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Spotlight: the tragic life of Fanny Grimaldi
Marie-Françoise (called Fanny) Dupré de Birkenwald was born in 1780 into an old Alsace family. Her father was a scholar and man of letters, despite having lost the sight of both eyes (one in warfare, the other through natural decay).… Continue reading
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Spotlight: the story of a medieval chapel over time
The Norwich artist John Sell Cotman (1782–1842) published numerous etchings of buildings in Norfolk, Yorkshire and also Normandy in France. The Library has a copy of one of his Normandy etchings, showing the chapel of Saint-Julien at Petit-Quevilly near Rouen.… Continue reading
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Early modern horror: a study visit to the Wellcome Library
The second term of the academic year (January – March) is a popular time for seminars and classes at the Wellcome Library. The last two months have seen visits from many university institutions in London (the Courtauld Institute of Art,… Continue reading
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Bring on the shepherds
While the Wellcome Library is closed for the Christmas holiday (23 December 2013 to 1 January 2014), the shepherds — bit players in the drama of the Nativity — receive top billing on the Wellcome Library blog. A look at… Continue reading
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We come to no. 70,000: Landscape without rainbow
A new milestone has been reached in the cataloguing of the Wellcome Library’s prints, photographs, drawings and paintings: the 70,000th catalogue record has been created. The 65,000th record was noted on this blog on 18 March 2009. Both Library staff… Continue reading
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Potsdam for piety, potatoes, pleasure and parades
Frederick the Great (1712-1786) left his mark on Europe in many fields: war, music, politics, architecture, language, philosophy, and nutrition. His presence is most apparent at Potsdam in Germany, where he built the Sanssouci Palace and the Neues Palais. These… Continue reading
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Conservation in action: a 16th century print gets a makeover
The 16th century print, derived from the Crucifixion painted by Tintoretto for the Scuola di San Rocco in Venice in 1565, shows Christ in the centre, with two criminals being hoisted up on their crosses on either side. Tools and… Continue reading
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R.I.P. Chief Inspector Dreyfus
The BBC reports the death earlier today of the actor Herbert Lom, who played the police chief in the Pink Panther films. His many other roles included parts in The Ladykillers (1955) and The Phantom of the Opera (1962). Herbert… Continue reading
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Graphic intimations of mortality
The memento mori pictures in the Wellcome Library range from complex and learned allegories to popular works which encourage their owners to laugh in the face of fate. A comparable collection, focused on the Dance of death, was acquired by… Continue reading
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Gymnastics of the organs
The poster reproduced here advertises the fitness training regime of Professor Desbonnet. Edmond Desbonnet (1868-1953), born in Lille, was a health entrepreneur who opened his first school of physical culture in his native city in 1895, and subsequently created a… Continue reading