It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman in possession of a love of history, must be in want of a blog.
By the time of his death in 1830, Thomas Lawrence was the most sought-after and celebrated English portraitist of his age. He had painted everyone who was anyone, establishing his own distinct artistic style, and has been labelled in retrospect the visual chronicler of the Regency. For such a supremely successful artist, however, Lawrence came …
Continue reading Sir Thomas Lawrence and the Romantic portrait
Castle Ward, in Northern Ireland, is a remarkable building, though it is not known for architectural brilliance, opulent interiors, great artworks, or beautiful gardens. Instead, what strikes you when you visit Castle Ward is the overwhelming sense that the architect must have been deranged. This is because one half of the stone mansion is done up entirely in Georgian classical …
Notwithstanding the recent diplomatic thaw between the US and Iran, most people in the West, if asked to envisage the Islamic Republic, would probably think of a country of religious zealots, full of oppressed women swathed in black robes. What's perhaps not so well-known is that for much of the 20th century, Iran was a …
Continue reading Before the Revolution: images of secular Iran