noise dept.
sheepfilms
RMH
★
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
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occasionally subtle
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@theartofmadeline
Jar Jar Binks Fan Club
Not today Justin
Xuebing Du
d e v o n
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
we're not kids anymore.
untitled
Misplaced Lens Cap
Origami Around
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@ladysophy
The family of King George I and Queen Olga (nee Konstantinovna) in postcards.
Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (1771-1851)
Artist: Sir William Beechey (British, 1753-1839)
Date: c. 1797-1802
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Royal Collection Trust, London, United Kingdom
Ernest August, King of Hanover
Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1771–1851) was the fifth son of King George III. A staunch Tory in the House of Lords, he later became King of Hanover in 1837. Because Hanoverian law forbade female succession while a male heir lived, he inherited the crown, ending the personal union with the British throne, which then passed to his niece, Queen Victoria.
Ernest was born on 5 June 1771 at Buckingham House, London, the fifth son of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He was baptized on 1 July at St James's Palace.
Prince Heinrich of Prussia and Princess Irene of Hesse.
America’s 250th Birthday would have been a great milestone if it wasn’t for Mr. Orange Dump and other reasons I don’t want to elaborate on for now.
Happy 4th of July I guess??
Queen Olga Constantinovna of Greece (1851 - 1926)
The Nikolaevichi: Nikolai and Peter Nikolaevich with their wives Anastasia and Militza of Montenegro.
And during the [Vienna] Congress Elizabeth ... saw Adam Czartoryski again; ... and they fell in love with each other again. In the GARF archives lies Elizabeth´s draft of a moving letter (dated February 13, 1815) that tells us much about the empress´s feelings for him. She complains of the destiny that forces her "to sacrifice to the legal order the true happiness of her life, in separating her from the being who[m] she had been accustomed during the fourteen best years of her existence to regard as another self." On March 8, when Elizabeth was to leave Vienna the same day, Czartoryski begged her to divorce Alexander and marry him; out of loyalty he informed Alexander of his request for marriage. But Alexander was hostile to the plan, less out of attachment to Elizabeth than for reasons of state: while difficult negotiations were opening in Vienna about the future of Poland, the divorce and remarriage of the empress of Russia with a Polish prince known for his commitment to reestablishing the Polish state, would not be accepted by Russian public opinion and would risk compromising the current Russo-Polish rapprochement. This argument ultimately convinced the dutiful Elizabeth to renounce her own happiness, and in November 1815 she went back to St. Petersburg for good. After having traversed a deep crisis and envisaging retiring to a convent or even ending her life, she decided by the end of 1815 or the beginning of 1816 to remain in Russia, "to suffer in silence," and to "submit herself entirely to the will of Providence."
Alexander I: The Tsar Who Defeated Napoleon by Marie-Pierre Rey
Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt: More than Friends (More) Bonus Content
I thought I was done, but alas, I am not. I found more excerpts from letters (in thanks to Bridget for Reddit) between the composers that show there was something definitely going on between them.
First letter excerpt is from Wagner to Liszt. Minna was the wife Wagner was referring to. His and Minna’s relationship was very toxic and incompatible on both sides ( and that’s another post for another day):
Liszt writes to Wagner on how much he looks very forward to seeing him. Also Liszt has a special nickname after Wagner’s beloved dog:
More Wagner to Liszt. Update and correction on Jul. 1st 2026, the first letter excerpt (Au revoir in a few months…) is actually from Liszt to Wagner.
These excerpts show how strongly attached Wagner and Liszt were to each other:
And this heartbreaking excerpt about Liszt’s reaction to Wagner’s death:
It’s really a shame that many (but not all thankfully) historians had been so heavily influenced by the Nazis' views on Wagner and Liszt that they covered their relationship (and bisexuality) up. The homophobic and biphobic prejudices in general didn't help either. Bridget also said that this was a miracle she was able to find this information and I agree. It’s very telling that Wagner’s family heavily edited or destroyed incriminating letters between Wagner and Liszt to avoid a HUGE scandal and destroyed reputations. Sad all around.
This last image is a drawing or caricature (depending on who you ask) of Liszt hugging Wagner on stage after a performance in 1876. And yes, this exactly happened. They hugged each other for a long time with lots of applauses. No straight men would do this.
