confines of this invisible force, but it seemed that even gravity was against me in this battle. With every struggle, the light seemed to grow wider until it flared angrily and enveloped me. I shut my eyes as tightly as I could but the brightness overrode all my senses and imprinted itself into my mind. I let out a final desperate gasp before my consciousness gave out. 

A more merciful light invaded my senses next, this time coming from old-fashioned chandeliers hanging from a white ceiling. A hallway with mahogany wood and a red carpet spread out in front of me, dark oak doors with the same intricate carvings as before spanned the right wall, and tall four-rowed windows sported the opposite wall. I brushed aside the mahogany curtain beside me and looked at what I was leaning on. The same dark oak door I had entered was behind me, so naturally, this had to be another hallway in the Louvre, right? The style was completely different as if this exhibit was in an entirely different time than the rest of the Musée, and frankly, looked more like a private mansion than a museum exhibit. I whipped over towards the window as a sudden sense of alarm hit me. It’s night… A splatter of gleaming stars spread across the canvas of the raven sky, the crescent moon seemingly mocking me with its smile. 

“It can’t be,” I muttered in disbelief. I may have been distracted by the gentleman, but there was absolutely no way that a whole day had passed. The last pitiful source of rationality left inside nagged at me to find a way out, but a gnawing fear prevented my body from moving. 

“... What are you doing there?” 

“Who’s there?” I yelled in a panic. I whirled around, only to be met by a tall, imposing man with dark hair and silver tips. He sounded clearly French but carried a deeper accent, almost Italian. His features were remarkably alluring but darkly prominent, the sort where you notice its charms in a more intimate distance. Despite his intimidating aura, there wasn’t anything too frightening about him. But the way he’s dressed is certainly… interesting. Maybe it’s some sort of costume for a play the museum is holding? The man wore a dark soldier’s suit but dressed down with an unbuttoned front, an untucked button-up shirt, and a ruffled collar. Sheepishly, I decided to ask for his help, “Pardon. I’m trying to get back to the musée, can you help me open this door?” 

“What’s that? ‘Get back?’ You’re not telling me you came from that door?” Though baffled, his voice softened its initial cautious edge. 

“I’m sorry, I know I may be trespassing but I got lost and saw light through this door,” I apologized, grasping at the last bouts of my sanity through this conversation. The mystery of the time aside, if I can get back that’s all that matters. Despite the confusion of the situation, a softer expression melted the man’s face. I was grateful he didn’t seem to doubt my story but felt uneasy at how he looked at me curiously—as if he couldn’t believe his eyes that I was there. 

“Just what are you?” he murmured in fascination. From down the hall, I could hear the clicking of Oxford shoes and heavy leather boots. Could that be the gentleman? 

“Excuse m–” The dark-haired man clapped a hand over my mouth and wrapped me in his large arms. He tugged the two of us behind a curtain, with his back shielding me from view. What the hell is he doing? 

“That blasted Count is certainly taking his time this visit.”

“You’re too harsh on him, my friend. Perhaps he was distracted by a little bird.”

“I suppose under that pretentious façade he’s still a man.”

Two deep voices with thick European accents gradually came closer from the end of the hallway. Rational me knew that asking for their assistance would benefit me, but the fear inside yelled that it would be the worst idea possible. Their conversation continued unintelligibly as panic continued to surge through me. 

“... to my Broer,” the huskier voice huffed. This one had a distant Dutch accent, but his English was so localized it was almost difficult to discern. His footsteps quickly faded away and presumably left the other man. This one instead had a silkier character and a silver-tongued English accent.

“You call me a dog, but between the two of us, you’re the dog and your brother’s clearly the master.” The voice was scarily close, and by instinct, I stuck myself closer to him for safety. The thud of Oxford leather footsteps was in front of me now, and I held my breath in a pathetic attempt to hide myself. “I do believe I hear a little bird fluttering her wings where she should not be,” the man whistled wolfishly, “and this bird is quite adorable thinking that she could hide from me.” I trembled in his arms. But he held me gently. His jade eyes met mine. They were powerful. Earnest. The fear in me slowly subsided in his presence. I don’t know what’s going on, but I want to trust him. I nodded to show that I would be quiet, and he uncovered my mouth. When the sound of his footsteps faded away, we stepped out from the curtain. He took my hand in his firm grip and quickly led me away. 

“You need to escape before the others find you. It’s already bad that he knows you’re here, so we need to move quickly.” Escape? What kind of place is this that I need to escape from?  “Don’t let go,” he reassured me as he squeezed my hand. As I watched his wide shoulders in front of me, the fear soon washed away. The rational side of my brain knew that I shouldn’t trust a man I just met, but so far, he’d done nothing but help me. And in this mysterious place, there didn’t seem like many choices anyway. 

