Tag Archives: History

April 5, 1722~ First European discovery of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

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A View of the Monuments of Easter Island (Rapanui) by William Hodges

c.1776 / Oil on panel / 30 1/2”x48” / National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Dutch Admiral Jacob Roggeveen (1659-1729) made the first European discovery of Easter Island on Easter Day, April 5, 1722. Fifty-two years later, William Hodges travelled as draughtsman on Captain James Cook’s second voyage to the South Pacific.

Previous April 5 posts:

Spring~ April 5

Herbert Bayer: Born April 5, 1900

Artist Birthday Quiz for 4/5~

April 4, 1968~ Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, TN

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Martin Luther King, Jr. by John Woodrow Wilson

Pictured: 2002 / Etching and aquatint on chine collé / Image: 30 1/2″x27 3/4″ /
Various collections (edition of 50) incl. Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN
1985 / Original (smaller) drawing: pastel on cream Japanese paper / Sheet: 21 15/16”x20 13/16” / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Previous April 4 posts:

Spring~ April 4

William Henry Jackson: Born on April 4, 1843

April 4~

Artist Birthday Quiz for 4/4~

April 2, 1851~ Rama IV crowned King of Thailand

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First King of Siam in State Costume  by John Thomson

(Best known in the West as the King from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I“)

1865 / Wet-plate collodion process print / 8 11/16″x6 3/4” / Various, including Wellcome Collection, London

The Real Thai Story of The King and I
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/the-real-thai-story-of-the-king-and-i/

https://new.coinsweekly.com/nations/the-king-and-anna-and-the-monetary-reform-of-thailand/
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2019/01/the-king-of-siam-speaks-rehabilitating-a-kings-image/

Previous April 2 posts:

Spring~ April 2

Clifford Berryman: Born April 2, 1869

Jan Tschichold: Born April 2, 1902

Artist Birthday Quiz for 4/2~

March 31, 1889~ Construction of the Eiffel Tower is completed

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Champs de Mars: The Red Tower by Robert Delaunay

1911 / Oil on canvas / 63 1/4”x50 5/8” / Art Institute of Chicago

Robert Delaunay’s Eiffel Tower Series~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower_(Delaunay_series)
Art and the Eiffel Tower~
https://www.toureiffel.paris/fr/le-monument/art-et-tour-eiffel

Previous March 31 posts:

March 31~ Women’s History Month in visual arts

March 31, 1889: Completion of the construction of the Eiffel Tower

March 31~

Artist Birthday Quiz for 3/31~

March 29, 1974~ Terracotta Army discovered in Shaanxi province, China

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Terracotta Warriors and Horses / Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

246 BC-208 BC / Exterior earth pyramid: 154’x 1,690’x 1,591’ / Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang, Xi’an, China

Previous March 29 posts:

March 29~ Women’s History Month in visual arts

Raymond Hood: Born March 29, 1881

Artist Birthday Quiz for 3/29~

March 28, 1939~ Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid

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“Do not let your family live the drama of the war:
To evacuate Madrid is to help in the final victory” by Girón

c.1936-1937 / Lithograph, 3 colors / 39 2/5”x27” / Southworth Collection, University of California San Diego

Illustrated timeline of the Spanish Civil War~
https://warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/archives_online/digital/scw/simpletimeline2

Previous March 28 posts:

March 28~ Women’s History Month in visual arts

Artist Birthday Quiz for 3/28~

March 27, 1790~ Modern shoelace with aglet patented

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An aglet is the small plastic or fiber tube that binds the end of a shoelace (or similar cord) to prevent fraying and to allow the lace to be passed through an eyelet or another opening. This comes from the Latin word for “needle.” The modern shoestring (string and shoe holes) was first invented in England in 1790 (first recorded date March 27). Before shoestrings, shoes were commonly fastened with buckles.
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-shoes-1992405

Shoes, 1888, by Vincent van Gogh

Oil on canvas / 18”x21 3/4” / The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Previous March 27 posts:

March 27~ Women’s History Month in visual arts

Edward Steichen: Born March 27, 1879

Carl Barks (March 27, 1901-August 25, 2000)

Artist Birthday Quiz for 3/27~

March 24, 1603~ James VI of Scotland ascends to the English throne

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King James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, at 20
attributed to Adrian Vanson

c.1586 / Oil on panel / 13 3/4”x10” / National Trust for Scotland, Falkland Palace & Garden

Previous March 24 posts:

March 24~ Women’s History Month in visual arts

Edward Weston: Born March 24, 1886

Artist Birthday Quiz for 3/24~