And I'm now I'm officially done with this series. I hoped you enjoyed it and learned something new.
“I want to remain an eternal mystery to myself and others"
Ludwig ( 25th August 1845 - 13 June 1886)
Scenes from Ludwig II (2012) +
(Very Controversial Post) Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt: More Than Friends Second Bonus Content
I still have some posts from Bridget that didn't fit in with the previous posts.
Before I post the screenshots, I must make a huge disclaimer that Bridget and myself are NOT defending and excusing antisemitism one bit. 19th Century European (and American) antisemitism was sadly common. Now days, in the age of information, no one has an excuse to be antisemitic and the people who choose so in this day and age (despite the countless debunking of the antisemitic myths ) are hateful antisemites and bigots. Without further ado, here are the screenshots.
Wagner’s and Liszt’s Jewish Ancestry
She is right that Chopin and Tchaikovsky had some venomous views about Jews, but most academics don’t say anything about it? Hell, even Robert Schumann had antisemitic views and Felix Mendelssohn was unhappy about this. Yes, Mendelssohn converted to Christianity as a boy, but he was still of Jewish ancestry. Oh, and by the way, Wagner was good friends with Mendelssohn.
Wagner’s Severe Mental Illness
I really don’t like to add modern diagnoses to historical figures because it open’s up a huge can of worms. However, once you read about the descriptions of Wagner’s mental state, you can clearly tell that something was clearly mentally wrong with him and I can’t help but to feel bad for him in this area:
Liszt and Cosima must of had a lot of patience and understanding when dealing with Wagner. And by the primary and secondary sources that weren’t tainted by the Nazis, they did. They both loved the man deeply.
More Info About Wagner….
After participating in the Dresden uprising, Wagner (with the help of Liszt) escaped in a dress. Many friends and people in his inner circle commented on how Wagner acted like a woman.
More Screenshots of Liszt’s and Cosima’s Actions
It wouldn’t surprise me if Wagner and Liszt’s relationship was on a soulmate level.
Wagner’s and Liszt’s Musical Legacy
They changed music forever. They were truly revolutionaries in this regard. If you like film music, you can thank Wagner and Liszt. If you like rock and metal, you can also thank Wagner and Liszt. Heck, if you like electronic (EDM) music, you can thank Wagner and Liszt.
And this includes my series on Wagner and Liszt.
In the midst of the Norwegian Royal Family crisis, Martha Louise and the Scam-man are going to be a part of yet another reality show:
"It was this week revealed that Martha Louise and her husband will feature in Alternative Norway, a six-part reality series showcasing 'intimate' insight into the country's esoteric scene, which is set to be broadcast in autumn, the Times reported. Verrett said in the trailer: 'I am connected to God, and if that makes people uncomfortable - well, then you're going to be very uncomfortable.' In addition to the royal couple, the show will feature clairvoyants, animal interpreters, and the 'breathing instructor' son of Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store." via Daily Mail.
There are rumors that Richard Wagner had an affair with King Ludwig II of Bavaria. I don’t know how to feel about that. While it’s been documented that Ludwig was infatuated or enamored with Wagner depending on what source you read from, it’s the massive age difference between them that’s making me uncomfortable. Wagner was 51 and Ludwig was 18 (almost 19). While some may say this is legal, even so, this is still weird.
These rumors could be just rumors (I hope so), but there could be a possibility due to the stuff I covered about Wagner’s and Liszt’s more than friends relationship. If you interested on that story, here are the links to Part 1, Part 2, and Bonus Content.
Update (some hours later): According to the Wagner/Liszt expert Bridget via Reddit, Wagner did indeed had a fling with Ludwig. Well shit…
A poster from (the infamous?) Royal Dish forum wrote something on the lines of Haakon being like Tsar Nicholas II with a better hand. I unfortunately can see some similarities between the two…
Debunking the Myth: The Death of Franz Liszt
Throughout a whole century, the public has been told that Franz Liszt died as he was surrounded by loving family and friends. Unfortunately, it has come to light in the beginning of this century that this wasn’t exactly true according to one of his pupils Lina Schmalhausen. She recorded events in her diary a week before Liszt passed away.