“By Jove, this is what you were hiding, Leon?” Azure eyes with a wolfish twinkle were the first things I noticed. This man was devilishly handsome, with a proud grin and a mole above his chin. His well-tailored navy suit had an unbuttoned collar, giving the otherwise sharp getup a more wolfish feel. He raked his eyes down my body and swiped his tongue across his lips. His gaze grew darker as my breath staggered. “You’re a lovely one,” he breathlessly sighed. I shivered in disgust. His eyes crinkled in amusement, not at all intimidated by my display of courage. 

“Did the Count bring you back as a little treat for us?” he mused, slowly inching his face towards my neck. “Truly exquisite…” 

My saviour clicked his tongue. We’re caught. 

“From what I can deduce, you’re trying to help her escape,” he said, “Now why would you go and do that, Leon? I rather fancy her type, you know. She looks absolutely scrumptious.” He leaned forward and tried to get close, but “Leon” blocked me from his fascinated gaze. He blocked off our possible exit in the smoothest of fashions. 

He caught my wary gaze. “Ah, maybe you fancy me too, judging by the way you’re looking me over.” He may look completely like a gentleman, but he’s a rotten flirt! 

“It just had to be you,” “Leon” sighed in stark irritation. 

“Why do you want to help her escape? Let’s invite her to the banquet. She deserves a warm welcome, don’t you think?” he interjected. 

“That’s not up to me or you.”

“Don’t be so stodgy, old boy! I can’t think of anyone who’d complain about having a lovely girl at that drab table. It would really bring some colour to this mansion.” Mansion? There’s no mansion connected to the Louvre. What is he talking about? 

“Messieurs.” A cool-toned voice interrupted. A man with a neutral expression entered the hallway. He was dressed in a grey butler’s garb, his posture immaculate and his steps measured. “It is time for supper. Everyone’s gathering in the dining room now if you please.” I peeked out from above “Leon’s” shoulder, and his steely grey eyes locked onto mine. “You too, Mademoiselle.” 

Finding my voice, I croaked out, “There’s no need. I’m not planning on staying for supper. I was, uh, actually just trying to get back.” 

“But the lord of the manor is eagerly awaiting your presence.” “The lord of the manor?” Is this really someone’s place? 

“How does he know I’m here?”

“He can answer your questions at supper.” I’m really not getting any answers until then. 

“Or will you refuse his gracious invitation after breaking into his house?” 

“I…” I wanted to defend myself, but knew that there was really no excuse. It was my own curiosity that I couldn’t quell, and ultimately, my fault that I ended up here. 

“Allow me to escort you.” 

The butler led me down winding velvet-carpeted hallways. Memorizing the direction proved quite difficult with its identical doors, windows, and mahogany walls. A complicated mess of shame and lingering fear settled in my stomach, but voicing any concern seemed like it would end badly for me. Staying polite and pleasing to the master of the house may prevent an incoming lawsuit for trespassing, and I’d be a fool to go against his wishes. I studied my guide; his crisp suit and spotless white gloves gave him a sophisticated air, one almost too graceful for a mere butler. His earlier statements proved he was a “no-nonsense” and stern man, and I could tell the master sent him to ensure I would comply. As our makeshift party continued down the mansion’s halls, a piano's delicate, tinkling keys softly touched the air. The elegant melody grew louder as we neared a set of double doors. 

“Sounds like Wolfie’s in a sprightly mood,” Arthur hummed. He leaned down towards me and whispered conspiratorially, “Very uncharacteristic of him, I’ll say.” The butler closed his eyes for a split second as if he was bracing for something terrible. 

Then, he cautiously rapped three times on the door, “Pardon me. I know that you are there. Please come join us in the dining room.” The ethereal song cut short, and its pianist revealed himself. 

“Go away.” The pianist carried a faint Austrian accent in a gruff voice, perturbed at the interruption. He was a beautiful man. His hair was the colour of starlight and softly fanned across his deep-sunken, lavender eyes. His delicate, doll-like face and graceful figure were the manifestation of his dreamy music. Unlike the other three, his suit seemed like it was from the Classical period, with a ruched tie and a feather in his breast pocket. Despite the elegant aura he exuded, he conversed with the butler in such a rudely familiar way. 

“It is time for the banquet.”

“Why was everyone so loud?” His eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on me. “It’s her fault, isn’t it?” My fault? I just want to leave! 

“It’s not like I planned to be here,” I muttered. 

“Who cares? Why don’t you just go back then?” He sighed haughtily. “Unless you enjoy the idea of being everyone’s food,” he quietly said, slipping past me. …Food? He bent slightly away as if repulsed by the thought of making contact with me. “... As if the banquet wasn’t bad enough,” he murmured under his breath, loud enough so I could hear. His cold voice, a stark contrast to his music, hung beside the beautiful melodies in the air. 

