Need for a sun

Can you imagine, that this machine was used to provide an artificial sun tan?  How on earth did that work?  Considering that this machine was not for an individual use  but probably placed somewhere in the shop for public use.  How did people protect their clothing ?  All those questions and not a one answer but it is not the only invention that took time to evolve into its final, contemporary form.  However it is fascinating to see the first attempts and imagine that people did actually use them.  Thanks to photograph like that we are able to get a chance to get a flavor of the past and noticed how much life changed since then.

Is it relay him ?

When I first saw this photo I would never suspected the identity of the man in it.  Can you guess?

It is Charlie Chaplin at the at the age of 27.  He was an English comic who not only made movies but also star in them.  He was born on the 16 of April 1889 as Charles  Spencer.  He was a phenomenal performer that will always be remember but very often as a stage character he created.

Afternoon with my mother.

Spending time with  mum,Which one of us do not have those lovely memories?  The times when we were valuable and yet so feel so safe in the arms of our mum.  This vision can not be more associated with

childhood we are so often longing for as adults. The picture below however is an exact moment could't be more disturbing and contradicting for a contemporary viewer.

There it is a picturesque scene of joys of motherhood, ability t introduce child to a new things in life teach them about world and  life, it is exactly what this woman on the picture is doing. And yet it is so wrong. 

Lovely peaceful afternoon but what cot the attention of the family in the picture, atomic explosion!

How unthinkable is it today to even imagine that people were so unaware of the dangers of the nuclear weapon and how cruel and absolutely careless of the garment to let that kind of situation occur.  It was an atomic test in Las Vegas in 1953. This picture is not the only one of that kind showing how different knowledge of the world and world itself has changed.

How many people did pay the price for that knowledge is another subject matter.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2013/06/12/boom/

An ordinary life

 

 

 

 

Why is it that our perception of people who has proven to be extraordinary is so idealistic?  It is shocking to see someone like Winston Churchill, in his swimming costume performing an activity which is very common for very single one of us.  Is it because in our mind we associating people with their role so strongly that it is becoming a stereotypic view and in our mind we create a certain picture that if challenged by a collision with a everyday life becomes a challenge to our imagination.

 

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/churchill-family-on-holiday

 

 

British prime minister from 1940 till 1945.  In this Photo from 1922 presented in his swimming suit.  The image that in my opinion change a perception and challenges a viewer to think about iconic figures like Churchill in a more down to earth categories.

The secret

The tragic story of Car Nicholas the second and his family is an outcome of political struggles in early twentieth century Russia. The events that took place in summer of 1918 ended forever the powerful monarchy and started the long period in history in  which  the country was rolled by the Bolsheviks and Communist party. I have always had this naive perception that Russia under the monarch was somehow magical and full of secrets to discover.  The story of this family is very sad and leaves us with the feeling of sadness, loss and injustice; the struggle for power that destroys the life of innocents just to make sure that there will not be any remains of the old ideology for people to hold on to.

 In March 1917 family of Romanov's was abducted and put under house arrest near St. Petersburg. These  measures were not enough for the Bolsheviks that still felt threatened by the status of the Tsar and the possibility that his supporters may at some point revolt against arising new system of power.   On the 17th of July the Romanov's had been woken up and informed that for their safety they should move into the basement were they were shot by the Red Army soldiers.
The fact that the whole family including the children were shot in cold blood is extremely cruel. The reason that this crime interests so many people, and still is a popular subject of debates, is that we can see the family in one of the first movies and pictures enjoying everyday life. We can see them in their private setting which I think make us relate to them more.  They were not the Royal Family always posing, visible at the official events or a painting, but a family so different and yet so similar to many others.

There are a lot of legends connected to Romanov's death, like that one about princess Anastasia surviving and still living somewhere, or the one that the ladies in the family hid jewels under their clothing which then stopped the bullets from hitting them, all of which sounds rather unlikely.  The most shocking thing to me is the fact that people could do something so cruel and evil.  I can never understand how something like that could be even thought of. The most terrifying thing is that crimes against innocents happens all the time and even after so many years we are unable to stop them from happening.
The only thing we have to remind us are those photographs and movies that we have, the only thing that remains of the last Russian Royal Family.