Before I give you the excerpts via a subreddit called Liszt_fanclub, the editor did warn readers to take what the Lina wrote at face value because she was distrusted by a lot of members of Liszt’s inner circle. Even if that’s the case, there has to be a grain of truth somewhere in her account or she is indeed telling the truth, and the inner circle didn’t like how she made them look bad (just my theory).
I also must warn you that the excerpts are uncomfortable to read (especially the last entry). If you don’t want to read about the mistreatment of the elderly, you can stop here and take my word that Liszt deserved a more dignified death.
Thursday, July 22
(p38)
After writing, the Master (Liszt) was tired. He sat down at his special invalid chair (the feet stretching out on a footstool). Terrible. Four months ago, in Pest, he was still just like a God; now he was completely broken.
(p40)
“Please give me a spoonful of medicine; it is up on the stove." Stavenhagen (Liszt's pupil) lovelessly thrust a spoon into his mouth. The divine Master feared that he had spilled everything and looked at his vest sorrowfully with a childlike, fearful glance.
(p46)
Turning toward me the Master said, "Well, Well, Lina, so I am to die because of you, but I did not try to avoid you, and I invited you to Bayreuth."
Saturday, July 24
(p57)
"In brief she did not put in an appearance again and did not say goodbye to me. I don't know what is the matter with people today."
(p60)
During the reading, the beloved master often fell asleep, his head lowering itself onto the left shoulder. While the head was bowed he had an indescribably sweet, charitable smile. Whenever he raised his head, he sighed deeply, and his features became distorted as if in deep pain.
(p62)
The Master had believed that Göllereich (Liszt's pupil) had gone out. He drew me onto his knee, pressed me tightly to himself, put my head beside his, and said, “my dear, dear, good Lina,” and gazed at me terribly sadly. The Master looked so tired and unhappy that I did not want him to see the tears in my eyes from the pain, and I left so that I could have a good cry.
(p65)
I wanted to give her my place on my sofa, but the Master held me down with his left hand and said, “do not move from my side, dear Lina, I am not fond of changes.”
Sunday, July 25
(p78)
I could always find his head, his 'Godlike mane' being my most reliable light. Understandably, my attention was very divided because I knew the Master to be ill. (...) The Master's dear hands were still applauding along with the others, and even when everyone else had stopped I saw his hands (on the right a black silk glove) still beating together to encourage people to applaud further.
Monday, July 26
(p89)
He coughed terribly and the blood rose to his head so strongly that his forehead became filled with bloodshot spots. I touched his brow and said, “Master, you have red spots here.” He replied with such a childlike, tender look, “That is probably a rash!” The Master was infinitely sad and told me that he could not offer me anything happy here. “you don't even have a piano with which to divert yourself.”
(p92)
The Master searched on the bedspread with his hand. I asked him what he wanted, and he replied, “Give me your hand.” I gave him my left hand, which he then held tightly in his for the whole evening.
Thursday, July 29
(p110)
I who has sat by his bed day and night, most recently in Rome and Pest, who had served him each drink and to whom the Master had become so accustomed that he could not fall asleep unless I sat beside his bed, prayed with him, and he had put his hand in mine. And now I had to loiter outside, knowing him to be alone, without help; he, who had a heart such in need of love (...)
(p112)
The Master said "Well, it will be difficult for you to shave me in bed; that won't work; I would prefer to get up for it." Miska (Liszt's caregiver) said no, it is better in bed. Lessmann (Liszt's pupil) and Mihalovich (Liszt's pupil) came in and both stood with me at the door. When they heard that the Master was being shaved, they laughed mockingly and said, "How can one still wish to be shaved?" And Lessmann with the greatest calm: "He won't ever get up again", and with that they both went on their way. The Master remained patiently in bed while being shaved, then he said decisively, "There, now I really want to get up; Miska, will you help me." Miska thought "Perhaps the Master would recover after all," And he did not dare to push the Master's anger to the extreme. So he replied, "Right away, Your Grace," then took the shoes in front of the Master's bed and said, "I'll be right back, I'm just going to polish the shoes." He went out and of course did not return. Eva (Liszt's pupil) enjoyed this dishonest trick, and she returned calmly to the salon. The Master was too weak to get up by himself, and the heartless creature knew it. I looked through the crack in the door. The Master was lying on his pillow crying, completely emaciated.