We descended a grand staircase, a marvel with its winding gold handrails, marble floors, and lush carpet spread on it. At the end of the steps was the gentleman in the museum, almost glowing with how perfectly he fit in this mansion. 

“It’s poor manners to keep those who’ve arrived on time waiting.”

if you've made it this far, thank u once again! please leave a like/reblog/comment if you've enjoyed it <3

[anotherhumaninthisworld]

Awkward hugs compilation

M. Dusaulx: It isn’t envy that rises to this tribune, it is gratitude. I am very attached to M. Petion: he is my fellow patriot. Without ever having spoken to him, I believe I am his interpreter on this tribune. No premature praise: love is the reward of living men, statues and crowns the price of the dead. I regard M. Petion as my son; it is very bold, no doubt! He steps down from the tribune, and M. Petion throws himself into his arms. This triumph of sentiment made all hearts feel the sweetest sensation. Session at the Jacobins November 19 1791

M. Dusaulx: All the patriots of this club have long been suspended in the course of a discussion which seemed to compromise two good patriots who must love and esteem each other; something would be missing after what M. Brissot said before leaving this assembly, it is the duty of these two generous men to embrace each other. No sooner had he finished than MM. Robespierre and Brissot were in each other's arms, amid the unanimous applause of the Society, moved by this touching spectacle. M. Robespierre: By yielding to M. Dusaulx's invitation, I only gave myself up to the impulse of my heart, I gave what I owed to the confession and to the fraternity and to the feeling depth that I have of a man who enjoys the greatest consideration and who must render the greatest services to the fatherland; I will prove to M. Brissot how much I am attached to him. This should in no way change the opinion that every man should have of the public good; it is to do all that will be in me, and what I believe necessary for the public safety, that I will ask to answer in another session to the speech of M. Brissot. Brissot and Robespierre at the Jacobins, January 20 1792

M. Dumouriez rushes into M. Robespierre's arms. The Society and the tribunes, regarding these embraces as a presage of the agreement of the ministry with the love of the people, accompany this spectacle with the liveliest applause. The Jacobin Club, March 19 1792

A few days later Danton came to find me. He showed me a letter that Marat wrote to him; this letter was very insolent; reproaches were mixed with insults; he threatened Danton. Danton seemed angry to me; Marat was on the surveillance committee, we went down there together. The debate was very lively; Danton treated Marat harshly; Marat maintained what he had put forward, ended up saying that it was necessary to forget everything, tore up the letter, embraced Danton, and Danton embraced him back. I attest to these facts which played out before me. Discours de Jérôme Pétion sur l’accusation intentée contre Maximilien Robespierre (November 5 1792)

Dumouriez enters the hall together with Santerre; the general embraces Robespierre, everyone applauds. The Jacobin Club, October 14 1792

Rousillon: I was accused of partiality, because I did not want to call into question whether Legendre would be expelled; Momero was said to be an aristocrat; I was forced to embrace Jacques Roux, but never did a kiss seem so bitter to me. The Jacobin Club, June 28 1793

The reconciliation, however, appeared to be complete; the two embraced: Danton put frankness in it; he was touched; we were all moved: well! How could you not? We only think, we only see the patrie, liberty, the republic; Only Robespierre remained cold like marble!.... Principaux évènemens, pour et contre la Révolution, dont les détails ont été ignorés jusqu’à présent: et prédiction de Danton au Tribunal révolutionnaire, accomplie (1794) by Jean-Lambert Tallien and Jean-Louis-Marie Villain d’Aubigny, page 49-50.

Goupilleau de Fontenay: I challenge David to declare if, at the moment when Robespierre descended from the tribune of the Jacobins, after having delivered his speech, or rather his indictment, he, David, did not go and embrace him saying: "If you drink hemlock, I shall drink it with you."  David: It was not to come and greet Robespierre that I went down to his side; it was to go up to the tribune and ask that the feast of the 10th should take place. I didn't embrace Robespierre, I didn't even touch him, because he repelled everyone.  The Jacobin Club, July 31 1794

On exiting the hall, Tallien doubled his pace, grabbed hold of Fréron, pressed him into his arms and embraced him. This unexpected scene caused great disorder within the club. On one side, people applauded, saying: ”Look! Look! They don’t care!” On the other, one cried: ”This is how the conspirators get along!” Jacobin Club, September 3 1794, just after both Tallien and Fréron had been struck from the club’s list of members.

