Little Alligator

Thirties. I blog about my various fandoms, art, photography, history, politics, and whatever catches my eye.

[madeleinefjall]

Fitz and Nighteyes ❤️

[jeyneofpoole]

chivalry’s shadow.

[jadeseadragon]

Phyllis Shafer, Magical Moment at Fallen Leaf Lake, gouache on paper, 17.5 x 22.5 inches.

[julian-onderdonk]

Bluebonnet Scene, Robert Julian Onderdonk

[dearparentheses]

Paul Evans

[frostedmagnolias]

Day Dress

c. 1903

Jeanne Paquin

The Kyoto Costume Institute

[gatheringbones]

[“The Roman Catholic Church’s definition of incest is one of the most intriguing features of medieval marriage. Neither the Old nor New Testament provided any basis for it. But in the mid-sixth century, church synods began to denounce as incestuous the Old Testament practice of marrying a brother’s widow. Also, during the sixth and seventh centuries bishops began condemning marriage to first and second cousins, stepmothers or stepdaughters, and the widows of uncles. In 721, Pope Gregory II even forbade marriage with the godmother of one’s child or with the mother of one’s godchild.

A few decades later marriage was forbidden up to the seventh degree of separation, or “as far as memory could go back.” This made it illegal to marry a descendant of one’s great-great-great-great-great-grandfather! By the end of the eighth century it was incestuous to marry in-laws, the kin of godparents or godchildren, or a relative of someone you had once had sexual intercourse with. It was also forbidden to marry a relative of someone you had previously promised but failed to marry. These prohibitions were so broad that almost any match could be ruled invalid. One historian notes that, at least in theory, the incest rules prohibited young village men from wedding “all the marriageable girls they could possibly know and a great many more besides.”

[…]

On the other hand, because the rules were so routinely ignored at the time of marriage, they could later be used to invalidate an existing marriage. A claim of incest provided an escape clause from the Church’s strictures against divorce. A married couple, or one of the pair, who desired a divorce might suddenly discover that the marriage had been incestuous all along. In the late eleventh century the Count of Anjou was able to repudiate five of his own marriages by dint of diligent genealogical research. In 1152 the divorce of King Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine was approved when the couple pointed out that they were related within four or five degrees. The excuse served, even though this had been common knowledge at the time of their wedding and Louis’s next wife, Constance of Castile, was even more closely related to him than Eleanor had been. As one historian notes, the church’s “abhorrence of incest provided a gap in the laws of monogamy through which a king . . . could drive a coach and horses.”

In 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council narrowed the definition of incest to four degrees of separation. The council’s stated aim was to enforce the modified ban more stringently. But popes continued to grant dispensations for political or financial gain. Under the papacy of Boniface IV (1389-1404), marital dispensations were openly available for sale, with a sliding fee scale based on the value of the concession being sought.”]

stephanie coontz, from marriage, a history: from obedience to intimacy, or how love conquered marriage, 2005

[idionymon]

Wish I was a late bronze age girl

I would have my homeland invaded by the sea peoples. I would be lain siege to by the sea peoples. My cities would be sacked by the sea peoples. I would make bronze tools and pottery. My shores would be invaded by the mysterious sea peoples. I would be mustering my armies to fend off the sea peoples.

[screaming-weevil]

[farewell-to-lorien]

Poppies, by Ed Perkins.

[victusinveritas]

Two Women Teaching a Child to walk by Rembrandt.

Circa 1640, sketch

British Museum, London

[carpe-mamilia]

There’s a drawing by Rembrandt, I think it’s the greatest drawing ever done. It’s in the British Museum and it’s of a family teaching a child to walk, so it’s a universal thing, everybody has experienced this or seen it happen. Everybody. I used to print out Rembrandt drawings big and give them to people and say: “If you find a better drawing send it to me. But if you find a better one it will be by Goya or Michelangelo perhaps.” But I don’t think there is one actually. It’s a magnificent drawing, magnificent.

(David Hockney)

[ocelotonatrain]

The head donut is the baby proofing. We put rubber over sharp corners, they put a donut on the baby’s head.

The one below is from the Met and is from the early 19th century. As you can see in the drawing, the design didn’t change much from Rembrandt’s time. According to the Met, they were called bumpers or pudding caps.

[greengableslover]

THE FALL (2006) dir. Tarsem Singh (for @queenofattolia)

[patrick-stewart]

THE TERROR | 1.09

[sesiondemadrugada]

Franklin Booth.

[mangoslixes]

“Shadow and light are the most stable and perfect tools of creation: they unite colors, shapes, and dimensions,” says Moldovan artist Sergiu Ciochină, adding that “shadows move us through diversity, enhancing our perception, while light fills us with the joy of discovery.” In saturated hues, he captures dappled sunlight as it filters through the trees and the rich tones of the golden hour as it casts deep bluish-purple shade onto the sides of houses.

Taking cues from the Impressionists, Ciochină focuses on the nuances of light and its ability to reveal outlines and forms. He works in thick, impasto oil paint on board, emphasizing the shapes of windows, doors, and stoops and transforming otherwise ordinary buildings into compositions glowing with the patterns of foliage, architectural angles, and the texture of brushstrokes. “The symbiosis I create between nature and architecture is intended to evoke a love for space,” he says.

on Sergiu Ciochină

[scenics]

TAEMIN Move, 2017

[holocrone]

Everyone calls me Mel. I'm so happy to be here.

Taylor Dearden as DR. MELISSA KING THE PITT (2025—)

[life-on-our-planet]

Playtime for young kea birds! There’s a benefit to this apparently carefree behavior. It helps establish long-lasting relationships between the youngsters and even diffuses tension. David Attenborough | BBC Earth