Candid Camera - Oslo, 1893-6

This morning and by chance, I came across a series of arresting photographs taken candidly in the streets in Oslo in Norway between 1893 and 1896 by mathematician, physicist and amateur street photographer Carl Størmer (1874 –1957).


What's so interesting for me about many of these images is of course that the subjects are caught somewhat unaware and so are mostly unguarded in their behaviour.

The photographer and his apparatus were obviously camouflaged in some way, with the lens at times producing images cut off in some way, reflecting this ...



The shoot is clandestine and though some subjects seem unaware of being recorded ...

Henrik Ibsen

... most sense something is up, reacting either with a smile ...

... or puzzlement or apprehension ...









... with fewer still registering a bravura gesture ...


These photographs are not of extraordinarily aesthetic value but give a wonderful immediacy and a specificness to a place not well travelled to and to an era long past.

Looking over the images again, I've just realized that in today's climate of political correctness poor old Mr Størmer would probably be classified as a stalker of pretty young women ... but I'm going to continue to enjoy his work ... at least for the moment!

Flora, Fauna and Landscape Posts

Wanna start a new series of posts - single images of flora, fauna or landscape.

To start off, a few seriously attention-seeking 'friends' ...

... in Manila.n

Mini Travel Post - The Delight in the Unexpected

I was watching 'From Sydney To Tokyo By Any Means' on BBC Knowledge last night and was reminded of travelling round the island of Bohol in the Philippines a few years back.

We'd done the usual touristy things - inspecting the C16 Spanish-style baroque church ...



... with its beautiful interior wooden panel paintings, as yet deliciously untouched by the restorer's hand ...



... and too endlessly photographing a beautiful traditional house or 'bahay cubo' ...


... when we came across what might be a unique geological phenomenon - the Chocolate Hills ...


I could rattle on about how these roughly 1500 conical mounds or karsts were formed by volcanic action through a limestone sea bed ...


... but what was more important to us then, as now in reflection, is their quite extraordinary almost other world-ish visual impact ...


We pretended we needed to break our journey and quickly booked into a hotel - so we could spend the next few days malingering and lurking round these seductively regular structures!

Now, the really unexpected and further bonus was the 1960s built hotel itself, situated on top of one of the karsts, broad balconies from each bedroom, with a view to die for laid out in front of you to the very horizon.

Blissful blissful time!!!

Still THE Most Stylish Version of 'Fever'

Reckon this arrangement of 'Fever' from the incomparable Peggy Lee is still the very best.

With the added delight in the late 1960's of slight self-parody - at points rolling her eyes up or being blown back on the word 'fever'.

That lady had laid back jazz cool totally under control!

Ways to Learning What's Worthwhile and Bertrand Russell

Rather against conventional wisdom, I've found most of what I've learned that I thought was in any way worthwhile (precious little though it may be) has been in odd unheralded moments and passing chat.

And I was reminded of this again yesterday, re-reading the Sandra Jobson Darroch biography of Lady Ottoline Morrell - the great hostess of the Bloomsbury Group, described by Virginia Woolf as like a great Spanish galleon hung with gold coins and silken sails.

Taking her daughter Julian out of school, Lady Ottoline declared:

You'll learn much more sitting by the fire listening to Bertie Russell talk

And though I've read a bit of Russell (the autobiography, Human Society in Ethics and Politics and other stuff) it's really watching film of him interviewed that's had the most impact. And lead to the most fruitful conversation.

Like this wide-ranging 1959 interview where Russell talks over much of what happened during his life. The beginning of first part gets a bit bogged down in introductory stuff - but things begin to get interesting around the four minute mark ...

I've just watched it again ... this time with a friend, and again it's almost magically lead to excited discussion.

Hope you get something out of it - as we did.

A Dog, A Squirrel and a Panther

One day an old German Sheppard starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Sheppard thinks, 'Oh, oh! I'm in deep shit now!' Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?'

Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. 'Whew!' says the panther, 'That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!'

Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes.

The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.

The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, 'Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!'

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says 'Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!

Moral

Don't mess with the old dogs.

Age and treachery will always overcome youth and ambition!

Glimpses of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Doomed Golden Couple

Who didn't read F Scott Fitzgerald's 'A Diamond as Big as the Ritz' or 'The Great Gatsby' at uni?

Not in for any Eng Lit course but for the sheer Jazz Age excess expressed in the stories. And of course for the delicious writing - like creme brulee.




Curiously though and when I think back, I had absolutely no mental image of either the writer or his wife.




I'm going to redress this now.

Apart from photographs, I was stunned to find so much film footage!

So Zelda as a young woman ...



... and walking about rather saucily and hip-swinging in a garden ...

A little older ...




... and playing gaily about in a street ...

The couple with daughter Frances ...





... and in a garden ...

On the Riviera, where the family retreated to escape the gloom of the Great Depression - and keep the party going ...





... and in a cafe ...

And finally, F Scott Fitzgerald working on 'The Great Gatsby' ...

Happily, my visual memory bank of the gilded and alcoholic couple is now full to overflowing!