Chatillon-Sur-Marne, which I am only mentioning here because Joly, its priest, a former college comrade of Robespierre, got it into his head to come and say hello to him at the time of the terror. Robespierre drew back when he tried to embrace him; and whenever, while talking, the priest of Chatillon-sur-Marne approached the tyrant, the latter huddled in a corner, still afraid of being assassinated. Dictionnaire néologique des hommes et des choses… (1799) by Beffroy de Reigny, volume 3, page 223

The next day Saint-Just came to my room: I was occupied with my mail and I begged him to let me finish a letter. While I was writing he saw my rifle, seized it and amused himself by examining the battery: it was unfortunately loaded, the shot went off, the bullet passed close to me and went to pierce my coat rack which was on a chair, five or six steps away. I got up immediately, the gun had fallen from the hands of Saint-Just, he turned pale, staggered and threw himself into my arms. He then said to me in a deepened tone: “Ah! Levasseur, if I had killed you? - You would have played me a nasty trick; if I must die from a gunshot, let it at least come from an enemy’s hand. Hearing the report, several officers who were near my door rushed into my room and found Saint-Just, pale as death, in my arms. Mémoires de R. Levasseur (de la Sarthe) ex-conventionnel, ornés du portrait de l’auteur (1829), volume 2, page 242

The session became so stormy that Collot used acts of violence against Robespierre. He threw himself at him and seized him by the flanks. He was about to throw Robespierre through the window when the latter's friends rescued him. Robespierre then declared that he was leaving the committee, that he could not honorably sit with executioners, that he would report this to the Convention. One saw the danger of publicizing this scene, blamed Collot's patriotic anger, and begged Robespierre, after having torn up the disastrous list, not to give the enemies of the Republic new means of attacking it. Robespierre seemed to calm down, but when Collot approached him to embrace him he refused and despite being urged not to he left. Mémoires de Barras, membre du Directoire, page 349-350

[eddy25960]

Cain after the Murder of Abel (1817). Jean-Victor Schnetz (1787-1870), was a French academic painter well regarded for his historical and genre paintings. He studied under Jacques-Louis David. oil/canvas.

[art-that-fucks-you-up-tournament]

SET THIRTEEN - ROUND ONE - MATCH EIGHT

"Oath of the Horattii closeup" (1784 - Jacques-Louis David) / "Visit hos Excentrisk Dam (Visit to an Eccentric Lady)" (1921 - Nils Dardel)

OATH OF THE HORATTII CLOSEUP: Zoom in to the swords. Swords are cool. Look at how many swords those are! Swords. (@princeoftheroses)

VISIT HOS EXCENTRISK DAM (VISIT TO AN ECCENTRIC LADY): The story of this painting has always captivated me. The dead man hanging from the ceiling is supposed to represent the artist himself, and the woman represents his lover Nita, who’s family forbid them from marrying each other. The nightmarish feeling of the work; how the beautiful and innocent is contrasted by the macabre. The innocence of the approaching suitors, the beauty and humorous absurdness of the dancing lady. The onlookers and party guests, entranced by the scene. And how Dardel still chose to depict Nita as lighting up the room, even in the middle of this morbid scene. (@the-crows-are-after-me)

(The full "Oath of the Horattii" painting is an oil on canvas done by Jacques-Louis David. The entire work measures 329.8 cm × 424.8 cm (129.8 in × 167.2 in) and is held by the Louvre.

"Visit hos Excentrisk Dam (Visit to an Eccentric Lady)" is an oil on canvas painting by Swedish artist Nils Dardel. It measures 130.5 × 97.5 cm (51.4 ×38.4 in) and is held by the Moderna Museet.)

[moodboardmix]

Jane Mallory Birkin (14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023)

Jane Mallory Birkin was born in London in December 1946, daughter of British actress Judy Campbell and Royal Navy commander David Birkin.

She had lived in her adopted France since the late 1960s and apart from her singing and roles in dozens of films, she was a popular figure for her warm nature, stalwart fight for women's and LGBT rights.

She first took to the stage aged 17 and went on to appear in the 1965 musical "Passion Flower Hotel" by conductor and composer John Barry, whom she married shortly after. The marriage ended in the late 1960s.

Before venturing across the Channel aged 22, she achieved notoriety in the controversial 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film "Blow-Up", appearing naked in a threesome sex scene.

But it was in France that she truly shot to fame, as much for her love affair with tormented national star Gainsbourg, as for her tomboyish style and endearing British accent when speaking French.

It was on the set of the film "Slogan" in 1969 that Birkin first met Gainsbourg, who was recovering from a break-up with Brigitte Bardot, and the two quickly began a love affair that captivated the nation.

That same year they released "Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus" ("I Love You... Me Neither"), a song about physical love originally written for Bardot in which Gainsbourg's explicit lyrics are punctuated with breathy moans and cries from Birkin.

The song was banned by the BBC and condemned by the Vatican.