Source: (X).
(Very Controversial Post) Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt: More Than Friends Bonus Content
Still not convinced? Here’s an image from Bridget on Reddit:
These are REAL quotes from the sources I provided in my Part 2 post. After gaining back your composure from being shocked, here's a excerpt of a letter from Wagner to Liszt:
More excerpts from some letters:
Unfortunately, Bridget deleted her Reddit account (probably due to the negative reactions from posters in denial and how much Reddit sucks in general), but thank goodness for Reddit saving posts from deleted accounts. I personally had no idea about all of this. This is also why one should look at primary sources along with secondary sources (that aren't biased as hell).
(Very Controversial Post) Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt: More Than Friends Part 2
Disclaimer: I DO NOT support any of bigoted views and player-like behavior these men had (especially Wagner with the antisemitism, but there has been evidence that he changed his mind later in his life. Unfortunately Cosima and the damn Nazis covered this up many years later).
Where I Left Off…
It’s really a sad story in a way isn’t it? Liszt and Wagner didn’t dare be out in the open because if they did, then they could kiss their careers and reputations goodbye.
The Suppression/Cover-Up of Wagner’s and Liszt’s Relationship and the Changing of the Wagnerian Image in the 20th Century
And there you have it folks. The Nazis via Cosima completely changed Wagner’s image to make him less queer and to make him more manly and a proto-Nazi. Slightly off topic, but they also changed Jesus’s image to make him less Jewish too so I’m not really surprised about this. And don't get me started on how they culturally appropriated the swastika which was originally a symbol of good fortune.
As much as I have some mainly ambivalent views about Wagner (he was musically talented, but probably had a personality disorder with messed up views about Jews), he wouldn't support Nazis. His own granddaughter said this.
Not surprisingly, this cause a massive family drama between Liszt and Cosima. So much so that they were estranged until right before Liszt passed away.
The Reactions: As You Expect in Mainstream Circles
A brave poster pointed out this highly likely scenario in a somewhat pretentious and elitist classical music forum called Talk Classical. The reactions are what you expect in a mainstream circle. While there were some posters who were open to the possibility of Wagner and Liszt having a thing for each other romantically, the majority of the posters' reactions range from how is this possible, this is weird to you are honestly out of your freaking mind (with some subtleties of homophobia and biphobia attached). In thanks to the Nazis' reinventing Wagner's image to their liking (making him more white supremacist, more conservative and more masculine) and many many years of homophobia and biphobia, these reactions aren't really surprising. Here's the link if interested to see many of the posters doing mental gymnastics:
https://www.talkclassical.com/threads/were-liszt-and-wagner-gay-lovers.89994/
In contrast, there were more people on Reddit (despite its massive problems) who were more open to the theory. Of course there were some posters who still didn't believe this, but it was only a few.
My Verdict
Like I mentioned in the first post, I had some misgivings at first because it sounded so outlandish that I thought I was reading an 19th Century European version of the infamous American Jerry Springer Show. However, as I read excerpts of the primary sources the original poster offered and noticed Liszt's strong reaction to Wagner's death and Cosima' not letting her father come to Wagner's funeral when she found out the truth of their relationship, I became convinced that something was definitely going on between Wagner and Liszt. And I learned that they swing both ways.
Sources
Here are the sources the poster (who I just found is called Bridget on Reddit) used for her research into the relationship of Wagner and Liszt:
Wagner/Liszt Correspondence translated by Francis Hueffer
Richard Wagner’s diary
Cosima Wagner’s diaries
Liszt/Carolyne correspondence
Mein Leben, by Richard Wagner (autobiography)
Wagner/Liszt biographies by Guy de Pourtales
Liszt, Wagner, and the Princess, by William Wallace
Alan Walker three volume biography on Liszt
Portrait of Liszt, by Adrian Williams
4 volume Richard Wagner biography by Ernest Newman
Bridget's Personal analysis of Wagner’s Lohengrin, Tristan Und Isolde, and Parsifal (given the time written and composed and the events happening)
Numerous essays and articles online
P.S. If Bridget from Reddit comes across this, I want to thank you for your intensive research and not letting the hostile reactions get you down.
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, second daughter of Emperor Nicholas I, by Paolo.