Following the breakup of that relationship in 1981, she continued her career as a singer and actress, appearing on stage and releasing albums such as "Baby Alone in Babylone" in 1983, and "Amour des Feintes" in 1990, both with words and music by Gainsbourg.

Gainsbourg's drinking eventually got the better of the relationship, and Birkin left him in 1981 to live with film director Jacques Doillon. However she remained close to the troubled singer until his death in March 1991.

It was around this time that she inspired the famous Birkin bag by French luxury house Hermes, after chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas saw her struggling with her straw bag on a flight to London, spilling the contents over the floor.

She wrote her own album "Arabesque" in 2002, and in 2009 released a collection of live recordings, "Jane at the Palace".

She is survived by two daughters the singer and actress Charlotte, born in 1971, and Lou Doillon, also an actress, born in 1982. She also had a daughter, Kate, who was born in 1967 and died in 2013.

(Reporting by John Irish Editing by David Goodman and Frances Kerry)

(Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'aime,...Moi Non Plus)

Rest in peace to the Timeless Style Icon and Epitome of Effortless Chic

[hadrian6]

Napoleon Bonaparte in his Study. 1812. unfinished, after Jacques Louis David French 1748-1825. engraving. photo overlay Hadrian6. http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

[homomenhommes]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … January 12

1564 – Queen Elizabeth I reinstates the buggery law in England which makes sodomy illegal.

1706 – Pennsylvania eliminates the castration penalty from its sodomy law.

1751 – On this date the Baltic German writer of the Sturm und Drang movement Jakob Lenz was born (d.1792). Lenz is remembered as the most creative and original of Goethe's Strasbourg friends and, because of failures in his personal life, as a figure of pathos. The son of a Lutheran pastor who received a theological education at the University of Koenigsberg, Lenz was a religious thinker who saw himself as prophet as well as poet.

In 1771 in Strasbourg, he met the young Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who at this time happened to be in Strasbourg, and whose acquaintance Lenz made, as well as that of Johann Heinrich Jung-Stilling. Goethe now became Lenz's literary idol, and through him he made contact with Johann Gottfried Herder and Johann Kaspar Lavater, with whom he corresponded.

In the following year, 1772, Lenz accompanied his literary masters to the garrisons of Landau, Fort Louis and Wissembourg. He also fell in love with Friederike Brion, once the beloved of Goethe, but his feelings were not reciprocated.

Recent scholarship has has revealed Lenz's relationship with Goethe. In books like Karl Hugo Pruys' "The Tiger's Tender Touch: The Erotic Life of Goethe" and Alice Kuzniar's "Outing Goethe and His Age" Lenz's full character and sexuality has been revived. Lenz was deeply in love with Goethe. Indeed he wrote countless love letters to the writer in which he professed his desire to be Goethe's wife.

Historians of Goethe have always been puzzled by an incident in Goethe's life. In April 1776 Lenz followed Goethe to the court of Weimar where he was at first amicably received. But in early December, on Goethe's instigation, he was expelled. The exact circumstances are not recorded; Goethe, who broke off all personal contact with him after this, refers only vaguely in his diary to "Lenz's idiocy" ("Lenzens Eseley"). Historians seem puzzled by this strange rejection of Lenz. A clearer reading of their relationship or Lenz's desires for Goethe make the situation a bit more clear. The rejection may have been a break in their relationship or a spurning of Lenz's attentions.

1856 – John Singer Sargent American portrait painter, born (d.1925) was the most successful portrait painter of his era, as well as a gifted landscape painter and watercolorist. Sargent was born in Florence, Italy to American parents. He studied in Italy and Germany, and then in Paris under Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran. Among the artists with whom Sargent associated were Dennis Miller Bunker, Carroll Beckwith, Edwin Austin Abbey (who also worked on the Boston Public Library murals), Francis David Millet, Wilfrid de Glehn, Jane Emmet de Glehn and Claude Monet, whom Sargent painted.

He developed a life-long friendship with fellow painter Paul César Helleu, whom he met in Paris in 1878 when Sargent was twenty-two and Helleu was eighteen. Sargent painted both Helleu and his wife Alice on several occasions, most memorably in the impressionistic Paul Helleu Sketching with his Wife, 1889. His supporters included Henry James, Isabella Steward Gardner, (who commissioned and purchased works from Sargent and sought his advice on other acquisitions) and Edward VII, whose recommendation for knighthood the artist declined.

Sargent was, as they say, "extremely private regarding his personal life," though the painter Jacques-Émile Blanche, who was one of his early sitters, said — after his death — that Sargent's sex life "was notorious in Paris, and in Venice, positively scandalous. He was a frenzied bugger." Was the bugger refernce as in "buggery"?. As homophobic scholars put it, "the truth of this may never be established." Some have gone so far as to boldly suggest that Sargent was homosexual. He had personal associations with Prince Edmond de Polignac and Count Robert de Montesquiou (the model for Des Esseintes in Huysman's A Rebours, and even more famously, the Baron de Charlus in Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu, and, in real life, if you will, Prince Polignac's life-long lover, as well), two of the most notorious homosexuals of the age.

Sargent's male nudes reveal complex and well-considered artistic sensibilities about the male physique and sensuality; particularly evident in his portrait of Thomas E. McKeller but also in Tommies Bathing (both above), nude sketches for Hell and Judgement, and his portraits of young men, like Bartholomy Maganosco and Head of Olimpio Fusco .

There were friendships with women, as well, and a similar sensualism informs his female portrait and figure studies (notably Egyptian Girl, 1891). The likelihood of an affair with Louise Burkhardt, the model for Lady with the Rose, and the first wife of author J.R. Ackerley's father is accepted by Sargent scholars. Sargent's friends went so far as to wonder if he and Burckhardt had formed a romantic attachment. His enthusiasm while creating the picture of her probably instigated the rumors, but a mutual friend learns from Sargent in 1882 that "he does not care a straw for her." Despite numerous friendships with women throughout his life, this is the only episode to cause associates to doubt his status as a "committed bachelor." His sensuous, unparalleled appreciation of male beauty leaps off the canvas to this day.

1941 – On this date the pioneering British bluesman Long John Baldry was born (d.2005). Born John William Baldry in England, he grew to 6' 7" which resulted in the nickname "Long" John. Gifted with a deep, rich voice, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing blues in clubs.

In the early 1960s, he sang with the seminal band, Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, with whom he recorded the first British blues album in 1962, "R&B at the Marquee." At stages, future Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Brian Jones played in the band. The Rolling Stones supported Baldry in their first concert at the Marquee Club. Later, Baldry was the announcer introducing The Stones on their US-only live album, "Got Live if You Want It!," in 1966.

Baldry became friends with Paul McCartney after a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the early 1960s, leading to an invitation to play on one of The Beatles 1964 TV specials. In 1963, Baldry joined the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars with Jimmy Page on guitar and Nicky Hopkins playing piano. He took over in 1964 after the death of Cyril Davies. It became Long John Baldry and his Hoochie Coochie Men featuring Rod Stewart on vocals and Geoff Bradford on guitar. Stewart was recruited after Baldry heard him busking a Muddy Waters song at Twickenham station after Stewart had been to a gig at Eel Pie Island.

In 1965, the Hoochie Coochie Men became Steampacket with Baldry and Stewart as male vocalists, Julie Driscoll as the female vocalist and Brian Auger on Hammond organ. After Steampacket broke up in 1966, Baldry formed Bluesology featuring Reg Dwight on keyboards and Elton Dean, later of Soft Machine, as well as Caleb Quaye on guitar. Dwight adopted the name "Elton John" (taking his first name from another member of the band, Elton Dean, and his surname from Baldry).

In 1967, he recorded a pop song "Let the Heartaches Begin" that went to number one in Britain, followed by a 1968 top 20 hit titled "Mexico", which was the theme of the UK Olympic team that year. "Let the Heartaches Begin" made the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Baldry was openly gay during the early 1960s when homosexuality was still criminalised and medicalised. Baldry supported Elton John in coming to terms with his own sexuality. In 1978 his album Baldry's Out announced his formal coming out, and he addressed sexuality issues on A Thrill's a Thrill, a song on the LP.

Bluesology broke up in 1968, with Baldry continuing his solo career and John forming a songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. In 1969, Elton John tried to commit suicide after relationship problems with a woman. Taupin and Baldry, who was by now openly Gay, found him, and Baldry talked him out of marrying the woman, helping make John comfortable with his sexuality. The song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" from "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was about the experience.

In 1971, Elton John and Stewart each produced one side of "It Ain't Easy" which became Baldry's most popular album and made the top 100 of the US album charts. The album featured "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll" which became his most successful song in the US. John's first tour of the US was this time. Baldry's 1972 album "Everything Stops For Tea" made the lower reaches of the US album charts.

After time in New York City and Los Angeles in 1978, Baldry settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became Canadian. He toured the west coast, as well as the U.S. Northwest. Baldry also toured the Canadian east, including one 1985 show in Kingston, Ontario, where audience members repeatedly called for the title track from his 1979 album "Baldry's Out!" - to which he replied, "I'll say he is!"

He played his last live show in Columbus, Ohio, on July 19, 2004.

1954 – Today is the birthday of Felipe Rose, better known as "the Indian guy from The Village People." He was born in New York and grew up in Brooklyn. He's part American Indian (Lakota) and part Puerto-Rican (on his mother's side). He actually studied dance with the Ballet de Puerto Rico and was later discovered by the music producer Jacques Morali while working as a bartender and dancing in a New York gay club and recruited for a new disco group he was forming.

While the producers were busy recruiting and preparing the other members of the group, Rose was sent to Paris where he choreographed a native dance number for the Crazy Horse Saloon. When he returned to the U.S., he suggested that the other members of the group wear uniforms representing different "manly" occupations in New York's Greenwich Village.The rest as they say is history. His hits with the Village People hits include Macho Man (1978), YMCA (1978), In The Navy (1979), Go West (1979), Can't Stop the Music (1980)

In 2000, Rose began to work on his solo career. His single "Trails of Tears" was nominated for 3 Native American Music Awards for Best Historical Recording, Song of the Year and Best Producer. In 2002, Rose was the opening act of the 5th Annual Native American Music Awards and won a NAMMY Award for the Best Historical Recording.

In 2005 Rose called up the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC to offer them his framed gold record for the disco group's 1978 megahit "Y.M.C.A." The staff of the new museum had never received such a call but were delighted to accept the items into their collection. The Washington Post's writer Hank Stuever opined that the museum accepted the record "on the precept that sooner or later they might need such an artifact of a bygone era, perhaps to flesh out a future exhibit on the folkloric value of disco, and native cultural responses to it."

1974 – Chinese Gay Rights Pioneer,GLBT activist and attorney Zhou Dan came out to his friends in 1998 and the media in 2003. A champion of GLBT rights in China, Zhou writes articles on Chinese gay and lesbian Web sites. Although many GLBT Chinese use pseudonyms, Zhou uses his real name. After revealing his sexuality to a Shanghai newspaper in 2003, Zhou appeared across China in newspapers and magazines and on television. Earlier that year, he established the Shanghai Hotline for Sexual Minorities.

One generation removed from the persecution of gays under the People's Republic of China, Chinese gays encounter different obstacles than their American counterparts. Many Chinese believe that homosexuality exists only in the western world. The absence of legal protection and the threat of social isolation keep most Chinese GLBT individuals in the closet.

Zhou also fights for rights of people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in China, by advocating a human-rights-based approach to the epidemic.

In 2004, Zhou attended Yale Law School's China Law Center as a visiting scholar. In 2006, he taught China's first graduate class on homosexuality at Fudan University in Shanghai.

1986 – Kieron Richardson, born in Eccles, Greater Manchester, England, is an English actor and Presenter best known for playing the role of Ste Hay in Hollyoaks.

After appearing briefly in the late night Hollyoaks: In the City, Richardson was offered the role of Ste Hay in the early evening Hollyoaks where he appeared for 19 episodes. The character was written out of the show after stealing a car, which resulted in a spectacular crash and his character getting sent to prison. He returned to Hollyoaks on 25 September 2007, and has been a regular cast member since.

Richardson has also made appearances in Holby City, Heartbeat and the feature film Fragments, as well as the pantomime Cinderella as Prince Charming at The Embassy Theatre, Skegness in 2006.

Richardson took part in 2010 series of ITV's Dancing on Ice and was paired with series newcomer Brianne Delcourt. He reached the final, finishing in third place.

In 2011, Richardson and his Hollyoaks ex co-star Bronagh Waugh started presenting on radio station Gaydio.

On 15 September 2010, Richardson revealed on television programme This Morning that he is gay, and accepted it at the age of 20. He was inspired to come out by X Factor winner Joe McElderry. In July 2014, Richardson received a torrent of homophobic abuse via social networking site Twitter. That month Richardson announced his intention to marry long-term partner Carl Hyland the following year. In April 2015, the couple were married in a star-studded ceremony in the Peak District.

In December 2016, Richardson announced they were expecting twins via surrogacy. They have twins born in 2017, a boy and girl.

2009 – On this date a landmark of sorts occurred on American daytime television when after months of teasing and steamy kisses, the soap opera As The World Turns featured the boyfriends Luke and Noah finally having sex in a breakthrough episode for daytime television.

2012 – A firestorm was set off by the revelation that a Canadian government lawyer had filed a document in a divorce case stating that same-sex marriages entered into by foreign couples who reside in jurisdictions that do not recognize same-sex marriage are not valid in Canada.

The statement was at first widely regarded as an attempt to undermine same-sex marriage by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. After the legal brief had been denounced roundly both in Canada and abroad, the government announced that it had no intention of reopening the question of same-sex marriage and that it recognized as valid the same-sex marriages of foreign nationals.

[zehiiro]

I over analysed Codrons promo vid

I'm back with another analysis. A special thank you to @lola-andheruniverse and @mcbride for your words of encouragement. Hope you guys like it ♡

This will be my take on the meaning behind this promotional video for Codron and what it tells us about him.

Firstly, for context, below is the painting shown at the beginning of his promo video.

I'm sure most of us recognise the painting as being of Napoleon Bonaparte. Named Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801) by Jacques-Louis David.

Unlike the Caryl/Daryl paintings [analysis here], this one portrays a man who existed in more recent times and whom we know much about.

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What does this painting tell us:

On the surface, this painting is a picture of Napolean's confidence and self-assurance, as he's seen about to cross the Alps on horseback, which was a very difficult act, with an army around him and an incoming storm in the background. Still, there's not a hint of discouragement or fear on Nepolean's face.

However, in reality, this painting is a lie. Napoleon was not a confident rider, he actually crossed the Alps on a mule, on a day with completely fine weather, and his troops had already gone ahead several days before him.

This painting was commissioned as propaganda and purely an act of diplomacy by Napoleon. But yet, even after knowing all of this, we can't deny the charm and charisma it radiates.

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What does this painting tell us about Codron's past and personality:

So by aligning Codron with this painting and Napoleon himself, these are the traits that stood out to me:

He grew up in poverty and disliked corrupt leadership and noble society:

This is seen in Codron's dislike of Genet and his determination to stand up to her at the end of season one when he is asked to do something against his beliefs.

He had a soft spot for children and those less able:

This was shown through his unwillingness to hurt Laurent and his extreme measures to kill all those soldiers to protect him, with no concern for the reproductions awaiting him after his return to Genet.

He feared being perceived as weak and could not back away from a fight:

Codron returning to Genet even after directly acting against her commands was an amazing show of his bravery and resolve to stand up to what he believed to be right, especially in his unwillingness to give up the Nest's location despite knowing that he would be punished and possibly killed for it.

He was thin-skinned and often prone to boasting:

This is shown through his extreme reaction of allowing his men to kill the Nuns when they refused to obey him, as well as his calls to Daryl when he was in the fighting pit, saying, "Dixon! Today, you die! For my brother!"

He felt a need to always put on a show of strength and self-assurance:

I think his violent outbursts result from this and that he never truly wants to hurt others but sees it as the only way to keep instating his authority and strength.

He was incredibly intelligent, a very good judge of character and could see the strengths and weaknesses of those he faced:

I saw this paralleled with how he spared Daryl in the season finale. We already saw that he was unwilling to kill Laurent, Isabelle and Silvy because he refused to hurt the innocent, but what stopped him from killing Daryl anyway if he truly still believed that he killed his brother. In the final moment, he could see who Daryl really was: A man who willingly risks his own life to save and protect others. A man who would not have killed his brother in cold blood. A man who had no hard feelings towards him even after he tried to have him killed in the fighting pit.

What all these things point back to is his internal struggles with a lot of fears and insecurities. Some relate back to the conditions of his upbringing, and others to the pressures he faced when he was given positions of power.

Even after coming to power, he never stopped viewing himself as a soldier and felt his only worth to his people was through bringing them victory in battle.

Ultimately, his demise was due to his insecurities and low self-esteem rather than his capabilities, however, all of the things that are perceived as his weaknesses can also be seen as his strengths, which is where we last see Codron in the season 1 finale, making his stand in front of Genet and not showing fear.

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What does this tell us about Condron's future:

There's unfortunately not much to say about Napoleon after he fell from power; he was exiled, fell ill, was often found in a sullen mood, and never really returned to power again.

However, I hope/suspect where the show will take Codron in season 2 instead is where Napoleon always dreamed he'd get to, and who always hoped he'd become, on a hero's journey of redemption, with true newfound confidence and courage.

Codron saying, "Not today, Dixon. Next time." is a promise that they will meet again and shows that he could not make the choice to kill Daryl at that moment; he is too torn between the grief he feels from the loss of his brother and his instincts, telling him who Daryl really is.

Romain's brilliant acting conveyed Cordon's struggles so well, and I'm so excited to see how their next meeting will go down. I can totally see a great level of respect growing between the two of them as they start to see some of themselves in each other.

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I'm sorry this ended up being longer than intended; the art history nerd in me was too excited to write about this because it finally allowed me to use some of the things I learned from the Napoleon, Art & Power tour I went on at the Louvre earlier this year😅

I also had a lot less to go on compared to the Carol and Daryl analysis because, unlike them, we haven't been watching Cadron for over a decade, and our source material is very limited for now. Still, I've given it my best shot, and I hope it was an enjoyable read that made at least a little sense.

Thank you for reading! ♡ I would love to hear what you guys think about Codron and if you agree/disagree with me on where season 2 will take him.

[Carol and Daryl promo vid analysis]